In the world of Android, there’s no other comparison worth looking at right now other than a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra face-off — since this a matchup that has often seen Samsung coming out on top historically. More importantly, it will likely dictate which is the best Android phone for the foreseeable future.
These two are without a doubt two of the best phones money can buy, complete with large displays, big batteries and robust cameras. If the hardware isn’t enough to look at, they also package in some of the best AI features you can access on a mobile device right now.
In our Galaxy S24 Ultra review, we praised the outstanding performance of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which also propelled it to achieve the longest lasting battery life in a Samsung flagship to date. Meanwhile, we were shocked by the record setting achievement of the upgraded Super Actua display in our Pixel 9 Pro XL review.
We’ll be grading them across the 7 different categories below to find out which flagship comes out on top.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (rumored) | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
| Price | $1,099 | $1,299 |
| Display | 6.8-inch Super Actua (OLED) | 6.8-inch Super AMOLED |
| CPU | Tensor G4 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| RAM | 16GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Rear cameras | 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto (5x zoom) | 200MP main, 50MP 5x telephoto, 10MP 3x telephoto, 12MP ultrawide |
| Front camera | 42MP | 12MP |
| Battery size | 5,060 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Colors | obsidian, porcelain, hazel, rose quartz | titanium black, titanium white, titanium violet, titanium yellow |
| Size | 6.4 x 3 x 0.3 inches | 6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 inches |
| Weight | 7.8 ounces | 8.22 ounces |
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Price
No one has yet to top Samsung’s flagship when it comes to price, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the most expensive Google phone to date with its $1,099 starting cost — and that’s for the base 128GB model. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is still more expensive at $1,299, but it comes with a generous 256GB of storage.
Given how we’ve seen a bigger gap in price between Samsung and Google’s flagships in the past, this is the closest it’s been. It’s also worth noting that the Pixel 9 Pro XL technically got a $100 price hike over last year’s Pixel 8 Pro, so while it’s still cheaper and more affordable, the Pixel 9 Pro XL doesn’t have the same level of affordability that prior Pixels offered.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Design
Clearly there’s a distinct design language that each phone goes after. While they both feature flat-edged screens and IP68 ratings for water resistance, those are the only similarities they share in terms of design.
Between them, however, I think the Pixel 9 Pro XL has the more charming looks to draw in more people. This is due to how the corners of the phone are rounded off, the flat edges all around the phone, and the new horizontal camera cutout on the back. And it also helps that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is lighter and not as big as the Galaxy S24 Ultra — so it’s slightly better to hold and use comfortably.
Samsung technically uses a more durable titanium frame on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which makes it better equipped for absorbing impacts. But beyond that, it’s almost a utilitarian design that doesn’t win points in the style department, especially with the arrangement of its quadruple cameras on the back of the phone.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Display
Usually Samsung’s flagships have larger displays, but Google finally matches its rival in this area. That’s because the Pixel 9 Pro XL features a 6.8-inch Super Actua display, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra sports a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display.
We’ll admit that the displays look lovely in all sorts of ways, like their exceptional viewing angles and brilliant looking colors — making them perfect for watching a flick on any of the best streaming services around. It also helps that they also offer adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz, which makes action sequences look silky smooth on their displays.
At the end of the day, though, the biggest difference between them is how we’re better able to see the screen on a bright, sunny day. That’s because the Pixel 9 Pro XL sets a record in our testing for having the brightest screen with a peak brightness of 2,469 nits — far more than the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s reading at 1,363 nits. This disparity is definitely noticeable when we played the same video outside with both phones.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Google Pixel 9 Pro XL | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra |
| Display size | 6.8 inches | 6.8 inches |
| Brightness (nits) | 2,469 | 1,363 |
| sRGB color spectrum | 119.4 (Adaptive), 106.6 (Natural) | 139 (Vivid) / 119 (Natural) |
| DCI-P3 color spectrum | 74.4 (Natural), 82.8 (Adaptive) | 98.5 (Vivid) / 84.9 (Natural) |
| Delta-e rating | 0.28 (Natural), 0.24 (Adaptive) | 0.25 (Vivid) / 0.23 (Natural) |
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Samsung Galaxy S24: Cameras
Earlier this year, our Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Pixel 8 Pro photo shootout just about came to a draw — which shows how Google has been creeping up on Samsung in the camera department. Now that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is finally here, it’s not going down easily armed with a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and 42MP selfie camera.
Those cameras are undoubtedly a big step up for Google, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t going down easily with its cameras — a 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and 12MP selfie camera. For a number of years now, Samsung has kept ahead of Google in the zoom department, but this time it’s a tie with their 5x optical zoom telephoto lenses. Here’s how they stack up against each other.
On paper it seems that Samsung’s 200MP main camera has a huge advantage over the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 50MP one, but it takes more than pixels to come out on top. Case in point, the photo above by the water where the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s shot better draws out the details in the docked boats and bright areas in the background. The S24 Ultra is pretty good at handling the scene, but when we zoom into different areas in the photo, the details aren’t as defined.
With its upgraded 48MP ultrawide camera, the Pixel 9 Pro XL tops the GalaxyS24 Ultra’s 12MP one in these shots taken close to Times Square in New York City. Not only does it have a wider 123-degree field of view, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s picture is much brighter in the shadows thanks in part to its wider f/1.7 aperture lens.
Another clear area where the Pixel 9 Pro XL is better is taking selfies with its 42MP front-facing camera. On top of its wider field of view, which makes it much more suitable for group photos, it also handles contrasting scenes like the one above with its stronger dynamic range performance. The S24 Ultra’s selfie camera over exposes the bright areas in the background.
Zooming has always been an area where Samsung’s phones consistently came out on top, but not so much this time. We snapped several photos between the two at 5x and 30x zoom, but the results came out differently. Sometimes the Pixel 9 Pro XL comes out on top, like the photos of the W 41st Street sign above, but in another shot of a PG-13 stamp on a billboard, it’s the S24 Ultra with the sharper looks.