Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Google Pixel 9: How will they compare?

Not everyone needs a 'Pro' or 'Ultra' smartphone for everyday use, but most of us would like to own a flagship phone for its superior features and longer-term software support. That's why phones like the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 are so important, as they tend to offer most of the features of their respective higher-end siblings but at a price that most of us can stomach.

The Galaxy S25 vs. Pixel 9 comparison is something many buyers will be contemplating since they are both similarly priced. The Pixel 9 now enjoys a bit of a discount since it has been out for a few months, which could swing your attention its way. Thankfully, Samsung hasn't increased the price of the Galaxy S25 this year, which means it could be the better long-term choice even if you have to pay a bit more upfront. Choosing one of these best flagships is tough, but that's where we come in.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Google Pixel 9: Looks and basics

Contrary to what the rumors suggested, the Samsung Galaxy S25 has the same display size as the Galaxy S24. Only the S25 Ultra gets the marginally larger display. The design has pretty much stayed identical, too, except for some minor cosmetic tweaks to the rear cameras. The phone is a bit slimmer and lighter than the S24 but significantly lighter than the Pixel 9. The overall dimensions are smaller too, which means the Galaxy S25 should be a lot more comfortable to hold and to use one-handed than the Pixel.

The Galaxy S25 features a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a Full-HD+ resolution. You also get an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, just like before. The chassis has IP68 rated once again, although we were expecting something more advanced, like an IP69 rating as seen on phones like the OnePlus 13.

The color option for the Samsung Galaxy S25 include Icyblue, Navy, Mint, and Silver Shadow. The rest of the specs are very similar to the S24. There's a 4,000mAh battery with support for both wired and wireless charging. Charging speeds haven't changed either, which is not a good thing in 2025. It's actually slower than what the Pixel 9 can do when plugged in. In his review, Brady Snyder mentioned how the Galaxy S25 is more compact than the Pixel 9 and feels wonderfully light.

The Galaxy S25 starts at $799 in the U.S. which is the same launch price as the S24. This will get you 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There's also a 256GB variant with the same amount of RAM, which is $860.

The Google Pixel 9 comes in Obsidian, Porcelain, Wintergreen, and Peony hues. It has a 6.3-inch screen, which is only a tad larger than the Galaxy S25. Its Actua display boasts a 2,424 x 1,080 resolution, a refresh rate range of 60-120Hz, and 2,700 nits peak brightness.

With rounded corners and a square design, Derrek Lee says in his Pixel 9 review that the polished back with a satin metal frame is “surprisingly comfortable to hold.” The screen is made of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and it boasts an IP68 water and dust-resistance rating with a fingerprint-resistant coating.

The Pixel 9 comes with 128GB or 256GB storage, and a large 4,700mAh battery that’s a big step-up from the Samsung Galaxy S25. There’s also an Extreme Battery Saver mode that can extend battery life to up to four days. The Google Pixel 9 supports both fast and wireless charging as well, along with Battery Share for using it to refuel other devices like Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. Lee is impressed with the battery life, saying the phone easily lasts through an entire day with up to eight hours of screen time. But he does find the 27W charging to be “almost unbearably slow.”

A huge advantage with the Google Pixel 9, and all recent Pixel devices, is that Google promises seven years of OS and security updates. Samsung offers the same for the Galaxy S25 though, so they are evenly matched in this respect.

The Pixel 9 launched at $799 as well, but it's now officially going for $649 for the base variant with 12GB RAM and 128GB storage. The 256GB variant which was $899 is now being sold at $749. If you're doing a price-to-price comparison, the Pixel 9 does offer better value as it's a bit cheaper at the moment.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Google Pixel 9: The specs

Let’s look at the specs of these two phones in a side-by-side comparison.

A quick glance at the specs shows that while both phones are similar in some respects, the Galaxy S25 has the more powerful processor, a telephoto camera, and a much lighter design.

The Galaxy S25 has a massive performance boost but manages heat very well. Its Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor slows itself down when needed in order to keep the device cool. Samsung used a 15% larger vapor chamber on the S25, which counters heat even better. A special Thermal Interface Material is placed on top of the chipset, which is said to draw heat more effectively into the vapor chamber.

While this is great news, the S25 misses out on UWB support and still charges painfully slow.

On the other hand, the Pixel 9 claims its share of victory too with a more aggressive pricing, a larger battery capacity, and slightly faster wired charging speeds. We do miss the telephoto camera which is restricted to the Pro models and the Tensor processor is not the best for high-intensity gaming.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Google Pixel 9: Features, functions, and performance

The Samsung Galaxy S25 comes with Android 15, the latest version of Google's operating system, and this will be paired with Samsung’s own One UI 7. This version of the Samsung UI gets one of the biggest upgrades yet with a new visual style, additional customization options, new icons, and more.

Galaxy AI continues to play a crucial role in the new UI experience, and Samsung is expanding this even further with AI Agents, a more deeply integrated AI platform, and a personalized AI engine. The latter will allow you to build your own local LLM on-device and will be protected by Knox, so all your personal information will be secure.

Keep in mind that this OS update should be available for Samsung Galaxy S24 owners as well, but there would be some AI features that will be exclusive to the S25 series. Like the S24, the Galaxy S25 will also get seven years of OS upgrades and security updates.

The Google Pixel 9 launched with Android 14, but of course, it’s updateable to Android 15 and far beyond (up to seven years). It’s powered by the Google Tensor G4 processor and has 12GB RAM, making it a powerful phone that can handle multi-tasking, video streaming, gaming, and more. Lee says it performs well when opening and juggling apps, and he never noticed the phone getting warm when playing especially intense mobile games.

It, too, has plenty of AI features through Google Gemini that range from advanced Google Assistant to photo editing, message composition, and more. It comes with plenty of security features like Google VPN and end-to-end encryption, along with safety features like satellite SOS, emergency SOS, car crash detection, and more.

When it comes to battery life comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 deliver the same amount more or less. Any average user can get 24 hours out of both phones on regular use. However, the Pixel 9's 4,700mAh cell has a slight edge over the S25's 4,000mAh battery as it can last a whole day much easier than the S25, which requires topping off once or twice a day for a bit.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Google Pixel 9: How good are the cameras?

The camera experience is crucial for most phone users. These are the memories you capture daily that you’ll likely keep for a lifetime, not to mention share with the world through social media.

There were rumors that there would be some big changes to the cameras in the Samsung Galaxy S25, but that hasn't exactly panned out. Samsung hasn’t historically made sweeping changes to its cameras since the Galaxy S22 jumped from a 12MP main sensor to a whopping 50MP. The S25 has pretty much an identical camera setup to the Galaxy S24, which according to Snyder is very reliable for daytime and low-light shots.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 has a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, 10MP telephoto camera, and 12MP selfie camera. Samsung claims it has worked on improving the nightography video capture, but it's essentially the same set of cameras from last year so there's no major difference in the results. There's 10-bit HDR capture that now works on all four cameras, and Galaxy LOG lets you capture and color grade your recorded video like you can on DSLR cameras. An AI-powered virtual aperture lets you get creative with your captures.

Google has nothing to worry about, whatever the case may be, as the cameras in the Google Pixel 9 are pretty darned good. Lee says the images are “detailed and crisp” with a “great deal of dynamic range, even in low lighting conditions.” The Pixel 9 has a 50MP main camera as well with a wide sensor that affords up to 8x Super Res Zoom. Its ultra-wide camera is an impressive 48MP with macro focus but the front “selfie” camera is a measly 10.5MP. Lee does miss the third rear telephoto camera, which the Samsung Galaxy S25 has.

A similar set of photo editing features using AI are found in this phone as well, like Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Best Take (a fan favorite that lets you choose the best expressions of each person from multiple version of the same group photo to create the “best” one), Photo Unblur, and more. There’s even a cool Audio Magic Eraser feature for editing and enhancing videos.

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Google Pixel 9: Which should you buy?

As tempting as the Google Pixel 9 is at its current pricing, I truly feel the Samsung Galaxy S25 will serve you better in the long run. You'll be paying a slight premium upfront, but the benefits certainly compensate for it. The biggest strengths are the laptop-class processor, the 3x telephoto camera, and the ultra-compact design. On paper, those three aspects alone have me sold on the S25.

Could Samsung have made the Galaxy S25 better? Of course. From a Galaxy S24 user's perspective, there's little to get excited about. But if you don't have the previous generation phone and are considering this or the Pixel 9, I think the Galaxy S25 is the better choice.