3 months with the Pixel 9 Pro XL: The good, the bad and the kind of ugly

As someone who reviews phones for a living, I don’t often stay with one handset for long.  

At Tech Advisor, we have a strict policy of using a smartphone as our main device for at least a week before reviewing it. But once that review is complete, the next phone is often ready and waiting for my SIM card. 

However, after switching to the Pixel 9 Pro XL for a trip to Hawaii in October (where it proved me wrong), I got the unusual opportunity to continue using it for much longer. In fact, I didn’t move phones until the Galaxy S25+ arrived at the start of February – a period of more than three months. 

This extended testing window allowed me to fully integrate the phone into my daily life. It allowed for impressions that just aren’t possible in a week, so the things I discuss here should better reflect your experience if you decide to buy it.

So, how did the Pixel 9 Pro XL fare? My long-term review of the phone can be split into three categories: the good, the bad and the…kind of ugly. 

The good

In our full Pixel 9 Pro XL review, Jon Mundy described it as “an excellent flagship phone”. After using it for three months, I’d stand by that, given all the ways in which it really impressed me.

Still the best camera phone (for most people)

The 9 Pro XL’s highlight is undoubtedly the cameras. Many phones have caught up to or even surpassed the Pixel when it comes to camera hardware, but none can quite match its software wizardry. 

As someone who wants to take great photos with a minimum amount of fuss, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has been a joy to use. The 50Mp main lens consistently delivers great colour accuracy, dynamic range and exposure – including in low light. It also handles skin tones better than any phone I’ve ever tried. 

Unlike most phones, switching to the 48Mp ultrawide doesn’t mean a big drop-off in quality. I loved having the flexibility of a 123-degree field of view that I could rely on, especially when capturing Maui’s dramatic coastline or the Las Vegas skyline. 

As someone who wants to take great photos with a minimum amount of fuss, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has been a joy to use

Then there’s the 48Mp periscope telephoto. I found its 5x optical zoom to be just right, allowing for detailed photos from impressively far away. And the 42Mp front-facing lens handles selfies like a champ. 

Pixel phones have loads of photo-related AI features, but I mostly ignored them, safe in the knowledge that I’d got plenty of great shots already. 

I can’t fault the 9 Pro XL when it comes to video, either. With optical image stabilisation (OIS) on both the main and telephoto lenses, even 1080p footage looks smooth and crisp in most environments. While not quite the gold standard of the iPhone, I found it to be ideal for documenting my travels. 

Putting on a great display

The sheer size of the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s screen has caused some issues (more on that later), but that shouldn’t take anything away from the quality of the display. 

The 6.8-inch panel is a gorgeous 120Hz OLED, offering a crisp 1344 x 2992 resolution that makes basically everything look good – just make sure you enable it in Settings. 

At various times during the three months, I relied on the 9 Pro XL as my primary entertainment device, using it to catch up on TV shows or watch YouTube. It didn’t let me down at all, offering about as immersive an experience as you can get on a smartphone. 

I could go on about how good the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s display is all day

I also often used the phone outside, including in bright sunshine. It powered through without issue, with 3000 nits of peak brightness ensuring excellent visibility. 

I could go on about how good the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s display is all day (not literally…or could I?), but I don’t want to bore you. Rest assured that it’s up there with the very best displays you’ll find on any phone. 

Terrific Tensor

Before trying a phone for yourself, it’s tempting to dive into the benchmarks to see what you can learn.  

That’s exactly what I did before trying out the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and they make for grim reading. In CPU and GPU tests, phones powered by its Tensor G4 chipset are miles behind last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, let alone the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite. 

However, this serves as a good reminder of how little benchmarks matter when it comes to real-world performance. Sure, the 9 Pro XL might be a fraction slower than the Galaxy S25 Ultra or OnePlus 13, but it’s almost impossible to tell. 

Throughout my three months of use, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s performance didn’t let me down once. It was consistently fast and highly responsive, handling demanding apps and multitasking with ease. 

Throughout my three months of use, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s performance didn’t let me down once

I’m not exactly an avid gamer, but if you want to play a bit of PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty: Mobile, the 9 Pro XL can handle that too. In other words: don’t worry about the sub-par benchmarks at all! 

Battery life for days (literally)

All that great performance is no good if the battery doesn’t last the distance, though. 

And the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 5060mAh capacity isn’t anything to write home about, especially with a vibrant 6.8-inch display to power. 

Luckily, all the battery life concerns I had quickly faded away once I started using the phone. Even on the most demanding 12+ hour days while travelling, the phone didn’t die on me once before I went to bed. 

Back home, that could easily stretch to two or three days on a single charge. Depending on how you use it, the 9 Pro XL can offer true multi-day battery life. 

Depending on how you use it, the 9 Pro XL can offer true multi-day battery life

Peak smartphone software?

Gone are the days when Android was a confusing, cluttered mess. Depending on which phone you buy, Android 15 can offer an intuitive, thoughtful experience that’s packed full of useful features. 

This latest iteration came pre-installed on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and as someone who primarily uses Google apps, I felt right at home. Pixel phones offer an impressively integrated approach that’s completely free from bloatware, which is very refreshing. 

It feels as though Google has thought through every aspect of the user interface, while the AI features are the most advanced available on a smartphone right now. I ended up using Gemini and Circle to Search a lot more than I was expecting.

A commitment to six more years of OS and security updates is the icing on the cake. 

The bad

However, it’s not all good news. Extended usage of the Pixel 9 Pro XL revealed some things I wasn’t such a big fan of. 

Let me turn off my Wi-Fi in peace!

As good as the software is, one aspect of Android 15 caused major frustration. Unlike basically every other Android phone, turning Wi-Fi or Mobile data on or off from the quick settings menu requires two taps – one to select ‘Internet’ and the other to actually toggle it.

It might not sound like a big deal, but when you do this several times a day, every day for three months, it soon gets annoying. Why can’t Google just separate them into two one-tap buttons?

It’s too damn big and heavy

It’ll come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a big phone. It has a 6.8-inch display, after all! 

But as someone with relatively large hands, I thought I could deal with it. Wrong. 

About a month in, the 9 Pro XL’s size started to become a real burden. Even with the comparatively huge pockets in men’s trousers, there wasn’t much room left for anything else. Any time I bent over, I had to brace myself for a light jabbing. At least the corners are curved, I suppose.

Unfortunately, actually using the phone didn’t offer any respite. The 9 Pro XL is already one of the heaviest around at 221g, but I’d highly recommend adding a case for extra grip and protection. Google’s official one took the total to 265g. 

The result: after about 10 minutes of use, my wrist began to ache, and my pinkie finger threatened to give way under the weight. Not a good look. 

Of course, this problem isn’t exclusive to the Pixel 9 Pro XL – basically any large flagship will cause similar issues. But it left me yearning for a much smaller and lighter device. 

If only the regular Pixel 9 Pro had better battery life… 

The ugly

There’s one aspect of the Pixel 9 Pro XL that annoyed me so much it had to go into the ‘ugly’ section. Not only is it the phone’s biggest downside, but Google also makes it unnecessarily complicated to get the most out of it. 

What the hell is going on with charging?

When I saw that the Pixel 9 Pro XL supported Google’s 45W fast charger I was excited. Finally, we’re getting a Pixel with decent charging speeds! 

Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. In reality, the phone is limited to 37W, and even that relies on you having that compatible charger. Without it, speeds are significantly slower still. 

As someone who doesn’t charge their phone overnight, I need a device that can go from 0-100% quickly. The Pixel 9 Pro XL ain’t it – expect well over an hour for a full charge. 

Qi wireless charging is convenient, but don’t pay too much attention to the 23W figure. That relies on you buying a dedicated Pixel Stand accessory, which isn’t even available anymore via the Google website. 

Without it, you’re looking at painfully slow 12W speeds. It probably goes without saying, but I didn’t bother.

As frustrating as the charging situation is, battery life is good enough to mean it isn’t a dealbreaker for most people. But on those occasions when I was running low, to call it frustrating would be an understatement. Google, you can do better than this! 

My 3-month verdict on the Pixel 9 Pro XL

Despite several downsides, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is still easy to recommend to most people. 

It offers the best combination of display, cameras, battery life and software on any phone in 2025. Even the performance, which looks like a weakness on paper, ends up being a key strength. 

However, the sheer size of the phone and the farce around charging speeds take the shine off the experience. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is still well worth buying, but only if you’re content with these compromises. 

Looking for alternatives? See our guide to the best phones you can buy right now.