By 
Every year, most Android users look forward to the latest smartphones from Samsung. This is because Samsung makes arguably some of the best high-end Android smartphones around. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is no exception, but how does it hold up versus Google’s latest flagship, the Pixel 9 Pro XL?
Design
Both Samsung and Google have gone very different directions in terms of design of their flagship phones. Samsung has their own unique design language, and so does Google. Both are very distinct in their own way, although both handsets seem to have adopted the use of flat edges versus the more curvy edges in previous models.
In terms of size, the Pixel 9 Pro XL measures 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm and also comes in at 221 grams. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, measures 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm and weighs about 232 grams. The dimensions are actually kind of interesting. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is actually a longer phone, but is narrower versus the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
In terms of weight, we don’t think the difference of 11 grams will cause any unnecessary burden, so on that front it’s more or less equal. It just boils down to personal preference.
Display
Samsung makes some of the best displays in the market. The company more or less pioneered the use of AMOLED panels in smartphones. For the Galaxy S24 Ultra, this is the biggest phone from Samsung and it comes with a 6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED display. It has a 1440×3120 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It has a peak brightness of 2,600 nits.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with a 6.8-inch Super Actua LTPO display. It has a 1344 x 2992 resolution, a dynamic refresh rate of 1-120Hz, and brightness that can go up to 3,000 nits. In terms of size, both phones are more or less equal. Samsung does have a slight edge in pixel density, but we doubt that you could tell just by looking at it.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a brighter display which could be useful for those who work under direct sunlight and want to be able to see their phone’s display.
Cameras
Along with Apple, Samsung’s flagship phones are known for their superior camera performance and the Galaxy S24 Ultra is no different. However, Google has made a name for themselves over the years with killer camera software and image processing algorithms. They have achieved amazing results with less hardware compared to the competition.
With the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it has a triple camera setup on the back which consists of a 50MP wide camera with an f/1.68 aperture, a 48MP ultrawide with an f/1.7 aperture, and a 48MP telephoto with 5x zoom with an f/2.8 aperture.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra actually packs a quad camera setup. This consists of a massive 200MP f/1.7 wide main shooter, a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto, a 50MP f/3.4 periscope telephoto, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide.
Is there really a need for four cameras instead of three? Having more sensors means more data can be captured and processed. But like we said, Google has gotten away with using less hardware but achieving similar, if not better, results.
Battery
Last but not least, let’s talk about battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5,060mAh battery. The difference of 60mAh isn’t very big. It probably won’t have a noticeable impact depending on how you use your phone. Both phones do offer 45W of charging speeds.
Pricing & availability
If you’ve made up your mind which of these two phones to get, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is priced starting at $1,199. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is priced starting at $1,299. It is $100 more expensive, but given that it’s been out for more than half a year now, you can probably find it at a discounted price from various retailers, allowing you to pick it up at a cheaper price compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Comments