What’s the difference between the iPhone 16 and the Google Pixel 9?

If you want to know how the iPhone 16 vs Google Pixel 9 stacks up, you’ve come to the right place. Now that Google and Apple have released their 2024 flagship smartphones, let’s see how they compare.

The iPhone 16 and Pixel 9 are officially here, and since they’re technically competitors, let’s have a little competition. Which phone is better? The ever-reliable iOS device, or one made by the guys who make Android?

Let’s find out together.

iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Price and specs

In terms of basic specs, here’s what you get with the $799 Google Pixel 9:

• 6.3-inch display

• Google Tensor G4 chip

• 12GB RAM

• 128GB/256GB Storage

Here’s what you get with the $799 iPhone 16:

This part is easy, as both smartphones are priced the same. The main differences in this category are display size and storage. The Pixel 9 is 0.2 inches larger, but the iPhone 16 has a 512GB storage option that the Pixel 9 doesn’t have. Unfortunately, Apple Spec Sheet The amount of RAM on the iPhone 16 isn’t specified, so it’s hard to compare the two phones in that respect.

iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Design

Design-wise, Google has made some changes with the Pixel 9 that may or may not be to your liking. Simply put, Google has flattened all the edges, so the phone no longer has the natural grip that the rounded edges of the Pixel 8 provided. The camera bar that ran horizontally across the back of the phone is also now a floating camera box. However, there are more color options available, including Peony (pink), Obsidian, Wintergreen, and Porcelain.

The iPhone 16 doesn’t have many changes from its predecessor: the camera bar on the back is now vertical, and the sides look flat (or close to flat) like the Pixel 9, which is a shame for those who prefer curved edges. Most importantly, Apple is finally adding a pink colorway to the iPhone 16, joining black, white, teal, and ultramarine as available colors.

iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Display

The Pixel 9 has a great display for a phone in its price range. The 6.3-inch screen has an adjustable refresh rate between 60 and 120Hz for maximum smoothness, and a peak brightness of 2,700 nits means the Pixel 9 is comfortable to use even in bright daylight.

We already know that the iPhone 16’s display is 0.2 inches smaller than the Pixel 9’s, and there are a few other notable shortcomings. First, Apple’s 2,000 nits of peak brightness pales in comparison to Google’s 2,700 nits, so the Pixel 9 Should For use in direct sunlight, the iPhone 16 will likely be a better choice, and the iPhone 16 still has a 60Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 9 can go up to 120Hz.

The main advantage to buying an iPhone in terms of display is the presence of Dynamic Island, a small oval at the top of the screen that can expand and change shape to suit different needs. Other than that, Google’s display has better specs across the board.

iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Features

It would take forever to list all the little feature differences between iOS and Android, but frankly, we all know the major ones: green text bubbles vs. blue text bubbles.

Rather than focusing on OS-level differences, it makes more sense to focus on AI capabilities. heavy As for the various useful AI tricks: the Pixel 9 can summarize emails, generate text messages, create photos from scratch using the Pixel Studio app, create group photos that never actually happened using the “Add Me” feature, and carry on human-like conversations using Gemini Live.

Apple’s suite of AI features is very similar to Google’s. With Apple Intelligence, you can instantly generate images in Image Playground, summarize and transcribe voice recordings, summarize emails and notifications, and even create new emoji on the fly. Google doesn’t let you create custom emoji, but most of the other features are present in the Pixel 9 as well.

The only problem is that Apple won’t roll out all of these at the launch of the iPhone 16. Instead, many Apple Intelligence features will be rolled out gradually as betas after launch.

iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Camera

As always, the Pixel 9 comes equipped with a very impressive camera setup. Here are the specs:

• 50MP wide lens

• 48MP ultra-wide-angle lens

• 10.5MP selfie lens

These specs are powered by Google’s photography tricks, some of which rely on years-old software tricks, while others use new generative AI. Magic Editor lets you quickly and easily modify photos, Add Me lets you add yourself to a group photo you took yourself, or turns a road into a river. The Pixel Screenshots app acts as a searchable database of all the screenshots on your Pixel phone, which is really handy.

As usual, the base-level iPhone comes with two rear cameras and a selfie camera. Here are the specs:

• 48MP wide-angle lens

• 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens

• 12MP selfie lens

It’s too early to say which set of lenses is better until we test the iPhone 16’s cameras first, but it’s worth noting that the iPhone 16 can record spatial video and photos for Apple Vision Pro, while the Pixel 9 can’t.

iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Battery

In our standard test (playing a TikTok video on a loop on the phone’s screen at 50% brightness until the battery runs out), the Pixel 9 lasted a whopping 19 hours and 20 minutes, which is an impressive result and better than the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

We don’t yet know how long the iPhone 16 will last on a single charge (we’re not sharing manufacturer claims), so stay tuned for the results of our in-house tests. We’ll update this article as soon as we know the iPhone 16’s official battery life.

iPhone 16 vs Pixel 9: Which is better?

Without direct testing, we can’t make a verdict here.

But as always, you know your needs better than anyone. Do you have friends who berate you for having green text bubbles? Get an iPhone 16. Prefer Android’s openness or think there’s something generally wrong with Apple’s ecosystem? Get a Pixel 9.

Mashable is currently in Cupertino for the “Glowtime” Apple event on September 9th. Check out our live blog Track everything on your iPhone 16 Before the event, during the event, and after the event.