Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

Google's Pixel 9 Pro XL is a few months old now and has to face a brand new Galaxy Ultra. Meanwhile, Samsung's latest S Pen-wielding flagship has lost some of its S Pen capabilities and doesn't bring major generational improvements. Is this battle between Android juggernauts all going to come down to subjective preference, or are numbers also going to have a say in it? We'll try and find out if there are any real winners between these two.

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For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor's assessment in the following text.

Size comparison

Samsung
Galaxy S25 Ultra
218 g
162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm
(6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in)
Google
Pixel 9 Pro XL
221 g
162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm
(6.41 x 3.02 x 0.33 in)

Samsung did some fine tuning with the dimensions this year, and the S25 Ultra is a little narrower and a little thinner than last year's model. The Pixel also lost a few tenths of a millimeter from its thickness compared to the old one, but remains slightly thicker than the Galaxy, but it's still narrower by a whole millimeter. Both are equally tall.

What the raw numbers don't tell you, but the pictures might (and we'll try to explain just now), is that the Galaxy is tangibly blockier and will tend to be that little bit more prone to eat out a hole in your jeans given enough time. Yes, the new Ultra does handle well, but the Pixel's more fluid shapes feel more natural and organic.

The Galaxy uses newer and potentially more durable materials in its build. Both of its panels are made of Gorilla Armor 2, while the Pixel uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the Ultra's frame is made of titanium, next to the Pixel's aluminum rails.

There's every chance that the Samsung will survive some of the drops that may bring an end to the Pixel's life. Both phones are IP68-rated for dust and water resistance and should be fine for immersion up to 1.5m for as long as 30 minutes.

Color options on the two phones aren't exactly flashy, with all sorts of inoffensive and subdued hues available on both. The Pixel's polished frame is the most flair you'll get out of either handset, and there's also a bit more character and personality to the Google phone's camera assembly, next to the decidedly more utilitarian Galaxy cluster of circles.

Display comparison

Samsung
Galaxy S25 Ultra
6.9"
LTPO OLED
120Hz
1440x3120
pixels
498
ppi
Google
Pixel 9 Pro XL
6.8"
LTPO OLED
120Hz
1344x2992
pixels
486
ppi

The Galaxy's modest display size increase to 6.9 inches this year gives it a few extra sq. cm of advantage over the Pixel 9 Pro compared to the already marginally larger S24 Ultra. It's not a difference that you'll easily feel, and both phones will offer you plenty of screen estate.

Both are high-res OLED panels with 120Hz maximum refresh rate, so you'll be enjoying sharp texts, vivid colors, and smooth scrolling. What you won't be getting on either one is Dolby Vision support - it's HDR10+, instead. Also, both phones are marketed to have 8-bit panels, which is so 2016.

There is one sort of major difference though. The Pixel's display proved a lot brighter in our testing - by almost 1,000nits in adaptive mode (2,365 vs 1,417nits) and over 500nits in manual operation (1,333 vs 784nits). It's not that the Galaxy is strapped for nits, it's just that the Pixel has a lot more of them.

One of the Galaxy's major advantages is the lower reflectivity of its front glass, making it more easily legible in particularly bright environments. And let's not forget the S Pen capability, of course.

Battery life