Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Pixel 8 Pro: Which is Better?

Samsung finally launched its most anticipated smartphone, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and like every year, it should turn out to be the best Android phone that money can buy. On the other hand, Google launched the Pixel 8 Pro last year and received high praise for it, with users claiming it to be “the best Pixel ever.” But which is better? Samsung or Pixel? To find out, here’s our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Vs Google Pixel 8 Pro comparison.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Design and Display

Samsung took the Apple way with the Galaxy S24 series and the S24 Ultra comes with a Titanium frame, compared to the aluminum frame on the Pixel 8 Pro. You may already know that Titanium is much lighter and stronger than Aluminum; hence the S24 Ultra can probably survive drops better than the Pixel 8 Pro.

Besides, the S24 Ultra features a flat display at the front which is protected by Corning’s latest Gorilla Armor. The Pixel 8 Pro also has a flat display but features Corning’s older Gorilla Glass 2.

The display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung’s new Dynamic AMOLED flat display. It is a 6.8-inch 2K LTPO panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and can get as bright as 2,600 nits. As for Pixel 8 Pro’s display, it is also a 2K LTPO AMOLED panel and what Google calls a “Super Actua” display. It too refreshes at 120Hz and can get as bright as 2,400 nits under direct sunlight. Both the displays are capable of showing 10-bit HDR10+.

Samsung flagships are known for their displays but Google upped the ante with its Pixel 8 series display panels as they were praised widely after the launch. Since Samsung is using a new panel and Pixel 8 Pro uses the Samsung M13 AMOLED and BOE panels which are old, the Galaxy S24 Ultra should have a better display, on paper.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Performance

Performance is an easy win for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, both on the Qualcomm and Exynos sides. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the most powerful SoC right now, surpassing even Apple’s A17 Pro Bionic in performance numbers. Exynos 2400, on the other hand, IS the upcoming Tensor G4, since Google’s Tensor SoCs are based on Exynos; hence it’s confirmed to perform better than the Tensor G3.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is an octa-core SoC with 1x Cortex-X4 core clocked at 3.3 GHz, 3x Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 3.15 GHz, 2x Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 2.86 GHz, and 2x Cortex-A520 cores clocked at 2.26 GHz. While we don’t believe higher performance numbers are everything, to get a rough idea about the performance difference, the 8 Gen 3 scores just over 2 million in AnTuTu 10 whereas the Tensor G3 scores are just a shy above half of 8 Gen 3’s score, 1.1 million.

Not to mention, the Galaxy S24 Ultra features the more recent UFS 4.0 storage whereas the Pixel 8 Pro uses the older UFS 3.1. UFS 4.0 is at least two times faster than UFS 3.1 on paper with twice the read and write speeds and increased storage capacities. It’s an area where Samsung easily takes the win.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Cameras

Both phones come with great cameras and features and trade blows with each other. On one hand, you have Google’s post-processing which is capable of producing contrasty, sharp, and high HDR imagery but with true-to-life colors and greatly improved video capabilities with tons of AI features for both photos and videos. On the other hand, there’s Samsung with its warmer and more saturated imagery, videos, and arguably better nighttime shots, and still not so many AI features baked in.

Like the S23 Ultra, the S24 Ultra comes with a quad camera setup. The primary camera is a 200 MP shooter which bins the images down to 12 MP. The secondary is a 50 MP periscope camera capable of 10x optical zoom, the third camera is a 10 MP Telephotoo capable of 3x optical zoom, and the final 12 MP Ultrawide is, well, an ultrawide. All three cameras except the ultrawide have OIS.

The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, comes with a 50 MP main shooter, a 48 MP Telephoto camera capable of 5x Zoom, and the last one is a 48 MP Ultrawide camera. All lenses, besides the Ultrawide, have OIS.

Hardware-wise, Samsung does have the edge with an extra Telephoto lens and a 200 MP sensor, not because of the Megapixel count, but its ability to capture images and combine more data from the images to form a sharper and brighter image. The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, has a better Ultrawide camera, on paper.

However, what Pixel does have up its sleeve are a slew of outstanding AI features such as Magic Editor, an improved Magic Eraser, Video Boost, Night Sight for video, Best Take, and more. Samsung, on the other hand, introduced its own AI features such as its version of Magic Editor called Generative Edit and Nightography Zoom.

Samsung doesn’t pack much software and AI-wise but it will be interesting to see which one comes out on top. It’s tough to assume a clear winner just yet so stay tuned for our comprehensive review of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Battery

The Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 5,000 mAh battery whereas the Pixel 8 Pro hosts a 5,050 mAh cell. The former charges at 45W and can wirelessly charge at 15W, whereas the latter can charge at 30W and wirelessly charge at 23W.

Despite the battery capacities being similar and the similar 4nm manufacturing process, the Galaxy S23 Ultra takes this round because of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s efficiency. Tensor G3 is known for throttling and tries to extend battery life while performance takes a hit. This shouldn’t be the case with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: OS Updates

Google took the Tech space by storm by announcing Pixel 8 series would get 7 years of major Android updates. While we thought no one could top the same, Samsung has also announced the same for the Galaxy S24 series. This means both the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra will be getting all the major updates until 2030 and 2031, respectively. The winners of this section are the consumers.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Storage Variants and Colors

The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes in three storage variants — 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 12GB/1TB, whereas the Pixel 8 Pro comes in four storage variants — 12/128G, 12/256GB, 12/512GB, and 12GB/1TB. The S24 Ultra comes in four colors — Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, Titanium Gray, and Titanium Yellow, whereas the Pixel 8 Pro comes in three colors — Obsidian, Porcelain, and Bay.

Visually, we think both phones look spectacular and all color variants are elegant. However, if we had to choose one color variant from both, it’d be Titanium Violet S24 Ultra and Bay Pixel 8 Pro.

Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Pricing

The S24 Ultra comes at $1,300 whereas the 256GB Pixel 8 Pro variant costs $859 as of writing this. Both are great smartphones but you may lean toward one of them based on your requirements and the ecosystem you’re into. If performance, better display, faster charging, 10x periscope, and better battery life are what you’re looking for, and if you’re already invested in Samsung’s Ecosystem, the S24 Ultra would be a better pick.

However, if you can sacrifice performance, especially gaming, or if you like the photos that come out of Pixels and if comprehensive AI camera features and new feature drops excite you, Pixel 8 Pro is for you.

Not to mention, the price of the 8 Pro has already dropped from $1059 for the 256GB variant to $859 and may drop more if you wait for a few months. As a result, it’s a much cheaper and better value-for-money deal than the S24 Ultra which starts at $1,300.