Pixel 9 vs. iPhone 15: The winner might surprise you

The arrival of Google’s new Pixel 9 raises a very interesting dilemma for platform-agnostic smartphone buyers.

On one side, we have the good old trusty iPhone 15. I say “old” because it was released last September. And then there’s its new successor, the iPhone 16, which is due to be released in about a month.

Next up we have the new Google Pixel 9, which is not to be confused with the new Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL. do not have It’s the most powerful new Google smartphone, but it’s still powerful and is best compared directly to the iPhone 15, at least until the iPhone 16 is released.

Let’s say you’re happy with Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS platforms and you need a new smartphone. The question is whether you should buy the very new and very premium Google Pixel 9, or the not-so-new Apple iPhone 15, or wait for the iPhone 16 and see what happens. after that It’s not an easy decision to make, but we have some thoughts on the matter.

Learn more about the Pixel 9 here. Completely It has a different design than its predecessor, with a huge camera bump on the back. The display is a bit bigger, brighter and better than before. Plus, it has a vastly improved ultra-wide camera and a new Google Tensor G4 chip inside. It’s a big improvement over the Pixel 8 and puts it on par with the iPhone 15.

Pixel 9 and iPhone 15 prices

Both the new Pixel 9 and Apple’s iPhone 15 start at the exact same price, $799. (The iPhone 15 can be purchased from Apple’s official website, while the Pixel 9 can be purchased from Google’s official product page.)

Both phones offer 128GB of storage for the price, so it’s a dead tie for now.

Pixel 9 and iPhone 15 design

Of course, this depends on each person’s preferences, but it’s arguably a bit unfair to compare them since the Pixel 9 is the latest model, while the iPhone 15 has been on the market for almost a year.

In any case, both smartphones have significant design changes compared to their predecessors: the iPhone 15 has the Dynamic Islands feature (first introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro) and the characteristic black circular cutout that sets it apart from most non-Apple smartphones. The presence of two cameras on the back and the lack of a third sensor (such as a telephoto) immediately makes it clear that it is not actually a Pro model, but it still looks very fresh in our opinion. Blue, pink, yellow, green, black.

Meanwhile, the front of the Pixel 9 looks pretty much like any other Android phone, with a small circular cutout for the selfie camera and rounded corners, but the back has a large pill-shaped camera bump that sets it apart from the drab design of the Pixel 8. The Pixel 9 comes in these color options: Obsidian, porcelain, wintergreen, peony.

Pixel 9 vs iPhone 15 specs comparison

The iPhone 15 has a 6.1-inch OLED display with a dynamic island cutout on top and a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits. It’s powered by Apple’s A16 Bionic chip, starts with 128GB of storage, and has a 48-megapixel camera on the back and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor.

The battery is good for 20 hours of video playback and is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. Exclusive Apple features include Face ID, MagSafe accessories and charging, the Siri digital assistant (further improvements coming in iOS 18), car crash detection, and the ability to send emergency messages via satellite when there’s no cellular connection.

The Pixel 9 has a slightly larger 6.3-inch Actua display with a maximum brightness of 2,700 nits. It’s powered by Google’s Tensor G4 chip and has 12GB of RAM and 128GB of stock storage. According to Google’s specs, the battery should last more than 24 hours, and the camera system consists of a 50-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera.

The Google phone is also IP68-rated for dust and water resistance. It has the same safety features as the iPhone, including satellite SOS messaging and car crash detection. Perhaps its most important feature is how smart Google’s software and AI are, which are typically the best on a Pixel phone and give you access to features coming to other Android phones later.

Pixel 9 vs iPhone 15 battery life

These two companies have very different ways of rating the battery life of their smartphones. According to Google, the Pixel 9 has a battery life of over 24 hours, which can be extended up to 100 hours with Extreme Battery Saver. Google also revealed that the standard battery capacity of the Pixel 9 is 4,700mAh.

Apple didn’t say how much battery the iPhone 15 will have (reportedly 3,349mAh), nor did it provide a rating for typical usage. Instead, the company said it’ll offer up to 20 hours of video playback, 16 hours of streaming video playback, and up to 80 hours of audio playback.

Pixel 9 and iPhone 15 cameras

I haven’t had the time to thoroughly experiment with the Pixel 9’s camera, so this post needs to be short.

The specs are similar: the iPhone 15 has a 48-megapixel main camera with 2x optical zoom and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, which I found to be pretty good unless you really need the zoom.

The Pixel 9 is a bit more powerful in terms of specs. It has a 50MP main camera with 2x optical zoom and a 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera with macro mode. The megapixel count here isn’t necessarily important; image processing and software algorithms can step in and make up for hardware limitations, and they do it well. For example, I’ve reviewed some cameras with higher megapixel counts but worse performance. Still, Pixel phones have a reputation for delivering better photos, thanks to Google’s AI enhancements.

I need to get the Google Pixel 9 and iPhone 15 cameras to review Really Test them.

Pixel 9 vs. iPhone 15: AI

Ah, this is a tricky one. Broadly speaking, Google is ahead of Apple when it comes to AI, but Google has its problems. Apple has big plans for the iPhone, some of which will arrive in iOS 18 (also applies to the iPhone 15), some of which will arrive later. To complicate things further, Apple is reportedly planning to incorporate Google Gemini into Apple Intelligence.

So, it is difficult to say which smartphone will be better in terms of AI-related features in the long run. But for now, the iPhone 15 is very limited in terms of AI, while the Google Pixel 9 already has Gemini and has a ton of AI-enhanced features integrated into Google services like Gmail and Google Maps. Let’s stay with the status quo and call it a win for now.

Google Pixel 9 vs Apple iPhone 15: Which should you buy?

For the vast majority of users, it’s all about the ecosystem: your preference for Android or iOS will determine your next phone choice (though among Android devices, the Google Pixel 9 is the top choice). For those who don’t have a preference for either operating system, the Pixel 9 wins by a narrow margin over the iPhone 15.

Sure, it’s comparable to the iPhone in most respects, but it’s slightly larger, has a brighter display, and even has better AI integration.

However, keep in mind that all this could change when the iPhone 16 launches in a month’s time.