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Googlehas really shaken up the flagship smartphone landscape with the launch of theGoogle Pixel 9range.
Does that make Google the brand behind thebest Android phone?
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
However, its the smaller Pixel 9 Pro thats the most interesting model in the family.
In offering a true flagship experience in a compact form factor, it offers something thatSamsungsimply doesnt right now.
So, how do the Pixel 9 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra stack up against one another?
Lets take a closer look.
These two phones look very different to one another, too.
Its got a flat metal rim and gently curved corners, reflected in both the body and the display.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Meanwhile, its corners are quite pointed, resulting in a perfectly rectangular display.
Both phones have IP68 water and dust resistance certification.
Samsungs individual modules might be more discrete, but they also lack a little personality.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Both are supremely well-built phones.
Both are very bright and more than up to the task of operating on a bright day.
This helps no end with energy efficiency.
We honestly cant fault either.
The latter doubles down (or indeed quadruples down) on pixel-binning techniques.
Googles image processing is simply more advanced than Samsungs, and captures more pleasing shots.
When we consider the ultra-wide offerings, again, both sensors are about the same size.
These two camera hardware setups diverge even further when it comes to the zoom provision.
Both phones take excellent videos, though only the Galaxy S24 Ultra takes8Kvideos natively.
Therell be no such nauseating equivocation in the performance round.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra wipes the floor with the Pixel 9 Pro here.
You might not notice this performance gulf in general use, of course.
Indeed, most of Googles focus with its Tensor chips has been on AI performance.
However, in the here and now, wed take Googles software over Samsungs every day of the week.
The Pixel 9 Pro earned a much more respectable 4 out of 5.
Samsung gives you reams of AI stuff, all buried away in menus.
Its very difficult to get your head around it all, and only some of it is consequential.
After all, bigger phone, bigger battery.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL (left) and Pixel 9 (right) will launch a couple weeks earlier
Its not quite the slam dunk that you might be expecting, though.
Yes, its 5,000mAh cell is bigger than the Pixel 9 Pros 4,700mAh equivalent.
But these are two different phones with different use cases.
Its a phone for power users, so thats kind of the point.
The Pixel 9 Pro is not that.
Its a compact flagship, designed to be used moderately.
On that front, it too will last you through the day comfortably.
Neither of these phones are setting any speed records with their charging times, though.
Samsungs larger battery supports 47W wired charging, while Googles smaller battery supports 27W charging.
Using Reimagine in Google Photos to change a picture(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Only Samsungs phone can bomb on to 100% within the hour, but thats nothing to shout about.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra supports 15W wireless charging, while Googles supports 12W as standard.
Buy a Pixel Stand, however, and the Pixel 9 Pro can support 21W wireless charging.
Using Reimagine in Google Photos to change a picture(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The fact that we awarded both a score of 4.5 out of 5 stars suggests a pretty even fight.
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Using Reimagine in Google Photos to change a picture(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
