Last week, we looked at the launch of the OnePlus 13 and 13R. Next week, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S25 series. This week, we’ll look at what Google has to offer.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is a rare small-ish Android with high-end cameras – a 1/1.31” 50MP main, 48MP 113mm periscope and 48MP 123° ultra-wide. It has a 6.3” display with 1280p+ resolution and a LTPO panel with a 42MP ultra-wide (17mm) selfie camera. The battery is fairly large at 4,700mAh, but charging is slow – 27W wired and 21W wireless.
The same hardware is available in a larger form-factor with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and its 6.8” display (LTPO, 1344p+). The battery is also large, at 5,060mAh, with slightly faster charging at 37W/23W. For an in-depth comparison, our Pixel 9 Pro vs. See the 9 Pro XL article.
Or, if we stick with the same size, the Google Pixel 9 is $200 cheaper, but you get the same Tensor G4 chipset (with less RAM, 12GB vs. 16GB), the same main and ultra-wide camera. However, there is no telephoto module, and the selfie camera only has a 10.5MP sensor. Also, the 6.3” display is not an LTPO panel and has a lower resolution of 1080p+. Here’s an in-depth look at how the Pixel 9 compares to the Pixel 9 Pro.
If you’re more concerned about price than size, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is $100 less than the Pixel 9. The Exynos 2400e is faster than the Tensor G4 across the board, although it’s paired with less RAM – just 8GB. On the plus side, you get a dedicated telephoto camera (an 8MP 75mm module, 3x). The S24 FE is larger with a 6.7” 1080p+ display, but the battery is essentially the same – 4,700mAh with 25W wired and 15W wireless charging. The Pixel achieved a slightly higher active use score, however (13:05 hours vs. 11:48 hours).
Google also has an affordable range of phones, such as the Google Pixel 8a. The older Tensor G3 offers even less performance than the G4 and you only get 8GB of RAM with it. On the plus side, it’s a good deal cheap at $400 and it’s small with a 6.1” 90Hz OLED display (1080p+). The 4,492mAh battery supports 18W wired and 7.5W wireless charging and scored 11:25 hours in our active use test.
The Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet is on sale right now, especially the 128GB variant without the lockscreen ads. The 10.9” 2,000 x 1,200px display makes this a great streaming and light gaming tablet. If you prefer local content, there’s also a microSD slot. Also, the aluminum body makes this slate look more premium than its price tag suggests.
Amazon also has a selection of cheaper tablets — the Fire HD 10, Fire HD 8, and Fire 7 for $95, $85, and $45, respectively. These are quite limited, but offer solid value-for-money given their price tags.
Nintendo teased the Switch 2 earlier this week and some were disappointed that it wasn’t a crazy new design. If you’re itching to try a new form of gaming, check out the Meta Quest 3S, a cheaper variant of the Quest 3. It uses the older display and optics (from the Quest 2), but features the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2. A chip like the pricier Quest 3. It’s a good middle ground if you’re not sure if VR is right for you.
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