Key Takeaways
- Google’s Pixel 9 has a premium feel and iPhone-like hardware that is reminiscent of Apple’s design.
- The new phone offers a simpler software experience compared to iOS, which has become increasingly complicated over time.
- Google has finally made an Android iPhone.
If you’ve been interested in technology for any length of time, you’re probably familiar with the iOS vs. Android dichotomy. The iPhone has long been associated with flair and understatement: the iPhone is simple and beautiful, while Android and most Android phones are cluttered and ugly. This common sentiment has never been entirely true, and even if you believe it, the last few years of Samsung phones have proven that Apple doesn’t have a monopoly on beautiful hardware. But with the Pixel 9, it feels like something bigger has changed.
Google has been trying for years to find the right balance between Android smarts and premium hardware to take on Apple’s phones (and rival Samsung as the largest Android phone maker). It’s had its ups and downs, trying to make its mark with cameras and layering on a range of AI-powered features. But with the new Pixel 9 phone family, it feels like Google’s succeeded. And that’s not just because the phones feel good and operate well, but because the iPhone hasn’t changed enough in comparison. If anything, it’s getting closer to Android.
It feels weird to say this, but the characteristics that many people associate with the iPhone — a simple, smart, stylish smartphone — have been fully carried over to the Pixel: Google’s Pixel 9 is a better iPhone than the iPhone, and iOS 18 and the new iPhone 16 don’t seem particularly positioned to change that.
The Pixel 9, Pro or not, is equipped with premium hardware that’s similar to the iPhone.
Google finally makes a premium phone
The iPhone isn’t just a status symbol, but it’s not just a status symbol either. Apple makes elegant electronics that are obviously made from the finest materials (titanium was all the rage last year), and they pride themselves on making hardware that’s worth more than its price because it looks good, lasts a long time, and is overall very high performing. Whether you pay a few thousand dollars for the iPhone 15 Pro or a few hundred for the regular iPhone 15, you’re getting your money’s worth.
The Pixel has long been high-performance and uniquely Google-esque, but it never felt particularly premium. Even when Google started offering a “Pro” version of the Pixel, I couldn’t say it felt worth the $999 the company charged. I don’t know if it was a weird hardware issue or just an overly opinionated design, but the Pixel just… missed the mark. That point ends with the Pixel 9. Whether you buy the more expensive Pixel 9 Pro XL or just the Pixel 9, it feels premium. The Pixel 9’s matte aluminum rails and glossy glass back, and the Pixel 9 Pro’s polished metallic finish are clearly reminiscent of the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, but the point is that all of Google’s products feel good in the hand. They’re sturdy, not too heavy or light, and when you throw in a bright display, the phone is a joy to look at. And importantly, they come in colors that are actually fun, not the black, gray, silver, and gold that Apple sticks to.
Finally, the Pixel 9 feels premium whether you buy the more expensive Pixel 9 Pro XL or just the Pixel 9.
While the addition of the Tensor G4 feels like a minor addition in comparison, especially since it’s not clear if it’s all that different from the Tensor G3 that Google used in the Pixel 8, the Pixel 9 feels just as powerful as an iPhone when it comes to regular smartphone tasks, especially with the dozens of on-device AI features that Google has made available on its new phone.
Apple’s iPhone has had the same design for years
Though the iPhone is widely popular, it’s hard to find anyone interested in what it looks like, or what its combination of screen, camera and custom silicon actually does.
Aside from some flat sides and dynamic islands, the iPhone Pro is nearly identical in appearance to the iPhone 11 Pro. The non-Pro iPhones have changed even more as Apple has changed the orientation of the rear camera, but you can see the same consistent lines from the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 15.
The same can be said about Apple’s A-series chips. These chips have been performing more than anyone needs for a long time, so it’s hard to expect too much in the way of year-over-year improvements. With the arrival of Apple Intelligence, things change, if only because Apple is limiting various AI features to the A17 Pro and onwards, but this seems to be mostly about the available RAM in the chip and not about raw processing power. Smartphone hardware has been stagnant for years, with the iPhone leading the way for so long.
The Pixel 9 offers a much simpler software experience than the iPhone
Somehow, iOS is starting to overtake Android in terms of complexity.
The hardware similarities between the two phones are important because how they differentiate in software becomes even more important. And iOS has gotten pretty complicated lately. I’ve generally been thrilled with how Apple has embraced customization over the last few years, but I can’t deny that it creates multiple layers of complexity that feel odd to me as Apple leaves it unexplained.
Widgets are perhaps the worst. First they appear on the Today View slideshow, then on the home screen, and finally on the lock screen. There’s nothing wrong with widgets themselves. They’re a great way to access a small portion of an app’s functionality or information. I just don’t understand why they exist in so many different places, and in multiple different sizes in iOS 18. By comparison, the Pixel 9 only has widgets on the home screen.
You could make a similar complaint about iOS’ Control Center, which is changing from a comprehensive menu for adjusting the volume and turning Wi-Fi off, accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the phone, to a similar menu accessed by swiping down from the top right corner of the phone, and then turning into a customizable, multi-page monstrosity when iOS 18 releases later this year. On the Pixel 9 and Android 14, it gets even simpler, with a notification shade that pulls down from the top of the phone and gives you access to quick settings by swiping down on that.
Apple was slow to add many features that Android had from the start, like multitasking and copy and paste. As is often the case, the delay allowed the company to offer something more thoughtful and well-designed than its competitors. But many of the additions to iOS that borrow from Android’s customization and at-a-glance information feel a bit messy. Apple seems to just stick to older versions of current ideas, adding them side-by-side with newer ones. If you stray from the established path of using an iPhone or hold down the home screen for too long, you’ll soon be overwhelmed with options and interface elements that exist only to customize the interface. Somehow, the Pixel ended up being the more logical and understandable choice.
Android’s iPhone is finally here
Google’s Pixel 9 is everything the iPhone used to be
If you’re looking for an entire ecosystem of products that work together, Apple will always provide a better experience, but gone are the days when an iPhone was easy to understand right out of the box: iOS has matured and become increasingly complex, and Apple doesn’t seem to have any intention of changing that.
Google Pixel 9
The Pixel 9 features a 6.3-inch display and a familiar design, and in addition to Google Gemini and AI features, it adds a 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens to the rear camera array.
Who knows what Android or Google’s Pixel phones will feel like in a few years, but for now, the Pixel 9 feels like it’s accomplished what many set out to do with Google from the get-go: In terms of refinement and ease of use, it’s the iPhone of Android. This doesn’t mean it’s perfect or that all of its AI features are actually useful to the average person, but it does make Apple’s iPhone 16 announcement feel more important than it has in a long time.