Google Pixel 8 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: which high-end smartphone to choose?

It is rare to find someone who is not squarely in the Android camp or totally in the iPhone camp. But the high-end smartphones that have just been released this year make it more difficult than ever to stay faithful to a single operating system. Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro is a dazzling smartphone that brings many improvements over its predecessor, and the Pixel 8 Pro promises to be Google’s best smartphone with a fantastic camera.

So how do you know which one is right for you? Fortunately, there are enough differences between these two smartphones so that the choice is not difficult. Read on to find out if you should choose the iPhone 15 Pro or the Google Pixel 8 Pro.

The characteristics of the Google Pixel 8 Pro

Screen : 6.7 inches
Resolution : 3,120 x 1,440 pixels, 20:9 ratio, 513 PPI
Chip : Google Tensor G3
RAM : 12 GB
Battery : 5,050 mAh
Camera : 50MP main, 64MP ultra-wide, 48MP 5x telephoto lens
Price : 1100 €

The characteristics of the iPhone 15 Pro

Screen : 6.1 inches
Resolution : 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, 461 PPI
Chip : Apple A17 Pro 3nm
RAM : 8 GB
Battery : 3,274 mAh
Camera : 48MP main, 12 MP ultra-wide, 12MP 2x telephoto lens
Price : 1230 €

You should buy the Google Pixel 8 Pro though…

June Wan/ZDNET

1 … autonomy is important

For some people who don’t use their phone enough on a daily basis, battery life doesn’t really matter. But if autonomy is an essential criterion for you, you should choose the Pixel 8 Pro. With a battery with a capacity of 5,050 mAh compared to 3,274 mAh for the iPhone, you should be able to use Google’s smartphone for much longer before recharging it.

2 … you will take a lot of pictures

If you are going to take a lot of photos, the Pixel 8 Pro is the big winner. If we consider only megapixels, the main camera is about the same. But the Pixel’s ultra-wide-angle camera has five times more megapixels than that of the iPhone 15 Pro and the telephoto lens has four times more, with a 5x zoom in addition to 2x. If we add the editing elements with Google’s AI and manual controls, the choice is even more obvious. The iPhone’s camera is perfectly capable of meeting most needs, but if you want the best in photography, choose the Pixel 8 Pro.

3 … size matters

With a 6.7″ screen, the Pixel 8 Pro is a little larger than the 6.1″ screen of the iPhone 15 Pro. If you watch a lot of streaming content on your smartphone or if a large screen attracts you, the Pixel should be your choice. And if we consider that the Pixel has more nits (2,400 versus 2,000), the screen will also be brighter. If you often use your phone outdoors, choose the Pixel 8 Pro.

You should buy the iPhone 15 Pro though…

1. …you need the action button

The action button, first introduced on the Apple Watch Ultra, is not unique to the iPhone 15 Pro, and this is an important selling point. This button is fully customizable and can be configured to open an application or perform a system function such as turning on the flashlight or launching the camera. In summary, whatever action you often perform, you now have a dedicated button. If you like being able to customize a button that can do almost anything you want, go for the iPhone 15 Pro.

2. … you want your smartphone to be fast

The iPhone 15 Pro works with Apple’s A17 Pro chip, while the Google Pixel 8 Pro works with the Tensor G3. The A17 has a six-core processor with a 20% performance improvement and a neural engine that is twice as fast as before. In short, it is a performance improvement compared to Apple’s A16 chip, which is already very fast.

Google’s Tensor chips have always been less efficient than Apple’s, and this year should be no exception to the rule. The Tensor G3 is not slow, far from it, and should handle multiple applications and multitasking very well. But if we compare the iPhone 15 Pro and the Google Pixel 8 Pro, the iPhone 15 will be significantly faster. The A17 is one of the fastest and most efficient chips ever produced, and it will offer performance close to that of a computer.

3. … you are transferring a lot of files

The iPhone 15 Pro is the first iPhone to support USB 3.2, which allows files to be transferred up to 20 times faster. With the appropriate cable (which you will have to buy yourself, because the one supplied in the box is of the USB 2.0 type), you will be able to transfer up to 10 GB of data per second. The standard iPhone 15 transfers data at only 480 Mbps, which makes the iPhone Pro a considerable improvement. If you transfer a lot of files to and from your smartphone, you should turn to the iPhone 15 Pro.

Source: “ZDNet.com “