iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Google's New Pixel 9 Pro XL

Apple is planning to unveil its new iPhone 16 models in September, but Google decided to move its usual October smartphone announcement to August, beating Apple to new AI-powered devices. We picked up Google's new Pixel 9 Pro XL and thought we'd compare it to the iPhone 15 Pro Max since we don't have an ‌iPhone 16‌ to pit against it just yet.


Design wise, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has an iPhone look and feel, and Google has done a lot better matching software with a high-end smartphone design. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a more premium design than prior Pixel models, and this is the first time that Google has done two "Pro" models like Apple. Google didn't use titanium and instead opted for stainless steel for the chassis, so the Pixel 9 Pro is bulkier and heavier than the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max.

Google has adopted a unique camera design for the Pixel series, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a camera bar with a triple-lens setup. There's a 50-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 48-megapixel telephoto lens (with 5x zoom like the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max), and a 48-megapixel ultra wide lens, pixel binned to 12-megapixels.

That last camera is what we're expecting to see for the iPhone 16 Pro models, with Apple planning to adopt a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera that does better in low light. Right now, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models only have a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera. Pixel binning means that multiple pixels are combined to create a better image without a larger image size.

We're going to save a full camera comparison for when the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max launches, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL is taking incredible photos, which is to be expected from any premium smartphone these days.

All of the Pixel 9 smartphones have a whole host of AI features, some of which Apple can't yet match with Apple Intelligence. There's a "Reimagine" feature for adding AI objects into existing photos, which Apple has no plan to adopt. When the new Pixel phones first came out, reviewers were able to do things like add dead bodies, bombs, and blood into their images, but Google has shut that down. Google also tweaked its Pixel Studio image generation app to prevent people from using it to do things like create Nazi versions of Elmo.

Other image capabilities include "Add Me" for putting an extra person into an image (AI artifacts included), Video Boost for improving video content, and Zoom Enhance for digital zooming in further than the 5x optical zoom with enhanced clarity.

Google added Call Notes, which is essentially identical to the call recording option Apple introduced in the iOS 18.1 beta. You can record a phone call and get a transcription of what was said. The Pixel Weather app offers an AI roundup of local current and upcoming conditions, which is useful, and there's a surprisingly nice Screenshots app.

If you screenshot an article or a website, the Pixel 9 will remember where the screenshot came from and it can bring you back to that website later. It doesn't work within apps, unfortunately, but it's still nice to have.

With Gemini integrated into the Pixel 9 models instead of Google Assistant, you can have live conversations with an AI. It's definitely weird to have a chat with your phone, and that may be something that never really catches on. Plus it costs extra money because you'll need the premium version of Gemini. Overall, the Gemini integration is better with context and is more helpful than before, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to the revamped version of Siri that Apple is working on.

We'll come back to the Pixel 9 Pro XL later in 2024 and 2025 to see if Apple is able to match the feature set both with the ‌iPhone 16‌ models and with future ‌Apple Intelligence‌ capabilities.

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Top Rated Comments

vertsix Avatar
21 weeks ago
It's staggering (but great) how good the competition has gotten.

The camera performance on Pixels is great, if not better in some scenarios (especially HDR) than the 15 Pro Max. The lenses are better too. UI fluidity and optimization of Android on Pixels has gotten really good too.

The Pixel 9 is not a perfect phone though and has some drawbacks too - the modem, battery life and performance/hardware deficiencies compared to the competition. But it's still high up there and competitive.

This is great as it'll push Apple to make better iPhones going forward.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blueeyes2die4 Avatar
21 weeks ago
I have the 15 Pro Max and the Google pixel 9 Pro XL and I am honestly considering switching to the pixel full-time. It’s an excellent phone and way better than the 15 Pro Max.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DJLAXL Avatar
21 weeks ago

What makes you think that 9 Pro XL is better choice than 15 Pro Max?
Preference. Don't be a fanboy buddy
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redbeard331 Avatar
21 weeks ago
Amazing that the Pixel now has 16gb of ram, and the yet to be released iPhone 16 pro and pro max is sticking with 8gb. 8 isn’t enough to keep my 15pm from constantly reloading apps, especially if I do something extreme, like take a quick pic.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mthomas184 Avatar
21 weeks ago
Not gonna lie, I like the look of the P9 Pro camera setup. Plus when its laying on a desk, it wont have the wobble.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fontman Avatar
21 weeks ago
Unfortunately I prefer the Apple infrastructure over anything Google would have to make I'm too worried about all of their algorithms bombarding me with craziness as etc. I no longer use Google search I'm trying to get out of everything related to the company phone is a no go
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)