The Galaxy S24 Ultra and the new Pixel 9 Pro XL are among the best Android phones. Which one emerges as the better option? Here's what you should know.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is indisputably one of the best Android phones you can buy in 2024. It has great cameras, one of the biggest and brightest displays, a slick titanium and glass design, and the unique proposition of a stylus that can be used to activate the nifty AI features. However, the freshly announced Google Pixel 9 Pro XL challenges its authority with an equally stunning display, stellar cameras, and exclusive Gemini AI features.
Both phones feature glass backs, though the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s has the more durable Gorilla Glass Armor protecting it while the Pixel 9 Pro XL uses the older Gorilla Glass Victus. Both also have IP68 ratings for similar resistance to dust and water. Another defining difference is the mid-frame, with Samsung walking the same route as Apple and opting for titanium while Google uses recycled aluminum.
While both companies boast of bright displays, neither talks about how dim the phones are in dimmer settings. Notably, Samsung has an ultra-low brightness mode to reduce strain at night. However, at the hardware level, it chooses a counterintuitive approach of using a low pulse width modulation frequency that can lead to eye fatigue and potentially even sickness.
Google has also upgraded the RAM on all variants to 16GB from 12GB in the previous generations. Notably, part of the RAM on the phone is reserved for faster processing of on-device AI tasks. In terms of storage, Google offers four variants, starting at 128GB and going all the way up to 1TB. One thing to note is that the base variant comes with a slower UFS 3.1 storage technology, while the other variants have the latest UFS 4.0.
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the only downside you’re going to face is comparatively slower responses with AI functions running locally. Considering AI on mobile phones is itself in a nascent stage at the moment, that isn’t immediately an issue, though it can be in the future when we have more advanced models. That future, however, is not imminent, so you can continue using the phone over the next two to three years without any issues.
Lastly, both phones support reverse wireless charging where you can place accessories such as earbuds cases on the back of the phone to pump some charge into them. You can also do it to other phones, though the rate is incredibly slow and may not be effective. Google does not reveal the exact speeds here, but the transfer is limited to 4.5W on the Samsung phone.
Although there isn’t a significant improvement in the hardware, there are a lot of AI features to make the offerings more exciting. In addition to the previously available Magic Editor and Best Take, Google is adding a new “Add Me” feature that allows you to add people to existing images, almost making it look like they were actually part of the photo. The 5X telephoto camera, on the other hand, uses AI to improve details in shots at up to 20X zoom with the Super Res Zoom feature.
With that said, the Pixel 9 series, including the Pixel 9 Pro XL, will be the first to get Android 15 whenever it releases over the coming months. And like the older phones, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is also promised to get seven years of software updates. A nifty AI feature on Samsung phones is live translation during calls along with transcription. Samsung also offers its own set of image-editing features in its Gallery app and AI writing assistance for chat and email apps. Notably, Samsung’s AI features are also free only until the end of 2025, and the exact cost will be revealed afterward.
Google Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Made By Google Event August 2024 Samsung Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Versus
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