Head to head
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads 10 to 4 on the 14 rankable specs, but Google Pixel 9 Pro XL costs $200 less.
Catalog as of September 1, 2026
Why, in numbers
Swap
Compare a different phone
Google Pixel 8a$499OnePlus 12$799iPhone 16$799Google Pixel 9$799Samsung Galaxy S24$799Samsung Galaxy S25$799iPhone 17$799ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra$899iPhone 16 Plus$899OnePlus 13$899iPhone 16 Pro$999Google Pixel 9 Pro$999Samsung Galaxy S24+$999Samsung Galaxy S25+$999iPhone 17 Pro$999iPhone Air$999Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6$1,099iPhone 16 Pro Max$1,199iPhone 17 Pro Max$1,199Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1,299Xiaomi 14 Ultra$1,399OnePlus Open$1,699Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold$1,799Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6$1,899Swap
Compare a different phone
Google Pixel 8a$499OnePlus 12$799iPhone 16$799Google Pixel 9$799Samsung Galaxy S24$799Samsung Galaxy S25$799iPhone 17$799ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra$899iPhone 16 Plus$899OnePlus 13$899iPhone 16 Pro$999Google Pixel 9 Pro$999Samsung Galaxy S24+$999Samsung Galaxy S25+$999iPhone 17 Pro$999iPhone Air$999Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6$1,099iPhone 16 Pro Max$1,199iPhone 17 Pro Max$1,199Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1,299Xiaomi 14 Ultra$1,399OnePlus Open$1,699Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold$1,799Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6$1,899Buying for
Your devices
Straight answer
Overall: 4 to 10
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Leads 10 of 14 rankable overall specs; Google Pixel 9 Pro XL takes 4.
- Weight: 219 g vs 221 g
- Size: 6.9 inches vs 6.8 inches
- Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is $200 cheaper. Pay the difference only if weight matters to you.
Deal-breakers
tick what would make you walk away
- Trips:Google Pixel 9 Pro XL · NoClear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)
- Trips:Google Pixel 9 Pro XL · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
- Trips:Google Pixel 9 Pro XL · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
- Trips:Google Pixel 9 Pro XL · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Weight
221 g (7.8 oz)
Samsung
219 g (7.72 oz)
Size
6.8 inches
Samsung
6.9 inches
Chipset≠
Google Tensor G4 (4 nm) + Titan M2 security coprocessor
Samsung
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
RAM
16GB
Samsung
12 GB (16 GB option)
Max optical zoom≠
5x optical (up to 30x Super Res Zoom, 20x Video Boost)
Samsung
5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)
Capacity
5,060 mAh
Samsung
5,000 mAh
The 90-Day Owner Regret Check
Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.
Google: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Samsung: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Body
leads 2-0| Dimensions | 162.8 × 76.6 × 8.5 mm | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 221 g (7.8 oz) | 219 g (7.72 oz) (wins this row: lower) |
| Build | Aerospace aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back | Titanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back |
| Water / dust rating | IP68 water and dust resistance | IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) |
| Colors | Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel, Rose Quartz | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver |
| Stylus | No | Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it) |
Display
leads 3-1| Type | Super Actua LTPO OLED | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.8 inches | 6.9 inches (wins this row: higher) |
| Resolution | 2992 × 1344 | 3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher) |
| Pixel density | 486 ppi | 505 ppi (wins this row: higher) |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz (1–120Hz Smooth Display) | 120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO) |
| Peak brightness | 3,000 nits peak (2,000 nits HDR) (wins this row: higher) | 2,600 nits peak |
| HDR | HDR10+, Ultra HDR | HDR10+, HLG |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 (anti-reflective) |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes |
Platform
5 differences| Operating system | Android 14 (with Gemini Nano) | Android 15 (One UI 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Software support | 7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Feature Drops | 7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates |
| Chipset | Google Tensor G4 (4 nm) + Titan M2 security coprocessor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) |
| CPU | 8-core (1× 3.1 GHz Cortex-X4 + 3× Cortex-A720 + 4× Cortex-A520) | 8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance) |
| GPU | Mali-G715 MC7 | Adreno 830 |
Memory
3 differences| RAM | 16GB (wins this row: higher) | 12 GB (16 GB option) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 128 GB | 256 GB (wins this row: higher) |
| Storage options | 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0) |
| microSD | No | No |
Rear camera
leads 3-0| Main | 50 MP Octa PD, f/1.68, 1/1.31" sensor, OIS | 200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultrawide | 48 MP Quad PD, f/1.7, 123° FOV, Macro Focus | 50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF, macro) (wins this row: higher) |
| Telephoto | 48 MP Quad PD, f/2.8, 5x optical zoom, OIS | 50 MP 5x periscope (f/3.4, 115mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 50 MP 3x (f/2.4, 67mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) |
| Max optical zoom | 5x optical (up to 30x Super Res Zoom, 20x Video Boost) | 5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) |
| Stabilization | Dual OIS on wide and telephoto lenses | OIS on main and both telephoto cameras |
| Video | 4K 24/30/60 fps, 8K 30 fps (via Video Boost cloud processing) | 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video |
Front camera
leads 1-0| Selfie camera | 42 MP Dual PD, f/2.2, 103° ultrawide, autofocus (wins this row: higher) | 12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF) |
|---|---|---|
| Selfie video | 4K 60 fps | 4K at 30/60 fps |
Battery & charging
4 differences| Capacity | 5,060 mAh (wins this row: higher) | 5,000 mAh |
|---|---|---|
| Wired chargingNot on the official sheet | 37 W wired fast charging | 45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min) (wins this row: higher) |
| Wireless charging | Fast wireless charging up to 23 W (Pixel Stand), Qi certified | 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 |
| Reverse wireless | Battery Share (reverse wireless) | 4.5W Wireless PowerShare |
| Charger in box | No | No |
Audio
1 differences| Speakers | Stereo speakers, 3 microphones with spatial audio recording | Stereo speakers tuned by AKG |
|---|---|---|
| Headphone jack | No | No |
Connectivity
6 differences| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 + mmWave, region-dependent) | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes (Google Wallet) | Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay) |
| USB | USB-C 3.2 | USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out) |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Single Nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM |
Features
3 differences| Biometrics | Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Extra controls | Gemini Live activation, Power button shortcut | S Pen air gestures |
| Standout features | Gemini Live, Add Me, Pixel Studio, Call Screen, Magic Editor, Thermometer sensor, Satellite SOS | Built-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX |
Which one should you buy
Pick this one if
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google's 6.8-inch flagship with Tensor G4, Super Actua 3,000-nit display, 5x telephoto, and Gemini Live AI.
- Bright 6.8-inch Super Actua LTPO display reaching 3,000 nits
- Class-leading camera pipeline with 5x optical zoom and 8K Video Boost
- 7 years of OS, security updates, and Pixel Feature Drops
What you give up
- Tensor G4 gaming graphics benchmarks trail Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- No charger adapter in the box
Pick this one if
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Flagship titanium smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, built-in S Pen, 200MP quad camera with 50MP ultrawide and 50MP 5x telephoto, and Galaxy AI.
- Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm custom Galaxy performance
- Upgraded 50MP ultra-wide and dual 50MP telephoto sensors with 200MP main
- Corning Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective display and built-in S Pen stylus
What you give up
- Premium $1,299 starting price
- Wired charging remains at 45W
Best for each use
Photos
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Battery & updates
Tied on battery & updates. Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is cheaper.
Games & video
For games & video, buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL ↗ · Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL costs $200 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Which is better for photos, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 3 of 4 rankable photos specs; Google Pixel 9 Pro XL takes 1. Main: 200 MP vs 50 MP Octa PD, f/1.68, 1/1.31" sensor, OIS
What cannot be compared from spec sheets?
Of the 48 specs tracked here, 34 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.