Who’s the new Android king?

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S24

  Pound for pound king

  The Samsung Galaxy S24 features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, promising better performance than the Pixel 8. It sports 8GB of RAM with 128 or 256GB of storage. The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED display is capable of a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1080p, with a 2,600 nit max brightness. 

  Pros

  • Fast raw performance
  • Premium build
  • Great One UI software

• 

  Google Pixel 8

  Best choice for shutterbugs

  $549 $699 Save $150

  The Google Pixel 8 is the company’s latest flagship, boasting a new Tensor G3 chip, a brighter screen, and a new camera array capable of capturing even more light. As usual, the real power lies in Google’s Tensor chip, which offers even more photo enhancement and image editing features.

  Pros

  • Bright display
  • Premium build quality
  • Decent battery life

  Cons

  • Slow charging speeds
  • Lacking AI features of the Pro model

The Google Pixel 8 changed the narrative surrounding the company’s smartphones. Previous Pixels were criticized for overheating and dim displays, but the Pixel 8 proved the engineers in Mountain View could still put out a quality device.

Samsung’s response comes in the form of the Galaxy S24 lineup, with promises of AI enhancements and many years of software support. But did Samsung do enough to continue its Android dominance, or will the Galaxy’s incremental upgrades give the Pixel the upper hand?

Price, availability, and specs

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is available now for pre-order, with a full release scheduled for January 31st. It’s available with 8GB RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage, starting at $800. Samsung offers the S24 in seven colors, with exclusive hues available only through its site.

The Google Pixel 8 is available through Google, Amazon, and the usual retailers, with the same RAM and storage options. While the Pixel 8 lists for $699, it can often be had for as little as $550. Google offers the Pixel 8 in three colors: Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose.

• 	Samsung Galaxy S24	Google Pixel 8
  SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3	Google Tensor G3
  RAM	8GB	8GB LPDDR5X
  Storage	128GB, 256GB	128GB, 256GB
  Battery	4,000mAh	4,575mAh
  Ports	USB-C	USB-C
  Operating System	Android 14 and One UI 6.1	Android 14
  Front camera	12MP, f/2.2	10.5MP, f/2.2
  Rear camera	50MP, f/1.8, OIS main; 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide; 10MP, f/2.4 zoom (3x)	50MP, f/1.7, OIS main; 13MP, f/2.2 ultrawide
  Dimensions	147.1 x 70.6 x 7.6mm	150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm
  Display type	AMOLED, 120Hz	OLED, 120Hz
  Weight	168g	187g
  Charge speed	25W	27W wired, 18W wireless
  IP Rating	IP68	IP68
  Display dimensions	6.2″	6.2-inch
  Charge options	USB-C wired, Qi wireless	Wired, Wireless
  Cellular connectivity	4G, 5G (incl. mmWave)	4G, 5G (incl. mmWave)
  Wi-Fi connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 7 (except certain markets)
  Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3

Design

The Galaxy S24 continues Samsung’s design language from the last few years with a flat, glass back and metal frame. The company’s Armored Aluminum adds to the sturdy feel of the device. Like the S23, this year’s Galaxy features a flat display, as curved panels fall out of favor with smartphone manufacturers.

Gorilla Glass Victus 3 covers the front and back, protecting against scratches and shattering. While the S24 isn’t titanium like its more expensive Ultra brother, the build is solid and features an IP68 rating — which is expected at this price point.

Not to be outdone, the Google Pixel 8 has a premium design from top to bottom. Its aluminum frame feels good in the hand, with Gorilla Glass Victus protecting the front and back of the device. It’s also IP68-rated for peace of mind against water and dust. The Pixel 8’s back glass sports a slight curve, making it more comfortable to hold than the S24.

Overall, both devices offer the flagship look and feel you’d want from a device north of $700.

Display

Samsung smartphone displays have been excellent for years, and the company delivers another one with the Galaxy S24. It features a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 1080p resolution and refresh rate that can scale from 1-120Hz. The colors are saturated and vibrant, with excellent contrast. Samsung boasts a peak brightness of 2,600 nits on the Galaxy S24, a significant increase over last year’s 1,750.

Google exorcised a few demons with the display on the Pixel 8. The Super Actua display on the Pixel 8 is a 6.2-inch AMOLED panel refreshing at 120Hz with a 1080p resolution. It features 2,000 nit peak brightness, a noticeable improvement over past Pixel devices, though a bit below the S24’s level. The panel is more saturated than in previous years, with better color, but the Galaxy S24 still holds the overall advantage. That said, the gap is nowhere near what it used to be, and you won’t notice a huge step down with the Pixel 8.

Software

Samsung ships the Galaxy S24 with Android 14, running the company’s One UI 6.1 skin. The new S24 includes Galaxy AI, featuring a host of AI enhancements from a photo editing tool to real-time call translation. Samsung’s software has been among the best for years, and if you don’t mind a less-than-stock Android experience, it has a lot to offer.

The new notification shade is aesthetically pleasing, and Samsung made important improvements to the camera app — no more need for the separate Camera Assistant app to adjust the shutter speed. In addition, the company promises seven years of software support, a significant increase, bringing it up to par with the support Google offers.

The Pixel 8 runs Google’s Material You skin, a relatively stock Android 14 experience. Fan favorites like Now Playing and Magic Editor are back with the Pixel 8, and more AI-enhanced apps are promised for 2024. Google also set the mark by offering seven years of software support, giving users security patches and major Android updates.

Because both devices feature excellent software and the same long-term support, it really comes down to preference. One UI is an excellent choice if you’re comfortable with a few tweaks, but Material You is silky smooth on the Pixel 8.

Performance

It doesn’t get much better than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy powering the S24. Even though Qualcomm and Samsung have highlighted the AI capabilities of the chipset, don’t think it’s lacking in raw performance.

If you’re a big mobile gamer, the Galaxy S24 carries a distinct advantage over the Pixel 8, allowing you to run the newest titles on the highest settings. Performance is snappy, allowing the S24 to rip through daily tasks and tackle more intensive photo editing. You’ll never feel like the Galaxy S24 falls short under the hood.

The Tensor G3 in the Pixel 8 may not score as well as the 8 Gen 3, but benchmarks rarely tell the whole story. Google’s third-gen Tensor handles thermals much better than earlier versions, with improved performance and longer battery life as a result.

It powers a smooth experience on the Pixel 8, with the only slowdowns or limitations noticeable while playing intensive AAA titles — unless you want to run Genshin Impact all day, you’ll be just fine.

Battery

Last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was excellent on battery life in the S23 series of devices, and I expect that to continue in the Galaxy S24 with the Gen 3. The standard S24 sports a 4,000mAh cell, which should be enough with the Gen 3’s power efficiencies to get you through an entire day – though its bigger siblings are likely to last longer.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 gets fantastic battery life from its larger 4,575mAh cell, allowing users to get over six hours of screen time comfortably. Thanks to the improved thermals of the Tensor G3, the Pixel series reversed its battery fortunes, going from some of the worst performance on Android to some of the best. If getting through your day and night with battery room to spare is your main buying factor, the Pixel 8 is worth looking at.

Unfortunately, recharging speeds won’t turn heads on either device, with the Pixel 8 limited to 27W wired and 15W wireless charging. The Galaxy S24 can recharge at 25W wired, with wireless charging also available.

Camera

It’s no secret that the Pixel 8 takes great photos. It features a pair of sensors, a 50MP main shooter and a 12MP ultrawide lens, but the physical cameras only tell half the story. The Pixel’s camera magic stems from the company’s computational photography model, which cleans up photos to give you the best possible version of the image.

Photos from the Pixel 8 are sharp, with good contrast and depth. Night Sight brings night images alive, cleaning out noise and graininess to create Instagram-worthy shots. Selfies are handled by a 10.5MP sensor, allowing for crisp portrait mode shots. If you’re a shutterbug, buy the Pixel 8.

The Galaxy S24 counters with a triple camera setup: a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom, giving it added versatility over the Pixel 8. Samsung has its own computational photography model, with those new AI features taking things even further.

Until we’ve reviewed the S24 ourselves we won’t know exactly how the new camera system holds up, but we don’t expect the same point-and-shoot excellence as the Pixel 8.

Which should you buy?

Despite the Pixel 8 taking the battery and camera advantage, the Galaxy S24 is still the best device for most people. You’ll enjoy the same long software support with the added raw power and performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and a better display to boot.

If you enjoy the stock Android experience, the Pixel 8 is your best bet. The Tensor 3 is no slouch, and the battery life and display are significantly improved over previous Pixels. If you’re a photo fanatic or need your battery to last a little longer, the Pixel 8 is a good alternative.