The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL match-up is one we can't wait to see play out in 2025. But we don't have to wait until then — thanks to the tireless work of leakers, we can already see some of the ways this battle will go once Samsung's new flagship arrives.
Even putting aside rumored upgrades to its cameras and chipset and the alleged design revamp, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be one of the biggest phone launches of 2025 simply because it's Samsung's premium flagship. But the S25 Ultra will arrive in a smartphone market with tough competition like the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL — a phone that shows just how smart and capable a premium smartphone could be, while also undercutting Samsung on price.
While the Galaxy S25 Ultra's specs and features are not confirmed right now, we're comparing what's been leaked about that phone to the Pixel 9 Pro XL to see how the phones may match up. That way you can start to figure out whether you're safe to buy a Pixel right now, or if waiting until the new year for the new Galaxy could be the smarter bet.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Price and availability
Unfortunately for us, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to cost at least $1,299. That’s the same price as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but up over the $1,199 of previous S series Ultras. It’s also way higher than the $1,099 starting price for thePixel 9 Pro XL, even though that's the most expensive Google phone, apart from the company's foldable Pixel 9 Pro Fold. These figures get a little fuzzier when you pay for these phones with a contract rather than buying them outright, but it’s still a distinct advantage for Google.
You can pick up a Pixel 9 Pro XL right now, with the phone having been on sale since August. The Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn't have an official release date yet, but the rumor mill says the Galaxy S25 lineup launch is likely coming on January 23, at a Galaxy Unpacked event happening in San Francisco.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Design and display
We're expecting the Galaxy S25 Ultra to have a similar look to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But leaked images point to lots of small changes coming to switch things up, such as a slightly larger and thinner body, flatter sides with rounder corners and a curved back panel to help the phone stay ergonomic. Samsung's presumably going to use titanium sides again for a increased durability over typical aluminum-clad phones.
Google already made the leap to flat sides with the Pixel 9 series, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL was no exception. It's still going to be easy to tell apart the S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL from behind going by the camera layouts. The Pixel still features Google's signature horizontal camera bar, while Samsung is expected to keep its rear sensors clustered in the top left corner.
On the display side, Google uses a 6.8-inch OLED panel on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The display can adjust its refresh rate between 1 and 120Hz depending on the on-screen activity. Other than expanding the size of the S25 Ultra to 6.9 inches, Samsung may offer basically identical specs to the S24 Ultra, even down to the specific OLED material used.
Google also gave the Pixel 9 Pro XL a second-generation Super Actua display, which helps the Pixel's screen shine brighter than any of its rivals. Samsung may not be able to challenge this if it's keeping its screen the same, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra will hopefully be able to rely on another anti-glare display that will still make on-screen content more visible in bright light.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Cameras
Samsung dazzles with its Ultra phones' camera hardware, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra should keep that up if the rumors are accurate. The 200MP main camera will return from the Galaxy S24 Ultra according to leaks, but be joined by new 50MP ultrawide and 3x telephoto cameras to replace the aging 12MP and 10MP sensors used on the S24 Ultra. There's also talk of Samsung's phone bringing a variable focal length telephoto camera to give it multiple zoom levels in one, replacing the current duo of 10MP 3x and 50MP 5x zoom sensors.
Google uses a combination of 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide and 48MP 5x telephoto on the Pixel 9 Pro XL, plus a 42MP camera on the front. While it'll likely be at a megapixel disadvantage to the new Galaxy Ultra, Google's amazing photo processing systems — especially its low light performance — could mean it still beats the new Samsung as we saw in our Pixel 9 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra photo face-off.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Performance
After lots of conflicting rumors, it now seems like the Galaxy S25 Ultra will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite worldwide. That's good news since the Snapdragon 8 Elite is a very impressive chip from what we've seen in both leaked benchmarks reportedly featuring the S25 and actual results from early adopter phones like the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. Samsung may even get a special high-performance version like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chip running the Galaxy S24 series, not to mention new performance profiles for things like gaming to put all that power to the best possible use.
While Google's Tensor G4 chip is capable, it lags behind even the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 found in other flagship Android phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to run rings around the Pixel 9 Pro XL in benchmark apps, even if everyday anecdotal performance shows a smaller gap.
Previous Galaxy Ultras started at 256GB, and we imagine the Galaxy S25 Ultra will too. But unlike those predecessors, which came with 12GB RAM, a 16GB RAM upgrade could be coming to the S25 Ultra match other leading Android phones.
That includes the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which features a 16GB RAM option. However, the phone starts at a less generous 128GB of storage, with 256GB, 512GB and 1TB options costing extra. So even though its entry level model is several hundred dollars cheaper than the Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to cost, that gap shrinks if you want identical memory specs for the Pixel.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Battery and charging
We're hearing that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will use a 5,000 mAh battery and offer 45W wired charging, just like the past few S Ultra models. Hopefully, the rumored improvement to GPU efficiency will help this familiar battery perform better than before, and perhaps some cooling upgrades would help speed up charging a little more, too.
Google has Samsung beat on capacity, with a 5,060 mAh battery sitting within the Pixel 9 Pro XL. But the Pixel still lags behind the current Galaxy S24 Ultra's battery life by 2 hours. The Pixel also charges slower with its 37W wired standard (although it can be hard to get that speed without Google's own charger) and up to 15W wireless with Google's Pixel Stand charger.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Software and special features
The incoming One UI 7 is guaranteed to drive the Galaxy S25 series, and should come coupled with the same seven-year update promise that the Galaxy S24 series offered. We've had a small glance at how this might look on the S25 Ultra, and we could see lots of new icons and interfaces throughout the phone.
Galaxy AI will be a primary selling point once again, according to the rumor mill, which also says Samsung has been looking at adding generative AI abilities to Bixby. That sounds similar to how Apple is equipping Siri with these powers, and how Google effectively replaced Google Assistant with Gemini.
Another potential S25 Ultra change inspired by Apple and Google could be the addition of satellite connectivity. This makes it easier to stay in touch or contact emergency services when a user's outside the reach of a cellular network. It would be a welcome addition to the S25 series.
Google stuffed all kinds of AI productivity and creativity features into the Pixel 9 Pro XL, such as the Screenshots app to help you manage and rediscover things you've screen-grabbed, generative AI editing tools for photos and video, and transcription and translation for text and audio. And thanks to Google's quarterly Feature Drops, more capabilities will be on the way for the Pixel even after the Galaxy S25 series has launched.
One of the Galaxy S Ultra line's most unique features is the S Pen, something it inherited from the Galaxy Note series. We are assuming Samsung will keep this in place for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, since it helps the Galaxy stand out. The stylus also plays nicely with Galaxy AI, which can neaten up handwriting or adapt a scribbled image into something more complete.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Outlook
Assuming the leaks we've heard are accurate, the Galaxy S25 Ultra should retain its hardware advantage over the Pixel 9 Pro XL, seeing big changes inside and out. That should be good news for anyone prioritizing display size, battery life or camera versatility.
But whether Samsung can beat Google on features depends on what it has in mind for its software and Galaxy AI suite. The Pixel will probably still have the edge on overall features with the help of a direct line to Google and regular updates, plus it could still be the better camera phone even with Samsung possibly stuffing even more megapixels of resolution into its cameras.
None of this is certain for now, though, and won't be until the rumored January reveal of the Galaxy S25 series. But both the S25 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL could be worth shortlisting if you're thinking of buying a new flagship Android phone in 2025.
