Google Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Which flagship should you buy? - XDA Developers

The Google Pixel bid has ever been the darling of Android enthusiasts and smartphone camera geeks, but a operation of sub-par hardware and deficiency of planetary availability meant they were ever niche devices, coming obscurity adjacent to the commercialized occurrence oregon mainstream designation of the iPhone.

However, Google's made efforts to alteration that successful the past mates of years, starting with the fantabulous Pixel 6 series, which introduced caller premium hardware headlined by Google's first-ever custom-built silicon. That momentum continues with the Pixel 7 series, easy the astir well-rounded and refined Pixel phones ever made, with the Pro exemplary yet offering the full bundle of premium hardware, refined software, and apical performance.

But is it amended than the iPhone? Namely, the apical canine iPhone 14 Pro Max? Let's find out.

Google Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Pricing and availability

Both phones are connected merchantability present astatine large online retailers specified arsenic Amazon, Best Buy, and each company's online stores. The Google Pixel 7 Pro starts astatine $899, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts astatine $1,099. Pricing is arsenic follows:

• Pixel 7 Pro, 128GB + 12GB RAM, $899
• Pixel 7 Pro, 256GB + 12GB RAM, $999
• Pixel 7 Pro, 512GB + 12GB RAM, $1,099
• iPhone 14 Pro Max, 128GB, $1,099
• iPhone 14 Pro Max, 256GB, $1,199
• iPhone 14 Pro Max, 512GB, $1,399
• iPhone 14 Pro Max, 1TB, $1,599

Google Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Specifications

Hardware and design: Nearly identical to past gen

Neither the Pixel 7 Pro nor the iPhone 14 Pro Max made large plan overhauls implicit erstwhile generations, truthful if you've seen oregon held the Pixel 6 Pro oregon iPhone 13 Pro Max, these caller phones volition look and consciousness familiar.

The Pixel 7 Pro brings backmost the Pixel 6 Pro's plan language, with the astir noticeable alteration being the horizontal camera visor barroom switching to an aluminum framing alternatively of glass. The visor besides present blends seamlessly into the remainder of the aluminum chassis for a much polished look. Otherwise, the wide signifier of the Pixel 7 Pro is virtually identical to the Pixel 6 Pro, prevention for a somewhat reduced surface curvature. It's besides 2g heavier.

I bash miss the two-tone colorway options of the Pixel 6 series; the 7 bid lone comes successful coagulated colors. If you person the enactment to take colors, I'd counsel against getting the achromatic ("Obsidian") color. Not lone is the colour dull, astatine slightest compared to the matte transportation achromatic of a telephone similar the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but the glossy decorativeness and darker colour amusement smudges and particulate that collects adjacent the camera visor precise easily. I initially tested the achromatic exemplary and thought the telephone looked "pretty good," but I fell successful emotion with the achromatic colour ("Snow"). It's tied with the Xiaomi 12S Ultra arsenic my favorite-looking telephone of the year. Slapping a lawsuit connected the Pixel 7 Pro each but covers up the phone's archetypal color, truthful you tin ever bash that if you take the Obsidian.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max, meanwhile, looks conscionable similar the iPhone 13 Pro Max from each sides and feels identical successful the hand. The camera module is simply a spot larger, but you'd lone announcement if you comparison the 2 phones side-by-side. But look astatine the caller phone's face, and there's 1 large change: The notch is dead. In its spot is simply a pill-shaped cutout named the "Dynamic Island." I deliberation the sanction is goofy, but it works functionally and aesthetically.

Apple built a bundle strategy that wraps a integer achromatic barroom astir the cutout, which shifts successful size depending connected the action. Some of these tin beryllium helpful. For example, you tin spot turn-by-turn navigation accusation connected the island, portion others are purely for added ocular flair. Not everyone loves this caller cutout, however.

Both phones person reinforced, toughened solid to defy cracks: Gorilla Glass Victus for the Pixel 7 Pro, and alleged "Ceramic Shield" for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The second has a sturdier framework made of stainless alloy compared to the aluminum that wraps astir Google's phone.

Moving onto the display. The Pixel 6 Pro had a dreadfully dim show that was borderline unusable successful agleam outdoor settings, but Google has wisely fixed this with the Pixel 7 Pro. The caller surface present gets up to 1,500 nits successful max brightness, which is bully capable to lucifer galore flagship phones and is so agleam capable to usage adjacent nether California midday sun. But the iPhone 14 Pro Max tops it with 2,000 nits. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is, successful fact, the brightest surface I've ever laid eyes on. The iPhone surface is besides much efficiently capable to driblet arsenic debased arsenic 1Hz successful refresh rate, portion the Pixel 7 Pro surface tin lone spell down to 10Hz. This allows the iPhone 14 Pro Max surface to conserve much artillery and connection an Always-On show that's virtually "always on."

Internal hardware: A16 Bionic vs Tensor G2

Regarding earthy processing power, the A16 Bionic successful the iPhone 14 Pro Max is much almighty than the Tensor G2 successful the Pixel 7 Pro. This is noticeable successful benchmark numbers and besides successful galore tasks that necessitate processing power.

Trimming the magnitude of a video wrong each phone's photograph app, for example, is perfectly jarring. Any basal trims (just from the opening oregon end, with nary cuts successful the middle) connected an iPhone 14 Pro Max happen instantaneously but tin instrumentality up to 10 seconds connected the Pixel 7 Pro. And the telephone can't beryllium utilized during that time, truthful I conscionable look astatine the Google Photo app processing wheel. Exporting 360 videos changeable by Insta360 cameras successful Insta360's app besides shows a important quality successful hold times successful favour of Apple.

If you don't tinker with videos connected the telephone much, past the Pixel 7 Pro volition execute conscionable fine. It tin grip moving TikTok oregon Gmail arsenic good arsenic the iPhone 14 Pro Max — though that barroom isn't high.

But portion the Tensor G2 whitethorn beryllium lacking successful earthy horsepower, it makes up for it with Google's instrumentality learning, which is rather perchance the astir precocious successful the satellite close now. Google's instrumentality learning mostly excels astatine analyzing photos and quality speech, and it truly shows. The Pixel 7 Pro tin dictate oregon transcribe my dependable successful real-time, connected the device, astatine implicit 98% accuracy. It's uncanny. The iPhone does the aforesaid occupation astatine possibly 85% accuracy. This is good, but not arsenic scary bully arsenic what you get with the Tensor G2.

The phones each commencement astatine 128GB of storage, with the Pixel 7 Pro going up to 512GB portion the iPhone 14 Pro Max goes up to 1TB (you person to wage a hefty premium, of course). Apple doesn't disclose RAM successful its phones, but the Pixel 7 Pro packs either 8GB oregon 12GB of RAM. Whatever magnitude of RAM is successful the iPhone 14 Pro Max, it's much than enough, arsenic the telephone zips astir without issues.

Both phones person great-sounding stereo speakers, though I'd springiness the borderline to the iPhone if I indispensable prime a winner. The artillery size treatment is akin to the RAM discussion. Apple doesn't disclose iPhone artillery size, but it doesn't matter. The iPhone 14 Pro Max has tremendous artillery life; it tin easy decorativeness a 13-14-hour time with good implicit 30-40% artillery to spare. This is amended than the Pixel 7 Pro, which tin inactive past the full 13-14 hr day, but with person to 10-20% artillery left. Both batteries complaint pathetically dilatory (wired oregon wirelessly) if compared to Chinese telephone brands, but for radical successful North America whose lone different constituent of notation whitethorn beryllium Samsung phones, past the charging times aren't truthful bad.

Cameras: Great photography crossed the board

Both Apple and Google are precocious entrants to the camera megapixel and sensor size arms contention led by Asian Android brands for years. The Pixel made the leap past twelvemonth with the 6 Pro's 50MP main camera, and the iPhone 14 Pro phones followed suit this twelvemonth with a 48MP camera.

The other pixels let the brains of each telephone to harvester 4 pixels worthy of information successful 1 larger pixel, which is simply a process known arsenic pixel binning. Using this technique, on with expanding representation sensor sizes, let the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max cameras to drawback lively, vibrant images time and night. The Pixel tends to dial up the opposition conscionable a spot more, arsenic good arsenic opt for a cooler colour temperature, and they look much pleasing to my eyes.

When it comes to zoom, it's a wide triumph for the Pixel 7 Pro. Google's telephone tin propulsion disconnected the in-sensor harvest 2x zoom that the iPhone 14 Pro Max pulls off, but Pixel one-ups the iPhone with a 5x Periscope zoom lens that tin besides bash different in-sensor harvest for a adjacent lossless 10x zoom.

Video signaling has traditionally been a beardown constituent of iPhones, and the 14 Pro Max continues this. Not lone is determination stronger bokeh, adjacent successful regular shooting mode, but Apple besides introduces a caller "Action Mode" that is fundamentally EIS connected steroids. It crops into the framework a bit, and the solution drops to conscionable 2.7k, but you tin fundamentally tally afloat velocity and film, and the footage won't look shaky. The Pixel 7 Pro's video capabilities are overmuch improved this year, with amended stabilization and debased airy performance. Google besides introduces a representation video mode that works well, but lacks the granular controls the iPhone's Cinematic Mode offers. In debased light, the iPhone 14 Pro Max stabilization is besides overmuch amended than the Pixel 7 Pro.

Software and performance: Android vs iOS

Years ago, determination were drastic differences betwixt however iOS and Android operated. These days, the spread has narrowed importantly since Apple and Google person intelligibly borrowed ideas from each other. Animations are buttery creaseless connected some phones, though the Pixel 7 Pro's UI volition spot the occasional uncommon stutter portion the iPhone 14 Pro Max seldom does.

The Pixel 7 Pro runs connected Android 13 with its ain Pixel-specific touches, including the "Material You" taxable motor that tries to lucifer the phone's UI colors to the wallpaper. There are aged favorites, ranging from aged favorites similar "Now Playing," wherever the Pixel tin actively place songs playing nearby, to caller features similar "Photo Unblur," which does what it says, and "Direct My Call," which gives users a ocular representation of a company's automated telephone system. These features enactment great, but they tin beryllium a spot overmuch for casual smartphone users.

Apple's iOS 16 is, by comparison, a much straightforward UI. Apple's app ecosystem is inactive much mature than Android's. There are apps, from large ones similar Instagram to niche ones similar Insta360 and Docusign, whose iOS app is intelligibly superior to the Android version. iOS besides feels much seamless. You bargain an Apple Watch, and it pairs with the iPhone without you needing to instal thing else. If you bargain a Pixel Watch for the Pixel 7 Pro you person to instal 2 apps (Pixel Watch and Fitbit) to get it to enactment fully.

But past Android's notification strategy is inactive overmuch amended than iOS, and Android allows a much customizable homescreen that tin beryllium curated to marque one-hand usage easier. For example, I spot each my Android telephone apps astatine bottommost of the surface for casual thumb reach. Apple's iOS doesn't fto maine bash that, truthful iPhones are ever a spot harder to usage one-handed for me.

Google Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Which 1 should you buy?

The iPhone 14 Pro Max offers amended artillery life, app ecosystem, accessories support, and earthy computing power. However, the Pixel 7 Pro has a amended camera system, much intelligent software, a amended in-hand feel, and it's $200 cheaper — and determination are much deals for the Pixel 7 Pro that marque it adjacent much enticing.

If you inquire me, I prime the Pixel 7 Pro, but I deliberation this determination yet depends connected idiosyncratic preferences, and I don't deliberation the $200 quality matters overmuch to existing iPhone users. They are acold excessively entrenched successful Apple's ecosystem to springiness up iMessage oregon halt utilizing the Apple Watch to prevention money.

On the different hand, Google hasn't done astir capable to halt Android users from jumping implicit to the iPhone. I deliberation immoderate squad jumping volition apt beryllium from the Pixel broadside to the iPhone side. Google knows this, which is wherefore it's trying to physique its ain ecosystem and progressively fastener features arsenic Pixel exclusives.

Either way, whichever telephone you choose, you won't beryllium disappointed.