Pixel 9 Pro vs Galaxy S25: The fight for the Android crown

Last year, Google expanded its Pixel lineup by adding (or perhaps reviving) an XL model. This move means that the Pixel 9 Pro is no longer the largest device, not only in terms of specs but also in size.

The Pixel 9 Pro is now much closer to the Pixel 9. With its 6.3-inch screen, it competes directly with the recently unveiled Galaxy S25 and this new antagonism deserves our attention.

The Pixel 9 lineup was officially revealed on August 13, 2024, while the Galaxy S25 series debuted on January 22, 2025. With these launches out of the way, we have the necessary information to compare the two. The comparison is still somewhat preliminary, and we’ll add benchmarks, camera samples, and battery test results once our lab tests are complete.

The battle for the title Best Android phone has begun. Let’s dive in!

Pre-order the Galaxy S25 Plus for up to $800+ off

$299 ⁹⁹

$999 ⁹⁹

$700 off (70%)

The exciting Galaxy S25 Plus has finally been revealed. Pre-orders are now open, and you can pre-order a unit for up to $700 off at the Samsung Store with eligible trade-ins. There's an additional $100 Samsung Credit available.

Pre-order at Samsung

Pre-order the Galaxy S25 for up to $550+ off

$299 ⁹⁹

$799 ⁹⁹

$500 off (63%)

The "vanilla" Galaxy S25 is here! Now's the time to pre-order one with exclusive discounts of up to $500. To get the discount, you must trade in an eligible device. There's an additional $100 Samsung Credit available, which includes your $50 Reservation Gift!

Pre-order at Samsung

Google Pixel 9: Get at Amazon for 25% off

$197 off (25%)

Snatch the Pixel 9 with fancy new Gemini AI features at Amazon. The latest non-Pro model with a G4 chip is currently available for 25% off.

Buy at Amazon

Pixel 9 Pro: $99 off; Pixel 9 Pro XL: get at Amazon

$99 off (5%)

The latest flagships from Google, the Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, are now available at Amazon. You can get the larger-sized model at its standard price, while the 9 Pro with 128GB storage in Hazel is $99 off.

Buy at Amazon

Pre-order the Galaxy S25 Ultra for up to $1,250+ off

$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

Pre-order the Galaxy S25 Plus for up to $800+ off

$299 ⁹⁹

$999 ⁹⁹

$700 off (70%)

The exciting Galaxy S25 Plus has finally been revealed. Pre-orders are now open, and you can pre-order a unit for up to $700 off at the Samsung Store with eligible trade-ins. There's an additional $100 Samsung Credit available, which includes your Reservation Gift.

Pre-order at Samsung

The design language of the Pixel 9 Pro has undergone a significant shift—the first major redesign since the Pixel 6 series introduced the Camera Bar.

This time, the Pixel 9 Pro offers an entirely new look and feel, featuring flat sides, a flat front and back, and a more traditional (yet horizontal) camera bump. And oh boy, is this camera bump massive! Many in the industry have already nicknamed it a "shelf," underscoring just how large and sticking out it is.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 closely follows the design of recent Galaxy S-series devices, with little to no visual changes. It retains the familiar glass-and-metal sandwich design, flat sides and back, and the same camera arrangement with three separate housings for its rear cameras.

The size and weight of the new "compact" Pixel 9 Pro now bring it closer to the Galaxy S25. The Pixel measures 152.8 x 72 x 8.5 mm and weighs 199 grams. However, the Galaxy S25 remains the more compact device at 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm and is also lighter, at 162 grams.

When it comes to displays, as mentioned earlier, the screen sizes are quite similar, and the screen tech is nearly identical. The Galaxy S25 features a flat 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a Full HD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

The Pixel 9 Pro, on the other hand, boasts a slightly larger 6.3-inch flat OLED panel with a resolution of 1280 x 2856 pixels and the same adaptive 1–120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel has an advantage in pixel density, thanks to its higher resolution (495 PPI vs. 416 PPI on the Galaxy S25). The Google flagship also tops our brightness charts, so it will be interesting to see how the S25 fares in our display tests. Stay tuned.

The Galaxy S25 features the latest and already quite popular Qualcomm silicon, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. This processor has already attracted a lot of attention, with early benchmarks from other recently launched Android flagships placing it in direct competition with Apple’s A18 Pro. Samsung has extended its collaboration with Qualcomm, and the Snapdragon inside the S25 comes with the "for Galaxy" branding, offering a slight overclock and potentially higher synthetic benchmark scores.

The Pixel 9 Pro, on the other hand, is powered by Google’s fourth-generation Tensor G4 chipset, developed in-house with a strong emphasis on machine learning and AI. The Tensor still lags in raw performance (even compared to the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 3), and we think the Elite will come on top of the G4 in benchmark scores. That said, benchmark numbers don’t always reflect real-world performance, and the Pixel 9 Pro is smooth and fast in everyday use. Stay tuned for some numbers soon.

In terms of RAM, the Pixel 9 Pro comes equipped with 16GB of RAM and offers a wide range of storage options, from 128GB up to 1TB. The Galaxy S25, by comparison, comes with less RAM (12GB); storage options start at 128GB and extend to 256GB and 512GB variants.

On the software front, both phones live within the Android ecosystem, setting the stage for a tough AI showdown. 

Samsung started its AI journey with Galaxy AI, while Google’s Gemini brings its own set of strengths and weaknesses. The Galaxy S25 features some cool Galaxy AI enhancements, such as "Now Brief" (an AI-generated summary of your day), YouTube video summaries, and the usual writing and translation aids. 

Funnily enough, Samsung has integrated Gemini into the Galaxy S25 Series and even offers Google’s LLM as a standalone option.

Here's a quick specs comparison for the number nerds out there. You can check out our full Pixel 9 Pro vs Galaxy S25 specs comparison on PhoneArena.

This would've been a much easier question to answer had Google not changed the lineup. With the Pixel 9 Pro getting smaller and closer in size to the vanilla S25, things suddenly got more complicated. On the one hand, you have Google's software experience, which is the fastest way to get every single Android update for seven long years. Couple that with Gemini and Google's resources and you have a very potent flagship Pixel phone. Probably the best one in years.

On the other hand, Samsung's AI game has been top notch lately with Galaxy AI, and the recently announced S25 also feature the latest hot topic in smartphone silicon, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, made even faster with the moniker "for Galaxy." 

Who will take the Android crown, then? It's too early to tell, but it will be a fierce fight. We will update this comparison with benchmarks and tests and give you the final verdict once we finish our lab tests.