Battle of the Flagship Smartphones

Ah, I love a good face-off, and we’ve got a doozy for you this time. In one corner, you’ve got the iPhone 15 Pro Max. A proven prizefighter, the 15 Pro Max sits atop many a best smartphone list while we await the arrival of its successor, the iPhone 16. Armed with Apple’s A17 Pro chip, the phone is agile and powerful enough to run console-quality graphics, which is no small feat.

The Titanium chassis turns what would usually be a heavy brick into a lightweight wonder. Plus, you get all-day battery life and the cameras, which at this point have been touted as some of the best on the market. And we can’t forget that this marks the first time the iPhone ditched Lightning in favor of USB-C charging.

The biggest complaints the phone has received are about the price. But we are firmly rooted in the era of over-$1,000 phones, and there is no sign of stopping. The Action Button is polarizing as many have reported not using the nascent button much. Finally, the screen, where Apple crowed about the new Ceramic Shield, definitely shows wear and tear after months of use.

And then you have the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Although it’s the underdog in this fight, you’d be foolish to count it out –– especially since Google is leaning heavily into its AI bag to level the playing field. Google Gemini is a marvel, particularly on the photo front, where it effortlessly performs Photoshop-esque edits in mere seconds. And Google’s Pixel line has become renowned for its excellent camera.

However, the more Google embraces artificial intelligence, the more it asks consumers to trust it with sensitive information, which is a big ask.

Beyond AI and photography, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is receiving overwhelming praise for its new design, which has the look and feel of a flagship smartphone. The display is also bigger and more vivid than its predecessor. And you get a whopping seven years of OS upgrades. The phone also supports fast charging through a 45W charger, which it doesn’t include. It feels like a rip-off that Google can’t spare a charger after you’ve plopped down over $1,000 for their smartphone.

Like its Apple counterpart, the biggest complaint is pricing. Then, there is the ever-present specter of nefarious AI and the need to pay for the pleasure down the line.

So there you have it. This is shaping into an exciting match, but who will emerge on top in this battle of premium smartphones?

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

What do you get with each pricey phone?

Let’s just rip the band-aid off here. I feel your pain as someone who’s purchased their fair share of $1,000+ smartphones. The base model of the iPhone costs $1,199 sans any trade-ins or carrier specials. That gets you 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The 512GB model costs $1,399, while the 1TB version will set you back $1,599.

Onto the Google side of things. The Pixel 9 XL Pro’s base model comes in at $1,099. However, that model only gives you 128GB of onboard storage. However, every Pixel model comes with a wild 16GB of RAM. The 256GB model quickly comes to parity at $1,199, while the 512GB unit is slightly cheaper than its iPhone counterpart at $1,319. Finally, the 1TB model of the Pixel 9 Pro XL costs $1,549, which is $50 more affordable than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Overall, dollar-to-dollar, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the better option. Not only does it give you four model options, except for the 512GB model, the Pixel is cheaper than the iPhone.

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

Will the real iPhone please stand up?

Yes, as many reviewers noted, including our own Florence Ion, the Pixel 9 Pro XL looks like the iPhone 15 Pro Max. If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, Google likes Apple a lot. You could easily mistake one for the other, from the rounded corners on the glossy metal siding to the matte glass finish on the rear panels with the glossy logo in the center. I mean, even the matte lines along the sides are similar.

There are some clear differences, however. Namely, the Pixel lacks an Action button on the side that holds the power and volume buttons, which, according to some reviewers, is something they, too, can do without. There are also the rear modules that house the phone’s respective camera sensors. The iPhone’s module is a rounded square in the upper left corner of the rear panel. Meanwhile, the Pixel’s sensor is ovular and runs across the majority of the top of the rear panel.

If you look at the Pixel’s bottom, you’ll see a USB-C port, a nano-SIM slot, and a speaker, which, at a glance, looks frustratingly like a microSD slot. I felt sheer disappointment at the realization. Aside from its USB-C port at the bottom, the Pro Max has a pair of speakers at the bottom with nothing on the top.

When it comes to color schemes, Google is the clear winner here. The company isn’t afraid to play with color, offering hues of Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, and Obsidian. Apple has taken a more business casual approach with Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium. Geez, Apple, we get it. You incorporated titanium into the design; you don’t have to beat us over the head with it.

Or not. Because titanium is a big deal, it allows Apple to shave some weight off the Pro while adding durability. At 7.81 ounces, the 6.3 x 3 x 0.32-inch slab feels almost insubstantial compared to its 8.47-ounce predecessor. But not so fast! Not to be outdone, the Pro XL is a scooch lighter at 7.8 ounces and thinner (6.4 x 3 x 0.3 inches).

Beauty, and design, by proxy, is in the eye of the beholder. And it might be controversial, but I’m going to give this round to Google. It’s thinner and lighter, and hey, I like pink.

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

A slobberknocker if I’ve ever seen one

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the most powerful smartphone on the market until the iPhone 16 Pro Max launches in a few weeks. Then, all bets are off. But for now, the iPhone 15 is dusting all challengers thanks to that A17 Pro chip, which is an absolute beast. Honestly, it makes me yearn for the days of lap docks where you could plug a phone into a laptop shell and have a functioning laptop, using the phone as the trackpad. But I digress.

It’s hard to put a dent in the iPhone’s performance, and I couldn’t institute any real chugging despite opening an inordinate number of apps and web browser tabs. I even started playing through Resident Evil 4 Remake, which, if you told me I’d be typing that sentence even a year ago, I’d counter with an offer for a gently used bridge for sale in Brooklyn. But outside of a few dropped frames, here and there ran without any issues, and the phone didn’t turn into a blazing slab of metal.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL and its Google Tensor G4 processor performed just as with the multiple apps and web browsers. I even did light photo editing in Adobe Photoshop Express and Google Photos with no ill effects. Unfortunately, Resident Evil 4 Remake isn’t on Android, so I resorted to getting my thrills with Alien Isolation. And despite being brutally murdered by the Xenomorph several times, the game played pretty smoothly and didn’t get uncomfortably hot.

We ran Geekbench 6 on both devices and as expected, the iPhone 15 Pro Max blew it out of the frame with scores of 2,975 and 7,438 on the single and multithread tests, compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s scores of 1,932 and 4,631. But keep in mind that the iPhone has beaten every smartphone debuted this year by a large 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 at what cost?

While Microsoft, Samsung, and other OEMs have been beating us about the head with their fancy AI buzzwords, Google is actually giving us something different than chatbots, noise canceling, and background blurring. The name of the game here is generative AI. Reimagine is one of the breakout stars in Google’s photo-editing arsenal. A feature in Google’s retooled Magic Editor, Reimagine uses AI to modify your picture as you see fit. Just type what you want and let Reimagine do its thing. It took a photo of my boyfriend’s adorable daughter in front of our front gate and replaced it with a photorealistic ocean setting. It was wild to see in real time.

Then you’ve got features like Add Me that literally lets you add yourself to a group shot after the initial photo’s been taken. Zoom Enhance is that feature you always see in crime shows on your smartphone. Instead of losing image quality when you zoom in, the magic of generative AI will fill in the missing pixels for sharp images. Best of all, the feature can be used before or after taking the shot. Google also has some AI sauce for video, bringing the ability to upscale to 8K and reducing or enhancing audio as you see fit.

And that’s before we get to Gemini proper, or should I say, Gemini Advanced. You’ll get your usual AI summary tools and “Her”-inspired digital assistance, complete with a soothing voice. Gemini can also organize and summarize your screenshots with Pixel Screenshots. Speaking of organization, Google Keep can now make lists for you. The Call Notes feature allows Gemini to record your call, summarize, and create a conversation transcript. Just be sure to inform the other party on the call. Seriously. Recording someone without their knowledge is illegal in a lot of places. Don’t get caught out there. This brings us to a major point of contention for a lot of potential Gemini users. Do you trust Google to record your calls and live conversations with Gemini?

While you ponder that, let’s move on to Apple Intelligence. Currently, in Preview, there’s not much I can say about it outside of the features revealed on Apple Newsroom. Like Gemini, you’ll be getting a heaping helping of generative AI that will be there to write and summarize text, create AI-generated images via Image Playground, and even create Genmojis – generative AI emojis. Get it? Genmojis!

Moving on, Siri will also become more conversationalist and will be able to chat realistically. You’ll also see your notifications summarized into easily scannable bites. Emails will be floated to the top of your inbox by priority, while longer ones will go through the summary machine. The new Focus mode will do something similar, prioritizing important notifications and saving the rest for later. Like Gemini, Apple Intelligence can record calls, create transcripts, and summarize everything.

Rough sketches can be transformed into something more professional-looking with Image Wand. You can create custom memory movies from your stills and videos. Apple Intelligence will even find appropriate music. And speaking of photos, Apple Intelligence will help you sort through your ever-growing collection of images by simply typing what you’re looking for. I can’t wait to see how vague or precise you must be with that one. And finally, you’ll be able to remove unwanted photo elements similar to Magic Erase with the new Clean Up feature.

Apple, like Google, wants you to trust them with your calls, notes, and searches, stressing a rigorous privacy policy. Again, we’ll have to wait and see once this goes live.

Both AI solutions are currently free. And while Apple has yet to announce plans to charge consumers, Google wants folks to pay $20/month for the privilege.

For now, Google takes this round. But stay tuned for when Apple Intelligence fully launches.

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

The best shooters in the game duke it out

Now, this is a battle for the ages. What Google lacks in blistering CPU performance, it’s historically made up for in its photo capabilities, particularly in low-light settings. And this is before all the AI razzmatazz. But Apple has no slouch in this department either, convincing some that they may not need to invest in an expensive DSLR.

Apple comes out box swinging, equipping the Pro Max with a 48-megapixel main sensor with a ƒ/1.78 aperture. Both the ultrawide and telephoto have 12-MP sensors. The former has a ƒ/2.2 aperture while the latter has a ƒ/2.8. As for the telephoto, you’ve got a 5x digital zoom and a 25x digital zoom.

The Pro XL slightly improved the camera, starting with the 50-MP wide sensor, which has been enlarged ever so slightly to capture more light. The primary camera lens has an f/1.68, which comes in handy for night mode and depth effects. The ultrawide camera sensor got the biggest bump, jumping up to a full 48-MP sensor compared to its predecessor’s 12-MP. The telephoto camera is untouched at 48-MP, with last year’s 5x optical zoom and 30x Super Res Zoom.

Wide

I took both phones with me to walk my dogs and took some shots around the neighborhood. Looking at the results, it immediately became clear that the iPhone is juicing its photos as the colors produced in my test shots were much more vibrant than the actual subject. For instance, in a shot of a brownstone with a facade covered in vines, the actual building looked more brown, while the vines looked lifeless. However, in the Pixel photo, the vines looked alive and well. I accidentally hit a filter, but this was the final result after retaking it several times on the iPhone.

I had better results when on a flower shot. While the iPhone’s image had deeper color (which I prefer), the Pixel was once again the more accurate of the two. Looking at the leaves in both shots, the iPhone gave a better look at the delicate veins running through the leaves and stems. I also had a clear view of the flower’s stamen on the Pro Max.

In a shot of some particularly fluffy clouds taken at 0.5 magnification, the Pixel Pro gave me a wider shot than the iPhone. The Pro Max’s image had a blue tint that accentuates the detail in the clouds and just makes for a more melancholy shot. However, it also washes out the color of the building in the shot while the Pixel displays its true color. The red graffiti running down the side also pops more on the Pro XL. And zooming in on the construction in the background, the Pixel had sharper detail.

Ultrawide

The Pixel continued its wins on the color accuracy and sharpness fronts. While the iPhone continued serving up delicious color. A view of the Manhattan skyline at 7.5x yielded a lovely shot on both phones. However, you can see the raindrops dripping from the metal railings on the building next door clear as day on the Pixel, whereas you have to zoom in to see it on the iPhone. The Pro XL also showed off more windows. The building on the far left looked very muddy on the iPhone.

In terms of scope, the iPhone won this second shootout as it simply captured more subject area than the Pixel. The darker shadows make the sign stand out more than on the Pro XL. However, as much as I love the iPhone’s vividness, it looks like I took the pictures at different times of the day, which is far from the case. While the iPhone produced the more artistic photo, it’s nowhere near as accurate.

Low light

For the low light test, I arranged a row of tchotchkes on my entertainment center on the second floor of my apartment as my test subjects. I dimmed the lights as low as they would go in the first shot and took several shots. The Pro XL came through with superior color and minutia. You read the lettering on the pink tin. And looking at my Michonne Funko Pop, Hulk, and Sully figurines, they had better color on the Pixel. There were more shadows in the iPhone test image, which led to muted colors and obfuscated features in the figure. For instance, you can barely see Hulk’s teeth.

I turned the lights off during the next test, leaving the television on and a nearby gaming desktop with some gentle RGB lighting pulsating. Looking at the Pro Mox photo, you can clearly see the golden dragon at the bottom of the entertainment console. However, the Michonne Funko is almost completely submerged in shadow. You can barely see any detail on the game ornament next to Hulk. While the Pixel offered richer color, as evidenced by Sully’s bright blue hide, Hulk’s form was almost completely hidden in the shadow.

Selfie

And now for some true parity. The iPhone’s 12MP front sensor with its f/1.9-aperture lens gave as good as it got against the Pixel’s 42MP front shooter and its f/2.2-aperture lens. In a shot taken at the dog park, both phones captured the exact yellow of my dress, the pink of my boyfriend’s shirt, and the cavalcade of color in my locs. Taking a closer look at both images, I had to give it to the Pixel as it’s easier to see the individual grays in my boyfriend’s beard.

One thing the iPhone is going to do is give you some nice bokeh. In this rooftop selfie, the buildings in the background are almost perfectly blurred, allowing you to focus on the folks in the shot. My hoodie looks more orange in the Pro Max image, and our skin tones look darker. That is fine, but that bokeh is a little aggressive, blurring some of my locs out. However, the phone also showed my boyfriend’s beard best.

Panorama

This goes to the Pixel simply because the phone can capture a 360-degree panoramic photo. I really like how the camera gives you guide points to meet as you slowly turn to capture the photo. The result was a full shot of the area around my rooftop. That’s not to say the iPhone takes shabby images; it doesn’t. The guidelines aren’t as accurate on the iPhone; you can only capture 180 degrees.

Digital Zoom

This is simply no contest. Although the iPhone’s 25x digital zoom is great in most circumstances, it’s no match for the Pixel’s 30 Super Res Zoom or digital zoom. In my first set of shots, I captured the top of a Manhattan skyscraper miles away from my rooftop. The iPhone did an admirable job for the distance, but it’s somewhat blurry. And while you can see some windows, even the lighted ones look like shapeless blobs. The Pixel’s photo is smoother and has more detail, allowing you to see the most windows out of both shots, lighted or not.

I wanted something more colorful for my second shot, so I looked down into my yard and focused on the massive pile of dog toys on the table. Once again, the iPhone’s digital zoom produces an image with seriously fuzzy detail. The table’s cross-hatching is barely visible, and you can’t see the ridges on the stuffed pumpkin or the individual fur on the duck. It’s the opposite of the Pixel, with crispy details and more precise color.

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

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

A serious marathon

Nothing is worse than a smartphone whose battery dies in the middle of the day. You won’t have that problem with the Pro XL or the Pro Max. With its 4,441mAh battery, the iPhone 15 lasted 25 hours on our battery test (playing through a 24-hour YouTube video with the brightness set to 200 nits. The Pixel’s 5,060mAh battery tapped out 22:58, which isn’t bad, but I expected more with the larger battery.

Both smartphones have fast charging capabilities. The Pixel can be charged 70% in 30 minutes, and the iPhone 15 can be charged 50% in 30 minutes. Both devices support wireless charging.

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

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

We’ve gone through six grueling rounds with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Each smartphone has displayed its strengths and weaknesses to great effect, and when the smoke is cleared, it could go either way. Regarding performance and endurance, no one does it better than the iPhone. Honestly, at this point, the only thing that can beat an iPhone is another iPhone (I’m looking at you, 16 Pro Max). But those are just some things that make a flagship phone great.

So, let’s talk about the Pixel 9 Pro XL. It copied Apple’s homework on the design piece. However, it managed to do it a little better with a slightly thinner, lighter frame. And a pop of pastel never hurt anyone. Until we see what Apple Intelligence offers, Google will be the king of mobile AI. Hell, it’s the AI to beat when it comes to consumer-grade artificial intelligence.

Finally, there’s the camera. Google continues to create some of the best smartphone cameras in the business, and coupled with its AI features, it will be hard to knock the Pixel off its pedestal. For those reasons, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is the undisputed winner of this face-off.