Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Samsung S24 Ultra | Super confused

[honest1]

Guys, super confused between the two

What I love in S24 Ultra:
- Many usable features which are missing in Pixel
- Availbility of service centres
- Fast processor (I am not into gaming)

What I dont like:
- Fluidity in overall UI is not there as compared to Pixel
- very common phone
- S-pen is not useful for my use case
- Too many gimmiky features


What I love in Pixel series:
- Super fluid UI and great day to day experience
- Impeccable camera (I know, whatever I will shoot, the photos will turn out to be good only)
- stand out amongst the crowd

What I dont love in Pixel series:
- High prices (but there is an option to get it from US, sacrificing the warranty )
- hard to get it repaired
- very less features

What are your thoughts?
Any quirks I should know about? Help me (any many others) to make the right choice!

TIA !

 

[altair21]

not gonna vote for both, because Pixel drawbacks like you said and S25 series is just around the corner, just one thing, if you do get the pixel, wait for 6 months atleast, let the initial batch sell out, there's always problems with Google's initial batch that isnt present in the later ones

P.S. unless you are an avid photographer or mostly take low light/night shots, you wont find any difference between S24 ultra and pixel cameras unless you really take to pixel peeping.

 

[desiibond]

I would go with s24 ultra. Pixels have really bad service and support in India. Only recently they have started to setup service centers in India and people are companing shoddy service. Moreover, you get better resale value fr Samsung ultra phones compared to Pixels.

P9 pro xl is IMO overpriced. It may have bit better battery life but don't think it offers much advantage over pixel 8 pro that costs about 30k less. S24 ultra is availanle foe 1.06L now on Amazon and at that price, there is no comparison. That Spen, DeX mode etc add more value.
If you are paying more than 1 lakh for a product, do no take a chance with service and warranty.

 

[Stronk]

S25 series is just around the corner

I know time can be highly subjective, but I wouldn't say that something that will only release in about 5-6months as "just around the corner". Sure, it's less than a year but by that logic, one can then wait for the Pixel 10 series which would also be "just around the corner" from the likely launch date of S25 series and so on.

As a current S23 Ultra user, I am probably biased but I can highly recommend the S24 Ultra. As already mentioned, the Pixel's lack of software features compared to OneUI is what also held me back from choosing it (and other flagship phones) over the Samsung and I'm very glad I did so. Moreover, if I am spending flagship prices, I want flagship performance and battery life - and the Pixel is worse than the Samsung on both these metrics.

I can't do without features such as Adapt Sound and all the extra goodies in the form of Good Lock and others, especially the feature where I can customize the location of menu items in the Settings app.

 

[sauravghosh]

Samsung has a great camera which turns blood red to almost orangish red. Pixels unable to do that. Seriously the camera on the Samsungs. Lmao. I guess their main users are those instagrammers.

Anyway, both overpriced AF. Pixel 9 has fixed the biggest issues they have had since forever, battery life (still not better than s24u just tbc), a strong modem meaning good reception finally, and the thermals are better too. After sales remains crap though, keep that in mind.

 

[whizzkid]

If you're fixed between the 2, I think I'd have to say the S24 Ultra but I'd also urge you to check out the Oneplus 12. Great phone for the price with great battery life and insane charging speeds. And its also super fluid which seems to be a consideration for you.

 

[enc0dex264]

Ive had exposure to multiple pixels.. I don't think I've ever owned a pixel or met someone with a pixel who did not experience absolute trash battery life.

They can promise me the world but im never buying a Exynos based device ever again in my life.

I would also urge you to consider the zfold6.. the front screen is a very usable size now.. its almost the same size as a pixel 6a and it's not very thick.. its about the same thickness as a s24 but much thinner which makes 1 handed use possible.. and for when you need a bigger screen you have that too but has worse camera than s24.

If camera is your priority.. I don't think androids are the way too go.. iPhone 16 launches in a day or two.

 

[altair21]

I know time can be highly subjective, but I wouldn't say that something that will only release in about 5-6months as "just around the corner". Sure, it's less than a year but by that logic, one can then wait for the Pixel 10 series which would also be "just around the corner" from the likely launch date of S25 series and so on.

huh? arent the S series announced around new year's and released in jan? iirc S24 series was released in mid-jan. For me, 3-4 months is just around the corner specially if I am gonna sink 1L+ on a phone, but to each their own

If you're fixed between the 2, I think I'd have to say the S24 Ultra but I'd also urge you to check out the Oneplus 12. Great phone for the price with great battery life and insane charging speeds. And its also super fluid which seems to be a consideration for you.

I would steer clear of OP for now, first it was the display thing, now 9/10 are having motherboard issues apparently

If camera is your priority.. I don't think androids are the way too go.. iPhone 16 launches in a day or two.

for camera, pixel is the best, but thats about the only thing pixel excels at, aside from fluidity of OS

 

[whizzkid]

I would steer clear of OP for now, first it was the display thing, now 9/10 are having motherboard issues apparently

for camera, pixel is the best, but thats about the only thing pixel excels at, aside from fluidity of OS

The Display issue is for the older models and the OP 12 is exempt from it. Are the 12's having the motherboard issues?

If camera is your priority.. I don't think androids are the way too go.. iPhone 16 launches in a day or two.

I think i'm going to have to disagree. I have a couple of friends with the iphone 15 pro and comparing that to my S22+ my phone tends to return photos that tend to have a higher dynamic range and also makes sure the subject (mostly humans) are well lit and that their face is visible.

 

[honest1]

P.S. I am not going for iPhones and will be sticking to Android.

Coming back, If someone asks me about my priority, it will be Camera for sure and then everything else will come. Now when it comes to cameras, I want something which is good in every condition, daylight, nightlight, etc!

 

[enc0dex264]

S24U is the only real option then imo.

 

[altair21]

P.S. I am not going for iPhones and will be sticking to Android.

Coming back, If someone asks me about my priority, it will be Camera for sure and then everything else will come. Now when it comes to cameras, I want something which is good in every condition, daylight, nightlight, etc!

Pixel if camera is the only thing you want, check mbkhd's blind camera test for reference

 

[whizzkid]

P.S. I am not going for iPhones and will be sticking to Android.

Coming back, If someone asks me about my priority, it will be Camera for sure and then everything else will come. Now when it comes to cameras, I want something which is good in every condition, daylight, nightlight, etc!

Pixel if camera is the only thing you want, check mbkhd's blind camera test for reference

The pixel might be slightly better but its not to the point where u would disregard the s24 Ultra. But as an overall phone the S24U comes with the SD8G3 which is a lot better with heating, power consumption, etc which leads to better battery life.

 

[altair21]

The pixel might be slightly better but its not to the point where u would disregard the s24 Ultra. But as an overall phone the S24U comes with the SD8G3 which is a lot better with heating, power consumption, etc which leads to better battery life.

if the S24U camera is anywhere like S23U, then check out MBKHD's blind camera test, there's a stark difference when compared side by side but yeah for normal peeps, they wont notice it

 

[sauravghosh]

Coming back, If someone asks me about my priority, it will be Camera for sure and then everything else will come. Now when it comes to cameras, I want something which is good in every condition, daylight, nightlight, etc!

It's easy then. Type phone A vs phone B camera comparison on YouTube and see. And check gsma photo comparison tool as well.

You didn't mention whether still camera is your only priority or video recording is also required. Video is better on the Samsung just to be clear. Also remeber there are many other things just beyond the end photo quality, like shutter lag etc. If you happen to take photo of fast moving objects Pixel is the way to go. In fact it's the only phone with the least amount of shutter lag while Samsung being the highest

 

[honest1]

It's easy then. Type phone A vs phone B camera comparison on YouTube and see. And check gsma photo comparison tool as well.

You didn't mention whether still camera is your only priority or video recording is also required. Video is better on the Samsung just to be clear. Also remeber there are many other things just beyond the end photo quality, like shutter lag etc. If you happen to take photo of fast moving objects Pixel is the way to go. In fact it's the only phone with the least amount of shutter lag while Samsung being the highest

So, its mostly the still photos which I take and as you rightly mentioned, Pixel is THE phone to take photos of fast moving objects without any kind of blur!

if the S24U camera is anywhere like S23U, then check out MBKHD's blind camera test, there's a stark difference when compared side by side but yeah for normal peeps, they wont notice it

I did and the top 3 spots were of Pixel phones !!!

The pixel might be slightly better but its not to the point where u would disregard the s24 Ultra. But as an overall phone the S24U comes with the SD8G3 which is a lot better with heating, power consumption, etc which leads to better battery life.

I do agree, the raw power of S24 is unmatched and Pixel must be around 60% of what S24's capabilities !

 

[Stronk]

huh? arent the S series announced around new year's and released in jan? iirc S24 series was released in mid-jan. For me, 3-4 months is just around the corner specially if I am gonna sink 1L+ on a phone, but to each their own

Fair enough. S Series are announced in Jan and usually release in Feb or March though, hence why I said it's nearly 6 months away. But if you're happy to wait then yeah not a bad idea at all

 

[honest1]

With all logical points, S24U is the clear choice but as I mentioned, for me, Camera is of the top priority and I think in that department, it beats every other phone !

On a separate note, while I was thinking of Pixel 9, another thing which came into mind is to save money and get Pixel 8 Pro in BBS!

 

[whizzkid]

With all logical points, S24U is the clear choice but as I mentioned, for me, Camera is of the top priority and I think in that department, it beats every other phone !

On a separate note, while I was thinking of Pixel 9, another thing which came into mind is to save money and get Pixel 8 Pro in BBS!

Yeah i think that's really a personal preference, since i tend to prefer the photos that the samsung takes compared to the pixels ive seen.

I wouldn't recommend the pixel 8 pro its not a great phone in general imo. Older exynos so much worse than the current gen leading to worse battery life , shitty fingerprint scanner as well

 

[altair21]

On a separate note, while I was thinking of Pixel 9, another thing which came into mind is to save money and get Pixel 8 Pro in BBS!

battery/heating/network issues, wont recommend grabbing 8 at all, supposedly these all are fixed with 9, but I'll take that with a grain of salt