iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Pixel 8 Pro: Which high-end flagship wins?

The iPhone vs. Android debate has always been intense, and I’m here to add fuel to the fire.

I used Apple and Google’s newest high-end phones, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Pixel 8 Pro, side-by-side to compare everything from cameras to battery life to displays. Neither of these phones are cheap — you’re looking at starting prices over $1,000 in the US — so here’s some of my experience with both phones, in the hopes that it makes your decision easier.

And if you’d rather wait a little longer before buying a new phone, we’re also predicting the arrival of the iPhone 16 during Apple’s fall event, possibly in September, and the Pixel 9 line during Google’s event later this month.

Which has a better camera?

It’s no surprise that the camera is one of the biggest areas of focus with each new phone release.

I tip my hat to the Pixel 8 line for having an incredible array of AI-ready features in photos and videos. There’s the Magic Editor, which lets you move and delete people, change the background and arrange objects however you want to create an ideal image that’s ready for Instagram (whether that’s ethical is a separate issue).

There’s also Best Take, which analyzes a series of photos and lets you switch faces so that if someone is blinking in a shot, for example, you can replace them with another one where they’re looking at the camera. The result is a single gorgeous image where everyone looks their best (and I can stop berating my friends for blinking).

Another feature I’ve had fun with is the Audio Magic Eraser, which lets you edit out distracting background sounds from your videos, whether it’s wind, music or crowd noise. It’s not perfect — I tested it in one of my CNET videos and it drowned out my voice — but it’s not bad for a first iteration.

HE is not everything. As cool as these features are, I’m just not sure how often I’d access them. So let’s compare the actual picture quality between the two phones.

When it comes to standard images without special effects, the results are surprisingly similar. The colors have almost no variation, and everything looks clean and true to life.

The differences started when I switched to Portrait mode. When photographing a cup of tea, the Pixel 8 Pro did a great job of keeping the entire cup in focus. The iPhone 15 Pro Max tried to keep the further end of the cup in focus, so the heart-shaped design embedded in the interior is out of focus, like the background. Thankfully, you can adjust the amount of blur through the shutter setting either before or after you take a photo, and Portrait mode also lets you change the focus after taking a shot.

Portrait mode in humans led to less inconsistency. There wasn’t much difference between these photos I took of my colleague Viva. Backgrounds are blurred to the same degree and Viva is in perfect focus in the foreground. The iPhone’s colors are a bit warmer, but both are great photos.

Selfies have a noticeable difference. On the Pixel, colors are brighter, including on my skin and the wall behind me. On the iPhone, everything is a little warmer and the shadows are darker. It’s worth noting that you can dial in a photo style or customize it to get the colors and contrast to look just the way you want.

When it comes to night mode, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the clear winner. In this photo of my plant in my dark room, the iPhone did a better job of lighting everything up and making it look clearer.

Which phone captures video better?

I use Cinematic mode a lot to give videos a more dramatic effect, so I had to compare how each phone handles those shots. The iPhone does a great job of keeping the subject in sharp focus, even when I’m moving. But I was a little disappointed in the Pixel. While taking a video of some decorative pumpkins, their edges were a bit shiny as the phone tried to figure out what to blur and when. (Watch the video above to see an example.)

The Pixel and iPhone both have video stabilization enabled by default, so the results are comparable. I took some pictures while walking, and they are a little shaky, but not bad without a gimbal or stabilizer.

Action mode on the iPhone helps to create even softer shots, but you need to have enough light for it to work. The Pixel also has a similar mode called Active Video Stabilization, which is more aggressive than the default setting. So in the end, both phones give you the ability to prioritize and customize every video setting you need to get that ideal shot.

How do the screens compare?

Where I really start to see the difference between these phones is in the display. The iPhone 15 Pro Max display has a more vibrant, sharper look and colors jump out at you. The Pixel 8 Pro’s colors, by comparison, are more muted, even when you crank up the brightness, but the display is still impressive and sharp.

The differences become more apparent when I watch a video. On YouTube, for example, videos on the Pixel have a grayer tint to them, while colors on the iPhone are a bit warmer and sharper. This remains true even when I enable True Tone on the iPhone and adaptive colors on the Pixel. Although the Pixel technically has a higher brightness, what sets the iPhone display apart is the much higher contrast ratio, which is why these colors look more vibrant. Again, you’ll get quality with either device, I just appreciated the sharper images on the iPhone.

How long do the batteries last?

Battery life is probably one of the most important considerations for me when buying a new phone. Why spend all that money if it won’t even last a full day?

Thankfully, this is not the case with either of these devices. In my non-scientific test, in which I played YouTube videos non-stop on both phones, the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasted about 22 hours, while the Pixel 8 Pro lasted about 16 hours. In CNET’s battery tests, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also came out on top.

It’s worth noting that Apple optimizes its A-series chips for video playback, and the Pixel’s screen has a higher overall brightness, which can use more battery.

When it comes to charging, the iPhone 15 Pro Max reached full charge in one hour and 50 minutes, and the Pixel 8 Pro was fully charged in one hour and 20 minutes. I used a 30 watt brick for both. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports charging at up to 27 watts, while the Pixel 8 Pro reaches 30 W, so that helps explain why the Pixel was the winner.

One of the most exciting things about this process was that, even though I used the respective cables that each phone came with, I could technically use the same cable for both phones because they each have USB-C ports. Thanks, Apple, for finally making it.

How much does each phone cost?

All those specs and features don’t come cheap.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 (£1,999, AU$2,199) for 256GB. You can get the same storage option at Pixel 8 Pro for $1,059 (£1059, AU$1799). Both phones also come in 1TB options, if you’re willing to shell out a few hundred dollars extra.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes in black, white, blue and natural titanium. The Pixel 8 Pro comes in black, white and blue — or “bay,” as Google calls it.

Google promises seven years of software updates with its Pixel 8 line. Apple doesn’t commit to a specific number of years, but now, support for iOS 17 goes back five years on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.

Final thoughts of iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Pixel 8 Pro

So with both phones having great cameras, vibrant displays and great battery life, which one would I go for?

I’m impressed by the Pixel 8 Pro’s portrait mode and prefer the way selfies look in it. I’m also a big fan of the faster charging and the AI ​​features are unique and can be useful. Since switching to the iPhone from the Samsung Galaxy line last year, I’ve missed having the ability to remove distracting objects in photos directly from my phone’s gallery, so it was nice to have that again, in addition to much more advanced editing capabilities of photographs.

What sells me on the iPhone is the excellent all-round video quality, especially in Cinematic mode. Everything looks clearer and clearer, and this is also true of the screen. More battery life is always a win, even if it takes longer to charge.

I have to say it: Apple’s ecosystem is unbeatable. So the pairing of great hardware and software makes me want to reach for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it’s a really close match here. After all, there are things I’d rather do on the Pixel, and vice versa. What it comes down to is what your priorities are — whether it’s taking photos, recording videos, watching movies, or having advanced AI-powered editing features at your fingertips.

Watch the video above to see both phones in action and hear more about my thoughts on each device.