The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung’s next flagship phone, combining a gigantic screen with a plethora of cameras, a high-end CPU, and more. However, unlike other years, this is on Google’s territory, as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, like the Pixel 8 Pro, is packed with AI features.
So, how do these two super-smart phones compare? We’ve answered that question below, using both their specifications and our thoughts from our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel 8 Pro reviews.
However, if you want an AI-powered Samsung phone at a somewhat lesser price, see our Samsung Galaxy S24 review and our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review.
GALAXY S24 ULTRA VS PIXEL 8 PRO: SPECS COMPARISON
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is far more powerful than the Pixel 8 Pro, but while it also outperforms in certain other areas, the differences are generally minor, and its software is less striking. The Google Pixel 8 Pro has a far lower price and significantly better software than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but it is slightly less powerful, has fewer features, and has a shorter battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is perhaps the most complete Android smartphone on the market, but where does this leave Google, the developer of Android, and its own Pixel phone? Out of sync, the two lineups are bound to be slightly mismatched in terms of having the most recent hardware, but that doesn’t imply that the Pixel 8 Pro, now in the middle of its lifecycle, doesn’t offer any advantages over the Galaxy. Let’s try to find them.
Although the first two Tensor generations delivered on their promise, they frequently fell short in other aspects. However, the Tensor G3 in last year’s Google Pixel 8 Pro wowed us with enough raw power to make it a more serious rival for those seeking high-performance gaming and multitasking capabilities. Is it powerful enough to compete with Samsung’s ultimate Galaxy S24 Ultra, especially now that Samsung is using similar AI to compete in Google’s arena? Let us dig in and find out.
CAMERA
Although the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s cameras are based on the S23 Ultra’s quad-rear camera setup, the company has replaced the 10x zoom 10MP sensor with a 50MP 5x periscopic telephoto, in addition to the current 200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP 3x telephoto sensors.
That’s an unusual choice because it reduces the S24 Ultra’s optical zoom range compared to the S23 Ultra, but the sensor is a significant upgrade. However, it matches the Pixel 8 Pro’s triple rear camera arrangement, which has a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultra-wide, and a 48MP 5x telephoto.
Despite the lower optical range, one of the S24 Ultra’s new features is the promise of 10x ‘optical quality’ zoom, which we found in our evaluation to be fully fulfilled. While you lose some information compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the 10x zoom photographs have “better overall quality” due to superior color and dynamic range.
This is most certainly aided by AI, and while AI augmentation is relatively new (at least in terms of branding) for Samsung’s phone cameras, it is already prevalent on the Pixel, with the 8 Pro including an upgraded Magic Eraser as well as the powerful new generative Magic Editor.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is aimed to compete with the Pixel in this regard, with the capacity to reframe subjects in the shot (similar to the 8 Pro), generatively fill in what is outside of the original image’s field of view, and more.
Both the S23 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 Pro are on our list of the finest photography phones currently available. And, while the S24 Ultra is a minor change from the recipe Samsung has followed for the past few years, there’s little doubt that it will find its way there as well, while also challenging the 8 Pro’s photographic feature set in ways that other rivals just do not.
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel 8 Pro are identical in size and feel.
The Samsung is slightly bigger and heavier than the Pixel, but the Pixel is a little slimmer. In addition, the Samsung boasts a more durable titanium frame than the Pixel 8 Pro’s typical aluminum frame, and it comes in a larger range of colors.
The camera modules on the back of each phone also look considerably different, with the Pixel featuring a horizontal metallic bar and the Galaxy keeping its cluster of shooters in the upper left corner.
When it comes to screens, the Samsung offers a slightly larger 6.8-inch AMOLED screen than the Pixel’s 6.7-inch OLED display, as well as a higher peak brightness of 2600 nit vs 2400 nit.
Both phones make use of 120Hz variable refresh rates and always-on technologies.
The final distinction is the S Pen stylus that comes with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Doodling and taking notes on the Samsung phone will feel more natural now.
HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?
Samsung has once again collaborated with Qualcomm to develop its custom version of the chipmaker’s latest flagship system-on-a-chip (SoC) for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is already a phenomenally strong chip, but Samsung’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy extracts even more power from it for the company’s top-performing flagship and its One UI 6.1 Android flavor. According to Qualcomm, this translates to a 20% CPU and 26% GPU gain over last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, compared to a 30% performance boost between the two non-Galaxy generations of the SoC.
The S24 Ultra, which has 12GB of RAM across all storage configurations, not only handled the newest demanding mobile games with ease but also ran remarkably cool, indicating that there is enough of power here. For example, we discovered that extended playtimes in games like Asphalt 9: Legends barely warmed things up; it took demanding benchmarking tests to observe a difference, but the S24 Ultra never became too hot to use.
Unsurprisingly, Google’s Pixel 8 Pro still includes one of the company’s Tensor chips — a third-generation Tensor G3 in this case — but the good news is that Google has made some significant improvements to performance and thermal management over prior incarnations of the chip. In launching the Tensor G3, Google announced that “every major subsystem has been upgraded,” resulting in a considerable performance gain.
Can it compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy? Although the Tensor G3 does not meet the raw benchmarks on paper, we believe that most people will not notice a significant difference. The Pixel 8 Pro handled everything we threw at it, including the most demanding mobile games and multitasking across numerous apps. There were no stuttering, lagging, or overheating issues that plagued the Tensor G2-equipped Pixel 7 range. It appears that Google has now decided to move away from its fairly narrow concentration on machine learning, which limited its prior Tensor chips.
GET THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S24 ULTRA FOR:
- The less reflective display.
- The harder build
- The longer the battery life
- The S Pen
- The far more powerful chipset
- The overall superior camera
GET THE GOOGLE PIXEL 8 PRO FOR:
- A lower price
- The Google Software Experience
- The Pixel camera’s appearance
- The wide selfies
