Whenever a new smartphone launches, glitches and other hardware issues are bound to surface. And while our Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review was largely positive, not every owner of the phone is having a great time with their new device.
Our sister site Tech Radar found a number of reported issues with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, with specific problems involving wireless charging and a video tilt bug with the camera during video recording.
Wireless charging appears to be the subject of most Pixel 9 Pro XL complaints, with reports coming in from the Pixel Phone help forums (via 9to5Google) and the Pixel subreddit (via Tech Issues Today).
Reports of wireless charging problems aren't centered around one issue. Rather, there are differing reports about overheating during charging or charging stopping all together after only a few minutes.
"[The Pixel 9 Pro XL] starts charging and shows approximate time until fully charged and then in a few seconds stops charging," one forum member reported.
It's unclear from these reports if the cause is the chargers themselves or the phone, though several people reported trying multiple different MagSafe cases and chargers.
Over on Reddit, someone claimed to have spoken with Google where they were told it is a "known bug" that the company is looking into. Google has not officially said anything about any potential charging bugs involving any of its new models.
While more stable than in the past and usually better for battery life, wireless charging can be less reliable than wired charging. That said, the reported issues seem to go beyond unreliable wireless charging.
Video tilt bug reports
The reported camera issue involves a video tilt affecting the camera when people try to zoom in while filming a video. Apparently, the image doesn't stay level when during the zoom, according to reports on Reddit (via Android Authority).
It's unclear how widespread the issue is, and based on anecdotal reports, the tilt can either appear intermittently or appear regularly depending on the user. It may be an issue that Google can fix with a software patch, or user error.
Google isn't the only phone manufacturer to suffer issues with brand new phones after their launch. The iPhone 15 saw overheating issues, a common problem with smartphones generally. Some of last year's Pixel 8 models included dimples and bumps on the display for some owners. When the Samsung Galaxy S24 arrived earlier this year, there were reports of screens exhibiting a Mura effect.
