Pixel 9 Vs Galaxy S24: The Compact Showdown

The compact phone market isn’t getting any bigger, and you’re stuck with very few options by the end of the day. So, it’s always good to see a Pixel land and add to the rather limited set of options. The latest Pixel 9 is a cool such device, that offers a brand-new design and some AI wizardry. But, how does it compare to the slightly older Samsung Galaxy S24, which is basically considered to be the king of compact phones?

Besides, since both of them are priced at $799, the buyer confusion can get pretty real. So, I took the phones out for a ride full throttle to see which is the better all-rounder flagship shrimpy. Let’s get right into it!

Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24: Specs at a Glance

Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24: Design and Build

I won’t be dwelling on the box contents of the two phones for there’s nothing but flies there. No charging adapter, case, or anything fancy. So, you will need to grab all of that separately. As for the phones themselves, they are like chalk and cheese. I have with me the Galaxy S24’s Amber Yellow andthe Pixel 9’s Porcelain color options.

The Pixel 9 embraces a whole new design with an oval camera bar that doesn’t blend with the frame like the previous series. It’s clean, looks futuristically aesthetic, and I’m all for it. Besides, it keeps any sort of wobbling at bay. The rear panel is glass and the sides are polished metal.

The frame is probably a tad too polished, making it as slippery as an eel. While the in-hand feel is awesome, this is a very heavy boy. So, while it’s supposed to be a compact phone, it doesn’t necessarily feel that way.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 is a snug fit that my palms can’t get enough of. It’s also significantly lighter and slightly smaller, making it a solid compact companion. Although I will say that the S24’s edges feel sharper, while the Pixel 9 is curved throughout, feeling smoother in hands.

The Galaxy S24 is also a phone that won’t turn any heads. Samsung loves its conventional Galaxy design a little too much. I, on the other hand, am just bored of it. The camera module design is also not the best and makes the phone rattle quite a bit.

However, theGalaxy S24’s in-hand feel takes the cake. While it adorns a polished metal frame and a glass back as well, it doesn’t slip away as easily.

Both flagships are IP68-rated as well, so a bit of splash here or some dust settling there shouldn’t render them dead. You get to see the power button and volume rockers placed on the right side of both phones, which is not the best orientation. But, it is what it is.

Winner: Pixel 9

Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24: Display and Speakers

The Pixel 9’s 6.3-inch OLED display is slightly bigger than the Galaxy S24’s 6.2-inch AMOLED panel. You also get better protection on the Pixel 9, thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus 2. However, the Pixel 9 lacks LTPO tech, unlike the Galaxy S24, which is a huge miss if you ask me.

As for protection, the Galaxy S24 offers the standard Gorilla Glass Victus instead. Bezels are slimmer on the Galaxy S24 though, making it look sleeker at the front, in comparison.

In terms of viewing experience, for the most part, you can’t tell the two apart in terms of color reproduction in non-HDR videos. However, while there’s a bit more sharpness and brightness in the Pixel 9’s output, the Galaxy S24 offers deeper blacks. I noticed this when playing regular 1080p YouTube videos and watching an episode of Batman Caped Crusader on Amazon Prime.

When it comes to HDR content though, the Galaxy S24 stands out. I watched The Meg on Netflix and Kalki 2898 on Amazon Prime in 4K HDR, and the Galaxy S24 displayed richer colors and more brightness.

Outdoors and indoors though, both phones offer good visibility. However, the Pixel 9 reduces its brightness levels for it heats up a little too quickly. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 doesn’t do so, maintaining steady brightness levels mostly.

As for the speakers, the dual-stereo setup in both phones is adequately loud. But, there are some subtle differences. While the Pixel 9 is a bit more loud, the Galaxy S24 has that surround effect going for it.

The Galaxy S24’s output is also slightly richer, with the highs, lows, and mids being mostly well-balanced. However, the Pixel 9’s setup suppresses the mids to the point that they’re flat. It compensates with slightly more bass though.

Overall, I’d pick the Galaxy S24, going by my multimedia experience with the two.

Winner: Galaxy S24

Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24: Performance

The Google Pixel 9 uses a new Tensor G4 chipset, which is based on a 4nm fabrication process. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 uses the Exynos 2400 SoC, which is based on the same fabrication process as well.

While the Pixel 9 gets up to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, the Galaxy S24 offers up to 8GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.

To put the processors to the test, I ran benchmarks, played some games, and used them extensively on a daily basis to get a clear idea. The usual drill!

Benchmarks

On paper, Google’s Tensor series of processors have never been impressive. This time, it’s no different, and the Tensor G4 scores quite lower in benchmarks in comparison to the Exynos 2400. Here’s a rundown:

Day-To-Day Usage

On a normal day, from social media apps to those unignorable Google apps, I can have as many as 10 or 15 apps running in the background. Throw in 1.5 to 2 hours worth of CoD Mobile in there, and that’s about it. And, both phones are enough capable to handle all that like a charm.

However, I did notice that the RAM management on the Pixel 9 can be very inconsistent. While it mostly keeps apps running nicely in the background, quite a few times it restarted CoD Mobile when I headed out and back into it from WhatsApp. The Galaxy S24 didn’t have that issue.

To test it out a bit more, I opened around 25 different apps on the two phones and checked back in after an hour. The Galaxy S24 had 18 of those applications running, while the Pixel 9 kept 15 odd apps in its memory.

I also noticed that while both phones barely ever get warm in AC environments, in the outdoors with Noida’s humidity, they can get hot. However, they won’t melt your skin off like the Pixel 8a though (review); so that’s a relief.

Gaming

As for gaming, here’s a quick look at the kind of settings you get out of games from the two phones:

However, the gaming experience is terrible on the Pixel 9 because of its terrible touch sampling rate. Any game that required a lot of movement like CoD Mobile and BGMI proved to be quite difficult to aim in.

Some severe swiping irregularities always get in the way of hitting those shots right. I just got very frustrated with that after a while and shifted to the Galaxy S24, on which gaming is an absolute treat. Since Exynos 2400 is the equivalent of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it’s an absolute monster performer.

Also, in an AC environment, after around 1.5 hours of gaming, both phones linger around the 42-degree mark. There’s also some throttling on both phones after about an hour of gaming on higher settings or FPS. Nothing serious, but yes, it exists.

Winner: Galaxy S24

Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24: Software Experience

We are in the AI era of smartphones, and these are two solid examples. However, there’s no doubt that Google is the king of AI at this point, and Samsung simply borrows and builds upon those technologies, thanks to their solid partnership.

The Pixel 9’s Pixel Screenshots, Add Me, Magic Editor Reimagine, and a couple of other AI features really scared me, for they’re that good. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24’s Circle to Search, Transcript Assist, AI Generative Wallpapers, and others, although cool, are nothing extraordinary.

However, it’s surprising to see that the Exynos 2400 scores higher than the AI-focused Tensor G4 in Geekbench AI (refer to Performance section). So, there’s a big chance that the Galaxy S24 will get its own iterations of these Pixel AI features in the future. You never know.

As for the skins themselves, Pixel UI is undoubtedly cleaner with no bloatware as such. But, it lacks exciting quality-of-life features, if you keep the AI aside. One UI, on the other hand, offers solid features like Samsung DeX, Smart View, Multi Control, and the list goes on. Most importantly, it’s got Good Lock by its side, which makes the utilitarian possibilities of the device infinite!

In comparison, the Pixel experience certainly feels hollow. The Galaxy S24 does come with preloaded bloatware like Microsoft apps, Gaming Hub, Global Goals, Samsung Free, and whatnot. So, you will need to spend some time uninstalling them.

However, everything else, from the app opening and closing animations to even the haptic integration, One UI feels more satisfying to use. Besides, just like Google, Samsung promises 7 years of software updates for the Galaxy S24. So, you won’t have to worry about that.

Winner: Pixel 9 for AI features; Galaxy S24 for useability

Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24: Cameras

The Pixel 9 features a dual-rear camera setup with a 50MP Octa PD wide sensor at the helm. The secondary sensor is a 48MP Quad PD ultra-wide sensor.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 sports a triple rear camera setup with a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN3 wide-angle sensor driving it. In the backseat, there’s a secondary 10MP ISOCELL 3K1 telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. The third sensor is a 12MP ultra-wide.

For selfies, the Pixel 9 uses a 10.5 Dual PD sensor, while the Galaxy S24 features a 12MP shooter. So, how do the camera setups of these two phones compare? Let’s see!

Daytime

When it comes to daytime shots, the Pixel 9’s primary sensor has a hard time retaining good details. As you zoom in, you will notice how the Galaxy S24 maintains those details better. The shadows and highlights are also blown out on the Pixel 9, while the S24 handles them well, thereby delivering better dynamic range.

However, the ultra-wide angle is a different story. The Pixel 9’s ultra-wide captures more details and pretty good dynamic range. In comparison, the Galaxy S24’s ultra-wide shots lack as many details. The dynamic range is good enough, though.

Another thing that I noticed was that there’s barely any color disparity between the Galaxy S24’s sensors. On the other hand, while there’s not much disparity between the Pixel 9’s sensors, there’s still some if you notice closely.

Night

At night, however, the Pixel 9 captures better shots. While there’s not much noise in both phones, the Pixel 9 captures more details and handles light sources better. I also noticed that there are glare blotches on the Pixel 9’s shots, which is weird and not aesthetic. I mistook it for the moon at first.

Selfies

The Pixel 9’s selfie shooter is mediocre at best. You see quite a bit of oversharpening, which tries to compensate for a visible lack of details. But, fails to do so miserably. Skin tones are also unnaturally boosted on the Pixel 9.

The Galaxy S24’s selfies are surely better, and also have a wider FOV. The edge detection is a bit better on the Pixel 9 though, while the Galaxy S24 has a deeper depth mapping.

The Galaxy S24, on the other hand, captures very good details and doesn’t try anything funny like oversharpening to ruin the shots. There’s some level of skin tone boosting though, but nothing too extreme.

Videos

As for videos, the Pixel 9 can shoot at up to 4K 60FPS, while the Galaxy S24 can do up to 8K 30FPS. While both phones have OIS, I noticed that the Pixel 9’s shots rattle a bit in comparison. However, while the Galaxy S24 can’t switch between the sensors when capturing a video, the Pixel 9 can.

Winner: Galaxy S24

Pixel 9 vs Galaxy S24: Battery Life and Charging

The Pixel 9 packs a 4,700mAh battery with 27W fast charging. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 is fueled by a much smaller 4,000mAh unit, paired with 25W fast charging. However, since the Pixel 9 lacks LTPO tech, it eats through your battery quite a bit. As a result, it negates that 700mAh increment in battery capacity.

So, ultimately, both phones turn up similar SoTs (Screen-on-Time). I played 1080p YouTube videos for around an hour, gamed for roughly 2 hours, and ran benchmarks for around 1.5 hours. By the end of it, both phones gave me around 4.5 to 5 hours of backup, which is good enough for compact phones if you ask me.

Charging speeds are no different either, and both phones take approximately 1.5 hours to go from 10% to 100%. So, you get the idea.

Winner: Tie

Verdict

If you ask me, the Samsung Galaxy S24 definitely is the better phone, overall. Not only do you get a lot more performance, better storage configuration, and also a more desirable display. Not to mention that it also captures better photos through the primary and front sensors. Then there’s that telephoto sensor, albeit limited to 3x optical zoom. All of that packed in a smaller form factor makes it the better compact phone in comparison to the Pixel 9.

By the end of the day, all that’s left to recommend the Pixel 9 over the Galaxy S24 is its unique design and Pixel UI skin. Then again, Galaxy S24’s One UI, although not bloatware-free, is much superior in terms of software features and aesthetics. At least, in my opinion. For me, that takes away the residual possibilities of ever favoring the Pixel 9 instead.

Also, while both skins are backed by up to 7 years of Android updates out of the box, I doubt if Pixel 9’s hardware can support it for that long (as evident in the performance comparison). Most importantly, the Pixel 9 doesn’t arrive with Android 15 like it should have, thereby hinting at a crack in Google’s 7-year software update promise.

All things considered, if you have a budget of around $800 and are looking for a mighty compact phone, get the Galaxy S24. It surely does more justice to the price tag.