I just upgraded both of our phones to the Pixel 9 Pro

[RV_]

Last week on Black Friday, Best buy had a deal we just could not resist. We liked the Pixel 8 Pros we had but even though I just got them last April, they had a trade in deal where we could upgrade to the Pixel 9 pro for only $155.81 each with 256GB storage, combining two promotions and the trade in for our Pixel 8 Pros!

Our old Pixel 8 pros were almost 7 inches and this year they had the Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The Pixel 9 Pro and the 9 Pro XL are the same phones but the XL is slightly larger than the Pixel Pro. The Pixel 9 is the entry level Pixel. We decided on the 9 Pro as it is a perfect size for us,he 9 Pro is smaller and they still have the larger one but it is called the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Here is a picture of my new Pixel 9 Pro next to my old Pixel 6 Pro. I am keeping the Pixel 6 Pro for a backup phone but is the same size as our Pixel 8 Pro phones were we just traded in for our Pixel 9 Pro.

 

The larger 9 Pro XL was only $50 more but we both like the compact 9 Pro size better. BOth phones came with Android 14 and updated immediately to Android 15.

One thing we both did not like was Gemini and all the Ai on them. I am not into Ai except the LG QNED Ai that tuned our new TV picture last year, that was awesome.

So I just disabled Gemini and went back to Google assistant which we use a lot. As usual a less than 2 minute YouTube video walked me through it easily and we now have our old Assistant back. I tried Gemini for a week and was not impressed. I will try it again later after it matures a bit or not.

If you want to remove Gemini from a Pixel Pro 9 Here is a short video walk through. The first method on the video worked fine and that is what I used. I just did both of our new phones:

I will do a better review of likes dislikes on the Pixel 9 Pro once our cases/screen protectors come in and we have used them daily. We still have her old Motorola and my old Pixel 6 Pro. We are using the old phones until new cases and screen protectors that we ordered come in next week.

Edited December 6, 2024 by RV_

[Bill Joyce]

I took a Google Fi deal on the Pixel 9 Pro for a foreign trip that I am on and am very happy with both the phone and Google Fi's international service.  

[RV_]

This is my fourth Pixel Pro, Lynda's first. I had two Pixel 8 Pros, and a Pixel 6 Pro I am keeping for a backup phone. I agree, they are fast and great builds. Is yours usable in the states and in a foreign country?

Do you like Gemini?

I like the immediate updates for Android with Pixels as Google makes them and makes Android for those who don't know.and the the seven or so years of security updates.

Edited December 10, 2024 by RV_

[RV_]

Bill I just found this:

Excerpt:

"The Pixel 9 is now virtually impenetrable to hackers — here's why

No hacker is getting into Google's phone

Google has recently improved the security of the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, making it one of the most secure phones ever made. 

The Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro are easily two of the best phones that you can currently buy, rivaling the iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S24, and it seems Google is improving them even more. Google phones have always been pretty secure, but Google has massively improved this thanks to a change to the phone's baseband. If you haven't heard of a baseband, it essentially handles how your phone communicates with a cellular network. 

This baseband is one of the main points of security in smartphones and is the main focus for criminals looking for exploits. Google has been steadily working to improve its baseband, and a recent report from Android Police broke down precisely what made the Pixel 9 series secure. 

The changes that Google has made all sound quite technical, but each is designed to protect you from all forms of malicious attack, including the recent malware attacking Android devices. These changes combined easily make the Pixel 9 series one of the most secure devices. 

Firstly, Google improved the Bound Sanitizer, which prevents code from accessing the phone's memory, making it much harder for attackers to run malicious code. This will be a relief to any Pixel 9 Verizon users who found a hidden app that left them vulnerable. Google has also improved the integer overflow sanitizer to ensure that numbers are correctly interpreted, which means attackers can't affect any of the phone's internal calculations.

Google also added stack canaries, which essentially function as digital tripwires, to help detect bad code as it enters your phone and improve control flow integrity. This change helps to restrict code to specific paths, making it much harder for hackers to change to subvert the flow of information in the device. Hopefully, this will help defend against any apps hiding malicious malware. 

Finally, Google improved the Auto-initialized stack variables, which helps the device to use all the memory it has access to, removing the threat of hackers using unused data to leak information. This is a big win for anyone concerned that another major leak, like the recent leak of background check data, can happen again. 

If you prize security in a phone, which you should do, then the Google Pixel 9 has much to offer you. However, we would also recommend investing in some of the best antivirus software and one of the best VPNs to keep your phone safe. "

https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/google-pixel-phones/the-pixel-9-is-now-virtually-impenetrable-to-hackers-heres-why

 

Edited December 14, 2024 by RV_

[LindaH]

After years of having Samsung phones but really hating the last one I purchased, earlier this year I bought a Pixel 8 Pro on sale during Amazon Prime Days (this was just before the 9 came out). I really like the phone and when it's time for a new phone, I most likely will go with another Pixel. 

[lappir]

23 hours ago, LindaH said:

After years of having Samsung phones but really hating the last one I purchased, earlier this year I bought a Pixel 8 Pro on sale during Amazon Prime Days (this was just before the 9 came out). I really like the phone and when it's time for a new phone, I most likely will go with another Pixel. 

I too spent may years with Samsung and actually liked them all. The last one was a Note 9 so I never really had a "New" phone except a Long Time Ago when I signed up for a Verizon account. I had an unlimited data plan and would up grade phones when the old one was no longer working well by buying a previously used phone. 

Last year I broke ties with Verizon. Their cost and service were not keeping me happy. I tried the three majors with a new "Fold" phone and finally an iPhone. Liked the Samsung Fold, but my youngest hated getting photos from my android to her iPhone so I picked the iPhone and after a short time getting used to it, find it to be a fine product. My monthly plan cost also decreased significantly and I still have unlimited data and now have unlimited texting too. 

 

Rod

[RV_]

On 12/15/2024 at 7:07 AM, LindaH said:

After years of having Samsung phones but really hating the last one I purchased, earlier this year I bought a Pixel 8 Pro on sale during Amazon Prime Days (this was just before the 9 came out). I really like the phone and when it's time for a new phone, I most likely will go with another Pixel. 

Me too for whatever is my next one - their 10 or later maybe the Pixel 15?😮 Longest security update support and since they write Android no wait for new Android versions.

[RV_]

11 hours ago, lappir said:

I too spent may years with Samsung and actually liked them all. The last one was a Note 9 so I never really had a "New" phone except a Long Time Ago when I signed up for a Verizon account. I had an unlimited data plan and would up grade phones when the old one was no longer working well by buying a previously used phone. 

Last year I broke ties with Verizon. Their cost and service were not keeping me happy. I tried the three majors with a new "Fold" phone and finally an iPhone. Liked the Samsung Fold, but my youngest hated getting photos from my android to her iPhone so I picked the iPhone and after a short time getting used to it, find it to be a fine product. My monthly plan cost also decreased significantly and I still have unlimited data and now have unlimited texting too. 

 

Rod

Rod what provider did you go with? I had it with Verizon too several years ago but they are the best for coverage where we live and travel. So I went to a great MVNO that used Verizon towers US Mobile but they got more expensive than the $61 I was paying for two voice lines and one Tablet Internet line. Then last January we were looking for new Internet providers to the house, We had Centurylink but they were bought out and had no local store just online service and they messed up our accounts, but by the time they fixed it we had already decided on Xfinity which has a store but has terrible lag times. IT just so happened the one with the best about to come to our address Internet  with fiber to the home is Ting. They also have a mobile service with true unlimited  service with no throttling and unlimited hot spot data as well. If we put down a $9 prepay for the fiber service they gave the mobile unlimited service for 10 bucks per line which comes to $11 buck a month with taxes. The catch is you have to have a house or apartment where Ting Fiber is scheduled to provide service.

Lots of folks love Apple phones and I am glad you're happy but which cell service provider did you go to in case other RV'rs can get a new great deal on their cell service like we did?

You said you quit Verizon and that "My monthly plan cost also decreased significantly and I still have unlimited data and now have unlimited texting too."  Does Apple provide carrier service now too? Just cornfused here.

[lappir]

22 hours ago, RV_ said:

Rod what provider did you go with?

The other big one that isn't started with a T. 

I'm also a RN  and they had a deal for that too. Hope it lasts a long time. 

 

Rod

[Bill Joyce]

We just back from a one month round the world trip and the Pixel Pro 9 on Google Fi worked well.  It was fast and the battery life was great.  Many times we would use it for pedestrian navigation for 20 minutes to an hour and the battery went down about 1% every 10 minutes, so an hour walk used about 6% of the battery life.  My Samsung Galaxy s21 Ultra and Diane's s21+ use more battery life than that navigating.  Of course some of the battery life on the Samsung's might be due to the bloatware both Samsung and Verizon add to the phone.  I check the apps and find that one of them will have added a game or some other apps I don't want about every month.  

(When I said "round the world" I meant it.  We flew to Singapore, spent some time, got on a cruise that ended in Mumbai India, spent a few days, flew to London and spent a few days and then flew back to our winter home in Arizona. We kept going west until we ended up at our starting point.  London in December reminds us of our Western Washington State (Seattle, etc.) in December, cool and wet.  Next time we will go to London when it is warmer.  I think we have had all the time we need in Mumbai, but the other two ports in India were worth repeating along with doing the Golden Triangle someday.  Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom are all worth going back to. )

[RV_]

Bill thanks for that great review on the 9 Pro's compatibility worldwide. As you know we are planning to travel in those areas as well.

Did you buy yours unlocked or from a cell provider? I assume by your comments about not having the bloatware from Verizon and Samsung on them you bought unlocked not from a cellular provider.

I think you're right about the bloatware. Last year I tried to go from the Pixel 6 Pro to the Samsung S24 Ultra, bought one, and returned the S24 back as unacceptable before a week was up after using pure Android with the Pixel 6 Pro and got my Pixel 8 Pro. It was crazy with bloatware and unwanted services. And I bought that one cash, unlocked for all providers, and it was still filled with very unwanted automatic functions that it pushed on me, some with no opt out!

Our Pixel 9 Pros were bought unlocked too, not from a cell provider.

I did get rid of Gemini as I needed to know the phone was doing well and all my stuff transferred over, before I try the Ai systems. I had a not so smart watch take over my call audio and Bluetooth that messed up my phone's interaction with  my hearing aid/Bluetooth headsets last week and finally figured it out just now as it was messing up our Google Meet video calls. It always takes a week or two for me to get all my gadgets working well with a new phones.🤦‍♂️

Glad you had a great trip!

[Bill Joyce]

I did buy the Pixel 9 Pro thru Google Fi for the discounts.  They are discounting my Google Fi service by $20.84 each month for 24 months if I keep the service.  

[RV_]

That's a great deal Bill!👍