Smartphone launches don't always go smoothly, and while we gave the phone 4.5 stars out of 5 in our Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review, it seems some users are less than impressed with their new Pixel phone.
First off, there are reports of wireless charging issues on the Pixel Phone support forums (via 9to5Google). These issues can take a variety of forms, from charging stopping after a few minutes to excessive heat production while charging.
There are also discussions on Reddit (via Tech Issues Today) about wireless charging bugs, with one subsequent comment suggesting it's a “known bug” that Google is “investigating,” though we've yet to see any official word on this from Google.
Wireless charging can be less reliable than wired charging for a variety of reasons, but these issues appear to go deeper than that, and while they don't affect all Pixel 9 Pro XL owners, it seems that a considerable number of devices and/or chargers aren't working as they should.
Next up… video tilt
The second issue reported online is a bit more obscure and involves an unwanted video tilt effect, as documented on Reddit (via Android Authority) – it appears that the camera image doesn't stay level when some users zoom in while recording video.
As with wireless charging bugs, it's hard to estimate how widespread the problem is, but several other Pixel 9 Pro XL owners have joined the thread to say they're noticing the same issue with the camera.
It's very early days for both issues, so we'll have to wait and see if Google is going to do anything in the way of product replacement units or software fixes, or if the Pixel 9 Pro XL isn't responsible for these issues after all.
For now, we'll stick with our glowing review of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but we'll keep you posted. Last year we also saw display issues on the Pixel 8, washed-out colors on the Galaxy S24, and overheating issues on the iPhone 15 Pro, so post-launch bugs certainly aren't unheard of.
