In the battle for smartphone supremacy, Apple and Google have launched their latest flagships: the iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro. Both devices offer the latest cell phone technology – including the new Artificial Intelligence systems of each platform – but with distinctive approaches that reflect the philosophy of each company.
Design and screen
The iPhone 16 Pro maintains its iconic design with titanium edges, making it lighter and premium to the touch. For its part, the Pixel 9 Pro opts for a more conventional finish. Both have 6.3-inch OLED screens (the Max and XL versions have 6.9 and 6.8-inch screens respectively) and 120Hz, although the Pixel stands out with a slightly higher resolution and a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits compared to 2,000 for the iPhone.
Performance and battery
Apple equips its iPhone 16 Pro with the new A18 Pro chip, promising significant improvements in CPU, GPU and energy efficiency. Google, for its part, has significantly improved its Tensor G4, solving previous problems with overheating and autonomy. The Pixel 9 Pro has 16GB of RAM, double that of the iPhone, which could give it an advantage in multitasking.
iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro cameras
Both smartphones have triple camera setups and are great for photography, but the Pixel stands out for its coloring and AI features, while the iPhone is superior at video.
The Pixel 9 Pro tends to produce more vibrant images with bright colors, while the iPhone offers more natural tones and finer details in textures. The Pixel has more megapixels, but the iPhone’s telephoto lens captures better details and textures at long distances.
As for the front camera, the Google Pixel has a camera selfie higher resolution (42MP), which helps in self-portraits.
Software and user experience
The iPhone 16 Pro comes with the iOS 18 operating system, while the Pixel 9 Pro comes with Android 14, upgradable to Android 15. Choosing between these operating systems is usually a matter of personal preference. When the user gets used to one, it is not easy to change.
For Mac or iPad users, the iPhone has the advantage of immediate syncing between devices. It is very easy to download or work on your laptop or tablet with a photo or video that you have taken with your phone.
The Google Pixel, for its part, offers superior integration with the entire Google suite (Gmail, Meet, Drive, etc.), although all of these applications can also be accessed from the iPhone, which are available for free on the Apple Store and whose versions have been improving.
Price: savings on the Pixel
The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 for the 128GB version. Memory doubles to 256GB for $100 more. The version with the most capacity, 1TB, goes up to $1,499. (iPhone Pro Max with larger screens are $100 more expensive than their Pro equivalent.)
The Pixel 9 Pro went on sale for $999, the same price as the iPhone with the same 128GB capacity. But Google has lowered its price to $849. The 256GB version is now available for $949. And the 1TB Pixel 9 Pro, the maximum capacity, sells for $1,299. (The Pro XL versions of the Pixel 9 cost $100 more than their “small” counterpart.)
Conclusion
Both Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and Google’s Pixel 9 Pro are excellent phones that represent the best of their respective platforms. Choosing one or the other will depend on personal preferences in terms of ecosystem, design, and photo and video experience. In terms of price, the recent reduction of the Pixel makes it very attractive.
Although there are other smartphones of comparable quality, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the iPhone and Pixel are difficult to beat on each of their platforms.
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