This has been an insane year for mobile tech. Between Motorola’s Razr flip phones, Samsung’s latest foldables, IFA 2024, and the newest batch of iPhones, the last few months have been nonstop.
A little over a month ago, Google was part of that madness when it announced its Pixel 9 series of devices, and earlier this week, we finally published our Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review. Google’s latest foldable is a top-notch smartphone, and it wasn’t the only piece of Google hardware we were impressed with this year. Almost every Google Pixel device we reviewed in 2024 was a runaway success, and it’s a powerful testament to how much Google got right this year.
The Pixel 9 series is the real deal
It all starts with the base model Google Pixel 9. The non-Pro Pixel has been a strong release for the last couple of years, but it feels like Google really hit its stride with the Pixel 9.
How so? Virtually everything about the phone is as good as you could ask for. The design and build quality are excellent, the cameras are fantastic, the battery life is much improved compared to previous releases, and even smaller details like haptic feedback are noticeably better.
Recommending a base model Pixel has always come with a caveat that you need to be OK with poor battery life, lesser hardware, or something else. That isn’t the case with the Pixel 9 this year, and the result is it being one of the best $799 phones you can buy in 2024.
That praise equally applies to this year’s Pro devices. For the first time in years, Google resurrected its XL moniker, giving you a choice between the Google Pixel 9 Pro and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Each one provides the same upgrades over the regular Pixel 9 — such as a telephoto camera, a higher-quality selfie camera, better video recording, and additional RAM. You just get to decide if you want those things in a phone that’s the same size as the Pixel 9 or one that’s a bit bigger.
No matter which Pixel we’re talking about — Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, or Pixel 9 Pro XL — it’s hard to not consider any of them as being among the best smartphones released this year. They’re all expertly built, with some of the best hardware, software, and overall user experiences you can find on a phone today. Releasing one phone like that is challenging enough, so for Google to do it with three phones is all the more impressive.
But Google didn’t do it with three phones — it did it with four. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also launched this year, and it’s every bit as successful, if not more so. While it’s technically a year-over-year successor to the original Pixel Fold, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold sure doesn’t feel like one. Instead, it feels like a Pixel Fold 4 or 5.
The extent to which Google improved its foldable over the last year is downright shocking. The original Pixel Fold was a promising first attempt, though not a go-to recommendation. This year, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is one of our most strongly recommended folding phones. It’s extremely rare to see this level of year-over-year improvement in the mobile tech space, yet Google somehow pulled it off.
Four phones, all with 9/10 reviews from us at Digital Trends, and all of them worth buying for different reasons. If that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is.
Other Google hardware wins
And it’s not just the Pixel 9 series where Google showed its dominance this year. The company has also had considerable wins with its wearables and smart home releases.
The Google Pixel Watch 3 is a prime example of that. Google kept what worked from the Pixel Watch 2 — such as the gorgeous design, good battery life, and clean software — and paired it with long-requested upgrades. There’s finally a larger 45mm size, the display bezels are considerably smaller, and there’s an unexpected suite of surprisingly great running features. It’s a fantastic all-around wearable and arguably one of the best smartwatches you can buy today.
Another feather in Google’s cap this fall is the Google TV Streamer. It’s the successor to Chromecast with Google TV. And as you’ve read in our Google TV Streamer review, it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but adds some excellent smart home features.
Google TV is still Google TV, busy as it’s ever been. That hasn’t really changed, even though the Google TV Streamer is the first device built on Android TV 14. It’s the inclusion of support for the Matter and Thread smart home standards that stand out.
The addition of the Google Home panel allows you to see cameras and control thermostats and lighting from your home screen. The remote control has been redesigned for the better, with a find-my-remote feature built in for when it inevitably goes spelunking in the couch cushions.
Not to be forgotten, Google also saw success with the Google Pixel 8a earlier this year. While not a slam dunk like its Pixel 9 cousins, the Pixel 8a remains another strong addition to Google’s 2024 hardware lineup. It’s lightweight, has solid specs, and is a good pickup for anyone who wants a Pixel smartphone experience at a lower price.
All set up for a fantastic 2025
Four excellent flagship phones, one very good midrange handset, a top-notch smartwatch, and a solid streaming device. For a company that’s had so many rocky product launches over the last few years, this is a really impressive year for Google’s hardware division.
Furthermore, I’m encouraged to see how Google carries this momentum into 2025. Google has an incredible foundation to work on for the Pixel 10 series, the Pixel 9a is set up for success, and the Pixel Watch 4 should be a winner. It took a while for the Pixel lineup to get to this point, but it’s exciting to see just how good Google’s hardware can be when the company is firing on all cylinders.
