Pixel 9 Pro

The boss of Android phones is back and on top form

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From ₹1,09,999 store.google.​com

Google's flagship feels like the most accomplished Android handset to take on Apple's iPhone 15 Pro, and Samsung's Galaxy S24. Plenty has changed in this latest iteration, including the design, display, chipset, cooling and charging. The XL option is also back, its bigger 6.8-inch display the only differentiator between them.

Visually, the Pixel 9 Pro might divide opinion. In this latest design, the 'camera bar' no longer wraps into the edges of the phone - it's now like a free-floating island, hiding the trio of lenses within it behind a curved, blackened shade. It looks modern yet unique and stands apart from the competition, though those steeply-angled edges love to collect pocket debris. The metallic edges of the phone also love a fingerprint, so you'll be cleaning it more often.

In terms of colour options, Google has gone fairly subdued. The Hazel finish, on review, is a sort of greygreen complemented with metallic highlights. The back panel has a resistive coating, which ensures it looks neat and tidy, and it's comfortable to hold given the subtle curves on all edges.

As for the Pixel 9 Pro's chassis, the edge bezels have been trimmed down to give it a more modern look. Clearly Google loves a curve, as those rounded-off corners are more significant than anything from the competition. It's a fairly small thing, but that causes some content to be partially cropped- such as, say, part of the 'x' too close to an in-game advert. Seeing as Google is the creator of Android, and it knows how most apps function, the curves are a little too steep - but it's a minor complaint.