The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the largest model in Google’s new lineup, measuring a whopping 6.8 inches diagonally. It’s packed with the latest and greatest technology Google has to offer, but it faces stiff competition in the big phone space. Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra also measures 6.8 inches and is one of the best phones we’ve tested this year. How do these two premium phones compare? Let’s take a closer look at the specs.

Purely in terms of size, there isn’t much difference between the two. Since both phones have 6.8-inch displays, it’s no surprise that the dimensions are largely similar and there’s only a 0.1mm difference in thickness. While the Pixel weighs 221 grams, the S24 Ultra tips the scales at 233 grams, and I highly doubt you’ll ever notice that difference. Both displays have adaptive refresh rates ranging from 1 to 120Hz, but Samsung’s AMOLED panel offers a slightly higher pixel density than Google’s OLED display. Will that difference be noticeable? We’ll have to wait and see.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra puts more emphasis on the cameras, particularly the massive 200-megapixel main sensor, which dwarfs the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 50-megapixel sensor, at least on paper. However, the Pixel’s 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens beats the S24 Ultra’s 12-megapixels, and the Pixel’s 48-megapixel 5x telephoto zoom is about on par with the Samsung phone’s 50-megapixel 5x zoom. The Pixel’s 42-megapixel selfie camera is certainly an improvement over the S24 Ultra’s 12-megapixel camera, although the S24 Ultra shoots native 8K video, while the Pixel only upscales its 8K footage from 4K.

However, the quality of phone cameras often depends more on the software than on the number of megapixels. We will have to wait and see which phone takes better photos when we can compare the two in a camera test.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL’s new Tensor G4 chip is still an unknown quantity at the moment, but it will have to work exceptionally hard to perform better than the S24 Ultra’s lightning-fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Both phones will have Android 14 at launch, but Google will be working hard with its Gemini AI features, which aren’t found on Samsung’s phone.

The bigger difference between the two phones is the price. While the S24 Ultra starts at $1,300 (with 256GB of storage), the Pixel 9 Pro XL costs just $1,099 (with 128GB of storage). The smaller Pixel 9 Pro – which has the exact same specs as the larger XL model – costs just $999, which is an even bigger saving over Samsung’s flagship.

With so many features seemingly on par, it’s going to be an interesting battle between these two superphones. While Samsung may have the edge in camera quality and processing power on paper, things can be very different in real-world use. It’s safe to say we’re excited to put the phones through their paces.