Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15

This time around, we’re comparing the very best Google has to offer with one of Apple’s latest smartphones. In other words, we’ll be comparing the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 is the vanilla version of the latest iPhone 15 series, it’s the most affordable phone in the series. It is very different than the Pixel 9 Pro XL, in a number of ways, not only from the design standpoint.

As we usually do, we will first list the specs of both smartphones. Following that, we’ll move to compare them across a number of different categories, including design, display, performance, battery, cameras, and audio. Let’s see what these two smartphones have to offer, shall we?

Specs

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

Apple iPhone 15

	Google Pixel 9 Pro XL	Apple iPhone 15
Dimensions	162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm	147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm
Weight	221 grams	171 grams
Display	6.8-inch LTPO OLED	6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (60Hz)
Refresh rate	1-120Hz (adaptive)	60Hz
Resolution	2992 x 1344	2556 x 1179
Chipset	Google Tensor G4	Apple A16 Bionic
RAM	16GB (LPDDR5X)	6GB
Storage	128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 3.1)	128GB/256GB/512GB
Main camera	50MP (f/1.7 aperture, 1/1.31-inch sensor size, 1.2um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS)	48MP (f/1.6 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, PDAF)
Ultra-wide camera	48MP (f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 123-degree FoV, dual pixel PDAF)	12MP (f/2.4 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size)
Telephoto camera	N/A	N/A
Periscope telephoto camera	48MP (f/2.8 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom)	N/A
Selfie camera	42MP (f/2.2 aperture, PDAF)	12MP (f/1.9 aperture, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, 1.0um pixel size, PDAF)
Battery size	5,060mAh	3,349mAh
Charging	37W wired, 23W wireless (Pixel Stand), 12W wireless (Qi), 5W reverse wired (charger not included)	20W wired, 15W MagSafe & Qi2 wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
Colors	Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, Obsidian	Black, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15: Design

Both of these phones are made out of metal and glass. They both utilize aluminum for their frames, but the backplates use different glass. It’s the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, while we’re not sure about the iPhone 15. Both phones have a flat frame all around, which is slightly rounded towards the edges. You’ll also notice flat displays on both phones. The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s has a display camera hole, which is centered up top. The iPhone 15 has a pill-shaped cutout up there, the so-called Dynamic Island.

The bezels around both displays are quite thin and uniform. They’re not the thinnest around, but they’re quite thin, and not many people will complain about that. The Pixel 9 Pro XL includes a power/lock button on the right side, and it’s located right above the volume up and down keys. The iPhone 15 has a power/lock key on the right, while its volume up and down buttons are on the left. What you’ll also find on the left side is an alert slider.

If we flip the two phones around, you’ll notice considerably different camera modules. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a horizontal camera bar, which does protrude quite a bit, and includes three cameras. The iPhone 15 includes a camera module in the top-left corner, with two cameras. Both phones have a flat glass backplate. You’ll also notice that the logo of each company sits in the very middle.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is a considerably taller, wider, and slightly thicker phone. It also weighs a lot more. It is 50 grams heavier, which is not surprising considering the size difference. Both smartphones come with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15: Display

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL features a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display. That panel is flat, and it supports HDR10+ content. It has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz), while the peak brightness the display can offer is 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 88%, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. The resolution you’ll be getting here is 2992 x 1344. This display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

The Apple iPhone 15, on the flip side, has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, while it’s also flat. It has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The resolution here is 2556 x 1179 pixels, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 86%. The display aspect ratio this phone offers is 19.5:9. This display is protected by the Ceramic Shield glass.

Both of these displays are really good, actually. They’re both more than sharp enough, and they offer great viewing angles. They’re also quite vivid, and do have deep blacks, not to mention good touch response. The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s display does get a bit brigther, but both are bright enough. What neither of these two displays has is a high-frequency PWM dimming, unlike many of the competitors. Most people will be happy with either of these two panels, though.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15: Performance

The Google Tensor G4 processor fuels the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. That is a 4nm chip from Google. It is paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside this phone. Google is also using UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Apple iPhone 15 is fueled by the Apple A16 Bionic chip. That is also a 4nm processor, and it’s paired with 6GB of RAM here. Apple is using NVMe flash storage. Neither phone supports storage expansion, by the way.

You’ll be glad to hear that both of these phones do deliver in the performance department. They offer really good day-to-day performance with no lag, essentially. Neither of these two chips are the most powerful out there at this point, but they’re very compelling still, and the performance does reflect that. Both phones can open apps really fast, do a great job with multitasking, and so on.

What about gaming, though? Well, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is not made for gaming, that’s for sure. It can run games, but if you’re playing a lot of graphically-intensive titles, there are better phones out there. The iPhone 15 can still run basically anything you throw at it, but there are better iPhones out there for gaming performance. Either way, as long as you’re not a hardcore gamer, both of these phones can handle it.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15: Battery

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL comes with a 5,060mAh battery on the inside. The iPhone 15 includes a 3,349mAh battery. Apple’s iPhones usually have smaller battery packs than their Android counterparts, and then there’s the size factor too. The iPhone 15 has a much smaller display to power. Both of these phones do offer rather good battery life, though, not the best out there, but not bad either.

For most users, both of these devices will be able to last until the end of the day on a single charge. They can reach respectable levels when it comes to screen-on time, as long as you’re not bashing them with games all the time. They’re on a similar level in terms of battery life, we’d say, we wouldn’t really give an advantage to either one. Google really improved the battery life on its Pixel phones when it introduced a new modem with the Pixel 9 series.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL supports 37W wired, 23W wireless (Pixel Stand), 12W wireless (Qi), and 5W reverse wireless charging. The Apple iPhone 15, on the other hand, supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The Pixel 9 Pro XL does charge faster. It can be fully charged in around an hour and 20 minutes. It will take the iPhone 15 around an hour and 50 minutes. Do note that neither phone ships with a charger, though.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 15: Cameras

Google’s handset has three cameras on the back. It includes a 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.31-inch sensor size), along with a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 123-degree FoV), and a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom).

The Apple iPhone 15, on the other hand, includes two cameras on the back. Apple opted for a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor size), and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV). Apple handset does lack any type of telephoto camera on the back, while it technically has inferior main and ultrawide cameras too.

The iPhone 15 can shoot good pictures, though. Its images are well-balanced, and they’re usually closer to real life than what the Pixel 9 Pro XL offers. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is better overall, though. Its images may look processed, but in a good way. It also does a better job with HDR and low-light shots, not to mention that its ultrawide and zoom images are better than what the iPhone 15 offers.

Audio

Both of these phones have stereo speakers. The ones on the Pixel 9 Pro XL are a bit louder in comparison, but the difference is not that big. The sound output from both sets of speakers is really good, though.

There is no audio jack on either phone. You can use their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones, if you want. Alternatively, Bluetooth 5.3 is on offer by both smartphones, for wireless connectivity.