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Welcome to the Engadget Review Recap (or ERR, as I like to call it). This is the second in a roughly biweekly series where we round up the reviews our team has published. We’ll also tell you what’s coming up, what we skipped, and how we test. Plus, some fun team trivia. If you missed the past two weeks of reviews, or simply didn’t have time to read everything we published (oh man, did you?), this recap will give you a quick way to catch up.
This week we’re reviewing the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, as well as the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC, which has the longest name we’ve ever seen. Other Pixel devices are currently being tested, and the review team has been pretty busy behind the scenes. On Monday, Apple announced that it will hold its “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9, which means new iPhones and an Apple Watch are expected to be unveiled soon.
For now, here’s what’s going on with the Engadget reviews team.
Pixel 9 review: A solid, affordable Android flagship
Sam Rutherford
Samsung’s Galaxy S series may be more popular thanks to its sleek new design, improved software, upgraded camera and vibrant display, but the Pixel 9 is a true Android smartphone winner.
- New ultrasonic fingerprint sensor
- Upgraded Camera
- Ultra-bright OLED display
- Solid performance
- Sleek design
- Superior software and AI tools
- No Qi2 magnetic wireless charging
- Zoom enhancements are only available on Pixel 9 Pro
- AI can still be manipulated to produce hallucinations or produce undesirable outcomes
First, Huge From the Engadget team: Senior writer Sam Rutherford is having a baby. Sam will be taking some time off, but has been keeping busy up until the last minute between appointments at the hospital, helping with field survey paperwork and reviews. We will be lost without him, but we are so happy that he and his family have a wonderful new baby in their lives.
The Pixel 9 review is the last full review posted by Sam for a while. In it, Sam makes it clear how impressed he is with Google’s premium device. To him, the Pixel 9 is a go-to Android phone, beating out Samsung’s S24 and other Android flagships worth considering. It has a grown-up feel like the Pixel 9 Pro, and the camera and battery performance are excellent. It’s well worth the $799 price tag.
It’s a bit tough to put the Pixel 9 in the Pro’s shadow, as the Pixel 8a and future Pixel 9a offer lower prices and better feature sets that could dwarf the Pixel 9. If you have $200 to spare, you might want to consider the Pro, which we reviewed last week.
Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL review: 94 points for a Pixel – is that impressive?
Matt Smith
With a sleek design, a much-improved telephoto camera, and great battery life, the Pixel 9 Pro solidifies its position as the phone with the best camera.
- Better camera features and improved telephoto camera
- Get 1 year of Gemini Advanced for free
- Incredible Battery Life
- Beautiful, bright screen that’s easy to use even outdoors
- Tensor G4 runs cooler than its predecessor
- Charges slower than the XL
- Not the best phone for gaming
No joke. I was blown away when I saw the score that UK Bureau Chief Matt Smith gave the Pixel 9 Pro. It’s probably the highest score we’ve ever given a Google phone. Not to mention, it’s probably the first time the Pixel has been scored in iPhone territory. In fact, both Matt and I mistook the Pixel 9 Pro for our own iPhones, both in the feel and face-up. Sam also thought the Pixel 9 looked and felt remarkably similar to Apple’s flagship phone, which is a weird nod to Google.
These phones look grown-up, sleek, and premium. Gone is the glossy finish that’s been on Pixel 6 and newer models, and with it, the tendency of these devices to slide off unstable surfaces. The camera bar also looks more elegant, and the straight edges give the Pixel 9 Pro an iPhone vibe that previous models didn’t have.
I like how Google has given its latest flagship the iPhone-like treatment while still retaining the camera bar feature, and I love the new colors, too, especially the pink Pro I received.
A big reason we gave the Pixel 9 Pro such a high rating is the fact that the new smaller Pro makes very few compromises due to its size. Both the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the smaller version have the same camera setup, and really only differ in the size of the display and battery. While the larger flagship model charges slightly faster, the smaller Pro’s battery lasts surprisingly long, beating most modern smartphones in our video battery drain test.
As always, Google’s camera beats the competition (especially at night). I’m not sure if I’ll pay for the Gemini AI service, but the fact that it’s free for now means it’s not a drawback. Some of the new software is nifty and generally effective, such as the Pixel Screenshots app and the camera’s Add Me tool. Others, such as Pixel Studio and the photo editing tool Reimagine, have some issues. More from Allison Johnson The Verge.
If you can avoid using these features (which I find surprisingly easy), you’ll be pleased with the rest of the Pixel 9 Pro. The upgraded display is bright and beautiful, but Mat, who briefly bragged in his review that he has larger-than-average hands, didn’t like that the Pro XL’s screen was larger than last year’s model. He’s not wrong; the device is harder to use, especially for those of us with smaller limbs. That’s why we’ve lowered the Pro XL’s score by one point compared to last year’s Pixel 8 Pro. I also wish Google had kept its flagship models more competitively priced for another year, since the Pixel 9 lineup is now roughly the same price as comparable devices from Samsung and Apple, rather than $100 cheaper as it was before.
Check out Matt’s review for more details and camera samples, but for now, suffice to say that the Engadget team is very impressed with the Pixel 9 lineup and looks forward to our own evaluation of other products in the series, including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel Watch 3, and Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC: Good, but Intel’s derivatives may be better
Devindra Hardawar
The XPS 13 is a powerful and stylish Copilot+ PC, but it can be slower than Intel models, can’t run some games and apps, and has surprisingly average battery life.
- Faster than the Intel XPS 13 in some benchmarks
- 45TOPS NPU is even better suited for future AI capabilities
- Gorgeous design
- Great thin bezel screen
- Great battery life
- Some apps run slow and some games fail to launch on Windows on Arm
- Current AI capabilities are moderate
- Controversial trackpad and capacitive function buttons
It looks like we’ll have multiple versions of the Dell XPS 13 on the way, and the XPS 13 Copilot+ PC reviewed by Devindra this week is one such variation that feels like it’s from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s the XPS 13 we reviewed earlier this year, but instead of an Intel Core Ultra processor, it uses an Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite chip. That means it should last a lot longer than a typical PC that uses x86 system architecture, but it also means it’s more susceptible to potential compatibility issues.
If you don’t need your laptop to play games or run lesser-known apps, a Snapdragon laptop might be a better choice for you, especially if you want better battery life. Fortnite or League of Legends You must select an x86 system, as the anti-cheat features in these titles mean they will not run on Arm-based machines.
Those looking for better software compatibility in Dell’s premium-designed AI PC may not have to wait long, considering we’ll likely see an XPS 13 with Intel’s Lunar Lake CPUs later this year. Lunar Lake processors also feature a faster Neural Processing Unit (NPU) than the Snapdragon X Elite. If you’re happy to wait, there’s likely a model that meets your needs (or your prime timeline) in no time.
More from Engadget: Interviews, Gaming News, Hands-On
Speaking of Intel-powered AI PCs, we can’t forget AMD. Devindra spoke with AMD’s Ryzen AI product leaders and published an article about the company’s AI PC strategy last week. These types of interviews help inform our coverage and reviews of devices powered by these components, and are a great opportunity to unleash our inner geek (inner geek? Never mind).
I also had the opportunity to feel like an otaku. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman appears on the Engadget podcast This week, we’re taking an inside look at what Apple will announce at its September 9th event.
Gamescom took place last week, and the Engadget team was there covering the event live, bringing us news about upcoming titles in the franchise, including: Dune, Indiana Jones, Marvel, Call of Duty and civilizationSam shared his hands-on of King of Meat, calling it “a giant cooperative platforming mashup.”
Can’t get enough of the gaming coverage you’re looking for? We’re here to help. Matt is Claire Obscur: Expedition 33appears to be a beautiful RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive. Our team has also compiled lists and roundups of different types of games, ranging from the best Apple Arcade options and Netflix games, to titles for specific consoles like Playdate, to puzzle and word games you can play every day.
Senior reporter Jess Condit checked out Razer’s new Wolverine V3 Pro controller for Xbox and PC this week. It’s the company’s first truly wireless controller for an Xbox console, and its first with a Hall-effect joystick. Jess spent a few days with the V3 Pro, mostly for gaming. Overwatch 2and she found it “quick and surprisingly compact.” She added that “the joystick is precise and requires a little more force than the wireless one.” Forza Horizon 5 I usually use an Xbox controller and find it easy to use and accurate.”
What’s next: Future reviews and how we decide what to feature
We’ll continue testing Pixel devices when they become publicly available later in September, as well as working on testing more AI PCs, surplus Samsung Galaxy products, and more. I’m personally super excited to check out the new Barbie flip phone from HMD, because the T9 keypad will let you type a lot faster than a touchscreen. At least, I think you can.
Many products are announced every week, or even every year. Just this week, new gadgets like the Barbie Phone and a new AI wearable called NotePin were announced. Whether or not we review these devices depends primarily on how important they are to our readers (which is usually determined by our understanding of their interest and how likely they are to want to buy something). It also matters if the product has a larger market, so vaporware or small personal projects on Kickstarter are usually not eligible for reviews.
Finally, our staff’s individual workloads and willingness to test these things also influence our decision-making process – if anyone on our team likes something so much they buy it with their own money, we’re always happy to have them write about their experience on the site as part of our ongoing series on the things we buy.
As always, our team is going to be busy over the next few weeks so please send along some good thoughts and vibes. As always thank you for your time and we hope you have a great weekend.
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