Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Pixel 8 Pro: Which Android Flagship Is Better?

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung's flagship phone for 2024, while the Pixel 8 Pro is Google's best offering despite coming out in 2023. So, how do these two flagships compare against each other, and which one comes out on top? Find out below.

Pricing and Storage Options

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: $1,299 for 256GB; $1,419 for 512GB; $1,659 for 1TB
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: $999 for 128GB; $1,059 for 256GB; $1,179 for 512GB; $1,399 for 1TB

There's a big difference in the pricing of the Pixel 8 Pro and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Despite both being the flagship phones of their respective companies, Google's phone is $300 cheaper than the S24 Ultra. While the Pixel 8 Pro starts with 128GB base storage, it only costs an additional $59 to upgrade to the 256GB model.

At $1,299, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is among the most expensive flagship Android phones available. But for that price, you get a phone with a titanium frame, a big and bright display, great battery life, and cutting-edge camera hardware.

Both Samsung and Google offer heavy discounts on their phones. You can often get a $150 promotional credit if you purchase the S24 Ultra on Amazon, which drops the effective price to $1,150. On the other hand, the Pixel 8 Pro is listed on Amazon for $950 for the 128GB variant.

Design and Build Quality

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm; 233 grams; IP68 water and dust resistant
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: 162.6 x 76.5 x 8.8 mm; 213 grams; IP68 water and dust resistant

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a boxy design and packs minor refinements over its predecessor. A significant change in build quality is the switch to titanium edges for the chassis, similar to what Apple did with the iPhone 15 Pro series. You may not immediately notice this change, but the new material should be more durable than the outgoing Armor Aluminum frame.

The S24 Ultra comes with an S Pen, which you can use to jot down notes on the screen, doodle on images, and more. The flat display means there is more area for you to scribble on, and the stylus won't slip off the glass when you are near the display's edge.

On the other hand, the Pixel 8 Pro has a more rounded design, with a distinct camera island at the rear. However, it uses an aluminum construction instead of titanium. While the Pixel 8 Pro feels premium, the S24 Ultra feels better put together and is a level above Google's offering in build quality.

If you find the S24 Ultra too big or bulky, you will like the Pixel 8 Pro's design with rounded edges. This allows the phone to comfortably sit in your palm, making it better for extended use.

Display Comparison

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x; 1Hz–120Hz variable refresh rate; 1440 x 3088 resolution; 2,600 nits peak brightness
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: 6.7-inch Super Actua OLED display; 1Hz–120Hz variable refresh rate; 1344 x 2992 resolution; 2,400 nits peak brightness

You don't have to worry about the display quality on either of these devices. The Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED panel with a dynamic 1-120Hz refresh rate and a rated peak brightness of 2,400 nits. You get a similar display with the S24 Ultra, but it's slightly bigger at 6.8 inches and delivers a peak brightness of 2,600 nits.

While both displays are impressive, the S24 Ultra has a big advantage thanks to Corning's Gorilla Glass Armor. Besides being more scratch-resistant, Samsung claims this glass helps reduce reflections by roughly 75%. This difference is easily visible in daily use, especially when you use it outdoors.

Performance and Efficiency

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy; 12GB LPDDR5X RAM;UFS 4.0 storage
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: Google Tensor G3; 12GB LPDDR5X RAM; UFS 3.1 storage

The Galaxy S24 Ultra uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip. This is Qualcomm's flagship mobile processor for 2024, known for its power and efficiency. Samsung has coupled the powerful chip with 12GB RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

The Pixel 8 Pro is powered by Google's third-generation Tensor G3 chip, known for its AI and ML capabilities. Compared to the Tensor G1, Google claims the Pixel 8 Pro with Tensor G3 can run more than twice as many machine learning models on-device.

While Tensor G3 is impressive, it's not as efficient as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The former is fabricated on Samsung's 4nm node, while Qualcomm uses TSMC's enhanced 4nm node, which is much more efficient. Google also uses slower UFS 3.1 NAND storage on the Pixel 8.

Both companies promise seven years of OS upgrades and security updates for their flagships. So, you can use them for years without worrying about software updates. The Galaxy AI features on the S24 Ultra are similar to those on the Pixel 8 Pro, so you don't have to decide between the two phones based on their AI features.

Camera Configuration and Quality

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 200MP f/1.7 primary, OIS, Laser AF, 8K video at 30FPS; 50 MP f/3.4 periscope telephoto with 5x optical zoom, OIS; 10MP f/2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom, OIS; 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, macro photography; Front: 12MP, f/2.2, 4K video at 60FPS
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: 50MP f/1.68 primary, OIS, Laser AF, 4K video at 60FPS; 48MP f/1.95 ultra-wide (125.5-degree FoV), macro photography; 48MP f/2.8 telephoto, OIS, 5x optical zoom; Front: 10.5MP f/2.2, 4K video at 60FPS

The Galaxy S24 Ultra packs four cameras, while the Pixel 8 Pro ships with three. The main difference is that the Pixel has a 50MP primary shooter, while the S24 Ultra has a 200MP primary shooter.

Both phones ship with 5x optical and ultra-wide cameras, though the Pixel uses a higher-resolution sensor for the latter. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a dedicated 3x 10MP telephoto lens, which allows it to shoot better pictures at that zoom level than the Pixel.

Despite the big difference in resolution of their primary cameras, the S24 Ultra can't take noticeably better photos than the Pixel 8 Pro. That's because Google's software processing trumps that of Samsung. Plus, the Pixel 8 Pro is better at capturing moving subjects, which is an area Samsung struggles with.

The Pixel 8 Pro is a better point-and-shoot camera, but you can get better photos from the S24 Ultra through its Pro mode or Samsung's Expert RAW app. Also, as we noted in our Galaxy S24 Ultra review, the camera performance is inconsistent, especially in low-light situations.

On the bright side, the Galaxy S24 Ultra can shoot better-quality videos at up to 8K resolution. However, the Pixel 8 Pro has the AI-powered Video Boost feature, which can help improve the quality of your videos. For the feature to work, however, you must use Google Photos to upload all the media you shoot.

Battery Life and Charging

• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 5,000mAh; 45W wired, 65 percent in 30 minutes; 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless
• Google Pixel 8 Pro: 5,050mAh battery; 30W wired and 23W wireless charging; reverse wireless charging

The Galaxy S24 Ultra should be your top choice if battery life is a priority. Thanks to its 5,000mAh battery coupled with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip's efficiency gains, the S24 Ultra can deliver all-day battery life. You can easily get six to seven hours of screen-on time regardless of whether you are connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data.

While the Pixel 8 Pro also ships with a beefy 5,050mAh cell, it delivers inconsistent battery life. It will last you a day, but if you use your phone heavily for gaming or take a lot of videos, you will need to top up the cell in the evening.

To make things worse, the Pixel 8 Pro's Exynos modem is less efficient than the Snapdragon modem inside the S24 Ultra. Due to this, the battery drains notably faster when using cellular data.

Neither phone will impress you when it comes to charging speeds, though the Galaxy flagship fares better. The Pixel 8 Pro tops up at up to 30W speeds (wired), while the S24 Ultra hits a peak speed of 45W. Google's phone takes around 80 minutes to go from 0 to 100%. In comparison, the S24 Ultra can get to 100% in 60–65 minutes.

The Pixel supports faster 23W wireless charging speed, but you only get that with the Pixel Stand (2nd gen). Samsung's phone can pull 15W of power wirelessly through a Qi charger. Unfortunately, both phones lack support for the newer Qi2 wireless charging standard, which can be a dealbreaker for some.

All in all, you can't go wrong with either of these phones. If you have to choose between the two, decide what's more important for you. If you want a workhorse with all-day battery life, excellent performance, and decent cameras, the S24 Ultra will suffice. And if you need the best camera performance, the Pixel 8 Pro has a slight edge.

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