Ancalon Pulse 9 Pro review

The short version

Every flagship this year claims to be an “AI phone.” Most bolt a chatbot onto the same hardware as last year and call it a revolution. The Pulse 9 Pro is the rare device where the intelligence is woven through the experience — and, crucially, where it runs fast enough on-device that you stop noticing it is AI at all. That, more than any single spec, is what makes it the phone to beat.

Design and build

Ancalon has moved to a grade-5 titanium frame with a matte ceramic back that resists fingerprints far better than last year’s glass. At 201g it is not light, but the weight is evenly balanced and the flat sides make it easy to grip. The flat-edge design is becoming the industry default for a reason: it feels precise and modern. The only complaint is that bare titanium is slick — you will want a case, which slightly undercuts the premium materials you paid for.

The display is the standout. A 6.8-inch LTPO OLED that ramps from 1Hz on the always-on clock to 144Hz when you are scrolling, peaking at a genuinely useful 2,800 nits. I used it at a beach in midday sun and never once cupped my hand over the screen to read a message.

Performance

The new Lumina X2 is a 3nm part, and it shows. In our sustained-load test — 30 minutes of demanding 3D gameplay — the Pulse 9 Pro held 94% of its peak frame rate, where most rivals sag to 70–80% as they heat up. Day to day that headroom translates into a phone that simply never stutters, and into AI tasks that resolve in a beat rather than a spinner.

The AI, specifically

Three features stuck. The on-device summariser condenses long email threads and articles accurately and quickly, working offline. Smart search lets you ask for “the receipt from the hardware store last month” in plain language and surfaces it from your photos and files. And the writing assistant drafts replies in your own tone after a short learning period. None of this is unique on paper — what is different is that it is fast and it works without round-tripping to a server, so it is private and instant. The catch: the most capable cloud-assisted modes move behind a paid tier after a 12-month trial.

Cameras

The 50MP main sensor is excellent in any light, and the 5× periscope is the most usable long lens on a phone right now — sharp enough that 10× hybrid shots are genuinely shareable. Colour science is natural rather than punchy; if you like saturated, contrasty images straight out of camera you may prefer a rival, but for fidelity this is among the best.

Battery and charging

The 5,400mAh cell comfortably clears a heavy day and stretches to two days for lighter use. Charging is the one area where the price stings: 45W wired is fine but no longer leading, and there is no charger in the box. A 0–60% top-up takes about 25 minutes.

Should you buy it?

If you want the most complete, most capable phone of the year and the price is within reach, this is it. The AI features are the first that justify the marketing, the screen and silicon are best-in-class, and the battery lasts. Just go in clear-eyed about the subscription on the headline features and the missing charger. For most people a mid-tier flagship will do — but for those who want the ceiling, the Pulse 9 Pro is it.

Full specifications