Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: A friendly but heated rivalry

By Aleksandar Anastasov

Updated: Jan 22, 2025, 12:00 PM

1comment

We may earn a commission if you make a purchase from the links on this page.

An image split into two halves with S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Intro

Samsung has announced its latest high-end flagship, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the company seems to have doubled down on AI and software. In fact, it looks like Samsung has replicated even more of Google's creative software features, like Audio Eraser, leaving fewer unique tools for the Pixel 9 Pro XL to stand out with.

Samsung has even widened the historical performance gap between the Ultra and Google's Pixel Pro with the addition of the Snapdragon 8 Elite. This new chip is significantly better compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that powered the predecessor, which... was already much more capable than the Pixel 9 Pro XL's Tensor G4!

There's more than a few differences to look at when comparing these two popular flagships, so let's get into the details.

$399 ⁹⁹

$1419 ⁹⁹

$1020 off (72%)

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is officially here! You can now pre-order the mighty Samsung flagship for up to $1,250+ off at the Samsung Store! Eligible device trade-ins help you save up to $900, and you also get a $120 free storage upgrade. Additionally, you get up to $350 Samsung Credits.

Pre-order at Samsung

Want more screen real estate to play with? The Pixel 9 Pro XL might be right for you, and it's now available for purchase at Amazon. The phone arrives without discounts.

Buy at Amazon

$120 off (12%)

The Pixel 9 Pro can be yours at Amazon. The sleek smartphone with advanced Gemini AI features and 16GB of RAM arrives for $120 off in Obsidian only.

Buy at Amazon

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 9 Pro XL differences:

Galaxy S25 Ultra	Pixel 9 Pro XL
$1299 starting price for 256GB variant	$1099 starting price for 128GB model, and $1159 for 256GB
Twice as fast UFS 4.0 storage	Still pretty fast UFS 3.1 storage
More capable Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) silicon	Less powerful Tensor G4 (4nm) chipset
More durable titanium frame that is still very light	Light but much less durable aluminum frame
More durable and less reflective display thanks to Gorilla Glass Armor 2	Display is still very durable but scratches more easily and shows more reflections
One 3X and one 5X telephoto camera	Comes with one 5X telephoto
Faster wired charging	Faster wireless charging
Comes with a stylus embedded in its body	Does not have a stylus

Table of Contents:

Design and Size
Display Differences
Performance
Camera
Battery and Charging
Specs
Summary

Samsung's dedication to impeccable design

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: A friendly but heated rivalry

With the S25 Ultra, Samsung has decided to round up the corners, while keeping the sides flat but with tapered edges. This balanced approach is what most smartphone manufacturers are gravitating towards nowadays, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL being Google's example for this transition.

Size-wize, the two are quite similar. Both are not too heavy for the size – the S25 Ultra weighs 217g vs the Pixel's 221g. Both also feel comfortable to hold.

Materials are unchanged, with Samsung sticking to titanium for the S25 Ultra's frame, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL features an aluminum frame.

Display Differences

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is equipped with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, with a crisp 1440p resolution and dynamic 1-120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has only a slightly smaller, 6.8-inch screen, with a similar 1344p resolution and the same 120Hz refresh rate.

The Galaxy, however, has Gorilla Armor 2 with its incredible anti-reflective properties, which no other phone has. The Pixel uses a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 display, so it is scratch and drop resistant, but the Galaxy is simply better for outdoor use.

A somewhat gimmicky feature, but still potentially useful is the ProScaler technology embedded in the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It helps upscale low-res video. We are yet to see how useful it is in real life.

Performance and Software

Google's creative software is becoming less unique

Google's Pixel phones, even the "Pro" ones, have traditionally lagged behind the competition from Samsung when it comes to performance. The Tensor G4 chipset inside the Pixel 9 series does not change that, which is even more true when comparing it to S25 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite offers a 40% improvement in NPU performance and 37% CPU boost over its predecessor. Not to mention that the S25 Ultra’s advanced thermal management system, with a 40% larger vapor chamber than before.

While Google has had an even bigger hand in customizing the 4nm Tensor G4 than previous generations, it is still based on one of Samsung's Exynos chipsets. It is only with the Tensor G5 rumored to come with the Pixel 10 series that Google might finally rival the competition from Samsung and other manufacturers.

As for RAM, the Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with 16 GB across all of its storage variants. The Galaxy has less RAM – 12GB on all versions.

For storage, though, the Pixel starts from 128 GB, while the S25 Ultra starts at double that, 256 GB.

On the software side of things, the Pixel 9 Pro XL debuted the new Android 15 software, which is also what the Galaxy S25 Ultra is rocking, with the One UI 7 skin on top.

Both manufacturers offer seven years of software support, so the S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL will be sufficiently future proofed and should get major OS updates until Android 22.

When it comes to AI features, the two companies offer lots to choose from.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra AI Features:

AI Select: This tool enables smart interaction with on-screen content, such as identifying objects, creating GIFs, or suggesting edits with Generative AI.
Circle to Search: Enhanced multimodal capabilities allow users to search text, audio, or visuals on the device with contextual results.
Cross-App Actions: Perform multi-step tasks across apps with a single command, such as saving a recipe to Notes or scheduling events in the Calendar.
Now Brief and Now Bar: These features provide personalized, actionable updates like weather forecasts or event reminders directly on the lock screen.
Writing Assist: Enables real-time content summarization and text formatting across apps without switching between them.
Drawing Assist: Combines sketches, text, and images for creative projects, empowering users to execute ideas seamlessly.
Gemini Integration: Offers advanced voice commands to interact across Samsung and Google apps, or third-party apps like Spotify, for a seamless experience.
Personal Data Engine: Ensures user data remains private, with insights powered by on-device processing to deliver personalized results.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL AI Features:

Gemini Live: A conversational AI assistant that feels almost indistinguishable from a human, offering intuitive help for daily tasks.
Add Me: A group photo tool that combines two images, seamlessly placing the photographer in the group shot.
Reimagine: Part of Magic Editor, this feature allows users to transform photos dramatically, such as replacing backgrounds or adding new elements.
Auto Frame: AI-based suggestions to improve image composition for aesthetically pleasing photos.
Video Boost: Enhances video quality by upscaling 4K footage to 8K in the cloud, making it ideal for extracting high-quality stills.
Pixel Studio: A creative hub for generating AI art based on text prompts, allowing users to refine images in various styles.
Call Notes: Uses on-device AI to summarize conversations, with notifications provided to all participants for privacy.
Keep Magic List: Generates actionable lists in Google Keep based on user commands, such as creating shopping lists or event plans.
Screenshot Organizer: Collects and organizes all screenshots into a searchable library, powered by AI.

Many of the new Galaxy S25 AI feature will also be available on the Pixel, so there are more similarities than differences in that.

Camera

Camera versatility powerhouses

The Galaxy S25 Ultra keeps the 200MP ISOCELL HP2 main sensor from the S24 Ultra, now slightly improved with better light sensitivity and dynamic range thanks to a process upgrade. One notable enhancement is the new 50MP ultra-wide camera, an upgrade from the 12MP one on the S24 Ultra. This upgrade delivers sharper, more detailed wide-angle shots.

The dual telephoto cameras—key to the S25 Ultra’s versatility—remain unchanged from the previous generation. The setup includes a 10MP 3X telephoto lens and a 50MP 5X telephoto lens, both offering excellent zoom performance.

For video enthusiasts, Samsung has added a couple of creative tools. Audio Eraser helps clean up background noise in videos, while the Virtual Aperture feature in the Expert RAW app allows you to adjust the depth of field, giving you more control over background blur for portraits and creative shots.

On the other hand, the Pixel 9 Pro XL takes a different approach, leaning heavily on Google’s software expertise. One standout feature is the 42MP front-facing camera, which has an extremely wide viewing angle. One shortcoming of the Pixel is it lacks a 3X zoom camera.

The Pixel, however, shines when it comes to video and creative tools. Its Video Boost feature can upscale 4K video to 8K, adding sharpness and detail. Google’s new Magic Editor and Reimagine tools also allow you to transform photos with ease, letting you change backgrounds or remove unwanted elements without much effort. These features make the Pixel a great option for users who enjoy editing and customizing their photos.

One AI feature that the Pixel was well known for and now the Galaxy Ultra also has is Audio Eraser, which can detect different types of sound in a video, giving you the option to selectively suppress them.

Battery Life and Charging

Probably some of the best you can get

The Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with a massive 5060 mAh battery capacity that most definitely contributed to its amazing performance in our battery life tests. The S25 Ultra comes with the same 5,000 mAh battery as last year, but the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is said to be much more power efficient, so we could see better battery life in our tests this time around.

Charging-wise, the S25 Ultra and its 45W of wired charging speeds are still enough for Samsung to win on this front, since the Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with 37W charging.

For wireless charging things are the other way around, with slower 15W speeds for the Galaxy and faster 23W speeds for the Pixel. The caveat is that you need the latest Pixel Stand wireless charger in order to charge the Pixel 9 Pro XL at those max speeds.

Specs Comparison

Here's a quick look at the specs for both phones, but feel free to check out our more detailed Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 9 Pro XL specs comparison.

	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Pixel 9 Pro XL
Size, weight	162.3 x 77.6 x 8.6 mm, 232 g	162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm, 221 g
Screen	6.9" OLED 1-120Hz LTPO Gorilla Armor 2	6.8" OLED 1-120Hz LTPO Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy 3nm	Tensor G4 4nm
RAM, Storage	--- 12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB LPDDR5	16/128GB 16/256GB 16/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5
Cameras	200MP main 50MP ultrawide 10MP 3X telephoto 50MP 5X telephoto 12MP front	50 MP wide 48 MP ultrawide 48 MP 5X telephoto --- 42 MP front
Battery	5,000 mAh	5,060 mAh
Charging	USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless	USB-C 37W wired 23W wireless

Most notable here are the different chipsets, number of cameras and their megapixels, as well as the lack of a 128GB model from Samsung. In general, the differences in these spec sheets are similar to comparisons between previous generations of both phones.

Summary

What makes this comparison especially exciting are the two different camera systems. Samsung has replaced the ultra-wide camera sensor with a brand new one, so we are very excited to see how it does versus that of the Pixel.

Performance is an advantage for the Galaxy, and both seem to have similar AI features.

Of course, we can't neglect the $200 price difference. At $1,100, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is cheaper than the S25 Ultra at $1,300.

Our recommendation is for you to wait for our test results and final verdict on the S25 Ultra before you make your purchase decision. Come back soon to see all of our camera and battery tests.

View Full Bio

Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he's not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.