Updated August 16 with benchmarks and analysis for the Pixel 9 and the PIxel 9 Pro XL.
Google made a lot of noise on Wednesday with the launch of four new phones–the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold–with new chips, features, and designs. All four phones have the newest Tensor G4 chip with up to 16GB of RAM and prices that rival Apple’s highest-end iPhones.
With a heavy focus on “Google’s most advanced AI” and the promise of “powerful performance,” you’d think that the Tensor G4 is a powerhouse of a mobile chip that blows away the latest Snapdragon processors and competes with the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro phones. Well, we’ve got the first benchmark scores and that’s not quite the case.
Official reviews aren’t live yet, but the first scores have popped up and our sister site, Tech Advisor, is testing the new Pixel phones and provided benchmarks for the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL. The takeaway: Google’s newest chip in the Pixel 9 Pro XL is great if you’re looking to upgrade from an iPhone 12 Pro.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Geekbench 6 benchmarks
Results are scores. Higher scores/longer bars are faster.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL offers a nice boost over the Pixel 8 Pro, which scored around 1750 (single-core) and 4250 (multi-core)–surprisngly, the new Pixel 9 performs the same as the Pixel 8 Pro. It’s a little outmatched by the S24 Ultra, which got 2150 (single-core) and over 6700 (multi-core). But it gets absolutely trounced by the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which nearly topped 3000 and 7500 in our testing. And that’s with double the RAM in the Pixel.
In fact, you need to go all the way back to the iPhone 12 Pro released in 2020, nearly 4 years ago, to find a comparable iPhone. And remember, Apple has a brand new chip right around the corner that will increase the gap even wider. Apple is expected to launch the A18 and A18 Pro chips next month with the iPhone 16 with a focus on AI.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.