2024 is the year Google finally introduced its entire range of Pixel devices in India, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. In short, this year, consumers have plenty of Pixel devices to choose from, depending on the budget. Starting at Rs. 79,999 for the base Pixel 9 and going all the way to Rs. 172,999 for the book-style Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

On paper, the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL might only differ in terms of display size and battery, but the real difference lies in everyday use. One is compact to fit in the smallest pockets and convenient to use with one hand, while the other is huge at 6.8 inches. This year, Google added one phone to its Pixel lineup, which is the Pixel 9 Pro, which we will review here. Much like how Apple brought all the bells and whistles from its Pro Max model to Pro this year, Google also tries to fit all the firepower in the compact body of the Pixel 9 Pro. So, who should exactly buy this one or consider an alternate flagship? I try to answer this in my review.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Design: Compact form wins

• Dimensions – 152.8mm x 72mm x 8.5mm
• Weight – 199 grams
• Durability – IP68 dust and water resistance

The Pixel 9 series finally ditches the bar-style rear back that housed the camera in a way that was loved and hated by some. The good news is that there’s a new island placement on the rear for cameras, and it looks mature. It is easy on the eyes and makes the new Pixels shine in a crowded market with no distinct design except the iPhones.

The Pixel 9 Pro comes in four colour choices

I like the matte back panel and glossy frame finish on the Pixel 9 Pro. Thanks to the matte treatment, the back isn’t a fingerprint magnet; however, it is a slippery phone. I accidentally dropped it twice during this review, but thankfully, the 9 Pro survived both drops without scratches. Unlike the iPhone 16 Plus (Review), the Google Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t wobble on a flat surface mainly because the centre-aligned island at the back keeps it even.

The Pixel 9 Pro packs a 4700mAh battery

Over the years, the Pixels have developed their design language, and the new 9 series somehow maintains that in a good way. The polished finish metal frame feels solid in the hand, and Google has added additional protection by using Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both front and back panels.

At under 200 grams, the Pixel 9 Pro is a handy phone with an even weight distribution. The 8.5mm thickness is also decent. There’s IP68 dust and water resistance on board for peace of mind.

It weighs 199 grams

The Pixel 9 Pro beats the 9 Pro XL in convenience. The compact form factor is easy to use and something that’s easier to live with every day. I would pick this over most big phones because of the one-hand usage as well, and it nails the basics quite comfortably—the ease of checking notifications, typing, dialling numbers, and doing everything with just one hand. Everything else in design is minimalistic, which will grow on you.

In terms of colours, Google has always offered different shades, and this year, the lineup is interesting. The Pixel 9 Pro is available in Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian, and Porcelain – the one I got for the review. Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro feels like a solid device and a premium one, too.

The Pixel 9 is a compact device that’s convenient to use with just one hand

Google Pixel 9 Pro Display: Flagship-grade

• Display – 6.3-inch, 1280×2856 pixels, 1Hz – 120Hz
• Display Type – Flat, LTPO, OLED
• Display protection – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front and rear panels)

The smartphone has an excellent display offering crisp, accurate and natural colours. The Pixel 9 Pro, compared to the Pixel 8, packs a bigger display – 6.3 vs 6.2 inches. The bezels around the display also seem slim, and the claimed screen-to-body ratio stands at 87 percent. I liked the overall colour rendering, and you will love watching HDR videos on the display. With a peak brightness of 3000nits, the Pixel 9 Pro is bright outdoors, and sunlight legibility is never a problem.

The phone offers a peak brightness of 3000nits

Thanks to the compact size, the Pixel 9 Pro is one of my preferred devices for multimedia usage and offers a decent 495PPI pixel density. With Widevine L1 certification, Pixel 9 Pro streamed Full-HD resolution Netflix shows on demand. This year, Google has shifted to an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is quick and almost flawless for everyday use. The punch hole for selfies is almost non-distracting while watching videos or playing games.

The bezels around the display are narrower compared to the Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 9 Pro Performance: Hits and misses

• Google Tensor G4
• Titan M2 security coprocessor
• 16GB RAM and 256GB storage

In terms of raw performance, the Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t offer the absolute best, and you guessed it right, it won’t beat phones in the same price bracket. Google Tensor G4 is good for browsing, multitasking, and running Google’s suite of AI apps. However, when it comes to gaming or even graphic-intensive image or video editing, the Pixel 9 Pro disappoints. But I’m not surprised, as the Pixels have never been advertised as gaming or performance-driven devices. During my review, the Tensor G4 handled light image editing and could run AI features without stutters. The Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t get hot during intensive tasks thanks to excellent heat optimisations. Like during our synthetic benchmark tests, the Pixel 9 Pro handled tests well and below are the results for your reference.

The pure Android experience is another reason many prefer Pixels over other Android devices. The Pixel 9 Pro runs Android 14 out-of-the-box and comes with Gemini (which I will talk about in a bit). Lately, Google has been pushing its AI prowess under the name Gemini, and it seems like a bigger push than what we have seen in all these years. It is greater than how Google pushed Search, but I’m not surprised. AI is the next big thing for smartphones and empowers users to do much more in less time. As expected, the software experience is fluid, and the Pixel UI is clean of bloatware, Pixel’s biggest advantage over rivals.

Google Tensor G4 powers the Pixel 9 Pro

While reviewing, I downloaded the Android 15 update, which was mostly similar to Android 14, with some added features, like Theft Detection Lock and Private Space. Among all new features, the App Archiving has to be my Android 15 pick, a feature announced last year by Google that is only making its way as a system-wide option with the latest update. The feature lets users save storage on an app that’s used rarely.

Thanks to the form factor, the Pixel 9 Pro is my go-to device for quickly typing emails and has one of the decent haptic motors for typing feedback. The loudspeaker is a loud one and is excellent for a mid-size room. As mentioned above, the Pixel 9 Pro was my device pick for most of my multimedia needs, thanks to the display quality and speaker output. The 9 Pro can connect to mobile networks in areas like a basement where other phones struggle to be connected to a network. The call quality is decent on the device, and we had no problems with 5G on both Airtel and Jio networks.

It features a 42-megapixel selfie camera

Google Pixel 9 Pro AI

2024 has been the year of AI push for smartphone manufacturers, so why should Google hold back? The Pixel 9 series comes with a host of AI features. The first is the Gemini assistant, which uses multimodal models with which users can interact via voice, text, or pictures. The company added an all-new Add Me feature to the camera, which will never let you miss out on group photos with the help of AI. The Super Res Zoom, a feature that has been part of Pixels ever since Pixel 3, has been improved and offers high-quality zoom up to 20x. Pixel 9 series gets the all-new Pixel Studio, an image generator app powered by what Google calls an on-device diffusion model running on Tensor G4 and Imagen 3 text-to-image model. There are more additions, like the new Weather app that gets AI enhancements, Keep Notes that integrates Gemini, and Pixel Screenshots to organise screenshots on the device. We have discussed AI capabilities on the new Pixels in our Pixel 9 Pro XL review, so you can read it here.

Pixel Studio uses generative AI to bring imagination to life

Google Pixel 9 Pro Camera: “Pixel-able”

• 50-megapixel primary camera
• 48-megapixel ultra-wide and 48-megapixel telephoto
• 42-megapixel selfie camera

Pixel 9 packs the same camera setup as its bigger sibling, the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Jumping straight to camera results, the daylight shots on the 9 Pro come out crisp with natural colours (true-to-life colours) and plenty of details. The dynamic range is excellent in some of the samples I captured, and skin tones are bang-on. Portraits are amazing, and blur is handled wonderfully. The telephoto camera is great and doesn’t disappoint in some of the challenging situations. I managed to capture some excellent 5x photos.

Pixel 9 Pro comes with a triple camera setup

The ultrawide camera on the 9 Pro also shines. It captured some really good shots during camera tests, which you can see below. Macro lovers can take advantage of 9 Pro’s ultrawide camera, though Samsung has done better in macro shots this year. The Pixels are a league apart when it comes to camera comparisons, be it with Samsung or an iPhone.

Daylight samples from the primary camera (tap images to expand)

Close-up shot using ultrawide camera (tap image to expand)

Low-light photography is another highlight of the 9 Pro. I clicked some amazing low-light shots with plenty of details, controlled noise, and keeping colours in check. Pixel’s automatic night mode worked well for me. Of course, you can take things into your control and tweak settings to get better results. The portraits come out good, though, there’s scope of improvement. 

Low-light camera samples (tap image to expand)

Portrait shot in low light (tap image to expand)

The selfie camera on the 9 Pro is amazing; finally, the front camera upgrade has paid off—amazing skin tones captured in different light conditions. On the video front, the Pixel 9 Pro has improved greatly compared to the Pixel 8 Pro. However, it is not as good for videos as the iPhone at the moment.

Shots taken using 1x, 0.5x, 2x and 5x (tap image to expand)

Low light shots taken in 1x, 0.5, 2x and 5x (tap image to expand)

Google Pixel 9 Pro Battery: Decent

• 4700mAh battery
• Up to 55% charging in about 30 minutes
• Wireless charging support

Do not underestimate the Pixel 9 Pro just because of its sheer size. In my tests, I found the Pixel 9 Pro to be a capable device in terms of battery performance. With heavy usage, the Pixel 9 Pro lasted a whole day with 15-20 percent left till the end of the day. While with medium usage, the phone can easily last up to 36 hours.

Pixel 9 Pro comes with fast-charging support

The Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t ship with a charger like modern-day flagships. It supports 27W wired charging and up to 15W wireless charging. I tested the phone with a 45W charger, and it matched the brand’s claimed fast charging figures. The phone, however, takes roughly 100 minutes to charge fully.

The Pixel 9 Pro is a device that can outshine many compact flagships out there

Google Pixel 9 Pro Verdict

The Pixel 9 Pro is an excellent choice for those who want Pixel-like camera prowess. Its compact form factor is the biggest highlight, and the good thing is that Google this year hasn’t kept marquee features limited to 9 Pro XL. You get all the bells and whistles of the bigger sibling at a lesser price with the 9 Pro. The battery surprised me with its backup, and it shines in most scenarios. The extended software support should give prospective buyers confidence.

The Pixel 9 Pro comes with a single 16GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration

The only downgrade is the lack of heavy-duty performance credentials, which you can experience only when gaming or editing videos or photos on the device. Long thing short, where the chipset is required to handle graphic-intensive tasks is where 9 Pro feels it remains behind the competition. It’s high time that Google opts for Snapdragon or MediaTek for its chipset requirements, as Tensor cannot outrun its closest rivals.

If you want the best camera experience, you can’t go wrong with the Pixel 9 Pro, but when you add gaming and other graphics-intensive tasks, I have to ask you to look another way.

At Rs. 109,999, the Pixel 9 Pro feels slightly expensive for what it offers, but you can consider it as a premium for all the top-tier Google features arriving this year, along with AI.

When talking about alternatives, the Pixel 9 (Review) is definitely the closest sibling you can consider, minus some features. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Review) is also closer to the Pixel 9 Pro in terms of packaging, while you can also look at the iPhone 16 Pro, which is slightly more expensive.

Amazon Great Republic Day Sale 2024 is set to begin on January 13 in India and will be accessible to Amazon Prime users starting at 12am IST today, while opening up for all other users from 12pm IST tomorrow. The sale includes an extensive selection of electronic gadgets, including smartphones, PCs, laptops, tablets, and more, with most of them carrying appealing discounts. Users will also be able to avail of additional bank offers to buy an item for a lower price. Certain products will also be eligible for exchange offers, which will help bring down the effective price of an item even lower. Following are the best deals on laptops that you may not want to miss during the upcoming sale.

Before we list down the best deals, it is to be noted that Amazon hasn’t revealed the sale prices just yet, but the following laptops are said to get big discounts. You can check in when the sale begins to find out the final deal price. The offers will be revealed at 12am tonight and will bring the price of the laptops even lower.

Amazon Great Republic Day Sale 2024: Best Laptop Deals

1. Fujitsu CH 13th Gen Intel Core i5

One of the laptops that can be bought at a significantly lower price is the Fujitsu CH 13th Gen Intel Core i5 13.3-inch model. It is listed with an MRP of Rs. 1,03,490 but is currently available for Rs. 74,890. The model is powered by a 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1334U CPU paired with an integrated Iris Xe GPU. It features a 13-3-inch WUXGA (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) LED panel.

Buy now: Rs. 74,890 (MRP Rs. 1,03,490)

2. Dell Vostro 3510

Another model expected to be offered with a good deal is the Dell Vostro 3510. It is powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU with up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM alongside 1TB HDD and 256GB SSD storage. It comes with a 15.6-inch full-HD WVA display and is pre-installed with Windows 11. Down 21 percent from Rs. 60,793, it is currently marked at Rs. 47,990.

Buy now: Rs. 47,990 (MRP Rs. 60,793)

3. Acer Aspire Lite

The Acer Aspire Lite is another model which you can consider buying this season. Powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U processor, this laptop has 8GB of dual-channel DDR4 RAM and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage. Sporting an ultra-slim design with narrow bezels, the laptop carries a 15.6-inch full-HD screen with an aspect ratio of 16:9. This model is available at Rs. 34,990, down 34 percent from the MRP of Rs. 52,990.

Buy now: Rs. 34,990 (MRP Rs. 52,990)

4. Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 with an Intel Core i3-1215U CPU is listed at Rs. 34,490, down 31 percent from Rs. 50,290. The price of this model can go even lower once the Amazon Republic Day Sale is live. The laptop is equipped with 8GB of DDR4 RAM, ‎256GB of SSD storage and a ‎15.6-inch full-HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) panel.

Buy now: Rs. 34,490 (MRP Rs. 50,290)

5. HP 14s-dy2507TU 

One of the other models which will be offered with a good deal is the HP 14s-dy2507TU model. The laptop has an Intel Core i3-1115G4 CPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and 256GB SSD storage. It features a 14-inch full-HD anti-glare display with a peak brightness of 250nits. It is currently priced at Rs. 32,990, down 30 percent from its MRP of Rs. 47,206.

Buy now: Rs. 32,990 (MRP Rs. 47,206)

6. Asus Vivobook 15

Lastly, you can also opt for the Asus Vivobook 15 model which is powered by an Intel Celeron N4020 processor paired with integrated UHD graphics, 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB storage. It sports a 15.6-inch HD (1366 x 768) anti-glare screen with a refresh rate of 60Hz and an aspect ratio of 16:9. This model, can be currently purchased at Rs. 30,990, down 21 percent from its usual listing of Rs. 38,990.

Buy now: Rs. 30,990 (MRP Rs. 38,990)

2024 is the year Google finally introduced its entire range of Pixel devices in India, including the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. In short, this year, consumers have plenty of Pixel devices to choose from, depending on the budget. Starting at Rs. 79,999 for the base Pixel 9 and going all the way to Rs. 172,999 for the book-style Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

On paper, the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL might only differ in terms of display size and battery, but the real difference lies in everyday use. One is compact to fit in the smallest pockets and convenient to use with one hand, while the other is huge at 6.8 inches. This year, Google added one phone to its Pixel lineup, which is the Pixel 9 Pro, which we will review here. Much like how Apple brought all the bells and whistles from its Pro Max model to Pro this year, Google also tries to fit all the firepower in the compact body of the Pixel 9 Pro. So, who should exactly buy this one or consider an alternate flagship? I try to answer this in my review.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Design: Compact form wins

• Dimensions – 152.8mm x 72mm x 8.5mm
• Weight – 199 grams
• Durability – IP68 dust and water resistance

The Pixel 9 series finally ditches the bar-style rear back that housed the camera in a way that was loved and hated by some. The good news is that there’s a new island placement on the rear for cameras, and it looks mature. It is easy on the eyes and makes the new Pixels shine in a crowded market with no distinct design except the iPhones.

The Pixel 9 Pro comes in four colour choices

I like the matte back panel and glossy frame finish on the Pixel 9 Pro. Thanks to the matte treatment, the back isn’t a fingerprint magnet; however, it is a slippery phone. I accidentally dropped it twice during this review, but thankfully, the 9 Pro survived both drops without scratches. Unlike the iPhone 16 Plus (Review), the Google Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t wobble on a flat surface mainly because the centre-aligned island at the back keeps it even.

The Pixel 9 Pro packs a 4700mAh battery

Over the years, the Pixels have developed their design language, and the new 9 series somehow maintains that in a good way. The polished finish metal frame feels solid in the hand, and Google has added additional protection by using Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both front and back panels.

At under 200 grams, the Pixel 9 Pro is a handy phone with an even weight distribution. The 8.5mm thickness is also decent. There’s IP68 dust and water resistance on board for peace of mind.

It weighs 199 grams

The Pixel 9 Pro beats the 9 Pro XL in convenience. The compact form factor is easy to use and something that’s easier to live with every day. I would pick this over most big phones because of the one-hand usage as well, and it nails the basics quite comfortably—the ease of checking notifications, typing, dialling numbers, and doing everything with just one hand. Everything else in design is minimalistic, which will grow on you.

In terms of colours, Google has always offered different shades, and this year, the lineup is interesting. The Pixel 9 Pro is available in Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian, and Porcelain – the one I got for the review. Overall, the Pixel 9 Pro feels like a solid device and a premium one, too.

The Pixel 9 is a compact device that’s convenient to use with just one hand

Google Pixel 9 Pro Display: Flagship-grade

• Display – 6.3-inch, 1280×2856 pixels, 1Hz – 120Hz
• Display Type – Flat, LTPO, OLED
• Display protection – Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (front and rear panels)

The smartphone has an excellent display offering crisp, accurate and natural colours. The Pixel 9 Pro, compared to the Pixel 8, packs a bigger display – 6.3 vs 6.2 inches. The bezels around the display also seem slim, and the claimed screen-to-body ratio stands at 87 percent. I liked the overall colour rendering, and you will love watching HDR videos on the display. With a peak brightness of 3000nits, the Pixel 9 Pro is bright outdoors, and sunlight legibility is never a problem.

The phone offers a peak brightness of 3000nits

Thanks to the compact size, the Pixel 9 Pro is one of my preferred devices for multimedia usage and offers a decent 495PPI pixel density. With Widevine L1 certification, Pixel 9 Pro streamed Full-HD resolution Netflix shows on demand. This year, Google has shifted to an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, which is quick and almost flawless for everyday use. The punch hole for selfies is almost non-distracting while watching videos or playing games.

The bezels around the display are narrower compared to the Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 9 Pro Performance: Hits and misses

• Google Tensor G4
• Titan M2 security coprocessor
• 16GB RAM and 256GB storage

In terms of raw performance, the Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t offer the absolute best, and you guessed it right, it won’t beat phones in the same price bracket. Google Tensor G4 is good for browsing, multitasking, and running Google’s suite of AI apps. However, when it comes to gaming or even graphic-intensive image or video editing, the Pixel 9 Pro disappoints. But I’m not surprised, as the Pixels have never been advertised as gaming or performance-driven devices. During my review, the Tensor G4 handled light image editing and could run AI features without stutters. The Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t get hot during intensive tasks thanks to excellent heat optimisations. Like during our synthetic benchmark tests, the Pixel 9 Pro handled tests well and below are the results for your reference.

The pure Android experience is another reason many prefer Pixels over other Android devices. The Pixel 9 Pro runs Android 14 out-of-the-box and comes with Gemini (which I will talk about in a bit). Lately, Google has been pushing its AI prowess under the name Gemini, and it seems like a bigger push than what we have seen in all these years. It is greater than how Google pushed Search, but I’m not surprised. AI is the next big thing for smartphones and empowers users to do much more in less time. As expected, the software experience is fluid, and the Pixel UI is clean of bloatware, Pixel’s biggest advantage over rivals.

Google Tensor G4 powers the Pixel 9 Pro

While reviewing, I downloaded the Android 15 update, which was mostly similar to Android 14, with some added features, like Theft Detection Lock and Private Space. Among all new features, the App Archiving has to be my Android 15 pick, a feature announced last year by Google that is only making its way as a system-wide option with the latest update. The feature lets users save storage on an app that’s used rarely.

Thanks to the form factor, the Pixel 9 Pro is my go-to device for quickly typing emails and has one of the decent haptic motors for typing feedback. The loudspeaker is a loud one and is excellent for a mid-size room. As mentioned above, the Pixel 9 Pro was my device pick for most of my multimedia needs, thanks to the display quality and speaker output. The 9 Pro can connect to mobile networks in areas like a basement where other phones struggle to be connected to a network. The call quality is decent on the device, and we had no problems with 5G on both Airtel and Jio networks.

It features a 42-megapixel selfie camera

Google Pixel 9 Pro AI

2024 has been the year of AI push for smartphone manufacturers, so why should Google hold back? The Pixel 9 series comes with a host of AI features. The first is the Gemini assistant, which uses multimodal models with which users can interact via voice, text, or pictures. The company added an all-new Add Me feature to the camera, which will never let you miss out on group photos with the help of AI. The Super Res Zoom, a feature that has been part of Pixels ever since Pixel 3, has been improved and offers high-quality zoom up to 20x. Pixel 9 series gets the all-new Pixel Studio, an image generator app powered by what Google calls an on-device diffusion model running on Tensor G4 and Imagen 3 text-to-image model. There are more additions, like the new Weather app that gets AI enhancements, Keep Notes that integrates Gemini, and Pixel Screenshots to organise screenshots on the device. We have discussed AI capabilities on the new Pixels in our Pixel 9 Pro XL review, so you can read it here.

Pixel Studio uses generative AI to bring imagination to life

Google Pixel 9 Pro Camera: “Pixel-able”

• 50-megapixel primary camera
• 48-megapixel ultra-wide and 48-megapixel telephoto
• 42-megapixel selfie camera

Pixel 9 packs the same camera setup as its bigger sibling, the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Jumping straight to camera results, the daylight shots on the 9 Pro come out crisp with natural colours (true-to-life colours) and plenty of details. The dynamic range is excellent in some of the samples I captured, and skin tones are bang-on. Portraits are amazing, and blur is handled wonderfully. The telephoto camera is great and doesn’t disappoint in some of the challenging situations. I managed to capture some excellent 5x photos.

Pixel 9 Pro comes with a triple camera setup

The ultrawide camera on the 9 Pro also shines. It captured some really good shots during camera tests, which you can see below. Macro lovers can take advantage of 9 Pro’s ultrawide camera, though Samsung has done better in macro shots this year. The Pixels are a league apart when it comes to camera comparisons, be it with Samsung or an iPhone.

Daylight samples from the primary camera (tap images to expand)

Close-up shot using ultrawide camera (tap image to expand)

Low-light photography is another highlight of the 9 Pro. I clicked some amazing low-light shots with plenty of details, controlled noise, and keeping colours in check. Pixel’s automatic night mode worked well for me. Of course, you can take things into your control and tweak settings to get better results. The portraits come out good, though, there’s scope of improvement. 

Low-light camera samples (tap image to expand)

Portrait shot in low light (tap image to expand)

The selfie camera on the 9 Pro is amazing; finally, the front camera upgrade has paid off—amazing skin tones captured in different light conditions. On the video front, the Pixel 9 Pro has improved greatly compared to the Pixel 8 Pro. However, it is not as good for videos as the iPhone at the moment.

Shots taken using 1x, 0.5x, 2x and 5x (tap image to expand)

Low light shots taken in 1x, 0.5, 2x and 5x (tap image to expand)

Google Pixel 9 Pro Battery: Decent

• 4700mAh battery
• Up to 55% charging in about 30 minutes
• Wireless charging support

Do not underestimate the Pixel 9 Pro just because of its sheer size. In my tests, I found the Pixel 9 Pro to be a capable device in terms of battery performance. With heavy usage, the Pixel 9 Pro lasted a whole day with 15-20 percent left till the end of the day. While with medium usage, the phone can easily last up to 36 hours.

Pixel 9 Pro comes with fast-charging support

The Pixel 9 Pro doesn’t ship with a charger like modern-day flagships. It supports 27W wired charging and up to 15W wireless charging. I tested the phone with a 45W charger, and it matched the brand’s claimed fast charging figures. The phone, however, takes roughly 100 minutes to charge fully.

The Pixel 9 Pro is a device that can outshine many compact flagships out there

Google Pixel 9 Pro Verdict

The Pixel 9 Pro is an excellent choice for those who want Pixel-like camera prowess. Its compact form factor is the biggest highlight, and the good thing is that Google this year hasn’t kept marquee features limited to 9 Pro XL. You get all the bells and whistles of the bigger sibling at a lesser price with the 9 Pro. The battery surprised me with its backup, and it shines in most scenarios. The extended software support should give prospective buyers confidence.

The Pixel 9 Pro comes with a single 16GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration

The only downgrade is the lack of heavy-duty performance credentials, which you can experience only when gaming or editing videos or photos on the device. Long thing short, where the chipset is required to handle graphic-intensive tasks is where 9 Pro feels it remains behind the competition. It’s high time that Google opts for Snapdragon or MediaTek for its chipset requirements, as Tensor cannot outrun its closest rivals.

If you want the best camera experience, you can’t go wrong with the Pixel 9 Pro, but when you add gaming and other graphics-intensive tasks, I have to ask you to look another way.

At Rs. 109,999, the Pixel 9 Pro feels slightly expensive for what it offers, but you can consider it as a premium for all the top-tier Google features arriving this year, along with AI.

When talking about alternatives, the Pixel 9 (Review) is definitely the closest sibling you can consider, minus some features. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Review) is also closer to the Pixel 9 Pro in terms of packaging, while you can also look at the iPhone 16 Pro, which is slightly more expensive.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2’s season 4 ‘Reloaded’ is now live, bringing with it characters from Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys, as playable operators. Homelander, Starlight, and Black Noir are joining the game as separate bundles, each priced at 2,400 COD points, which can be grinded out slowly through gameplay or you could buy them from the in-game store. In addition to the characters themselves, each pack contains weapon charms and decals, a custom loading screen, and an emblem — which pops on your enemy’s screen when killed. Warzone 2 players can now drop into the new Vondel map for battle royale as well.

Out of the three supes, Starlight is now available to unlock in its entirety in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Meanwhile, the Homelander bundle will be out July 16, while the Black Noir skin pack drops a bit later on July 20. The season 4 update also brings a new Field Upgrade called Temp V, which is an actual serum from The Boys show that temporarily grants superpowers. Here, it will grant one of four random superpowers to your operator, that too for unlimited use for the entire duration of the match. There’s Charge Jump, which propels you into the skies so you can leap around the map and cover distance. You won’t take any damage upon landing but will deal splash damage to anyone or anything within a short radius of you.

Laser Vision lets you fire a laser beam that sears through opponents akin to Homelander, albeit it leaves you vulnerable from the back. Electric Shockwave sends a blast of charged explosion that injures operators, in addition to damaging any vehicles and equipment, essentially functioning as an EMP of sorts that you can carry around freely. And finally, there’s Teleport, which warps an operator upward so they can parachute down to a safe new position. All around the Vondel and Al Mazrah maps, the Supes from The Boys will be advertised through murals and advertisements on billboards. Furthermore, the MX Guardian, a fully automatic versatile shotgun that holds five bullets per round, will be unlockable as part of a battle pass challenge.

Circling back to the new Vondel map, it’s got a dedicated Gulag, clearing out the wine cellar and dungeon beneath the castle. As a three-lane map designed for 1v1 combat, it features a circular structure in the very centre, which is where most of the action will take place. It is worth noting that if you get eliminated from combat before activating the Temp V power, then it is lost from your inventory — just like a normal Field Upgrade.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s season 4 Reloaded event is now live on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

Vivo Y19s has been launched by the company as the latest addition to the company’s Y series of smartphones. It is powered by an octa core Unisoc chipset, along with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone is equipped with a 6.68-inch LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and has a 50-megapixel rear camera.  It features a 5,500mAh battery, according to the company. The Vivo Y19s runs on Android 14, along with the company’s Funtouch OS 14 interface.

Pricing for the Vivo Y19s is yet to be announced, and the smartphone is yet to be listed on the company’s online stores. It will be available in Black, Blue, and Silver colourways in Bangladesh, UAE, Russia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Egypt, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. There’s no word from Vivo on plans to launch the handset in India.

Vivo Y19s Specifications

The newly launched Vivo Y19s is a dual SIM phone (Nano+Nano) that runs on Funtouch OS 14, which based on Android 14. It sports a 6.68-inch HD+ (720×1,608 pixels) LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and a pixel density of 264ppi. The handset is powered by a 12nm octa core Unisoc T612 chipset, paired with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM.

For photos and videos, the Vivo Y19s features a 50-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture along with a 0.08-megapixel depth sensor with an f/3.0 aperture. Selfies and video calls are handled by a 5-megapixel camera located in a centre-aligned hole punch cutout on the screen.

The Vivo Y19s is equipped with 128GB of eMMC 5.1 storage, which can be expanded up to 1TB via a MicroSD card slot. The phone offers support for 4G LTE, dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, and GPS connectivity, along with a USB Type-C port. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, e-compass, a proximity sensor, and a virtual gyroscope.

The handset is powered by a 5,500mAh battery, and it can be charged at 15W with the included charging adapter. Customers in Thailand and the Philippines won’t get a charger in the box, according to the company. There’s a side mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication. It measures 165.75×76.10×8.10mm and weighs 198g.

Amazon Great Republic Day Sale is underway, bringing down the prices of various consumer electronics devices over the weekend. While prices of devices have been dropped across categories, customers looking out for deals on gaming laptops should keep a keen eye on the company’s product listing to spot a few good deals that can make powerful gaming laptops easier on the wallet. You can now purchase powerful gaming laptops that cost less than Rs. 1 lakh during the ongoing sale.

With offers on laptops from Acer, HP, MSI, Dell, and Asus, there are several models to pick from after the sale kicked off on Saturday. If you are looking for a gaming laptop powered by 12th generation Intel Core i7 processors, you can consider the Asus TUF F15 (2023) which is priced at Rs. 99,990 (MRP Rs. 1,33,990) or the MSI Sword 15 A2VF that costs Rs. 96,990 (MRP Rs. 1,56,990). These laptops are equipped with 16GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, and 144Hz full-HD displays.

You can also purchase laptops that are priced under Rs. 80,000 during the ongoing Amazon sale. These include the Acer Nitro V at Rs. 77,990 (MRP Rs. 92,999) with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU paired with 16GB of RAM and a Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU. Available at a slightly lower price, the Dell G15 5520 costs Rs. 74,490 (MRP Rs. 1,05,383) and features a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU.

Another laptop with similar specifications, the MSI Katana GF66, is priced at Rs. 69,990 (MRP Rs. 95,990), and it features a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, and 16GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the HP Victus 16 runs on a Ryzen 7 7840HS APU paired with 16GB of RAM and a GeForce RTX 3050 GPU — it was listed at Rs. 99,527 and is now priced at Rs. 78,990.

You can exchange your older laptop and lower the price of your next purchase. Meanwhile, you can also avail of a 10 percent instant discount on SBI credit card and EMI transactions while the Amazon Great Republic Day sale is live. Here’s a list of some of the best deals on gaming laptops under Rs. 1 lakh in India during the ongoing Amazon sale.

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion have reached an unprecedented peak in 2024, with the Global Carbon Project reporting a projected 37.4 billion tonnes of fossil CO2 emissions, a 0.8% increase from 2023. The report underscores an urgent call for emissions reduction as the world’s annual output of CO2 from fossil fuels and land-use changes collectively approaches 41.6 billion tonnes. Despite increased efforts to mitigate climate impacts, there are no clear signs of a peak in global fossil CO2 emissions, heightening the risk of surpassing critical climate thresholds.

Sector-Specific Emissions and Regional Insights

As per a report by University of Exeter, emissions from fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, are anticipated to rise in 2024, accounting for 41 percent, 32 percent, and 21 percent of fossil CO2 emissions, respectively. Coal emissions are expected to increase by 0.2 percent, oil by 0.9 percent, and natural gas by 2.4 percent. On a regional level, China, responsible for 32 percent of global emissions, is projected to see a slight increase of 0.2 percent, while emissions in the United States are expected to fall by 0.6 percent.

The European Union’s emissions are forecasted to decrease by 3.8 percent, whereas India, contributing 8 percent of global emissions, is projected to experience a 4.6 percent rise. Emissions from aviation and shipping sectors are also set to increase by 7.8 percent this year, though they remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Carbon Budget and Climate Warnings

According to Professor Pierre Friedlingstein from the University of Exeter, who led the study, the absence of a peak in fossil CO2 emissions further reduces the remaining carbon budget needed to keep warming below the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius target. At the current emission rate, a 50 percent probability exists of surpassing this threshold within the next six years. Meanwhile, Professor Corinne Le Quéré of the University of East Anglia acknowledged ongoing efforts in renewable energy deployment and reduced deforestation but stressed that substantial emissions reductions are still essential.

Urgency for Accelerated Action

The report emphasises that while some nations demonstrate progress in emissions reduction, these efforts have not been sufficient to reverse the overall global trend. Dr Glen Peters from the CICERO Center for International Climate Research noted that global climate action remains “a collective challenge,” with gradual declines in emissions in certain regions counterbalanced by increases elsewhere.