Intro
From some more obvious differences such as chip performance, to exciting surprises such as big camera upgrades, the S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL are shaping up to be a tough choice for future buyers. Especially considering that the Pixel 9 Pro is said to go for a starting price of $1099 while the Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to keep that hefty $1299 price tag.
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 9 Pro XL differences:
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | Pixel 9 Pro XL |
|---|---|
| $1299 starting price for 256GB variant | $1099 starting price for 128GB model, and $1159 for 256GB |
| More capable Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 (3nm) silicon | Less powerful Tensor G4 (4nm) chipset |
| Titanium frame | Stainless steel frame |
| More durable and less reflective display | Display is still very durable but scratches more easily and shows more reflelctions |
| One 3X and one 5X telephoto camera | Comes with one 5X telephoto, but can use sensor cropping to achieve lossless zoom |
| Faster wired charging | Faster wireless charging |
Table of Contents:
Read more:
Design and Size
Samsung’s dedication to durability
Samsung’s high-end Galaxy S Ultra series has always been on of the largest phones on the market. For the moment, there is no indication that the size will increase even more with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, so we expect it to be somewhere in the ballpark of 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm and weigh around 233 g, which are the dimensions for the S24 Ultra.
On the other hand, there have been multiple leaked renders and live images of the Pixel 9 Pro XL that showcase a brand new aesthetic for Google’s Pixel series. The phone will have flat sides, with the iconic camera bar not “floating” in the top-middle of the back panel, no longer connected to the frame.
When it comes to durability, the S25 Ultra might have the upper hand here, as it comes with Corning’s best screen protection glass to this date, dubbed Gorilla Glass Armor. It is visibly more resistant to scratches than previous generations, which is why we are a bit sad there haven’t been rumours of the Pixel 9 Pro XL getting it too. Instead, we expect Google to equip its new high-end flagship with the same Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Display Differences
The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display will likely have one major benefit over that of the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The Gorilla Glass Armor we mentioned earlier is not only more durable but also eliminates light reflections very well.
Google is said to have introduced a feature called “Adaptive Touch” to the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which helps the phone read user input more accurately even when the display is extremely wet. Samsung already has this on its flagship phones though, it just hasn’t given it a name.
There have been no leaks to suggest any upgraded display specs with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, so we should see the same 6.7-inch LTPO OLED screen with a120Hz maximum refresh rate.
Besides the Adaptive Touch feature, Google is said to be catching up to Samsung in one more way—by introducing an ultrasonic biometric sensor. Until now, Pixel phones have been known for their rather poor optical fingerprint scanners, but with an ultrasonic one unlocking your Pixel will be much quicker and more accurate than ever before.
Performance and Software
What it lacks in performance, Google makes up in creativity
While Google is said to have had even more opportunity to customize the 4nm Tensor G4, it is still based on one of Samsung’s Exynos chipsets. It is only with the Tensor G5 that’s expected to come next year that Google will finally have a fully in-house customized silicon for its phone lineup.
As for RAM, we expect to see 16GB for the top-end 1TB storage variants of both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL.
For the other storage options, which will be 128 (Pixel only)/256/512GB, both phones are expected to come with 12GB of RAM.
Both manufacturers offer 7 years of software support for its most expensive phone models, so the S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL will be well future proofed and should get major OS updates until Android 22.
When it comes to AI features, the two company’s share mostly similar ones, but with some differences in the approach. Google makes it more fun and has features such as Best Take and Audio Eraser, whereas Samsung offers users customization options to set how each AI feature acts. For example, you can decide whether you get a more summary of a web page, or a more concise one with Galaxy AI.
In terms of connectivity, there is nothing noteworthy for the S25 Ultra as of right now, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL should come with better connection stability and an Emergency Satellite connectivity, much like Apple’s Emergency SOS feature.
Camera
The part to get excited for: A promisingly fun battle
Let’s get the basics out of the way first. The S25 Ultra will most probably still have a main, ultrawide, a 3X telephoto, a 5X telephoto and one front camera. The Pixel almost matches that number of cameras minus the 3X telephoto one.
Apart from the number of cameras though, there are big changes coming with both phones, mostly in the form of brand new sensors. On Samsung’s end, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is said to feature a new 1-inch 200MP ISOCELL image sensor for the main camera, which is equipped with 0.8µm pixels, dual-pixel autofocus and in-sensor crop zoom.
In contrast, Google is rumored to upgrade all of the cameras besides the main one, with the new Sony IMX858 sensor powering the ultrawide, 5X telephoto, and even the front camera. Like the new main sensor on the S25 Ultra, the IMX858 is also larger than what Google was previously using, so it should be more capable in low light and have better image quality in general. What’s more, the front-facing camera will also come with autofocus.
Both phones should have superb zooming capabilities, and despite the Pixel’s lack of a 3X telephoto camera it will undoubtedly be close to or even match that of the S25 Ultra via sensor crop mode.
On the video side of things, we don’t have enough information about upgrades when it comes to the S25 Ultra, but we do know that the Pixel 9 Pro XL might come with an 8K 30FPS mode.
Battery Life and Charging
Both should be above average
Being two massive phones, we can safely expect massive batteries to go along with them, just like with their predecessors. We are looking at around 5,000 mAh battery capacity here, which means more than enough battery life to last you throughout the day.
How well they will perform in terms of battery efficiency remains to be seen, but based on our own dedicated battery life tests on the S24 Ultra nd Pixel 8 Pro, the two are mostly on par with each other, with the Pixel being slightly ahead in our final battery score.
Charging-wise, the S25 Ultra and its 45W of wired charging speeds should still be enough for Samsung to win on this front, as the Pixel 9 Pro XL is rumored to have 30W charging. For wireless charging things are the other way around, with 15W for the Galaxy and 23W for the Pixel.
Specs Comparison
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | Pixel 9 Pro XL | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm | 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8 mm |
| Screen | 6.8″ OLED 1-120Hz LTPO |
6.7″ OLED 1-120Hz LTPO |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 3nm |
Tensor G4 4nm |
| RAM, Storage | — 12/256GB 12/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5 |
12/128GB 12/256GB 12/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras | 200MP main 12MP ultrawide 10MP 3X telephoto 50MP 5X telephoto 12MP front |
50 MP wide 48 MP ultrawide 48 MP 5X telephoto — 10.5 MP front |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | 5,050 mAh |
| Charging | USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless |
USB-C 30W wired 23W wireless |
Most notable here are the different chipsets, number of cameras and their megapixels, as well as the lack of a 128GB model from Samsung. In general, the differences in these spec sheets are similar to comparisons between previous generations of both phones.
Summary
What makes this comparison especially exciting are the two different camera systems. Samsung is replacing the main camera sensor with yet another impressive one, while Google is changing the sensor for all but the main camera. This means we will probably see very different results and behaviour between the two once both phones come out.
Performance is the more boring topic here, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 expected to make the S25 Ultra massively more capable. But will that affect the AI capabilities that are so popular in the mobile tech scene right now? From what we have seen so far, probably not, but we will have to wait and see.
Of course, despite the price hike expected from Google’s Pixel 9 series, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is still expected to have a starting price that’s $200 less than that of the S25 Ultra. This not so small difference in price will yet again probably be a deciding factor for many potential buyers out there who don’t want the extra bells and whistles that Samsung offers with its ultimate flagship.