TL;DR
- People are reporting choppy scrolling on non-Pro Pixel 9 demo units in retail stores, even with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled.
- This has led to speculation online, with some wondering if the issue is intentional to boost sales of the Pro model or if the demo units are faulty.
- The performance difference could be due to demo unit configurations or software optimizations.
People on Reddit are reporting something strange going on with Pixel phone demo units, particularly from the Pixel 9 series, displayed in retail stores. Many have noticed choppier scrolling on non-Pro Pixel 9 demo units in retail stores, even though the 120Hz refresh rate setting is enabled. In comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro models with the same settings seem to offer a smoother experience.
“Google forces lower refresh rates on their non-pro pixel demo units,” a user alleged on Reddit. The person attached a video to their post (see above), attempting to show the scrolling difference between a Pixel 9 Pro and a standard Pixel 9 displayed at a retail outlet.
Comments on that post indicate that the difference in performance has caught the attention of several Reddit users, leading to speculation about whether the non-Pro models are being intentionally altered to highlight the smoother performance of the Pixel 9 Pro, or if the demo units are simply malfunctioning.
“I experienced the same. Checked out the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9, and Pixel 8a at a particular retail store. Despite 120Hz enabled, the non-Pro phones were choppy while scrolling. It made no sense to me. None of the online reviews ever mentioned any issues with the refresh rate,” a commenter shared.
“I’ve always noticed this too, in separate Best Buy locations and a Verizon store, and across model lines (Pixel 8/8 Pro, Fold, 9/9 Pro/9 Pro Fold). I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I guess this is confirmation that they are fiddling with settings on demo units, not me,” said another person.
There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for why this is happening.
While it’s hard to pinpoint the real cause of the discrepancy, there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for why it’s happening. The choppiness in the refresh rate could be due to various factors, such as software optimizations or even settings specific to retail demo configurations.
Demo units are often configured to display certain features and could be running software different from what users experience on their personal devices. Essentially, the models on display may not represent the final retail units, which would likely explain the performance differences.
We’ll contact Google for comment and will update the story if we hear back. In the meantime, it’s important to note that these observations do not reflect the actual user experience for consumers purchasing the Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro.
