Apple has unveiled its new iPhone 16 range with baked-in AI functionality, but how does it compare to top-of-the-line smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Google Pixel 9?
Straight off the bat, the iPhone 16 comes in more variations than Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S24. There the base model, 16 Plus, the Pro, and Pro Max, so that is four options compared to the S24’s base model, S24+ and S24 Ultra. Google’s flagship Pixel 9, however, also comes in four models including the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which, as the name suggests, folds out into an 8-inch full screen OLED display.
AI: iPhone 16 v Pixel 9 v Galaxy S24
Let’s start with AI capabilities. The unveiling of Apple Intelligence was the central focus of Monday’s Apple event. Partly using OpenAI‘s ChatGPT, this will bring an AI boost to voice assistant Siri as well as being integrated across Apple’s email and note taking apps and other places users input text.
Apple Intelligence also surfaces in the camera app and photo gallery: creating custom movies by typing descriptions, searching photos using natural language, finding specific moments in videos, and removing background objects without affecting the subject, using the new Clean Up tool.
Google’s Pixel 9, with its Tensor G4 processor and 12GB of RAM, also centers heavily on AI, particularly in photography and personalization. The new Magic Editor allows users to make complex image edits with simple commands, while features such as Magic Eraser and Face Unblur carry over from previous models. The Pixel’s AI further enhances video, enabling Astrophotography and Timelapse modes, alongside the Cinematic Blur effect.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, also offers AI enhancements, particularly in the camera department. Samsung’s AI-driven photo editing allows for intelligent color optimization, flaw detection, and AI-powered Generative Editing. However, in terms of raw AI power, Samsung appears to be a step behind both Apple and Google.
Apple Inc.
Camera and Photography: The Megapixel Race
Apple’s iPhone 16 introduces a 48MP Fusion camera, coupled with a 12MP Ultra Wide lens. The fusion system allows 2x telephoto capabilities, and new features such as spatial photo and video capture bring Apple’s imaging prowess closer to professional levels. Google’s Pixel 9 continues its focus on computational photography, with a dual rear camera setup consisting of a 50MP wide lens and a 48MP ultrawide lens with Macro Focus. The Pixel’s 8x Super Res Zoom and Night Sight modes still stand out in lowlight photography, while its 10.5MP selfie camera comes with autofocus, bringing more depth to portraits.
Samsung, on the other hand, opts for a more traditional camera system with its 50MP wide camera, 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom. The S24 Ultra outdoes its competitors with a 200MP main camera, alongside an impressive 10MP telephoto lens with 10x zoom. In terms of raw megapixel count, Samsung leads the race, but Apple and Google win on offering unique AI-assisted photo features.
Display: Brightness Wars
Apple’s iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come with Super Retina XDR displays, capable of up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness outdoors. Google’s Pixel 9, however, edges past Apple with its Actua OLED display, reaching 2,700 nits of brightness and HDR support. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup lags slightly behind, with a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, though all three brands offer OLED technology with high resolution and refresh rates.
When it comes to adaptive refresh rates, the iPhone 16 features a 60-120Hz range, similar to Google’s Pixel 9. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 models, however, support a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate, allowing for smoother motion when needed and more power efficiency during static content. In everyday use, the differences may be minor, but Samsung’s finer control could offer an edge in battery life.
What about display size? The iPhone 16 entry level screen is 6.1-inches, slightly underperforming in comparison to the Pixel 9’s 6.3 and the S24’s 6.2. The Pro Max, however, comes in at 6.9-inches, outdoing the Pixel 9 Pro Max’s 6.7 and S24 Ultra’s 6.8.
Performance: Chips, Power and Battery Life
Apple’s new A18 chip powers the iPhone 16, offering performance that it claims does justice to demanding AAA games, enhanced by Apple Intelligence for handling tasks across the device. Google’s Tensor G4 in the Pixel 9 is also designed with AI at its core, though its past iterations haven’t performed as well in benchmarks compared to Apple’s A-series chips. Samsung’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor is also designed for high-end gaming and multitasking, likely offering the best benchmark performance of the three.
Apple claims the iPhone 16 offers “a big boost in battery life” thanks to its internal design improvements and A18 chip’s efficiency, but hasn’t shared specific battery capacity figures (other than stating up to 22 hours video playback on a full charge).
Google’s Pixel 9 has a 4,700mAh battery, promising more than 24 hours of usage, and an extreme battery saver mode that extends life up to 100 hours. Meanwhile, Samsung’s S24 comes in smaller, with a 4,000mAh battery, but the S24 Ultra boosts this to 5,000mAh, slightly edging out the Pixel 9 Pro XL in raw battery size.
When it comes to RAM or the smartphone’s short term memory, the iPhone 16 entry level has a mere 8GB, as does the S24, in comparison to the 12GB of Google’s entry level flagship model. Still, an upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro’s 6GB.
Pricing and Availability
Apple’s iPhone 16 starts at $899, while the base Google Pixel 9 begins at $799, but the iPhone Pro Max model starts at $1,799 (for the 256GB version) in comparison to $1,799 for Google’s Pro Fold model. It must be noted, however, that the Pro Fold, as Google’s second foldable phone, has an 8-inch fold out display in addition to its exterior 6.3-inch screen. Samsung matches Google with the Galaxy S24 at $799, while its top-tier Ultra model jumps to $1,659.
All four new models of the iPhone 16 are available to preorder now ahead of a September 20 release date. The Pixel 9 has been available since August 22 while Samsung’s Galaxy S24 went on January 31, 2024.
Newsweek has emailed Apple and Google via email and Samsung, via media contact form, for comment.
Looking for the latest consumer tech and gaming gear?
PlayStation is hosting a livestream tomorrow, September 10 at 8 a.m. PT / 4 p.m. BST, with Mark Cerny, Lead Architect of the PS5 console. There are no specifics as of yet but with the promise of “a focus on PS5 and innovations in gaming technology” there could be an announcement in the pipeline.
