Google’s new flagship smartphones have landed not long ago. Google actually announced four smartphones, including the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is its large (non-folding) flagship. Well, we’re here to compare it to the very best Apple has to offer. We’ll compare the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 series is right around the corner, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is still very much relevant, so… let’s see how it stacks up.
Both of these phones are big, bold, and very nice looking. Many would say that the Pixel 9 Pro XL overall shape was inspired by the iPhone 15 Pro Max, actually. Despite that, however, the two smartphones are quite a bit different overall. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output.
Specs
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, respectively
– Screen size:
6.8-inch QHD+ OLED (120Hz, HDR, 3,000 nits)
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (flat, 120Hz, HDR10, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
2992 x 1344
2796 x 1290
– SoC:
Google Tensor G4
Apple A17 Pro
– RAM:
16GB (LPDDR5X)
8GB
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 3.1)
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, 1.2um pixel size, OIS, EIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/1.7 aperture, 123-degree FoV), 48MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, OIS, EIS, 5x optical zoom)
48MP (f/1.78 aperture, second-gen sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, macro photography), 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 5x optical zoom)
– Front cameras:
42MP (f/2.2 aperture)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
– Battery:
5,060mAh
4,441mAh
– Charging:
37W wired, 23W wireless (Pixel Stand), 12W Qi wireless, 5W reverse wireless (no charger)
20W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe & Qi2), 7.5W wireless (Qi), reverse wired charging (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm
159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25mm
– Weight:
221 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3
– Security:
Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner & facial scanning
3D facial scanning
– OS:
Android 14
iOS 17
– Price:
$1,099+
$1,199
– Buy:
Pixel 9 Pro XL (Best Buy, Google Store)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Apple)
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: Design
Both of these smartphones are made out of metal and glass. Google’s handset uses aluminum, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max uses titanium for its frame. Speaking of which, the frame is flat all around on both smartphones. Their corners are rounded in a similar fashion. The frame does curve a bit towards the very edge on both smartphones. This is the closest you’ll get to an in-hand feel between a Pixel and an iPhone, that’s for sure. They even have the same weight, 221 grams.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a slightly larger display, and it’s slightly taller. They have the same width, basically, and are almost the same in terms of thickness too. You’ll find a flat display on the front of both smartphones. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a display camera hole there, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max includes a pill-shaped cutout. The bezels are uniform around both panels, and they’re quite thin too.
The back side on both smartphones is also flat. The Pixel 9 Pro XL includes a pill-shaped camera island with three cameras in there That camera island is horizontally-aligned at the top. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a camera island in the top-left corner with three cameras located on the inside. Both of these smartphones are quite slippery in the hand. Using a case is a good idea. Both of them also offer an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Maxe: Display
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL features a 6.8-inch 2992 x 1344 LTPO OLED display. That display is flat, while it does support HDR10+ content too. It has an adaptive refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz, and the peak brightness is 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 88%, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this panel, and it’s also located on the back.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the flip side, has a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. This display is also flat, and it does support HDR content too. It goes from 1 to 120Hz in terms of refresh rate and has Dolby Vision support. The peak brightness here is 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 89%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. The Ceramic Shield glass protects this display.
Both of these displays look great. They’re vivid, have great viewing angles, and they’re more than sharp enough. The blacks are deep, as you’d expect them to be. The panel on the Pixel 9 Pro XL does get a bit brighter in comparison, but both are bright enough for basically any occasion. The touch response is also really good on both displays. There’s really not much to complain about here, you’ll be good to go with either of these two panels.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: Performance
Google’s flagship is fueled by the Google Tensor G4 processor. That’s a 4nm chip, and it’s not as powerful as the one included in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it is well-optimized for Pixel phones and AI features. Google also included 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM here and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is fueled by the Apple A17 Pro, a 3nm processor which is quite powerful. The phone also includes 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage.
Both of these phones are quite snappy in regular, daily usage. They launch apps really fast, can jump between them without an issue, and so on. Web browsing is not a problem, the same goes for multimedia consumption, taking images, and anything else you can think of. Both phones also offer really good animations too. Things do differ when it comes to gaming, though, Apple’s handset has more prowess in that regard.
If you’re buying a smartphone for gaming, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is not the best option. It can play games, even demanding ones, but if you really tune up the graphics, you’ll see that it struggles a bit. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, can basically play anything at the highest settings. Both phones do get quite warm during gaming, though, so keep that in mind. That is especially true when it comes to graphically-demanding titles.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: Battery
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5,060mAh battery on the inside. Apple’s flagship has a 4,441mAh unit. Do note that iPhones usually have smaller batteries, that is not always an indicator of inferior battery life. In fact, that’s the case here, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL does offer great battery life, we’ve managed to pull out a bit more juice from the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Do note that both offer great battery life, though.
Getting over 7 hours of screen-on-time on either phone is not an option, and getting them over 8 hours of screen-on-time was doable too. Do note that your mileage may vary, though, of course. Also, note that we did not really play games during those days, but we did use them for a number of other tasks. Both of these smartphones offer great battery life as things stand, and can easily go through a day on a single charge.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL supports 37W wired, 23W wireless (with Pixel Stand), 12W Qi wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The Pixel 9 pro XL can charge faster than the iPhone 15 Pro Max with the right charger. Do note that neither phone ships with a charger, though.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: Cameras
Both of these phones have three cameras on the back. The Pixel 9 Pro XL includes a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (123-degree FoV), and a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the flip side, has a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom).
These two phones do provide considerably different pictures. While both are capable of doing a great job during the day and provide plenty of details, the Pixel 9 Pro XL handles HDR situations a bit better. Its pictures also look more contrasty in comparison. During the night, both phones do a good job and light up the scene quite a bit, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max leans towards warmer tones, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the complete opposite of that.
Ultrawide and telephoto cameras on both smartphones do a good job of keeping the main camera’s color profile. Both phones do a good job with those cameras, albeit different. They trade blows, it all depends on the scene, though we did prefer the results from the Pixel 9 Pro XL more often than not. The front-facing camera on the Pixel 9 Pro XL is better, the iPhone 15 Pro Max cannot compete in that regard. Video recording, on the flip side, is better on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Audio
Both of these phones come with a set of stereo speakers. Those speakers do offer similar loudness, even though the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a slight advantage in that regard. They both offer nice, balanced audio output.
In case you were hoping to get an audio jack on either of these, that won’t happen. They both do have a Type-C port which you can use to connect your wired headphones. If you prefer wireless audio, however, both phones offer Bluetooth 5.3 support.
