Google Pixel 9 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro

Google Pixel 9 Pro

Google

8.3

Excellent

iPhone 16 Pro

Apple

8.5

Excellent

What Reviewers Agree On

Best-in-class computational photography and photo processing
Google AI features (Circle to Search, Call Screen, Magic Eraser) are genuinely useful
Significant battery life improvement over Pixel 8 Pro
Seven years of OS and security updates is industry-leading
Display is bright, accurate, and smooth at 120Hz

Deal Breakers

UFS 3.1 storage feels outdated at this price point
No Qi2 magnetic charging support

Pros & Cons

Google Pixel 9 Pro

Pros

Best-in-class computational photography and photo processing
Google AI features (Circle to Search, Call Screen, Magic Eraser) are genuinely useful
Significant battery life improvement over Pixel 8 Pro
Seven years of OS and security updates is industry-leading
Display is bright, accurate, and smooth at 120Hz

Cons

UFS 3.1 storage feels outdated at this price point

Detailed Comparison

Camera

Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Pixel 9 Pro's triple camera system continues Google's dominance in computational photography, with the new 50MP ultrawide and improved telephoto earning praise across the board.

Photo quality is outstanding, especially in challenging lighting conditions where Google's HDR+ processing excels.
The 5x telephoto zoom produces remarkably sharp results, competitive with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Video stabilization is much improved but still not quite at iPhone level for action shots.

iPhone 16 Pro

The camera system is the star of the show with a 48MP Fusion main sensor, 48MP ultrawide, and 12MP 5x telephoto. Video capabilities are exceptional with 4K120 Dolby Vision support.

48MP Fusion camera captures stunning detail with improved Smart HDR 5
5x optical telephoto zoom brings flagship-level reach to the Pro model
4K 120fps video recording in Dolby Vision is genuinely impressive for a phone

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Performance

Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Tensor G4 prioritizes AI workloads over raw benchmarks, and reviewers are split on whether that trade-off makes sense at this price.

Day-to-day performance is smooth and responsive — the Tensor G4 handles everything you throw at it without stutter.
In pure benchmark numbers, the Tensor G4 still can't compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is disappointing at $999.
On-device AI processing is noticeably faster than competitors — summarizing articles, processing photos, and real-time translation all feel instant.

iPhone 16 Pro

The A18 Pro chip delivers top-tier performance with improved GPU and Neural Engine. Real-world performance is snappy, and gaming performance rivals dedicated handhelds.

A18 Pro chip delivers 15-20% GPU improvement, making it the fastest smartphone chip available
16GB RAM (up from 8GB) future-proofs the device for Apple Intelligence features
Real-world speed differences from iPhone 15 Pro are minimal for everyday tasks

Battery Life

Google Pixel 9 Pro

A genuine improvement over the Pixel 8 Pro, with most reviewers getting through a full day comfortably.

Easily lasts a full day of heavy use, a marked improvement over the inconsistent battery life of the Pixel 8 Pro.
Charging speed at 27W remains frustratingly slow compared to OnePlus and Samsung's faster options.

iPhone 16 Pro

Battery life sees meaningful improvement thanks to A18 Pro efficiency gains. Most reviewers report getting through a full day with moderate to heavy use.

Consistently lasts a full day with heavy use — about 2-3 hours more screen time than iPhone 15 Pro
MagSafe charging now supports up to 25W with Qi2, reducing charge times
Still no fast charging brick included in the box