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Should you skip the Pro and get yourself some Peony Pixel 9 love?
Absolutely not (sorry Peony, CALL ME!).
The same main and ultrawide cameras as the Pixel 9 Pro
ThePixel 9 Prohas advantages that justify the price, and more.
Before I get to those advantages, lets not forget the Pixel 9.
Google gives every flagship phone the same engine (so does Samsung, to be fair).
The same main and ultrawide cameras as the Pixel 9 Pro
Thats a big deal, and it adds a lot of long-term value to even the less-expensive Pixel 9.
Then, there are the cameras, always a key Pixel feature.
The Pixel 9 has the exact same main and ultrawide camera modules as the Pixel 9 Pro.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Theres no zoom, but those other two are identical.
Not just the same resolution, but the same sensor and lens.
Samsungmakes thebest camera phoneyou can buy right now, but only itsGalaxy S24 Ultragets the best camera specs.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The basicGalaxy S24has totally different cameras, and they arent as good.
Google isnt trying to win a spec war, its looking at the AI future.
The Pixel 9 has the same cameras, not the same software
What about those cameras?
Both the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro have the exclusive Screenshots app
The Pixel 9 will be great for selfies, portraits, landscapes, and group photos.
But zoom isnt the only real advantage of the Pixel 9 Pro cameras.
When I took a close-up photo of a flower, I hoped for a blurry, bokeh background.
The Pixel 9 Pro created better bokeh, and made more artistic choices.
Gemini Live isnt free.
The Pixel 9 Pro comes with a full year of the Google One AI Premium plan for free.
The Pixel 9 Pro only costs $200 / 200 / AU$350 more than the Pixel 9.
Is the Google One AI Premium plan going to keep you entertained for a full year?
Maybe not, but getting 2TB of cloud storage is also worthwhile.
Whether or not you want that much AI, Id highly recommend subscribing to Googles cloud storage.
Its not a good deal to buy one.
Sadly, it makes too much sense to get the Pixel 9 Pro instead.
Settle for Hazel, the best Pixel 9 Pro color, or maybe Rose Quartz.
The Pixel 9 needs that added value.
