Malcolm Owen
Google's latest smartphone, announced on August 13, was a pre-emptive strike on the iPhone 16 Pro. Here's how the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL fare against Apple's existing iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
On August 13, Google held its usually-scheduled launch of new hardware for consumers to buy. As expected, the event included a variety of Pixel smartphones.
Two of the list in the roster are Pro models, specifically the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. These two offer some premium features beyond what the standard Pixel 9 Pro can offer to consumers.
And, they're aimed directly at the iPhone 15 Pro, and forthcoming iPhone 16 Pro.
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Specifications
| Specifications | iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max | Google Pixel 9 Pro, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL |
|---|---|---|
| Price (starting) | $999 (Pro), $1,199 (Pro Max) | $999 (Pro), $1,099 (Pro XL) |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.77 x 2.78 x 0.32 (Pro), 6.29 x 3.02 x 0.32 (Pro Max) | 6 x 2.8 x 0.3 (Pro), 6.4 x 3 x 0.3 (Pro XL) |
| Weight (ounces) | 6.60 (Pro), 7.81 (Pro Max) | 7 (Pro), 7.8 (Pro XL) |
| Processor | A17 Pro | Google Tensor G4, Titan M2 security co-processor |
| Storage | 128GB (Pro), 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Display type | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR (Pro), 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR (Pro Max), ProMotion, Always-on display, TrueTone | 6.3-inch Super Actua OLED (Pro), 6.8-inch Super Actua OLED (Pro XL), 120Hz display |
| Resolution | 2,556 x 1,179 at 460ppi (Pro), 2,796 x 1,290 at 460 ppi (Pro Max) | 2,856 x 1,280 at 494ppi (Pro), 2,992 x 1,344 at 482ppi (Pro XL) |
| Biometrics | Face ID | Under-display fingerprint reader, Face Unlock |
| Connectivity | 5G (Sub-6GHz and mmWave), Gigabit-class LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Ultra Wideband Gen 2, Emergency SOS via Satellite, Roadside Assistance via Satellite, USB-C | 5G (Sub-6GHz and mmWave) Gigabit-class LTE Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.3 Ultra Wideband USB-C Satellite SOS |
| Rear Cameras | 48MP Wide 12MP Ultra Wide 12MP Telephoto with 3x optical zoom (Pro), 12MP Telephoto with 5x optical zoom (Pro Max) | 50MP Octa PD Wide 48MP Quad PD Ultra Wide 48MP Telephoto with 5x optical zoom |
| Video | 4K 60fps, 4K 60fps HDR with Dolby Vision, 1080p 240fps Slo-Mo ProRes 4K 60fps with external recording, Cinematic Mode, Action Mode | 8K 30fps 4K 60fps with HDR, 1080p 240fps Slo-Mo Optical image stabilization, Electronic image stabilization |
| Front Camera | 12MP TrueDepth with Autofocus | 42 MP with Autofocus |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, Wide spectrum Microphones | Stereo speakers, 3 Microphones |
| Battery Size | Up to 23 hours video playback (Pro), Up to 29 hours video playback (Pro Max) | 24+ hours |
| Colors | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium | Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian |
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Physical dimensions
The iPhone 15 Pro line is made up of a titanium and glass sandwich, helping reduce the weight compared to earlier Pro models.
At 5.77 inches long and 2.78 inches wide, the iPhone 15 Pro is optimized for what most of the market wants for holdability and pocketability. The 6.29 by 3.02-inch Pro Max is a much larger beast, but still just about manageable by users.
Both iPhone models are 0.32 inches thick. This is marginally thicker than the iPhone 14 Pro, the 2023 release, but Apple has been said to be planning a return to thinner hardware.
With the M4 13-inch iPad Pro being practically two-thirds the thickness at 0.20 inches, it does hint at what future iPhones could be like.
The Pixel 9 Pro has an updated design, with a matt glass back and a dual-finish camera bar. It's surrounded by a polished aluminum frame on the outside.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is about as thin as the iPhone 15 Pro. Measuring 6 inches long and 2.8 inches wide, the Pixel 9 Pro is a bit longer than the iPhone 15 Pro. Likewise, the Pixel 9 Pro XL's 6.4-inch length and 3-inch width makes it longer but just as narrow as the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Google reports the thickness of both its models as 0.3 inches, but it is unclear if it is rounding down or an exact measurement.
Apple made its Pro and Pro Max weigh in at 6.6 ounces and 7.81 ounces respectively. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is comparable to the Pro Max at 7.8 ounces, but the Pixel 9 Pro is heavier than the Pro at 7 ounces.
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Display
Apple employs two different sizes of display for its smartphones. The iPhone 15 Pro has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch version.
Both OLED displays, they are also always-on screens with HDR and TrueTone support. ProMotion is also available, with the refresh rate varying up to 120Hz depending on the content being viewed.
Google has gone for a similar approach with its smartphone displays. The Super Actua LTPO OLED panels measure 6.3 inches on the Pro, 6.8 inches on the Pro XL.
Just as Apple includes ProMotion in its screens, Google offers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz with its versions.
Resolution-wise, Apple's smartphones are 2,556 by 1,179 for the iPhone 15 Pro, 2,796 by 1,290 for the Pro Max.
The two sizes of Pixel 9 Pro.The Google Pixel Pro has a 2,856 by 1,280 resolution, while the Pro XL is at 2,992 by 1,344 pixels. This does make sense since the Pixel displays are physically larger than the iPhone counterparts.
On a pixel density level, Apple's 460 pixels per inch for both models is beaten by the Pixels. Google manages 494ppi for the Pro and 482 ppi for the Pro XL.
For brightness, Apple claims its Pro models can manage 1,000 nits for typical content, 1,600 bits of peak brightness for HDR, and 2,000 nits peak brightness for outdoor usage.
Google, meanwhile, says both models can handle up to 2,000 nits for HDR content and 3,000 nits at peak.
All of the phones have a similar contrast ratio of up to 2 million to 1.
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Cameras
Around the back of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are a trio of cameras, with the Wide offering a 48-megapixel sensor with second-gen sensor shift optical image stabilization. There's also the 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with a 120-degree field of view.
The Telephoto in the Pro has a 12-megapixel sensor and a 2x magnification, along with sensor-shift OIS. The Pro Max also uses a tetraprism lens arrangement, increasing the maximum optical zoom to 5x.
Video-wise, the iPhones can capture 4K video at up to 60fps, and 1080p Slo-mo at up to 240fps. There's a 4K HDR Cinematic mode at up to 30fps, an Action mode at 2.8K up to 60fps, and Spatial Video at 1080p 30fps.
Its more professional-quality video features include HDR support with Dolby Vision at 4K 60Hz, support for Log video recording and the Academy Color Encoding System, and Macro capabilities. Even more useful, you can also record ProRes video at 4K 60fps directly to an external hard drive.
The rear cameras are also aided by LiDAR, which helps with focusing in low-light situations among other areas.
The rear of the Google Pixel 9 Pro XLGoogle's camera choices start with a 50MP Octa PD Wide camera, accompanied by a 48MP Quad PD Ultrawide camera. The 48MP Quad PD Telephoto camera offers a 5x optical zoom, but it can handle a "Super Res Zoom" of up to 30x.
The rear cameras also have optical and electronic image stabilization for the Wide and Telephoto sensors. A Multi-zone laser detect autofocus (LDAF) is also on the back.
The Pixel video features include 8K video at 30fps, 4K 60fps HDR support, cinematic blur and panning, 240fps slo-mo, and even Super Rez Zoom video. For the front camera, it's capable of 4K 60fps video.
Around the front, the TrueDepth camera array in the top of the iPhones houses a 12-megapixel camera. Capable of 4K 60fps video, HDR, ProRes, and other pro-level features, it also has depth mapping capabilities which are used for Face ID and other applications.
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Processing
Inside the iPhones is the A17 Pro chip, which has a six-core CPU consisting of two performance and four efficiency cores. It's joined by a 6-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, which will handle most of the on-device Apple Intelligence processing.
Accompanying the A17 Pro is 8 gigabytes of LPDDR5 memory.
The Pixels are powered by the Google Tensor G4 chip. It has a 1-3-4 configuration, with one powerful core flanked by three mid-size cores and four low-powered cores. This is technically one fewer mid-core than the G3, but with higher clock speeds, it should balance out overall.
To go with the chip, Google also has the Titan M2 security coprocessor, as well as double the memory at 16GB.
At this stage, and without benchmarks of the Tensor G4 available, we can't directly compare it against the A17 Pro. What we can say is that both Apple and Google have geared their devices to a more AI-centric future.
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Connectivity, power, and other features
Both smartphone families offer 5G support, covering both mmWave and Sub-6Ghz bands, and LTE.
Wi-Fi 6E support is available on iPhone while Pixel uses Wi-Fi 7, along with Bluetooth 5.3 across both product families. Ultra Wideband support is offered on both sides, while USB-C is used for physical connectivity.
NFC is supported on both, but Apple locks its implementation down so it's mainly just used by users for payments.
The iPhones also connect with satellites, via its Emergency SOS via Satellite and Roadside Assistance via Satellite features. Google has its own Satellite SOS feature.
For power, Apple claims the Pro and Pro Max can handle up to 23 hours and 29 hours respectively for video playback. Google says each model has over 24 hours of battery life, based on a mix of features being used over time.
Recharging the iPhones can be done using USB-C or via MagSafe wireless charging on the rear. Google also has USB-C and Qi charging capabilities.
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Storage, color, and price
Apple offers the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in four color options: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium. The Pixel 9 Pro and XL are also offered in four options: Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, and Obsidian.
The iPhone 15 Pro and both Pixel 9 Pro models are available in four capacities: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The iPhone 15 Pro Max can be bought in the top three capacities, not the 128GB option.
The Rose Quartz option of Google Pixel 9 ProThe iPhone 15 Pro with 128GB of storage starts at $999, with the 256GB Pro Max starting from $1,199.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is $999 at its lowest capacity, while the Pro XL starts at $1,099.
iPhone 15 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL - Which to buy
Considering the matchup in a platform-agnositic way, there's an awful lot that leans in Google's direction. The longer displays with higher resolutions and higher brightness work in Google's favor.
The camera system, too, also leans towards the Pixels. The Wide cameras are comparably high resolution, but Google's choice for 48MP cameras for the Ultra Wide and the Telephoto cameras stiffly beats Apple's continued love affair with the 12MP sensor.
Even the front camera in the Pixels at 42MP trounces the 12MP in Apple's TrueDepth array.
We can safely say that the two device lines are very comparable, for the moment at least. Things could considerably change when it comes to September and the anticipated launch of the iPhone 16 Pro range.
For the moment, the Pixel 9 Pro and XL are practically one of the best choices if you want an Android device. Especially one that benefits significantly from being at the forefront of Google's AI work.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the first iPhones to benefit from Apple Intelligence, Cupertino's attempt to wade into the generative AI market. But, with the next generation of iPhones just weeks away, it's easier to advise to hold onto your cash until that model comes out.
Where to buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro
The Google Pixel 9 Pro is available to order now at Amazon and Best Buy, with a starting retail price of $999.99.
Wireless carriers, meanwhile, are currently incentivizing the iPhone 15 Pro with offers up to $1,000 off. The best iPhone deals are at your fingertips in our roundup, but you can also jump straight to the individual carriers below.
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11 Comments
Well, for me Android is DOA. But this does show that Apple needs to do some significant improvements to stay competitive. There’s been a lot of talk about how huge the iP17 will be next year. Apple really shouldn’t wait. Bumping all the 16 cameras to 48mpxl would be a good start.
We’ve reached the point where the specs are close enough that they don’t matter. You can’t have a gear to head and then say you’re evaluating it in a platform independent way. The platform is everything. Apple’s image processing, and “ the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” approach literally affects everything one does with a smart phone. It ends up coming down to design, preferences , and OS preference. Personally, I use both iOS and android almost every day. Android absolutely sucks next to iOS in my opinion. So there’s no way I would even consider an android phone unless I had to.