It hit the market too soon, it's supposedly only slightly better than its predecessor, it's a bit lacking in Poland, it's too expensive, and yet I really want to love it because I'm a sucker for its looks and the aura it radiates. Am I shallow?
Google and Their Approach to Hardware
Google has always been a company more about software than hardware. And of course, about the page where we search for articles 15,000 characters long about when Easter falls this year. However, the Americans are trying to change that with their Pixel smartphone series – devices that are meant to be a showcase for both the entire corporation and the Android operating system. It's their answer to the perfectly harmonized duo of iPhone and iOS, which sparks great excitement every year.
The Power of Software vs. Lack of Innovation in Specifications
But since Google are coders through and through, Pixels have always stood out primarily for their software. This year, of course, we're experiencing a frenzy around artificial intelligence, which is meant to skillfully beguile our reality! Looking at the raw specifications, you won't find anything particularly exciting – neither the processor, nor the amount of RAM, nor the megapixels in the camera will impress you. To find the real gems, you have to dig into the system!
Shortcomings and Limitations in Poland
And there are plenty of attractions waiting there! Although, it's another matter that Google probably thinks we're a clueless mass and won't notice that some functions don't work in Poland. We don't have the natural conversation option with the intelligent assistant Gemini, and I can understand that, as maybe it hasn't mastered our beautiful language as well as English. Although IF IT'S SO INTELLIGENT, IT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM FOR IT. However, I have no idea why we're missing the Pixel Studio app for image generation or the excellent Pixel Screenshot program for cataloging and searching for information in screenshots.
AI Features: Potential for Fun, but What About Practicality?
What's there works like artificial intelligence – meaning, quite nicely, as long as you look at it with a pinch of salt. Because sometimes, like that one friend who always boasts, it can spout complete nonsense while being convinced it's not lying at all. I particularly like the options for transforming objects in photos – you select a car and ask, for example, for it to become a horse-drawn carriage – and the quite convincing addition of yourself to group photos you took yourself. So in reality, you weren't even there. Overall, these features have much more potential for fun than actual practicality, but I admit I had a pretty good time.
Hardware Beautiful on the Outside, Disappointing on the Inside
However, the hardware itself disappointed me a bit. The Pixel is, in my opinion, a beautiful smartphone – with a camera island that is as distinctive as it is characteristic, elegantly chamfered edges, and a rather compact design. Plus, it's waterproof! But on the inside? A bit of an empty shell.
Performance and Battery
Charging to full takes an hour and a half, which is a bit unacceptable nowadays. In every 90 minutes, Xiaomi releases three smartphones that recharge faster! The processor runs smoothly, but its performance lags behind almost every other processor you'll find in smartphones from 4000 zlotys upwards, and you can feel it a bit. Incidentally, it houses the chip responsible for network connections, which seemingly doesn't know what responsibility entails! It regularly lost LTE and 5G connectivity for several seconds. This is certainly not the fault of the Vikings, as I haven't encountered anything like this in any other tested smartphone, and I've had two Viking SIM cards for years. The screen is beautiful, but it lacks an energy-saving LTPO technology. The speakers are decent, but they fall short of flagship iPhones or Samsung Galaxies. The cameras, as is typical for Pixels, are great, but at this price, the lack of a telephoto lens is a bit of a sting.
Is the Pixel 9 Worth Its Price?
Overall: I like the vision of an intelligent smartphone from Google. Even a stripped-down one. Especially since the competitive Apple Intelligence won't be available in our country at all this year. I'm delighted by the promise of seven years of software updates, even though I'll be sending my own unit back to the manufacturer in a week. I'm also enchanted by its appearance. But the performance, charging speed, limitations, and bugs are a bit discouraging. Especially since an almost identical Pixel 8 can now be bought for 2500 zlotys. 1550 zlotys cheaper! That's enough to add another thousand and get a second Pixel 8 to make yourself a powerful Pixel 16. Isn't that how it works? 😉
For now, I'd hold off on buying the "Nine" – wait for price drops and potential software fixes. Or get the older generation.
