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If you want to be hip these days, you either go for an Apple device or a Samsung phone, right? Nope! Wrong! There's a third party emerging like a dark horse on a very boring race track. The Google Pixel! The company is pushing like crazy, and results are starting to show. In the US, Pixels now have 2% market share.
At first glance these two look rather different, but there's a hidden conflict here. Which one should you choose? Read our detailed iPhone 15 Plus vs Pixel 7 Pro comparison to find out!
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iPhone 15 Plus: $40-$650 off with a trade-in at Apple Store
Looking for the bigger-sized iPhone 15 model? In that case, we suggest you consider the iPhone 15 Plus. The Apple store offers up to $650 off as a trade-in credit on a new iPhone 15 Plus.
Even though the Pixel 7 Pro and the iPhone 15 Plus seem very similar when it comes to size and weight, the design is quite different between the two. The iPhone 15 Plus more or less mimics its predecessor, keeping the flat sides and back, the aluminum frame, and the square camera bump on the back.
The Pixel 7 Pro, on the other hand, is the polar opposite when it comes to design. It features a gently curved front screen, a curved glass back, and a camera strip stretching from one side to the other on the back of the Pixel, giving it a unique appearance.
(Image credit - PhoneArena)
So, we're talking about a completely different experience when holding these phones in your hand. Of course, a case equilibrates things a bit, but in the end, it's up to you to pick the one you like the best. Let's talk about colors for a bit. Down below, you'll find the expected colors for the iPhone 15 Plus and the available colors for the Pixel 7 Pro.
iPhone 15 Plus expected colors:
Black
Green
Pink
Blue
Yellow
Pixel 7 Pro available colors:
Obsidian
Snow
Hazel
Display Differences
More is better, right?
(Image credit - PhoneArena)
The Pixel 7 Pro features a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 1440p resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 1,500 nits of peak brightness. These are impressive numbers, and we've tested them in our lab, confirming that the Pixel has a great display.
The iPhone 15 Plus sports more or less the same display panel as its predecessor, meaning a 6.7-inch OLED with a 60 Hz display refresh rate, 2796x1290 pixel resolution, and up to 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness (2,000 nits peak outdoor brightness).
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
The Pixel also has an under-display fingerprint scanner, accompanied by 2D Face ID, while the iPhone 15 Plus comes with the same Face ID as the previous model, it's using some 3D magic and is believed to be more secure.
All in all, the choice here boils down to whether you like curved or flat screens and how important display refresh rate is to you. If you need the 10-120Hz variable smoothness, then the Pixel is the right one for you. If you don't care about it and prefer a flat screen, then get the iPhone 15 Plus.
Performance and Software
An in-house battle
Google switched to its in-house Tensor platform with the Pixel 6 (even though Samsung helped a ton with the design and manufacturing), and the Pixel 7 Pro sports the second generation of the in-house silicon, the Tensor G2. The iPhone 15 Plus, on the other hand, inherits the A16 chip from last year's Pro models.
If we look at some naked synthetic benchmark scores, there's a clear winner here - the A16 is still one of the most potent mobile chipsets out there. In everyday use, you probably won't notice much of a difference, but in the long run, the iPhone 15 Plus has the potential to stay snappy and responsive for many years.
There's a huge difference in the RAM onboard, the Pixel 7 Pro has twice as much as the iPhone 15 Plus (12 GB vs 6 GB, respectively). It's not a fair comparison, though, because iOS is a different platform, and apps are presumably better optimized and require less RAM. Again, in 2023, RAM on phones shouldn't be an issue, there's enough for pretty much any task and program.
Onboard storage starts at 128GB for the iPhone 15 Plus and goes through 256GB all the way up to 512GB. The Google Pixel 7 Pro comes with the exact same onboard memory configurations.
When it comes to software, things are even more complex. The iPhone 15 Plus runs iOS 17 out of the box. Apple showcased iOS 17 and some of its coolest features at WWDC earlier this year, as a matter of fact, you can now download and install Apple's new mobile OS and see all the changes for yourselves (we also have a dedicated iOS 17 review article just for you). Apple recently launched two big iOS updates, iOS 17.1 and 17.2, bringing new AirDrop features, Apple Music improvements, and the ability for Pro models to record Spatial Video.
The Pixel 7 Pro is currently running Android 13 but as a full-fledged Pixel device, it will be the first to get Android 14 when it officially launches later this year. Many Pixel users are already rocking Android 14 beta software, so be sure to check out our full iOS 17 coverage, as well as our Android 14 coverage for a deep dive.
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Camera
Three beats two?
(Image credit - PhoneArena)
Let's start with the iPhone. There's a slight upgrade to the dual camera system on the iPhone 15 Plus. The main camera has been transferred from last year's Pro model, meaning we're looking at a 48 MP wide camera. The default images are 24MP, and this is achieved by going through 12-megapixel pixel-binned photos and processing them later to output the aforementioned 24MP.
The iPhone 15 Plus also has the ability to shoot 48MP HEIC images but all this deserve a separate article. The ultrawide camera remains untouched, it's the same 12MP shooter we all know from the iPhone 14 Plus, and the same goes for the selfie camera.
The Pixel 7 Pro, on the other hand, comes equipped with a very potent camera setup - a 50 MP main camera, a 48 MP telephoto camera with 5X zoom, and a 12 MP ultrawide snapper.
We all know how good Google's image processing algorithms are, and the same is true for the iPhone, but which one does a better job? In our eyes, the Pixel 7 Pro overexposes the images just a tad, and there's also a cold quality to the colors, while the iPhone 15 seems to preserve more of the natural warm colors of the scene, and the dynamic range seems a bit better too.
One thing is clear, though: Having a third telephoto camera is an advantage that can't be fully offset by clever software tricks. The iPhone 15 Plus can now do 2X crops from the big main sensor but the periscope zoom lens on the Pixel 7 Pro is no match for the iPhone. The images taken with the Pixel are much more detailed and crisp.
The Portrait mode situation is very interesting, as well. While the Pixel 7 Pro seems to blur the background a bit more convincing, the iPhone 15 Plus produces much more natural-looking portraits, regarding skin color and overall image tonality. Dynamic range and exposure also seem to be better on the iPhone 15 Plus in this mode.
When it comes to ultrawide shots, both phones come equipped with very similar hardware, 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras. Nevertheless, it seems that the Pixel 7 Pro is able to preserve a tad more detail in ultrawide shots, and there are less artifacts toward the corner of the shot. All in all, both phones manage to do a decent job at the ultrawide department.
Selfie shots turn out somewhat similar on both phones, even though the iPhone 15 Plus tends to produce softer and a bit washed-out pictures. The Pixel 7 Pro, on the other hand, tries to get more detail into the picture but sometimes the end result can look a bit over-sharpened.
Video Quality
This is what video quality looks in comparison on these two. Both the iPhone 15 Plus and the Pixel 7 Pro can shoot decent 4K videos, but the Pixel seems to have a slight advantage when it comes to details and natural colors, and a bigger advantage if you decide to use zoom while recording.
Audio Quality
In terms of audio setup, both phones exploit the same design - a bottom-firing loudspeaker coupled with the earpiece acting as a second speaker, thus achieving a stereo setup. This setup works rather well on the Pixel 7 Pro, and when compared to other similarly-sized phones, it sounds big and full.
The iPhone 15 Plus features the same drivers as its predecessor, and that's not a bad thing, not in the slightest. The sound is full and detailed, and there's no distortion even at high volume levels. You'll be happy with either of these phones in the audio department, but bear in mind that neither has a 3.5mm audio jack, so you'll have to rely on adapters or just use Bluetooth headphones.
Battery and Charging
Very similar
The Pixel 7 Pro comes with a big 5,000mAh battery and supports 23W wired and wireless fast charging. The ample battery gets drained fast, though. The efficiency of the Tensor is not excellent, especially during gaming or 3D-heavy applications.
The iPhone 15 Plus comes with a slightly upgraded battery (4,383mAh vs 4,325 on its predecessor). As for charging, despite the new USB-C port, Apple lists 20W as the max wired charging speed, citing 50% in 30 minutes. Let's see some numbers.
Once again, the benchmark results show that specs don't tell the full story. Even though the Pixel 7 Pro has a bigger battery, the iPhone 15 Plus wins on all fronts. This, undoubtedly, has something to do with the screen refresh rate, as the iPhone 15 Plus sport a fixed 60Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 7 Pro can switch between 10-120Hz and this consumes energy.
Charging times are almost identical on both phones, you can find the charging profiles for the iPhone 15 Plus and Pixel 7 Pro above.
Specs
iPhone 15 Plus
Pixel 7 Pro
Size, weight
160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm, 201 grams
162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm, 212 grams
Screen
6.7" OLED 60Hz
6.7" OLED 120Hz
Processor
A16 Bionic 4nm
Tensor G2 4nm
RAM, Storage
6/128GB 6/256GB 6/512GB -
LPDDR5
12/128GB 12/256GB 12/512GB -
LPDDR5
Cameras
48MP main 12MP ultra -
12MP front
50MP main 12MP ultra 48MP telephoto -
12MP front
Battery
4383 mAh
5000mAh
Charging
USB-C 20W wired MagSafe
USB-C 23W wired 23W wireless
Summary
The iPhone 15 Plus and the Pixel 7 Pro are very different phones, and they cater to different audiences. The choice between these two phones will ultimately depend on your approach and the ecosystem you belong to. On paper, the Pixel 7 Pro offers more phone for the money, but if you're coming from an Apple device, you'll need to make some adjustments to get into the new and growing Pixel ecosystem.
The same argument applies vice versa - if you're an Android or Pixel user, it will take some time (and money) to get into Apple's ecosystem to reap all the benefits. All in all, these two phones are excellent, and you won't regret getting either of them. Both phones start at $899, so this fact equilibrates the situation even more. The Pixel 8 Pro is available now, so you might want to check out that particular comparison, as Google's most current flagship is better equipped to take on the iPhone 15 Plus.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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