Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs. Google Pixel 9 Pro: Which Pro is best?

Smartphones are perpetually getting bigger, and nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL some agelong nan boundaries of what’s comfortable to usage pinch 1 hand. Thankfully, Apple and Google besides launched nan iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro, which connection nan aforesaid premium flagship acquisition successful a smaller, much ergonomic shape factor.

Each telephone boasts reasons to bargain it complete nan other, and galore of these person to do pinch AI. Both phones besides costs $1,000, So, which 1 should you buy? Which telephone has nan champion operation of hardware and software, and utilizes AI successful ways that will amended your life? Let’s dive into nan details.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: specs

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: creation and display

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Both phones person undergone subtle changes from their predecessors, nan iPhone 15 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro. Unlike erstwhile years, some now characteristic near-identical specs sheets to their bigger siblings, and they some connection nan aforesaid flagship acquisition successful a smaller, much ergonomic size.

The large quality is successful style: Apple uses titanium successful nan build of nan iPhone 16 Pro, which feels lighter and much premium than nan Pixel 9 Pro, which uses aluminum, but comes successful much vibrant colors. Even though they measurement nan aforesaid 199 grams, nan iPhone 16 Pro feels somewhat lighter than nan Pixel 9 Pro acknowledgment to nan titanium build.

The iPhone 16 Pro successful beforehand of nan Pixel 9 Pro Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

The prime of titanium besides intends nan iPhone 16 Pro features much muted colors than nan Pixel 9 Pro. The 4 titanium colour choices are beautiful, but nary are rather arsenic vibrant arsenic nan Rose Quartz Pixel 9 Pro. The pinkish colour prime intends your Pixel 9 Pro tin guidelines out, though location are much accepted colour choices disposable if Pink isn’t your preference.

Measuring 149.6 x 71.5 x 8.25mm, nan iPhone 16 Pro is 3mm shorter, 0.5mm narrower, and 0.25mm thinner than nan Pixel 9 Pro, but they consciousness virtually identical successful nan hand. The iPhone 16 Pro besides has a Camera Control fastener connected nan correct side,and nan Action fastener connected nan left, while nan Pixel 9 Pro has a mmWave antenna cutout connected nan top, moreover successful countries wherever mmWave isn’t available.

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Both phones person a 6.3-inch OLED display, pinch a move refresh complaint of up to 120Hz. The Pixel 9 Pro show is somewhat higher resolution, resulting successful a higher pixel density (495 pixels per inch versus 460 ppi), but nan quality is minimal. The Pixel 9 Pro has a highest brightness of 3,000 nits, while nan iPhone 16 Pro doesn’t get arsenic acheronian astatine 2,000 nits. However, there’s functionally small quality successful nan value aliases brightness of nan displays during day-to-day use.

The Pixel 9 Pro has a somewhat amended display, but there’s nary denying really bully nan titanium build connected nan iPhone 16 Pro feels successful nan hand. This one’s a stalemate.

Winner: Tie

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: capacity and battery

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Recent Pixel devices person been plagued by problems pinch Google’s Tensor GPU, and while Google has stuck pinch its chipset, nan Tensor G4 spot successful nan Pixel 9 Pro is vastly improved. It’s designed pinch capacity and AI successful mind and fixes galore of nan problems successful nan erstwhile generation, including mediocre artillery life and overheating. It’s paired pinch a whopping 16GB of RAM wrong nan Pixel 9 Pro, which results successful accelerated capacity that near america impressed.

In comparison, nan iPhone 16 Pro is powered by nan caller Apple A18 Pro chipset that’s designed pinch performance, artillery life, and yes, AI, successful mind. Compared to nan A17 Pro chipset, it offers up to 15% faster CPU performance, 20% faster graphics performance, and 2x faster ray tracing. The neural processing portion (NPU) capacity is very similar, but nan improved power dissipation connected nan iPhone 16 Pro intends it’ll beryllium harder to overheat your iPhone.

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That’s what each nan numbers say, but arsenic we discovered successful our iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro reviews, some phones connection fantabulous capacity successful astir conditions. The A18 Pro chipset wrong nan iPhone 16 Pro is faster than nan Tensor G4 and much apt to grip early usage cases, but neither telephone disappoints successful nan acquisition offered today.

The iPhone 16 Pro features a artillery capacity of astir 3,582mAh while nan Pixel 9 Pro has a overmuch larger 4,700mAh capacity. However, nan tight integration of hardware and package intends nan iPhone 16 Pro tin person a smaller method capacity and present somewhat amended artillery life than nan Pixel 9 Pro. In our testing, Apple’s flagship lasts up to 2 hours longer, but some phones connection all-day artillery life pinch immoderate juice to spare.

Both phones connection “fast” charging that is among nan slowest successful nan industry, and some telephone makers person opted to usage their ain modular for faster wireless charging. The iPhone 16 Pro uses MagSafe for 25-watt wireless charging, while nan Pixel 9 Pro requires nan Pixel Stand to execute 21W. However, some besides support nan Qi standard, pinch nan iPhone 16 Pro offering up to 15W speeds erstwhile charging pinch Qi2 and nan Pixel 9 Pro being tin of 12W charging erstwhile connected to a Qi charger.

The iPhone 16 Pro is very akin to nan Pixel 9 Pro, but offers somewhat amended artillery life and wide performance. The Tensor G4 is nary slouch — and vastly improved complete erstwhile years — but Apple still holds nan lead.

Winner: Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: cameras

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Both phones usage a triple-camera setup and precocious algorithms to seizure photos astatine a assortment of focal lengths. The Pixel 9 Pro has amended hardware connected paper, but each telephone has its pros and cons. Google has a flimsy advantage successful still photography and package features, but nan iPhone 16 Pro is amended for creators and anyone focused connected video.

The Pixel 9 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48MP ultrawide camera, and a 48MP periscope telephoto camera that offers up to 5x zoom. Meanwhile, nan iPhone 16 Pro uses a 48MP main camera (with nan Fusion branding) that captures high-resolution 24MP photos by default. There’s besides a 48MP ultrawide camera pinch a smaller f/2.2 aperture and a 12MP periscope telephoto camera that besides offers up to 5x zoom.

There are galore hardware similarities betwixt these 2 cameras, but it’s successful nan wider characteristic group wherever they diverge. The Pixel 9 Pro comes pinch features for illustration Add Me — which makes it easy to see everyone successful a group shot, moreover nan photographer — Auto Frame successful nan Magic Editor, Zoom Enhance to seizure much item astatine higher zoom lengths, and Reimagine to thief you reimagine photos utilizing generative AI.

The iPhone 16 Pro besides comes pinch a slate of camera features, though they’re much geared toward creators. The Camera Control button makes it easy to motorboat nan camera, swipe done different functions, and zoom successful aliases retired of a photograph aliases video. The camera power fastener will besides alteration Vision Intelligence features later this year, offering a akin acquisition to Google Lens, wherever you tin constituent nan camera astatine thing and study much astir it straightaway.

The upgrade of nan ultrawide camera to 48MP offers acold much item and amended colour reproduction. The revamped Photography Styles let you to tweak and refine your photos earlier you return them. There’s besides nan expertise to return 4K video portraits astatine 120 frames per 2nd (fps), Dolby Vision recording, and improvements to audio recording. Audio Mix allows you to take from 4 different styles and edit nan audio successful a video to lucifer this master style.

Both phones return awesome photos, and individual penchant will play into this. The iPhone 16 Pro ekes retired a win, however, acknowledgment to amended photographic styles and video recording.

Winner: Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: package and updates

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Both companies person made beardown promises astir package and updates, pinch Google promising 7 years of information and package updates for nan Pixel 9 Pro. At nan aforesaid time, Apple makes nary guarantees, but its phones person usually been supported for conscionable arsenic long, if not longer.

The Pixel 9 Pro launched connected Android 14, but tin beryllium updated to Android 15 aft nan caller launch. The update for nan Pixel 9 Pro brings a big of caller features, including nan expertise to hide delicate apps and improvements successful theft protection, nan expertise to make passkeys, and App Pairing. This past characteristic allows you to prevention combinations of 2 apps and motorboat them pinch a azygous tap.

The iPhone 16 Pro, meanwhile, ushers successful iOS 18, which introduces 1 of nan biggest overhauls to nan iPhone experience. If you’re an Android user, galore of nan caller features successful iOS 18 will consciousness familiar, because it’s nan closest that nan iPhone has ever travel to replicating nan Android experience.

Some of nan biggest iOS 18 features see a customizable location surface — you tin yet move apps wherever you want — a customizable power center, a caller backstage files for your apps, and nan expertise to fastener apps down a paywall. There are besides immense overhauls of Apple Photos, caller features successful iMessage, support for nan RCS modular for messaging, a caller Passwords manager, and overmuch more. It’s a immense overhaul of nan iPhone experience.

The iPhone 16 Pro surface adjacent to nan Pixel 9 Pro Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

Both companies are besides betting large connected AI. Google dedicated overmuch of its Pixel arena to showcasing nan powerfulness of Gemini arsenic your sound assistant. There are caller devices for creating and editing images, civilization upwind reports, a caller screenshots app, and galore much features that leverage Generative AI to usher successful a big of caller features.

Meanwhile, nan iPhone 16 Pro besides bets large connected AI, but takes a different approach. Apple Intelligence powers nan revamped Siri, but it isn’t launching until later this month. The afloat rollout of nan caller Apple Intelligence features won’t beryllium disposable until early adjacent year, and while features for illustration Apple Intelligence Summaries are immoderate of nan champion usage cases for AI, it’ll return six months from motorboat for nan iPhone 16 Pro to get nan afloat suite of AI features.

It’s worthy noting that nan Pixel 9 Pro comes pinch 1 twelvemonth of Gemini Advanced for free (after which, it’s $20 per month), while nan Apple Intelligence features connected nan iPhone 16 Pro are wholly free — isolated from for nan ChatGPT integration, which uses your existing subscription — though Apple whitethorn take to complaint for immoderate features successful nan future.

Both phones attraction connected AI, and while Apple Intelligence has a batch of promise, nan hold successful motorboat intends nan Pixel 9 Pro offers amended wide package and AI features correct now.

Winner: Pixel 9 Pro

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: value and availability

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Both phones costs $999 for 128GB of storage, and each charges a $100 premium for nan 256GB version. The Pixel 9 Pro costs $1,219 for nan 512GB and $1,449 for nan 1TB models, while nan iPhone 16 Pro costs $1,299 and $1,499, respectively.

Things get a small confusing erstwhile you see nan Pixel 9 Pro colors, however. The Porcelain and Hazel colors only travel pinch up to 512GB of storage, while nan Rose Quartz exemplary is bizarrely only disposable pinch 256GB of storage. If you want nan apical storage, you person to spell for nan Obsidian (aka Black) color.

The iPhone 16 Pro is acold simpler. The 4 titanium colour choices — Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium, and nan hero, Desert Titanium — are disposable successful each retention options.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: verdict

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Two akin phones, from 2 companies that you’ve heard of. This sums up this comparison, astatine slightest connected paper. Once you dive in, you recognize that nan differences are subtle, but they do exist.

Both phones measurement nan same, but nan iPhone 16 Pro feels lighter. The cameras are very similar, and each camera excels successful different ways. Even nan package is reasonably similar, pinch iOS 18 taking awesome strides to connection Android-esque levels of customization.

Which smartphone is best depends connected which level you prefer. If you for illustration iOS, past bargain nan iPhone 16 Pro. For Android lovers, nan Pixel 9 Pro is simply a awesome smartphone. If you want to make nan move successful either direction, there’s nary amended time, but if you’re reasoning of switching to Android, it’s worthy noting that nan Pixel 9 Pro is simply a awesome alternative, but nan OnePlus 12 is nan champion Android replacement to nan iPhone.