Well, I can’t say that often. But my Pixel 9 Pro XL arrived a day early, which was a pleasant surprise. Here are some first impressions.

The packaging is different and noticeably more eco-friendly—and compact—than the boxes of previous Google phones. As always, the phone comes with a standard white USB-C cable, and I assume the included SIM tool is hidden in the compact inner sleeve for documentation. Of course, there’s no power adapter, so you’ll have to get that yourself. Google will sell you its new 45-watt charger for $30, but I recommend opting for one from Anker. (I certainly did.)

In reality, the hazelnut brown I was promised is more of a shade of grey. It’s a bit darker than the plain titanium of my iPhone 15 Pro Max, but more similar in colour than I expected. That doesn’t matter much, of course – my Pixel 9 Pro XL case, also in hazelnut brown, is arriving tomorrow – but it’s an added shame that it obscures the phone’s gorgeous matte back and glossy flat sides.

Speaking of which, I was worried that the iPhone-like sides would have sharp edges, but the edges front and back have slight curves and it makes a big difference. So that eliminates one worry.

In terms of size and weight, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is noticeably heavier than the Pixel 8 Pro and feels about as heavy as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It’s a bit taller than the iPhone and not quite as wide. It appears to be noticeably thicker than the Pixel 8 Pro, but that could be an optical illusion caused by the phone’s elegantly curved sides.

The setup is about the same as always, but I have a PIN, fingerprint recognition, And Face ID right out of the box, which is unusual for me. I updated all apps twice – the second time there was a wider range of updates – and was surprised to discover an Android system update waiting for me to fully install it when I rebooted. It wasn’t Android 15, but a minor version that installed quickly. Probably the latest monthly security update, I guess.

From the front, it’s very similar to the iPhone, with a similarly narrow bezel all around and a regular punch-hole front camera instead of Apple’s more elaborate Dynamic Island. The display looks pretty fantastic. I enabled automatic dark mode and dusk-to-dawn night light and found that it lowers the screen resolution from the native 1344 x 2992 to 1008 x 2244 (“High Resolution”) to save battery. I left that on, it looks great. I also left “Smooth Display” – dynamic refresh rate – turned on.

The camera bump on the back is arguably the device’s nicest feature, and its new curved design is a nice improvement. Google has evolved this feature with each Pixel generation since its debut with the Pixel 6 series, and each time it’s gotten better. But this is the best yet. It’s higher than the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera bar, and that, plus its new floating island look, gives it the feel of a purposeful, definitive statement.

I transferred my wireless Google Fi account to the Pixel. And while I followed the instructions to disable Apple’s walled garden, that’s always a trial and error. I don’t think that’s ever fully worked on the first try, but I’ll figure it out soon. Texting and calling my wife, who uses Android, has worked just fine. Tonight I’ll install my apps, arrange the shortcuts I want on the home screen, and continue looking through the settings. And then I’ll start playing with the AI ​​features scattered around there.

I haven’t really used the camera yet other than opening the camera app and making sure it’s configured as I want it to be. Hopefully I can get some decent shots tonight and over the next few days.

So far, there are no big surprises, good or bad. The overall look is professional and high-quality, and represents a nice step up from its predecessors. But the overall experience is familiar and very similar to that of the Pixel 8 Pro. As with all smartphones, year-on-year upgrades really don’t make much sense anymore.

More soon.