Another year , another Pixel . Well , in this case , fournew Pixels — without including theGoogle Pixel 9a , which may arrive by and by this year . The Made by Google August event for 2024 present a mighty four unexampled phones to the Pixel brand , theGoogle Pixel 9,Pixel 9 Pro , Pixel 9 Pro XL , andPixel 9 Pro Fold .
All four have the usual upgrades you ’d have a bun in the oven from a fresh fashion model of any smartphone , but there ’s a much more unwelcome surprise lurking beneath the shiny spec tabloid : another cost increase . The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL cost $ 100 more than thePixel 8andPixel 8 professional — which were already $ 100 more expensive than thePixel 7andPixel 7 Pro . Yes , that have in mind Google has increase its prices for two age run .
As a inane follower of roving tech , I should be wild about this . But instead , I ’m a self-satisfied little germ . Why ? Because it ’s made me feel a destiny good about my ominous - fated Pixel 7 Pro leverage two years ago .
My long journey with the Pixel 7 Pro
I ’ll be honest ; I was n’t sure I ’d made the right pick when I preordered my Google Pixel 7 Pro in October 2022 . presently after I ’d put my money down , it became well-defined that all was not well in Pixeltown . When our Pixel 7 Pro critical review come up out just a week after the gimmick was revealed , Joe Maring ’s experience was occupy . Software bug had peril to jump his time with the earpiece and continued to plague him untilhe finally put it down .
But weirdly , those glitch were n’t universal . Andy Boxall did n’t encounteranywhere near the same levelof problems as Joe , and his time with it was middling pleasant . Annoyingly , they both gibe the speech sound was splendid , hemipteron aside . So , it ’s not as if I could excuse invalidate my preorder . Thus , I awaited my Pixel 7 Pro with trepidation .
And weirdly … it was all right .
OK , so it was n’t perfect . I eventually stopped using it because it was justexceptionallyannoying . Like Joe , I get a buggy phone , but my bugs were small , and less noticeable . Until they were n’t .
But now , in the cold light of day , after the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 , the Pixel 7 Pro seems like a actual steal .
I don’t have a reason to upgrade
But wait , was n’t the Pixel 7 Pro a buggy mess ? Well , yes — but it was also a very good smartphone underneath all that . The Tensor G2 , while not a show - cease processor , was still more than capable enough for me . The display was gorgeous . The camera , like all Pixel phone , wasexceptional . The battery aliveness was — well , OK , the battery life was n’t bang-up . But it was still acceptable .
When I consider back to my time with the Pixel 7 Pro , I do n’t remember the bugs , the crashes , or the thwarting . I think back a great gimmick that I really enjoyed using . It would storm the man who wrote of his frustrations with the Pixel 7 Pro a year ago , and it surprises me now .
But I also feel extra well-chosen with it because it ’s become evident that not much has convert in the Pixel communication channel since I bought my Pixel 7 Pro .
Oh sure , the processor has gotten better , the camera have seen some low upgrades , and there ’s a tweaked design — but there ’s no new killer feature . The Pixel 8 Pro had a temperature sensing element that … well , it was definitely one of the features of all time . But because so much about the Pixel 7 Pro was with child to begin with , in my opinion there was n’t much elbow room for the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro to expand .
Is this the right decision?
Of course , my match say me I ’m wrong . And possibly I am . I ’ve register the reviews , too , and it seems as ifthe new Pixels are some of the best Google has ever made , with incredibly good - feeling designs , the best Tensor processor yet , and an even good camera . But really , I do n’t upgrade my phone because it ’s more physicallysolid . I upgrademy phone when I feel like I ’m missing out . And I do n’t feel like I ’m miss out on anything this year — the same as last class .
Honestly , when I look at my Pixel 7 Pro , I do n’t see all the feature I ’m miss from the young earphone — instead , I see the $ 200 rescue I made by investing in almostthe exact same phoneas the Pixel 9 Pro XL , but two years earlier . And that ’s surely terrible for Google . But I do n’t care about that ; I have lost time to make up with the smartphone I should never have get go of .
