Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Both Google and Samsung have truly compelling flagship smartphones to offer to their consumers. Samsung’s new flagship arrived earlier this month (January), while Google’s launched back in October. In this article, we’ll compare the Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. These two phones do look considerably different, while their specs are also not all that similar.

It’s interesting that both of them have a ton of camera AI features to offer. We’ll first list their specifications, as we usually do when it comes to comparison, and then we’ll move to a number of other sections. You’ll see a comparison between their designs, display, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?

Specs

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, respectively

– Screen size:
6.7-inch Super Actua AMOLED display (flat, 120Hz LTPO, HDR10+, 2,400 nits)
6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (flat, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2,600 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2992 x 1344
3120 x 1440
– SoC:
Google Tensor G3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 3.1)
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (f/1.68 aperture, 82-degree FoV, 1.2um pixel size, OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/1.95 aperture, 125.5-degree FoV, 0.8um pixel size), 48MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, 5x optical zoom)
200MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, multi-directional PDAF, 0.6um pixel size), 12MP (ultrawide, 120-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF 1.4um pixel size), 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF, 1.12um pixel size, 3x optical zoom), 50MP (periscope telephoto, OIS, PDAF, 5x optical zoom)
– Front cameras:
10.5MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1.22um pixel size)
12MP (wide, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, 22mm lens)
– Battery:
5,050mAh
5,000mAh
– Charging:
30W wired, 23W wireless, reverse wireless (charger not included)
45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included)
– Dimensions (unfolded):
162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8mm
162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm
– Weight:
213 grams
232/233 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) & facial scanning
In-display fingerprint scanner
– OS:
Android 14
Android 14 with One UI 6.1
– Price:
$999+
$1,299+
– Buy:
Best Buy
Best Buy

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design

These two smartphones do look quite different, and that’s immediately apparent. The Pixel 8 Pro is a lot more curvy. Its edges are rounded, and the same goes for its display corners. The phone has a flat display and a centered display camera hole. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, has sharp edges, and its display corners are also sharp, while it also has a flat display and a centered display camera hole.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra does have flat top and bottom sides, unlike the Pixel 8 Pro. Their backsides are also quite different. The Pixel 8 Pro includes a camera visor back there. There are three cameras placed inside, and that visor connects to the frame on the left and right sides. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has four cameras on the back, though each of those cameras is its own camera island. Each of them protrudes directly from the phone’s backside.

The Pixel 8 Pro is made out of aluminum and glass, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra utilizes titanium and glass. This is Samsung’s first smartphone with a titanium frame. Samsung’s flagship has a slightly larger display, while it’s about the same height as the Pixel 8 Pro. It is noticeably wider, however, and about the same thickness as Google’s offering. The Galaxy S24 Ultra also has an S Pen stylus tucked in it, it’s accessible from the bottom.

Both smartphones offer an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. They both feel quite premium in the hand, but do note that the in-hand feel is immensely different, though. Also, you’ll be handling a large phone no matter which one you choose, that’s also something to consider, just in case you prefer more compact devices.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Display

The Google Pixel 8 Pro includes a 6.7-inch QHD+ (2992 x 1344) LTPO OLED display. That display is flat, and it supports HDR10+ content. It has an adaptive refresh rate which goes up to 120Hz. The max brightness of this panel is 2,400 nits, in theory. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, while the panel is covered by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2. There is also a centered display camera hole at the top.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the flip side, includes a 6.8-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel. That display is also flat, and it supports a 120Hz refresh rate. That refresh rate is adaptive, it goes down to 1Hz. This panel also supports HDR10+ content, and it has a theoretical peak brightness of 2,600 nits. A centered display camera hole is included, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. Corning’s Gorilla Armor protection is included on top of the panel.

What is there to know here? Well, first of all, do note that both of these displays look outstanding. They’re vivid, have great viewing angles, and the blacks are as deep as you’d expect them to be. The touch response is great, and both panels are also more than bright enough. With that being said, the Galaxy S24 Ultra does have one advantage… its resistance to reflections. That’s all due to the Gorilla Armor, as it battles reflections like a champ. The difference is easily visible.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Performance

Google’s flagship is fueled by the Google Tensor G3 processor. Google also included 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM here, along with UFS 3.1 flash storage. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip fuels the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Samsung included 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside of its flagship, while UFS 4.0 flash storage is used. Do note that the storage cannot be expanded on either device, though.

When it comes to sheer performance, both smartphones are really good. The Galaxy S24 Ultra does have an edge when it comes to gaming, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy is easily a more powerful processor. Still, when it comes to basically anything else, both phones offer great performance. They both launch apps really quickly, while multitasking is not an issue for either one. They do great when it comes to browsing, consuming multimedia, processing images and video, and so on. The Galaxy S24 Ultra may be a hair faster in specific tasks, but that’s not something you’ll really pay all that much attention to. Both do a great job in the performance department.

Now, when gaming is concerned, well, things are a bit different. The Pixel 8 Pro can play any game out there, but it doesn’t perform as well as the Galaxy S24 Ultra when it comes to the most demanding titles like Genshin Impact. It also does get quite a bit warmer than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. As long as the game is not very demanding, however, the Pixel 8 Pro does a very good job. That phone is not made for gaming either way. So, the bottom line is, if you don’t have a habit of playing the most demanding games from the Play Store, both of these phones are a good choice from a performance standpoint.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Battery

Google’s flagship smartphone features a 5,050mAh battery on the inside. A 5,000mAh unit is included inside the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Pixel 8 Pro offers good battery life, but it cannot match the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Much like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Galaxy S24 Ultra supports outstanding battery life, to say the least. At the time of writing this article, it’s the best-performing smartphone in our battery drain test, actually.

We’re not here to talk about benchmarks, however. Let’s just say that we’ve managed to cross the 7-hour screen-on-time with the Pixel 8 Pro rather regularly, after the initial couple of weeks passed, and the phone’s battery settled. The Galaxy S24 Ultra offered great performance from the get-go. Crossing 9 or even 10 hours of screen-on-time with this phone is possible, and you don’t even have to baby it while you’re doing it.

It’s worth noting that we don’t usually play games during our regular days, but we do a lot of other things on our phones. The Galaxy S24 Ultra can handle truly demanding days with ease, with plenty of camera use, image processing, multimedia consumption, and so on. For many people out there the Galaxy S24 Ultra will be a two-day phone in terms of battery life, that’s not a problem for me to say.

Now, in terms of charging. The Pixel 8 Pro supports 30W wired, 23W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with 45W wired charging support, in addition to 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. One thing to note is that neither phone comes with a charger in the box.

Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Cameras

On the back of the Pixel 8 Pro, you’ll find a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide unit (126-degree FoV), and a 48-megapixel telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 200-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV), a 10-megapixel telephoto unit (3x optical zoom), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). These two phones do offer rather different camera hardware.

Before we get down to actual performance, do note that Samsung toned down on the saturation with the Galaxy S24 Ultra a bit. That is something you will notice if you’ve used the Galaxy S23 Ultra. During the day, both smartphones do an amazing job. The Pixel 8 Pro has that unique look that makes the image pop more, though the Galaxy S24 Ultra shots are usually close to real life. Both phones offer plenty of details and handle HDR situations really well. They both also do a great job in low light, but the Pixel 8 Pro tends to brighten up the scenes quite a bit more. We did prefer shots from the Galaxy S24 Ultra most of the time, but only after pixel peeping. Shots from both devices look great otherwise (in low light).

Both ultrawide cameras do a great job both during the day and at nighttime. However, if you do pixel peep, you’ll see that the Pixel 8 Pro’s ultrawide camera can capture more details. That probably has something to do with its sensor size. These two smartphones also have great periscope telephoto shooters. Both phones offer 5x optical zoom, and both do an outstanding job at 5x. The same goes up to 10x as well, as the images mostly look great at 10x, though they do look different. The Galaxy S24 Ultra also has a 3x telephoto camera, which helps the phone do great at 3x and 4x zoom ranges. The Pixel 8 Pro still prefers to leave things a bit colder overall, while the images from the Galaxy S24 Ultra tend to look warmer.

Audio

There is a set of stereo speakers on both of these smartphones. Those speakers do perform really well on both sides, though the ones on the Galaxy S24 Ultra are a bit louder. The difference is not all that noticeable, though, and both sets of speakers perform great when you turn the volume up, there’s no distortion.

What you will not find on either phone is a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can either use their Type-C ports for the same purpose, with the help of a dongle, or you can opt to utilize Bluetooth 5.3 which they both offer.