The Google Pixel 8 series was launched on October 4, marking the beginning of the end of the major flagship smartphone launches this year. The Pixel devices received several major upgrades this year, mostly related to artificial intelligence, which has been Pixel’s USP for some time now. Even with all its capabilities, the Pixel 8 Pro faces stiff competition with other flagship devices in its price range, the iPhone 15 Pro being neck and neck.
Apple, with its iPhone 15 series, and Google, through the Pixel 8 series, create a holistic user experience by blending their proprietary hardware and software. This integration gives them the option to optimise performance, enhance security, and deliver a seamless user experience.
Here is how the Google Pixel 8 Pro stacks up against the iPhone 15 Pro, based on what the smartphones look like on paper.
Display
The Google Pixel 8 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch Super Actua display with a refresh rate that varies between 1 and 120 Hz. It has a peak brightness of 2,400 nits, which Tech YouTuber Marques Brownless says, is the brightest display he has ever seen on a smartphone.
The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, comes with a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, also with a variable refresh rate of 1-120 Hz. The peak brightness on this device is 2,000 nits, quite close to the Pixel 8 Pro’s.
If you’re looking for a bigger display, the iPhone 15 Pro Max with its 6.7-inch screen should work for you.
Operating system and updates
The Google Pixel 8 Pro runs on Android 14 out of the box, making it one of the first devices to run on the stable version of the software, which was announced on May 10 during Google I/O. Google has also promised seven years of OS updates for both the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, meaning that the devices will be up to date till 2030.
The iPhone 15 Pro runs on iOS 17 out of the box, along with the rest of the iPhone 15 series. The devices will get five years of OS updates for a couple more years after that. iOS 17 was announced on June 6 during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
Both the operating systems are at a stage where they’re both good enough and it mostly comes down to the personal preferences of the user.
Camera
The Pixel 8 Pro has a 50MP main camera on the back and two 48MP sensors — an ultrawide and a telephoto with 5x optical zoom. The digital zoom range on the device is 30x. On the front, the device features a 10.5MP selfie camera.
The iPhone 15 Pro also has a three-camera setup with a 48MP primary sensor, and two 12MP lenses — an ultrawide and a telephoto with 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom. The selfie camera on the front is also 12MP. The iPhone 15 series will take 24MP images by default, which allows for more detail to be captured while not making the file too heavy.
Both the Pixel and the iPhone are well-known for their photo-taking capabilities but the iPhone has held its spot as one of the best devices for making videos. This year, Pixel has also taken a step in that direction with several new improvements to videos including the new Video Boost feature — exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro — which will come later in a Feature Drop.
Battery
Google claims over 24 hours of battery life for the Pixel 8 Pro on a single charge and Apple says that the iPhone 15 Pro has a video playback of 23 hours on a single charge. However, the exact battery life will vary depending on the usage of both of the smartphones. Several users have complained about the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating while charging but Apple addressed the issue and released the iOS 17.0.3 update as a fix.
What sets them apart
Both devices are high-end premium devices and you cannot go wrong with either of them. Picking one of the other is just a matter of preference. If you have a circle of people around you who also have iPhones or other Apple devices, it is best to go with the iPhone 15 Pro. Or if you’re someone who likes having a camera cutout on the display which is also a cool software feature that shows you important information — read Dynamic Island — or in case you’re big on gaming and the A17 Pro is good enough to entice you with its ability to run AAA titles on a smartphone.
The Pixel 8 Pro is an Android through and through and arguably, among the best at that. If you’re not trapped in an ecosystem and are an Android fan, the Pixel 8 Pro will suffice for you. This year, Google has added several AI features to the Pixel devices like Best Take, which allows you to pick the best expressions of everyone who’s in the photo or Audio Magic Eraser, which uses Google AI to reduce distracting sounds like cars and wind from the background. Or even if you want a smarter Google Assistant with Bard.
Pricing and availability
The Pixel 8 Pro (12GB RAM and 128GB storage) is available for Rs 1,06,999 exclusively on Flipkart. The iPhone 15 Pro is available on Apple’s official channels and all authorised resellers — online and offline.
