If you live in the US and want a flagship smartphone that runs Android and doesn’t fold in half – something with the biggest display, best cameras, longest battery life, and latest AI features – you basically have three options: Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, and the OnePlus 12. While the OnePlus12 is a fantastic handset, it’s the oldest of the three, and it’s not available through carriers. So, let’s focus on comparing the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and see which one is the best fit for you.
These two devices spearhead Google and Samsung’s (non-folding) phone line-up and bring their own strengths and weaknesses to the table. While there are some differences between these handsets, let’s make one thing clear: you can’t go wrong with either one.
Hardware and Design
Design-wise, it’s easy to mistake the front of the Pixel 9 Pro XL for an iPhone 14/15/16 Pro Max. Lack of Dynamic Island aside, both look almost identical, with the same slab sides, minimal display bezels, and rounded corners. Flip the Pixel 9 Pro XL over, and the iPhone similarity ends. Google’s flagship stands out thanks to its signature pill-shaped camera bar, which is immediately recognizable.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra, by contrast, stands out for being almost completely rectangular, with sharp corners and only slightly convex sides. Recall the monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and you’re on the right track. As such, the Galaxy S24 Ultra seems larger than it really is. In the back, you’ll find four shooters and a depth sensor housed behind five protruding glass lenses (three larger, two smaller).
Both phones are metal and glass sandwiches with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The Pixel’s frame is polished aluminum, while the Galaxy’s is matte titanium. Both handsets have Gorilla Glass backs with a satin finish and completely flat, Gorilla Glass-covered screens with a center punch hole for the selfie camera. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is slightly wider and heavier than Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL.
One unique Galaxy S24 Ultra feature is the S Pen, a small active stylus that fits neatly inside a silo at the bottom of the phone. Many long-time Samsung owners swear by it. Another difference between these handsets is the position of the buttons. The Pixel 9 Pro XL places the power/lock key above the volume rocker instead of putting the power/lock key below the volume rocker, which is more prevalent. It takes some getting used to.
Winner: Tie
Display
Both phones have gorgeous 6.8-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED displays with HDR10+ support. The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display boasts a slightly higher resolution (Quad HD vs. almost Quad HD), while the Pixel 9 Pro XL delivers a higher peak brightness (3000 nits vs. 2600 nits) and taller aspect ratio (20:9 vs. 19.5:9). But it’s Samsung’s excellent anti-reflective coating that gives the Galaxy S24 Ultra the edge when it comes to screen quality.
Winner: Tie
Cameras
Regarding specs, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra have slightly different camera systems. The Galaxy packs a higher-resolution main shooter (200MP vs. 50MP) plus an additional 10MP 3x telephoto, while the Pixel features higher-resolution ultrawide (48MP vs. 12MP) and selfie (42MP vs. 12MP) cameras. Both handsets have similar 5x telephoto shooters (48MP on Pixel and 50MP on Galaxy).
The advantage of Samsung’s camera setup is that it physically bridges the zoom gap between 2x and 5x magnification by adding a 3x telephoto between the main shooter and the 5x telephoto. Meanwhile, Google relies on its vast computational photography know-how to fill the same zoom gap with its Super Res zoom algorithm. The Galaxy’s higher resolution main camera is offset by larger pixels on the Pixel’s main sensor.
While not as enticing on paper, the Pixel 9 Pro XL actually beats the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a better ultrawide shooter (higher resolution sensor and faster lens) and a more versatile ultrawide selfie camera (17mm vs. 26mm). Both phones feature OIS (optical image stabilization) on the main and telephoto shooters, plus PDAF (phase detection autofocus) on all sensors, including the ultrawide (for macros) and the selfie cameras.
Regardless of which one you pick, these two handsets take outstanding photos in a wide variety of conditions. As for video recording, both deliver solid results, but the Galaxy captures slightly better video than the Pixel.
Winner: Tie
Performance and Battery Life
When it comes to performance, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL run everything smoothly and quickly—from the usual day-to-day apps to the most demanding games. Both phones offer great-sounding stereo speakers, superb haptics, reliable in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensors, face unlock, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB (ultra-wideband), eSIM support, and satellite connectivity.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL is powered by Google’s very own Tensor G4 chipset and comes with 16GB of RAM and a choice of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 flagship SoC paired with 12GB of RAM across the board plus 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage. Neither handset provides microSD storage expansion, but that’s pretty much a given these days.
While both phones are pleasantly snappy and responsive, Google’s chip is less efficient than the Qualcomm processor inside Samsung’s handset. This means the Pixel will likely run warmer and drain more battery than the Galaxy when running high-performance games. Speaking of which, both phones come with a large 5000mAh-ish battery, which easily lasts a couple of days on a charge with light use and a full day with heavy use.
And when it’s time for a refill, the Pixel 9 Pro XL charges at 37W (wired) and up to 23W (wireless). Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra supports 45W (wired) and 15W (wireless) charging. Both handsets also allow reverse wireless charging if you want to charge a Qi-compatible smartwatch or earbuds.
Winner: Samsung
Software and AI
The Pixel 9 Pro XL runs Android 15 with Google’s Pixel UI, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra runs Android 14 with Samsung’s OneUI 6.1.1. Both phones support up to seven years of OS upgrades and security updates. While this is subjective, Samsung’s OneUI is generally more feature-rich but less intuitive. Google’s Pixel UI, on the other hand, delivers a simpler, more polished, but less customizable experience.
What really sets the Pixel 9 Pro XL apart are features like Now Playing, which displays whatever music is currently playing around you on the lock screen, and call assistance features like Call Screen, Direct My Call, and Hold For Me. Then there’s Google’s excellent Recorder app, which transcribes voice recordings in real-time. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra also offers some of these features, they aren’t nearly as refined.
On the AI front, both handsets include Google’s Circle To Search and Gemini. Samsung also has its own set of generative AI features, including summarization, formatting, live translation, interpreting, and transcription. In addition to the usual image-based AI editing tools (delete, move, and replace) available on both phones, the Galaxy also lets you generate and stylize images with Sketch to Image and Portrait Studio.
Instant Slo-mo creates a smooth slow-motion clip from an existing video using AI. But the Pixel has a couple more AI tricks up its sleeve. Audio Magic Eraser detects and removes speech, crowd, noise, wind, and music from videos after the fact. Zoom Enhance restores detail in lower-quality zoomed and cropped images.
Winner: Google
Wrap-up
So there you go. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the differences between Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra. As I mentioned before, these are both supremely capable flagships and two of the best handsets available today, so you can’t go wrong with either one. While the Pixel’s price is slightly lower, the Galaxy’s S Pen is a major differentiator, and many owners swear by it.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
$1099 (128GB)
Buy from Google
Buy from Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
$1299 (256GB)
Buy from Samsung
Buy from Amazon
Thanks for this great detailed comparison! The Galaxy S24 Ultra really seems like a continuation of the Note series.
Great comparison. My bestie is considering one of these two phones, I’m going to forward this article to him.