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The current battle of the Android titans is between the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and theGooglePixel 9 Pro XL.
Both are fantastic flagship phones, but if you’re shopping for phones, you might only pick one.
Galaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
Samsung’sGalaxy S25 Ultrais the newer, and more expensive.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is older, having launched in August 2024.
The Pixel 9 Pro is obviously the more affordable of these two phones.
Galaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
The Google phone doesn’t have an equivalent.
Samsung offers a surprisingly wide number of color options for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Google has four colors for the Pixel 9 Pro XL: Obsidian, Porcelain, Hazel and Rose Quartz.
That’s half of Samsung’s offering but still likely enough variety for most people.
A quick word on durability.
But out of the gate, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is superior.
But let’s look at some real-life comparisons to see how these specs impact actual performance.
The increased sharpness of the S25 Ultra does give it a slight edge though.
The big difference in benchmark scores doesn’t translate 1:1.
But things are reversed when we look at storage capacities.
But the battery life those cells offer vary drastically.
Samsung wins on charging as well.
Galaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
The Pixel 9 Pro XL also supports 15W charging, but only with Google’s own charging stand.
Otherwise, you get 12W from a generic wireless charger.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra also comes with the S Pen included.
Pixel 9 Pro XL(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / John Velasco)
Either way, there’s currently no better offer for extended support in the smartphone market.
