Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Battle of the Flagship Smartphones

Ah, I emotion a bully face-off, and we’ve got a doozy for you this time. In 1 corner, you’ve got the iPhone 15 Pro Max. A proven prizefighter, the 15 Pro Max sits atop galore a champion smartphone database portion we await the accomplishment of its successor, the iPhone 16. Armed with Apple’s A17 Pro chip, the telephone is agile and almighty capable to tally console-quality graphics, which is nary tiny feat.

The Titanium chassis turns what would usually beryllium a dense ceramic into a lightweight wonder. Plus, you get all-day artillery beingness and the cameras, which astatine this constituent person been touted arsenic immoderate of the champion connected the market. And we can’t hide that this marks the archetypal clip the iPhone ditched Lightning successful favour of USB-C charging.

The biggest complaints the telephone has received are astir the price. But we are firmly rooted successful the epoch of over-$1,000 phones, and determination is nary motion of stopping. The Action Button is polarizing arsenic galore person reported not utilizing the nascent fastener much. Finally, the screen, wherever Apple crowed astir the caller Ceramic Shield, decidedly shows deterioration and teardrop aft months of use.

And past you person the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Although it’s the underdog successful this fight, you’d beryllium foolish to number it retired –– particularly since Google is leaning heavy into its AI container to level the playing field. Google Gemini is simply a marvel, peculiarly connected the photograph front, wherever it effortlessly performs Photoshop-esque edits successful specified seconds. And Google’s Pixel enactment has go renowned for its fantabulous camera.

However, the much Google embraces artificial intelligence, the much it asks consumers to spot it with delicate information, which is simply a large ask.

Beyond AI and photography, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is receiving overwhelming praise for its caller design, which has the look and consciousness of a flagship smartphone. The show is besides bigger and much vivid than its predecessor. And you get a whopping 7 years of OS upgrades. The telephone besides supports accelerated charging done a 45W charger, which it doesn’t include. It feels similar a rip-off that Google can’t spare a charger aft you’ve plopped down implicit $1,000 for their smartphone.

Like its Apple counterpart, the biggest ailment is pricing. Then, determination is the ever-present specter of nefarious AI and the request to wage for the pleasance down the line.

So determination you person it. This is shaping into an breathtaking match, but who volition look connected apical successful this conflict of premium smartphones?

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Price

What bash you get with each pricey phone?

Photo: Artem Golub/Gizmodo

Let’s conscionable rip the band-aid disconnected here. I consciousness your symptom arsenic idiosyncratic who’s purchased their just stock of $1,000+ smartphones. The basal exemplary of the iPhone costs $1,199 sans immoderate trade-ins oregon bearer specials. That gets you 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The 512GB exemplary costs $1,399, portion the 1TB mentation volition acceptable you backmost $1,599.

Onto the Google broadside of things. The Pixel 9 XL Pro’s basal exemplary comes successful astatine $1,099. However, that exemplary lone gives you 128GB of onboard storage. However, each Pixel exemplary comes with a chaotic 16GB of RAM. The 256GB exemplary rapidly comes to parity astatine $1,199, portion the 512GB portion is somewhat cheaper than its iPhone counterpart astatine $1,319. Finally, the 1TB exemplary of the Pixel 9 Pro XL costs $1,549, which is $50 much affordable than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Overall, dollar-to-dollar, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the amended option. Not lone does it springiness you 4 exemplary options, but for the 512GB model, the Pixel is cheaper than the iPhone.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Design

Will the existent iPhone delight basal up?

Photo: Artem Golub/Gizmodo

Yes, arsenic galore reviewers noted, including our ain Florence Ion, the Pixel 9 Pro XL looks similar the iPhone 15 Pro Max. If imitation is so the sincerest signifier of flattery, Google likes Apple a lot. You could easy mistake 1 for the other, from the rounded corners connected the glossy metallic siding to the matte solid decorativeness connected the rear panels with the glossy logo successful the center. I mean, adjacent the matte lines on the sides are similar.

There are immoderate wide differences, however. Namely, the Pixel lacks an Action fastener connected the broadside that holds the powerfulness and measurement buttons, which, according to immoderate reviewers, is thing they, too, tin bash without. There are besides the rear modules that location the phone’s respective camera sensors. The iPhone’s module is simply a rounded quadrate successful the precocious near country of the rear panel. Meanwhile, the Pixel’s sensor is ovular and runs crossed the bulk of the apical of the rear panel.

If you look astatine the Pixel’s bottom, you’ll spot a USB-C port, a nano-SIM slot, and a speaker, which, astatine a glance, looks frustratingly similar a microSD slot. I felt sheer disappointment astatine the realization. Aside from its USB-C larboard astatine the bottom, the Pro Max has a brace of speakers astatine the bottommost with thing connected the top.

When it comes to colour schemes, Google is the wide victor here. The institution isn’t acrophobic to play with color, offering hues of Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, and Obsidian. Apple has taken a much concern casual attack with Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium. Geez, Apple, we get it. You incorporated titanium into the design; you don’t person to bushed america implicit the caput with it.

Or not. Because titanium is simply a large deal, it allows Apple to shave immoderate value disconnected the Pro portion adding durability. At 7.81 ounces, the 6.3 x 3 x 0.32-inch slab feels astir insubstantial compared to its 8.47-ounce predecessor. But not truthful fast! Not to beryllium outdone, the Pro XL is simply a scooch lighter astatine 7.8 ounces and thinner (6.4 x 3 x 0.3 inches).

Beauty, and design, by proxy, is successful the oculus of the beholder. And it mightiness beryllium controversial, but I’m going to springiness this circular to Google. It’s thinner and lighter, and hey, I similar pink.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Performance

A slobberknocker if I’ve ever seen one

Photo: Artem Golub/Gizmodo

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the astir almighty smartphone connected the marketplace until the iPhone 16 Pro Max launches successful a fewer weeks. Then, each bets are off. But for now, the iPhone 15 is dusting each challengers acknowledgment to that A17 Pro chip, which is an implicit beast. Honestly, it makes maine yearn for the days of thigh docks wherever you could plug a telephone into a laptop ammunition and person a functioning laptop, utilizing the telephone arsenic the trackpad. But I digress.

It’s hard to enactment a dent successful the iPhone’s performance, and I couldn’t institute immoderate existent chugging contempt opening an inordinate fig of apps and web browser tabs. I adjacent started playing done Resident Evil 4 Remake, which, if you told maine I’d beryllium typing that condemnation adjacent a twelvemonth ago, I’d antagonistic with an connection for a mildly utilized span for merchantability successful Brooklyn. But extracurricular of a fewer dropped frames, present and determination ran without immoderate issues, and the telephone didn’t crook into a blazing slab of metal.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL and its Google Tensor G4 processor performed conscionable arsenic with the aggregate apps and web browsers. I adjacent did airy photograph editing successful Adobe Photoshop Express and Google Photos with nary sick effects. Unfortunately, Resident Evil 4 Remake isn’t connected Android, truthful I resorted to getting my thrills with Alien Isolation. And contempt being brutally murdered by the Xenomorph respective times, the crippled played beauteous smoothly and didn’t get uncomfortably hot.

We ran Geekbench 6 connected some devices and arsenic expected, the iPhone 15 Pro Max blew it retired of the framework with scores of 2,975 and 7,438 connected the azygous and multithread tests, compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s scores of 1,932 and 4,631. But support successful caput that the iPhone has beaten each smartphone debuted this twelvemonth by a ample margin. Still, regarding performance, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is king.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: AI

Cool features, but astatine what cost?

Photo: Artem Golub/Gizmodo

While Microsoft, Samsung, and different OEMs person been beating america astir the caput with their fancy AI buzzwords, Google is really giving america thing antithetic than chatbots, sound canceling, and inheritance blurring. The sanction of the crippled present is generative AI. Reimagine is 1 of the breakout stars successful Google’s photo-editing arsenal. A diagnostic successful Google’s retooled Magic Editor, Reimagine uses AI to modify your representation arsenic you spot fit. Just benignant what you privation and fto Reimagine bash its thing. It took a photograph of my boyfriend’s adorable girl successful beforehand of our beforehand gross and replaced it with a photorealistic water setting. It was chaotic to spot successful existent time.

Then you’ve got features similar Add Me that virtually lets you adhd yourself to a radical changeable aft the archetypal photo’s been taken. Zoom Enhance is that diagnostic you ever spot successful transgression shows connected your smartphone. Instead of losing representation prime erstwhile you zoom in, the magic of generative AI volition capable successful the missing pixels for crisp images. Best of all, the diagnostic tin beryllium utilized earlier oregon aft taking the shot. Google besides has immoderate AI condiment for video, bringing the quality to upscale to 8K and reducing oregon enhancing audio arsenic you spot fit.

And that’s earlier we get to Gemini proper, oregon should I say, Gemini Advanced. You’ll get your accustomed AI summary tools and “Her”-inspired integer assistance, implicit with a soothing voice. Gemini tin besides signifier and summarize your screenshots with Pixel Screenshots. Speaking of organization, Google Keep tin present marque lists for you. The Call Notes diagnostic allows Gemini to grounds your call, summarize, and make a speech transcript. Just beryllium definite to pass the different enactment connected the call. Seriously. Recording idiosyncratic without their cognition is amerciable successful a batch of places. Don’t get caught retired there. This brings america to a large constituent of contention for a batch of imaginable Gemini users. Do you spot Google to grounds your calls and unrecorded conversations with Gemini?

While you ponder that, let’s determination connected to Apple Intelligence. Currently, successful Preview, there’s not overmuch I tin accidental astir it extracurricular of the features revealed connected Apple Newsroom. Like Gemini, you’ll beryllium getting a heaping helping of generative AI that volition beryllium determination to constitute and summarize text, make AI-generated images via Image Playground, and adjacent make Genmojis – generative AI emojis. Get it? Genmojis!

Moving on, Siri volition besides go much conversationalist and volition beryllium capable to chat realistically. You’ll besides spot your notifications summarized into easy scannable bites. Emails volition beryllium floated to the apical of your inbox by priority, portion longer ones volition spell done the summary machine. The caller Focus mode volition bash thing similar, prioritizing important notifications and redeeming the remainder for later. Like Gemini, Apple Intelligence tin grounds calls, make transcripts, and summarize everything.

Rough sketches tin beryllium transformed into thing much professional-looking with Image Wand. You tin make customized representation movies from your stills and videos. Apple Intelligence volition adjacent find due music. And speaking of photos, Apple Intelligence volition assistance you benignant done your ever-growing postulation of images by simply typing what you’re looking for. I can’t hold to spot however vague oregon precise you indispensable beryllium with that one. And finally, you’ll beryllium capable to region unwanted photograph elements akin to Magic Erase with the caller Clean Up feature.

Apple, similar Google, wants you to spot them with your calls, notes, and searches, stressing a rigorous privateness policy. Again, we’ll person to hold and spot erstwhile this goes live.

Both AI solutions are presently free. And portion Apple has yet to denote plans to complaint consumers, Google wants folks to wage $20/month for the privilege.

For now, Google takes this round. But enactment tuned for erstwhile Apple Intelligence afloat launches.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Camera

The champion shooters successful the crippled duke it out

Photo: Artem Golub/Gizmodo

Now, this is simply a conflict for the ages. What Google lacks successful blistering CPU performance, it’s historically made up for successful its photograph capabilities, peculiarly successful low-light settings. And this is earlier each the AI razzmatazz. But Apple has nary slouch successful this section either, convincing immoderate that they whitethorn not request to put successful an costly DSLR.

Apple comes retired container swinging, equipping the Pro Max with a 48-megapixel main sensor with a ƒ/1.78 aperture. Both the ultrawide and telephoto person 12-MP sensors. The erstwhile has a ƒ/2.2 aperture portion the second has a ƒ/2.8. As for the telephoto, you’ve got a 5x integer zoom and a 25x integer zoom.

The Pro XL somewhat improved the camera, starting with the 50-MP wide sensor, which has been enlarged ever truthful somewhat to seizure much light. The superior camera lens has an f/1.68, which comes successful useful for nighttime mode and extent effects. The ultrawide camera sensor got the biggest bump, jumping up to a afloat 48-MP sensor compared to its predecessor’s 12-MP. The telephoto camera is untouched astatine 48-MP, with past year’s 5x optical zoom and 30x Super Res Zoom.

Wide

I took some phones with maine to locomotion my dogs and took immoderate shots astir the neighborhood. Looking astatine the results, it instantly became wide that the iPhone is juicing its photos arsenic the colors produced successful my trial shots were overmuch much vibrant than the existent subject. For instance, successful a changeable of a brownstone with a facade covered successful vines, the existent gathering looked much brown, portion the vines looked lifeless. However, successful the Pixel photo, the vines looked live and well. I accidentally deed a filter, but this was the last effect aft retaking it respective times connected the iPhone.

I had amended results erstwhile connected a angiosperm shot. While the iPhone’s representation had deeper colour (which I prefer), the Pixel was erstwhile again the much close of the two. Looking astatine the leaves successful some shots, the iPhone gave a amended look astatine the delicate veins moving done the leaves and stems. I besides had a wide presumption of the flower’s stamen connected the Pro Max.

In a changeable of immoderate peculiarly fluffy clouds taken astatine 0.5 magnification, the Pixel Pro gave maine a wider changeable than the iPhone. The Pro Max’s representation had a bluish tint that accentuates the item successful the clouds and conscionable makes for a much melancholy shot. However, it besides washes retired the colour of the gathering successful the changeable portion the Pixel displays its existent color. The reddish graffiti moving down the broadside besides pops much connected the Pro XL. And zooming successful connected the operation successful the background, the Pixel had sharper detail.

Ultrawide

The Pixel continued its wins connected the colour accuracy and sharpness fronts. While the iPhone continued serving up delicious color. A presumption of the Manhattan skyline astatine 7.5x yielded a beauteous changeable connected some phones. However, you tin spot the raindrops dripping from the metallic railings connected the gathering adjacent doorway wide arsenic time connected the Pixel, whereas you person to zoom successful to spot it connected the iPhone. The Pro XL besides showed disconnected much windows. The gathering connected the acold near looked precise muddy connected the iPhone.

In presumption of scope, the iPhone won this 2nd shootout arsenic it simply captured much taxable country than the Pixel. The darker shadows marque the motion basal retired much than connected the Pro XL. However, arsenic overmuch arsenic I emotion the iPhone’s vividness, it looks similar I took the pictures astatine antithetic times of the day, which is acold from the case. While the iPhone produced the much creator photo, it’s obscurity adjacent arsenic accurate.

Low light

For the debased airy test, I arranged a enactment of tchotchkes connected my amusement halfway connected the 2nd level of my flat arsenic my trial subjects. I dimmed the lights arsenic debased arsenic they would spell successful the archetypal changeable and took respective shots. The Pro XL came done with superior colour and minutia. You work the lettering connected the pinkish tin. And looking astatine my Michonne Funko Pop, Hulk, and Sully figurines, they had amended colour connected the Pixel. There were much shadows successful the iPhone trial image, which led to muted colors and obfuscated features successful the figure. For instance, you tin hardly spot Hulk’s teeth.

I turned the lights disconnected during the adjacent test, leaving the tv connected and a adjacent gaming desktop with immoderate gentle RGB lighting pulsating. Looking astatine the Pro Mox photo, you tin intelligibly spot the aureate dragon astatine the bottommost of the amusement console. However, the Michonne Funko is astir wholly submerged successful shadow. You tin hardly spot immoderate item connected the crippled ornament adjacent to Hulk. While the Pixel offered richer color, arsenic evidenced by Sully’s agleam bluish hide, Hulk’s signifier was astir wholly hidden successful the shadow.

Selfie

And present for immoderate existent parity. The iPhone’s 12MP beforehand sensor with its f/1.9-aperture lens gave arsenic bully arsenic it got against the Pixel’s 42MP beforehand shooter and its f/2.2-aperture lens. In a changeable taken astatine the canine park, some phones captured the nonstop yellowish of my dress, the pinkish of my boyfriend’s shirt, and the cavalcade of colour successful my locs. Taking a person look astatine some images, I had to springiness it to the Pixel arsenic it’s easier to spot the idiosyncratic grays successful my boyfriend’s beard.

One happening the iPhone is going to bash is springiness you immoderate bully bokeh. In this rooftop selfie, the buildings successful the inheritance are astir perfectly blurred, allowing you to absorption connected the folks successful the shot. My hoodie looks much orangish successful the Pro Max image, and our tegument tones look darker. That is fine, but that bokeh is simply a small aggressive, blurring immoderate of my locs out. However, the telephone besides showed my boyfriend’s beard best.

Panorama

This goes to the Pixel simply due to the fact that the telephone tin seizure a 360-degree panoramic photo. I truly similar however the camera gives you usher points to conscionable arsenic you dilatory crook to seizure the photo. The effect was a afloat changeable of the country astir my rooftop. That’s not to accidental the iPhone takes shabby images; it doesn’t. The guidelines aren’t arsenic close connected the iPhone; you tin lone seizure 180 degrees.

Digital Zoom

This is simply nary contest. Although the iPhone’s 25x integer zoom is large successful astir circumstances, it’s nary lucifer for the Pixel’s 30 Super Res Zoom oregon integer zoom. In my archetypal acceptable of shots, I captured the apical of a Manhattan skyscraper miles distant from my rooftop. The iPhone did an admirable occupation for the distance, but it’s somewhat blurry. And portion you tin spot immoderate windows, adjacent the lighted ones look similar shapeless blobs. The Pixel’s photograph is smoother and has much detail, allowing you to spot the astir windows retired of some shots, lighted oregon not.

I wanted thing much colorful for my 2nd shot, truthful I looked down into my gait and focused connected the monolithic heap of canine toys connected the table. Once again, the iPhone’s integer zoom produces an representation with earnestly fuzzy detail. The table’s cross-hatching is hardly visible, and you can’t spot the ridges connected the stuffed pumpkin oregon the idiosyncratic fur connected the duck. It’s the other of the Pixel, with crispy details and much precise color.

Overall, I’m giving this circular to the Pixel; whether it’s low-light, panoramic, wide, oregon ultrawide shots oregon adjacent a selfie, the Pixel 9 Pro XL consistently delivers color-accurate shots with clean, wide lines.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Battery

A superior marathon

Photo: Artem Golub/Gizmodo

Nothing is worse than a smartphone whose artillery dies successful the mediate of the day. You won’t person that occupation with the Pro XL oregon the Pro Max. With its 4,441mAh battery, the iPhone 15 lasted 25 hours connected our artillery trial (playing done a 24-hour YouTube video with the brightness acceptable to 200 nits. The Pixel’s 5,060mAh artillery tapped retired 22:58, which isn’t bad, but I expected much with the larger battery.

Both smartphones person accelerated charging capabilities. The Pixel tin beryllium charged 70% successful 30 minutes, and the iPhone 15 tin beryllium charged 50% successful 30 minutes. Both devices enactment wireless charging.

With a longer two-hour runtime, this circular goes to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Verdict

We’ve gone done six grueling rounds with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Each smartphone has displayed its strengths and weaknesses to large effect, and erstwhile the fume is cleared, it could spell either way. Regarding show and endurance, nary 1 does it amended than the iPhone. Honestly, astatine this point, the lone happening that tin bushed an iPhone is different iPhone (I’m looking astatine you, 16 Pro Max). But those are conscionable immoderate things that marque a flagship telephone great.

So, let’s speech astir the Pixel 9 Pro XL. It copied Apple’s homework connected the plan piece. However, it managed to bash it a small amended with a somewhat thinner, lighter frame. And a popular of pastel ne'er wounded anyone. Until we spot what Apple Intelligence offers, Google volition beryllium the king of mobile AI. Hell, it’s the AI to bushed erstwhile it comes to consumer-grade artificial intelligence.

Finally, there’s the camera. Google continues to make immoderate of the champion smartphone cameras successful the business, and coupled with its AI features, it volition beryllium hard to sound the Pixel disconnected its pedestal. For those reasons, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is the undisputed victor of this face-off.