In this Pixel 9 Pro XL vs iPhone 16 Pro Max comparison, find out whether Google finally has enough to challenge Apple’s dominance.
Apple and Google are America’s largest tech giants, but the two companies occupy opposite ends of the smartphone market share. Apple consistently dominates the premium market and its latest iPhone 16 series brings more than just hardware improvements to cement its lead. Luckily, competition is not far off. Google’s reputation in the smartphone space has been steadily improving and its latest Pixel 9 Pro XL looks more competitive than ever. With both companies gunning for the top spot, which phone stands out as the better choice? Let’s find out in this Pixel 9 Pro XL vs iPhone 16 Pro Max comparison.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: At a glance
In a hurry? Here’s a quick rundown of how Pixel 9 Pro XL stacks up against the iPhone 16 Pro Max.Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Specs
The Pixel 9 Pro XL is Google’s first foray into the ultra premium segment, with a price tag that nearly matches the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Luckily, you get quite a bit for your money. Google has steadily improved the internals of its Pro phones over the years to match the industry’s best and the Pixel 9 Pro XL exceeds even that bar at times.
For starters, you get a display that’s rated for 3,000 nits of peak brightness on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. By contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro Max only goes up to 2,000 nits. It’s worth noting that you won’t notice a 50% improvement between the two phones’ displays because brightness is measured logarithmically. Still, it remains a clear advantage for Google’s flagship and it should deliver better visibility outdoors.
However, the pendulum swings back in the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s favor elsewhere. Apple’s A18 Pro chip, for instance, is built on a newer semiconductor process node than any other smartphone chip. This translates to better performance and efficiency. Google’s Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 series is performant enough for day-to-day and AI tasks but it doesn’t quite hold up in more demanding usage scenarios. The iPhone 16 Pro Max then has a distinct advantage, so choose between the two phones wisely if you game or edit videos on the go.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s rear camera bump houses a temperature sensor that can read body temperature in North America and Europe. The iPhone lacks this feature, although in my year of owning the Pixel 8 Pro with the same temperature sensor, I can’t say it proved very useful. Apple has added a new physical Camera Control button to the latest iPhone but more on that below.
The iPhone 16 series will only receive its advertised Apple Intelligence features via future software updates, while the Pixel 9’s Gemini and other AI features are available right away. This includes the system wide ChatGPT integration, revamped Siri, and a new AI image generator app. This includes new apps like Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio and features like Call Assist. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has twice as much RAM as the iPhone 16 Pro Max to support these AI models.
On the subject of software, we won’t touch on the Android vs iOS debate but Google promises to deliver seven years of software updates and security patches to all of its phones. Apple, meanwhile, doesn’t offer a similar commitment but it has done an admirable job of supporting its older devices. And with the specs on offer, you can expect updates for a similar time frame. Both smartphones include satellite connectivity for emergency SOS. This was once a win for Apple, but Google is now the only other smartphone maker to offer it.
Moving on to security, Apple’s Face ID is still the only way you can unlock the iPhone.
