With the Galaxy S24 launched in January and the Pixel 9 in August, 2024 has been a standout year for smartphone releases. These two flagship devices from Samsung and Google represent the peak of Android innovation, and each offers features that appeal to any user — although few can afford them.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 brings top-tier hardware, while Google’s Pixel 9 focuses on refining the AI and software experience. Let’s explore what makes either of them worth your money.
Overview: Samsung Galaxy S24 Vs Google Pixel 9
| Images: |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Component | Samsung Galaxy S24 | Google Pixel 9 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm) / Exynos 2400 (4 nm) | Google Tensor G4 (4 nm) |
| RAM | 8 GB / 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB, no card slot | 128 GB / 256 GB, no card slot |
| Display | 6.2 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels, Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz | 6.3 inches, 1080 x 2424 pixels, OLED, 120Hz |
| Main Cameras | 50 MP (wide), 10 MP (telephoto, 3x optical zoom), 12 MP (ultrawide) | 50 MP (wide), 48 MP (ultrawide) |
| Selfie Camera | 12 MP (wide) | 10.5 MP (ultrawide) |
| Battery | 4000 mAh, 25W wired, 15W wireless | 4700 mAh, 27W wired, 15W wireless |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, Bluetooth 5.3, USB Type-C 3.2 | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, Bluetooth 5.3, USB Type-C 3.2 |
| Price | $799.99 | $799 |
Design
The Galaxy S24 showcases Samsung’s signature refined look with a polished aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back sides. The phone is a bit bigger, measuring 152.8mm tall and 72mm wide, with an 8.5mm thickness. It also has some weight to it, coming in at 198g. You might appreciate it if you like your phone to be heavy. Plus, it’s got IP68 certification, meaning it’s dust-tight and water-resistant. It should survive being under water up to 1.5 meters for about 30 minutes.
On the other hand, the Pixel 9 is more compact and lighter. It measures 147mm tall and 70.6mm wide, with a thinner profile of 7.6mm. It’s much lighter, too, weighing just 167g or 168g, depending on the model. Like the Galaxy, it also uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back, with an aluminum frame holding it all together. It’s got the same IP68 water and dust resistance.
That being said, don’t be too confident in your phone. A previous drop test hurled the Galaxy S24 Ultra from six feet. The phone’s screen shattered, the glass lifted, and the edges were scraped, making it unusable. The S24 and S24 Plus had similar damage, while the S23 Ultra held up better in earlier tests. So, you still want to get protective cases and screen protectors to be on the safe side. The same goes for the Pixel 9, as it’s not indestructible.
The Galaxy S24 supports a Nano-SIM and an eSIM, which works for most people. The Pixel 9’s SIM slots are more flexible, as they can use a Nano-SIM and an eSIM, two Nano-SIMs, or even two eSIMs. Overall, the choice here is how you prefer your phone’s feel and how many SIMs you want inside it. If you like something sturdy and substantial, the Galaxy S24 is your pick. But if you’re more about lightweight, the Pixel 9 is made to give you that.
Display
The display is everything on a flagship phone because it directly affects your experience with the device. It’s where you’ll see anything, from photos and videos to games and other apps. A high-quality display gives you sharp visuals, vibrant colors, and enjoyable visuals. When you’re spending as much as these phones cost, you want to make sure you’re getting the best there is.
The Galaxy S24 has a 6.2-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. It also supports the always-on display feature and has a peak brightness of 2600 nits, just 200 nits higher than the previous S23 series. The resolution is 1080 x 2340 pixels, and there’s protection with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
While all these details sound amazing, one thing may push you towards Google’s phone. The S24’s display has washed-out colors that make it look cheap. Interestingly, it’s not a mistake. It’s noticeably worse than the S23’s screen, but it’s not so bad that it’s unusable.
Luckily, Samsung introduced a vividness slider with an update. With three settings, you can adjust the color saturation between natural and vivid modes. The highest setting significantly boosts color saturation, making it comparable to previous models.
In contrast, the Pixel 9 has a slightly larger 6.3-inch OLED display that peaks at 2700 nits. It also supports a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+, so visuals are similarly vivid and smooth. Its resolution is 1080 x 2424 pixels, and like the S24, it’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and features an always-on display.
Both phones have high-quality screens with excellent brightness and smooth visuals. However, the Pixel 9’s display is larger and brighter.
Performance
The Galaxy S24’s performance varies depending on the region. In the USA, Canada, and China, it uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which has an 8-core CPU with high-performance Cortex-X4 and Cortex-A720 cores. The international version uses the Exynos 2400, which features a 10-core CPU. Both processors handle heavy apps and games without significant lag, but the Snapdragon variant is usually the preferred benchmark for its performance.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 uses Google’s Tensor G4 processor, including an octa-core CPU and Mali-G715 MC7 GPU. This setup is primarily built to run AI and machine learning tasks, such as real-time language translation and advanced photography features.
In memory, the S24 wins with more memory configurations unless, like many, more is better. You can either get 8GB or 12GB of RAM, with storage options of 128GB, 256GB, or 512 GB. The Pixel is available with only 12GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage, which is relatively limiting.
Battery
The Galaxy S24 comes with a 4000 mAh battery that supports 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. This gives users a wider variety of charging options, and they can also charge other devices wirelessly using the Galaxy S24.
The Google Pixel 9, however, has a larger 4700 mAh battery. It supports a faster 27W wired charging, 15W wireless charging with the Pixel Stand, and 12W wireless charging with Qi-compatible chargers. For now, Google sees no tangible benefit in introducing the Qi2 standard. Also, there’s no reverse wireless charging, and frankly, you’re not missing much. Wireless charging, reverse or not, is mostly inefficient. You lose more energy compared to wired charging.
Cameras
The Galaxy S24 has a triple-camera setup: a 50MP wide lens, a 10 MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. It supports 8K recording and advanced features like Super Steady video and HDR10+ for vibrant colors. With this setup, you’ll capture great detail in your photos, zoom in up to three times on subjects, and fit more subjects into the frame.
On the other hand, the Pixel 9 has a dual-camera system with a 50MP wide lens and a 48MP ultrawide lens. It can’t zoom in as much as the S24 but relies heavily on software to enhance photo quality. For example, Pixel Shift and Ultra-HDR improve colors and details. So, even without a telephoto lens, you can still take great-looking shots.
Ideally, the S24 is the better photographer in the daytime and at night. Its pictures are brighter and sharper. The Google Pixel 9 has a warmer tone and looks duller.
That brings us to the selfie cameras. The S24 has a 12MP wide lens, while the Pixel 9 has a 10.5 MP ultrawide lens. This time, the Pixel 9’s selfie camera has more definition than the S24.
Software and features
The Pixel 9 and Galaxy S24 both run Android 14 and promise up to seven major Android upgrades. The major difference here is the OS customization. The S24 uses Samsung’s One UI 6.1.1 with additional features and customization options beyond the standard Android experience on the Pixel 9. Of course, it comes with the catch of bloatware, but it’s worth it for the interesting features.
Aesthetically, the Pixel’s UI is cleaner. Samsung packs way too many elements at once in one screen. If you don’t like distractions, then it’s not for you. I love it (especially the redesigned notification panel). There’s also the fact that One UI is specifically designed for Samsung devices, much like how Apple’s iOS is optimized for iPhones. So, everything works as it should and with one another within the ecosystem.
Plus, even though Gemini still powers it, Samsung has better AI. Yes, you read right. Samsung is using Google’s Gemini cloud service for its Galaxy AI capabilities. The good part is that it’s not relying solely on your device’s internal processing power but offloading the work to Google’s cloud servers. This way, older models like the Galaxy S22 now have it. So far, the Pixel 7 is as far as Google’s AI goes. But it’s possible they’ll expand to older Pixels in the future.
Samsung’s Galaxy AI offers real-time language translation during calls, a more interesting feature on the brand’s foldables. In a face-to-face conversation using the Galaxy Z Fold 6, for instance, you’ll speak into the inner display, and the live translation appears on the outer screen for the other person to read and speak. There’s also offline text-based conversation translation and even the Circle to Search feature you’ll find on the Pixel. In addition, Chat Assist and Generative Edit are other capabilities.
Google’s Pixel AI, on the other hand, excels in photo editing with Magic Editor and Best Take, Call Screen to filter calls with Google Assistant, and Audio Magic Eraser to remove unwanted sounds from videos.
Which $799 phone offers the best value?
We’ve done most of the work comparing the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 9 phones for you. Now, it’s up to you to assess your needs and choose the one that best suits them. Both phones are priced the same at $799. But ideally, the S24 offers more value because it combines better performance, a better camera system, charging options, and more.
The prices may be too much to bear at once, but you can maximize your savings with various offers on the official product websites. You could receive up to $540 in instant trade-in credit or $100 off without a trade-in when you buy the S24. Financing options are also available, starting at $33.34 per month for 24 months. For the Pixel 9, you can spread the cost over 36 months with monthly payments of $22.19. Google also accepts trade-ins.
