How Pixel 8 Pro Differs From IPhone 15 Pro Max

The iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 8 Pro are two of the biggest phones on the market right now, and both offer a flagship experience with impressive displays, solid designs, and fantastic performance. But if you’re trying to choose between two of the best phones on the market, how do you choose one over the other? Here’s how the Pixel 8 Pro compares to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Design

The design of the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max hasn’t changed much from their predecessors. The iPhone 15 Pro Max still has the same large rear camera bump, as well as the front camera cutout that makes up the now iconic Apple Dynamic Island experience.

This doesn’t mean the 15 Pro Max is a copy of the 14 Pro Max. The edges are a bit more rounded and the screen extends almost all the way to the edge, giving it a curved appearance on the bezel. Additionally, Apple replaced the stainless steel rails with titanium ones, making the device much lighter. The signature mute switch found on every iPhone has also been replaced with a new action button ; you can still use it as a mute switch, but you can also program it to perform different functions.

The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, retains the aluminum and glass design seen on previous Pixel devices. The reverse side of the glass has a soft matte surface, so it holds fingerprints well. The Pixel 8 Pro also has a camera bump that extends across the entire back of the phone, instead of the corner bump found on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Both devices feature a 6.7-inch display, so you don’t lose any screen real estate by choosing one over the other, and side by side, they both provide bright and colorful displays. The Pixel is brighter, however, with a maximum brightness of 2,400 nits, compared to 2,000 nits on the iPhone. The Pixel also has a slightly higher screen resolution, but it’s not that big of a difference.

Performance and Software

Software is obviously where you’ll really see differences between the phones, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max running Apple’s iOS 17 , while the Pixel 8 Pro runs the latest Android 14 . Both operating systems offer similar features and functionality, such as a quick settings area, notifications hidden at the top of the display, and the ability to customize your lock and home screen with widgets, folders, and app icons.

iPhone 15 Pro Max is powered by Apple’s A17 Pro processor, the most powerful mobile chipset the company has ever released. It is also the world’s first mobile chip manufactured using the 3nm process. The Pixel 8 Pro also runs on Google’s custom Tensor G3 chip. It’s a 4nm chip, but it’s built using Samsung technology. Technically, the A17 Pro offers better specs on paper, but Google backs up its lower specs with promises of improved machine learning capabilities. Google has done a lot to make machine learning work on the Pixel 8 Pro, but if you’re more concerned with pure performance, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has better specs on paper. Testing the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max side-by-side, I didn’t notice much of a difference in how they run apps, videos, or games, so you’re unlikely to notice much of a difference between the two. two for everyday use.

The Pixel 8 Pro has 12GB of RAM compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 8GB of RAM, but again, you won’t notice it during normal day-to-day use. A lot depends on the software here, too: Apple is known for being able to get much more performance out of less RAM, so time will tell whether the Pixel 8’s extra 4GB of RAM will make a difference in the long run.

When talking about the long term, it’s important to pay attention to how long these manufacturers will support their devices . Google is promising seven years of software support for the Pixel 8 Pro, meaning it will last until 2030 before receiving the latest update. On the other hand, the iPhone does not have a specific number of years of support. Based on recent history, we can expect five to six years of support, with the last update likely coming in late 2028 or 2029. However, it all depends on where Apple draws the line. After all, Pixel and iPhone are two of the most supported smartphone lines on the market.

Cameras

Cameras are an important part of a smartphone purchase, and having the biggest and best camera is important to many. Thankfully, both the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro offer similar camera capabilities, although the Pixel really pulls ahead thanks to Google’s machine learning systems.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 48MP rear camera, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 5x zoom periscope camera. The main camera also has a customizable focal length of 24mm, 28mm and 35mm. The cameras here are reliable, delivering great images with plenty of detail.

The Pixel 8 Pro has a 50MP main camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera with a 48MP sensor. Again, the cameras on both of these devices will provide excellent detail and quality photos, although the Pixel 8 Pro has Google-specific features like Magic Eraser that make it easy to remove people or objects from your phones.

However, you really can’t go wrong, and if you’re choosing a smartphone just for the camera, you’ll have a hard time choosing between them.

Battery

Both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 8 Pro have large batteries that can last more than a day. The Pixel 8 Pro has a 5,050mAh battery, and Google says it should last a day. Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro Max can last up to 29 hours of video playback, but after using both devices in real-world situations, you’ll end up putting them both on a charger by the end of the day. Look at your phone a lot. (Who doesn’t?)

Bottom line: iPhone or Pixel?

So which should you choose: iPhone 15 Pro Max or Pixel 8 Pro? Ultimately, both devices offer very good performance and quality cameras, as well as excellent software. If you’re stuck choosing between the two, I’d recommend deciding whether you’d rather stick with Android or iOS over the next few years. If you already have several Apple devices, then purchasing the iPhone 15 Pro Max makes sense. But if you’re more of an Android person, then the Pixel 8 Pro is a fantastic device that gives you the best Google has to offer, and it’s only going to get better as Android continues to receive new updates in the coming years.