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From some more obvious differences like chip performance to exciting surprises like major camera upgrades, the S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL are emerging as a difficult choice for prospective buyers. Especially considering that Pixel 9 Pro it’s said to launch at a starting price of $1,099, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to keep that hefty price tag of $1,299.

Samsung’s commitment to durability

Samsung’s high-end Galaxy S Ultra series has always been among the biggest phones on the market. There’s no indication at the moment that the size will increase further with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, so we expect it to be somewhere around 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm and weigh around 233g, which are the dimensions for the S24 Ultra.

On the other hand, there have been numerous leaked renders and live images of the Pixel 9 Pro XL which showcase a brand new aesthetic for Google’s Pixel series. The phone will have flat sides, with the iconic camera strip no longer floating in the upper middle of the rear panel and no longer connected to the frame.

When it comes to durability, the S25 Ultra may have the upper hand here as it comes with Corning’s best protective glass to date called Gorilla Glass Armor. It’s noticeably more scratch-resistant than previous generations, which is why we’re a little sad that there aren’t rumors of Pixel 9 Pro XL i get 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 advantage 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” on Pixel 9 Pro XL, which helps the phone read user input more accurately, even when the display is extremely wet. However, Samsung already has this on its flagship phones, but hasn’t given it a name.

There are no leaks to suggest improved display specs with Pixel 9 Pro XLso we should see the same 6.7-inch LTPO OLED screen with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.

Apart from 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 ultrasonic unlocking your Pixel will be much faster and more accurate than ever before.

Productivity and software

What it lacks in performance, Google makes up for in creativity

Although Google is said to have had even more options to customize the 4nm Tensor G4, it is still based on one of Samsung’s Exynos chipsets. It won’t be until the Tensor G5, which is expected to arrive next year, that Google will finally have its own fully custom silicon for its phone lineup.

As for RAM, we expect to see 16GB for the top 1TB storage variants of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

For the other storage options, which will be 128 (Pixel only)/256/512 GB, both phones are expected to ship with 12 GB of RAM.

Both manufacturers offer 7 years of software support for their most expensive phone models, so the S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL will be well prepared for the future and should receive major operating system updates until Android 22.

When it comes to AI features, the two companies share mostly similar but with some differences in approach. Google makes it more fun and has features like Best Take and Audio Eraser, while Samsung offers users customization options to set how each AI feature works. For example, you can decide whether to get more summary on a web page or more concise with Galaxy AI.

In terms of connectivity, there is nothing remarkable about the S25 Ultra at the moment, but Pixel 9 Pro XL it should come with better connection stability and emergency satellite connectivity, similar to Apple’s Emergency SOS feature.

Camera

The part to get excited about: Promisingly fun combat

Let’s get the basics out of the way first. The S25 Ultra will most likely still have a primary, ultrawide, 3X telephoto, 5X telephoto and a single front-facing camera. The Pixel almost matches that camera count minus the 3X telephoto.

Beyond the number of cameras, however, there are big changes coming to both phones, mostly in the form of brand new sensors. Samsung says the Galaxy S25 Ultra features a new 1-inch 200MP ISOCELL image sensor for the main camera, which is equipped with 0.8µm pixels, dual-pixel autofocus, and internal sensor zoom.

In contrast, Google is rumored to be upgrading all but the primary camera, with the new Sony IMX858 sensor powering the ultra-wide, 5X telephoto and even the front-facing camera. Like the S25 Ultra’s new main sensor, the IMX858 is also larger than what Google used before, so it should be more capable in low light and have better image quality overall. Moreover, the front camera will also come with autofocus.

Both phones should have superior zoom capabilities, and despite the Pixel’s lack of a 3X telephoto camera, it will undoubtedly be close to or even match the S25 Ultra’s via touch-sensitive crop mode.

On the video side, we don’t have enough information about the upgrades when it comes to the S25 Ultra, but we do know that Pixel 9 Pro XL may come with 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 their predecessors. Here we are looking at a battery capacity of around 5000 mAh which means more than enough battery life to see you through the day.

How well they’ll perform in terms of battery performance remains to be seen, but based on our own dedicated S24 Ultra nd battery life tests Pixel 8 Prothe two are mostly on par with each other, with the Pixel slightly ahead in our final battery score.

In terms of charging, the S25 Ultra and its 45W wired charging speeds should still be enough for Samsung to win on this front, as Pixel 9 Pro XL It is rumored to have 30W charging. With wireless charging, things are the other way around, with 15W for the Galaxy and 23W for the Pixel.

Comparison of specifications

Most noticeable here are the different chipsets, number of cameras and their megapixels, as well as the lack of a 128GB model from Samsung. Overall, the differences in these specs are similar to comparisons between previous generations of the two phones.

Summary

What makes this comparison particularly exciting are the two different camera systems. Samsung replaces the main camera sensor with another impressive one, while Google changes the sensor for all but the main camera. That means we’ll likely see very different results and behavior between the two once both phones are out.

Performance is the duller subject here, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 expected to make the S25 Ultra significantly more capable. But will this affect the AI ​​capabilities that are so popular in the mobile tech scene right now? From what we’ve seen so far, probably not, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Of course, despite the price hike expected by Google Pixel 9 series, on Pixel 9 Pro XL it’s still expected to have a starting price that’s $200 less than the S25 Ultra’s. That not-so-small price difference is likely to be a deciding factor again for many potential buyers who don’t want the extra bells and whistles Samsung offers with its top-of-the-line flagship.