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Pixel 8 vs iPhone 15: The ULTIMATE Comparison Of Compact Flagships!
Pixel 8 is here! How does it compare to the best in the market currently – iPhone 15? Let’s find out in this ultimate comparison of Pixel 8 vs iPhone 15!
TL;DR Key Takeaways ⤵️
- Design: Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 look great but are as different as possible.
- Display: Pixel 8 has a high refresh rate display, while iPhone 15 has Dynamic Island.
- Performance: iPhone 15 for better performance, Pixel 8 for better AI performance.
- Camera: Both phones have excellent camera performance.
- Battery: All-day battery on both phones.
- Extras: AI-powered features on Pixel 8, Face ID, and Apple Pay on iPhone 15.
Pixel 8 has great cameras, AI-powered features, and a great screen. iPhone 15 also has a great screen a great set of cameras, and performs great. But the iPhone 15 costs $100/£100/€100 more than the Pixel 8.
- Pixel 8 Prices – Starts from $699/£699/€799
- iPhone 15 Prices – Starts from $799/£799/€959
Pixel 8 vs iPhone 15
| SPECIFICATION | Pixel 8 | iPhone 15 |
| Dimensions | 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm | 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight | 187 g | 171 g |
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM – InternationalDual eSIM with multiple numbers – US |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Display size | 6.2 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Display type | OLED | OLED |
| Display resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1179 x 2556 pixels |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Display certifications | HDR10+ | Dolby Vision, HDR10 |
| Display Protection | Gorilla Glass Victus | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Processor | Google Tensor G3 | Apple A16 Bionic |
| CPU | Nona-core 1×3.0 GHz Cortex-X3 & 4×2.45 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4×2.15 GHz Cortex-A510 | Hexa-core 2×3.46 GHz Everest + 4×2.02 GHz Sawtooth |
| GPU | Immortalis-G715s MC10 | Apple GPU 5-core |
| RAM | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB, 256 GB | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB |
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.7, 25mm, 1/1.31″, 1.2µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS | 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm, 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS |
| Ultra-wide camera | 12 MP, f/2.2, 126˚, 1/2.9″, 1.25µm | 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ |
| Selfie camera | 10.5 MP, f/2.2, 20mm, 1/3.1″, 1.22µm, PDAF | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/3.6″, PDAF |
| Battery capacity | 4575 mAh | Yet to be revealed |
| Charging speed | 27W Wired 18W Wireless 5W Reverse Wireless | 20W Wired 15W Wireless (MagSafe) 7.5W Wireless (Qi) |
| Operating system | Android 14 | iOS 17 |
| Price | Starts from $699/£699/€799 | Starts from $799/£799/€959 |
Design & Build Quality
Pixel 8 follows the same design language as the previous two Pixel generations. But instead of being more rectangular, the Pixel 8 is now a lot rounder. Pixel 8 still has the camera bar on the back, which gives the phone a distinctive Pixel look. Pixel 8 comes in three colors – Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose.
iPhone 15 looks pretty much like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 from the back. The only major change is the Dynamic Island in the front, which has come down from the Pro series of iPhones. iPhone 15 comes in five colors – Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, and Black.
Pixel 8
- Dimensions: 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm
- Weight: 187 g
- Materials: Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame
- IP Rating: IP68
Pros
- Premium Feel: Pixel 8 offers a premium build – with the metal frame and Gorilla Glass Victus, it is as premium as possible.
- Compact: It is compact and pocket-friendly.
- IP68 Rated: Pixel 8 has an IP68 rating for Robust water and dust resistance.
Cons
- Polarizing Design: Even though the Pixel 8 stands out from every other device in the market, it can be polarizing. Not everyone would find the design good.
iPhone 15
- Dimensions: 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm
- Weight: 171 g
- Materials: Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame
- IP Rating: IP68
Pros
- Premium Feel: The premium feel of Apple products is here on iPhone 15.
- Compact: It is even more compact and pocket-friendly than the Pixel 8.
- IP68 Rated: Robust water and dust resistance.
Cons
- Looks The Same: Even though the phone looks different from the front, it looks the same as the previous two iPhone generations.
Comparison
Both Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 are evenly matched in terms of design. Both phones have their signature family design and won’t be mistaken for any other device. But the iPhone 15 might be the more popular choice in terms of design.
Actionable Advice
Choose the phone that looks best according to your preference. Both the phones look and feel good, but which looks better should be your choice. In my opinion, even though the Dynamic Island is an obstruction in the display, it looks fresh and different.
Display
Pixel 8 has an upgraded display that refreshes at 120Hz, compared to the 90Hz in Pixel 7. The display measures 6.2 inches and has a resolution of Full HD+. Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protects it and can reach 2000 nits in peak brightness.
iPhone 15’s Super Retina XDR OLED is still limited to 60Hz, but it brings the Dynamic Island feature, which was earlier reserved for Pros only. This display has a resolution of 1179 x 2556 pixels and measures 6.1 inches. This display can also reach a peak brightness level of 2000 nits and is protected by Ceramic Shield Glass.
Pixel 8
- Type: OLED
- Size: 6.2 inches
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400 pixels
- Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
- Certifications: HDR10+
- Protection: Gorilla Glass Victus
Pros
- 120 Hz Refresh Rate: The display’s 120 Hz refresh rate display ensures that the animations and scrolling are smoother than ever.
- Brightness: This display can go up to 2000 nits in peak brightness, one of the brightest among any smartphones.
Cons
- No Variable Refresh Rate: While the display refreshes at 120Hz, it cannot adjust the refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz, like other flagships.
iPhone 15
- Type: Super Retina XDR OLED
- Size: 6.1 inches
- Resolution: 1179 x 2556 pixels
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- Certifications: Dolby Vision, HDR10
- Protection: Ceramic Shield glass
Pros
- Dynamic Island: The Dynamic Island is now available on non-Pro iPhones and brings many new features, such as alerts and Live Activities.
- Brightness: This display can go as high as 2000 nits peak brightness, making this one of the brightest displays ever.
Cons
- No High Refresh Rate: It’s 2023, and Apple still refuses to use a high refresh rate display on non-Pro iPhones.
Comparison
Both phones offer great displays but have their strengths and weaknesses. The display on Pixel 8 is bright and refreshes at 120 Hz maximum.
iPhone 15’s display, while still stuck at 60 Hz, also will reach the peak brightness levels of Pixel 8. The Dynamic Island is the talking point here. It offers features such as live activities, the ability to control music playback, turn-by-turn navigation, and more right on the top of the display.
Actionable Advice
If you prefer smoother scrolling and animations, Pixel 8 would suit you more. But what the iPhone 15 offers is rather unique and unlocks a whole new way of interaction with the phone. There’s no winner or loser here!cv
Performance
The Google Tensor G3 chipset on Pixel 8 isn’t going to win any benchmark wars. It performs well, but it cannot be compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Galaxy S23 series or the Apple A16 Bionic in the iPhone 15. But the chipset jumps ahead in AI workloads and powers various new AI software features in the phone.
iPhone 15 is powered by Apple A16 Bionic chipset. While not the most powerful chipset in Apple’s portfolio, it is still one of the best-performing chipsets in the market, and it ensures that the iPhone 15 won’t gasp for breath at any workload.
Pixel 8
- Chipset: Google Tensor G3
- CPU: Nona-core – 1×3.0 GHz Cortex-X3 & 4×2.45 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4×2.15 GHz Cortex-A510
- GPU: Immortalis-G715s MC10
- RAM: 8 GB
Pros
- RAM: 8 GB RAM of Pixel 8 ensures smoother multitasking.
- AI: Tensor G3 is optimized for AI workloads, giving it some exclusive AI-powered features.
Cons
- Not As Powerful: Tensor G3 isn’t as powerful as the A16 Bionic chipset in iPhone 15.
iPhone 15
- Chipset: Apple A16 Bionic
- CPU: Hexa-core – 2×3.46 GHz Everest + 4×2.02 GHz Sawtooth
- GPU: Apple GPU 5-core
- RAM: 6 GB
Pros
- Better Performance: The iPhone 15 is much more powerful than the Pixel 8.
Cons
- RAM: A lower RAM size of 6 GB might not be enough in the future.
Comparison
Google Pixel 8’s Tensor G3 SoC is much more powerful than the Tensor G2 SoC of the previous generation. But it is still slower than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Apple A16 Bionic chipsets. But the slightly lower performance is compensated by the AI-powered features that the chipset powers.
iPhone 15 is the better performer out of the two. Even though it is not as powerful as the Apple A17 Pro SoC of the iPhone 15 Pro, it is still one of the best-performing chipsets in any smartphone.
Actionable Advice
If you want the best performance for the price, you should go for iPhone 15. It can last for years, with the power of the same chipset from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro.
Camera
Pixel 8 has a dual camera setup – a primary camera of 50 MP and a secondary ultrawide camera of 12 MP. To the front, the selfie capture is handled by the 10.5 MP shooter.
The camera hardware is updated even though it looks like the same one as the Pixel 7 at first look. The ultrawide camera can also double up as a Macro camera for close-up shots. But hardware is not the focus here; it’s the software. Google has improved upon its computational photography and now has more editing options for photos and videos powered by Google AI, which enables you to make crazy edits to your photos in seconds, right on your phone.
iPhone 15 has a dual camera setup – a 48 MP primary camera and a 12 MP secondary ultrawide camera. To the front, the phone has a 12 MP selfie shooter. The primary camera is upgraded, now with the high megapixel 48 MP camera previously reserved for Pro iPhones.
Pixel 8
- Primary Camera: 50 MP, f/1.7, 25mm, 1/1.31″, 1.2µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
- Secondary Camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 126˚, 1/2.9″, 1.25µm
- Selfie Camera: 10.5 MP, f/2.2, 20mm, 1/3.1″, 1.22µm, PDAF
- Video: 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR
Pros
- HDR Performance: Pixel 8 has one of the best HDR performance against any phone.
- Better Low Light: Google has improved the low light performance in this generation.
- AI Image Tools: Pixel 8 gets exclusive AI-powered image editing tools and features such as Best Take, Magic Editor, and more.
Cons
- No Dedicated Telephoto: Pixel 8 doesn’t have a dedicated telephoto lens.
iPhone 15
- Primary Camera: 48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm, 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS
- Secondary Camera: 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚
- Selfie Camera: 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/3.6″, PDAF
- Video: 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps
Pros
- Consistency: iPhones are known for consistent image quality across all the lenses – it stays the same with iPhone 15.
- Video Quality: The video quality of iPhones is unmatched, and the iPhone 15 keeps the record intact.
- Better HDR Performance: Apple was infamous for average HDR performance. iPhone 15 fixes that to an extent.
Cons
- No Dedicated Telephoto: Lacks a dedicated telephoto lens.
Comparison
Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 have a similar camera setup – a high-megapixel primary camera and an ultrawide camera. The telephoto lenses are reserved for the Pro models of
Actionable Advice
Both Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 have exceptional camera quality. The style of the image captured is different in both phones; you can choose either, and they’re equally matched.
Battery Life
Pixel 8 has a 4575 mAh battery, which a 27 W USB-PD charger can charge up, and it also supports 18 W fast wireless charging.
iPhone 15 has a smaller 3877 mAh battery, charging 20 W using a wired charger and 15 W using a MagSafe wireless charger. It also supports 7.5 W wireless charging using Qi wireless chargers.
Pixel 8
- Size: 4575 mAh
- Type: Li-ion
- Charging: 27W Wired, 18W Wireless Charging
Pros
- Good Battery Life: The 4575 mAh battery in Pixel 8 will last long.
- Fast Wireless Charging: The phone supports fast wireless charging of 18W.
Cons
- Average Charging Speeds: Although the Pixel 8 charges faster, it is still slower than some modern Android phones.
iPhone 15
- Size: 3877 mAh
- Type: Li-ion
- Charging: 20 W Wired, 15 W Wireless via MagSafe, 7.5 W Wireless via Qi
Pros
- All-Day Battery Life: Apple promises all-day battery life on iPhone 15.
- MagSafe: The MagSafe wireless charging is an excellent addition to iPhones.
Cons
- Slow To Charge: The charging speed of the iPhone 15 is slower than Pixel 8.
Comparison
Both Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 offer good battery life. We cannot judge the battery life of these two phones using just the battery size as a metric, as iPhones generally have better battery life per mAh compared to Android counterparts.
Actionable Advice
You can choose either phone for battery life; the difference mainly would be on the charging speeds and iPhone 15’s support for MagSafe wireless charging, in addition to Qi wireless charging that Pixel 8 also supports.
Additional Features
Choosing a phone also depends on the various additional features they come with. Let’s discuss the additional features of Pixel 8 and iPhone 15.
Sound Quality
- Pixel 8: Pixel 8 has stereo speakers. Audio Magic Eraser lets you reduce sounds like cars and wind from the audio.
- iPhone 15: iPhone 15 has stereo speakers.
Storage Options
- Pixel 8: Pixel 8 has two variants – 128 GB and 256 GB.
- iPhone 15: iPhone 15 comes in 3 variants – 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB.
Software
- Pixel 8: Comes with Android 14 out of the box.
- iPhone 15: It comes out of the box with iOS 17.
Unique Features
- Pixel 8: AI-powered features sprinkled around the software.
- iPhone 15: Apple Pay & FaceID.
Comparison
Both phones offer a different set of features. Pixel 8 comes with various AI-powered features not found in other smartphone brands. iPhone 15, on the other hand, has features such as Apple Pay and FaceID, unique to iPhones.
Actionable Advice
Choosing either phone also depends on the features you’d like on your phone. Both phones are equally matched with software features unique to each operating system. Pixel 8 differentiates itself from other Android brands with many AI-powered features; if that’s your jam, Pixel 8 is the one to get.
Wrapping Up..
So, which compact flagship should you choose – Pixel 8 vs iPhone 15?
Key Takeaways
Design and Build Quality
- Pixel 8: Premium finish, great build, and classy colors
- iPhone 15: Premium finish, great build, and great set of colors.
Advice: Design is a personal preference. Both look equally good but in a different way. Choose the one you prefer!
Display
- Pixel 8: 120 Hz refresh rate, high brightness.
- iPhone 15: Dynamic island, high peak brightness.
Advice: If you need a smoother display, the Pixel 8 is the one to get. iPhone 15 brings Dynamic Island, unlocking a new dynamic in UX.
Performance
- Pixel 8: Not the best performer, but definitely the superior in AI performance.
- iPhone 15: Apple A16 Bionic chipset offers superior performance.
Advice: iPhone 15 has better performance and is the one to get if you’re eyeing performance.
Camera
- Pixel 8: The power of computational photography gives you great shots every single time, with excellent HDR performance.
- iPhone 15: Consistent colors in both lenses are the staple of iPhone 15, which now comes with more improvements in camera quality.
Advice: Both phones have excellent camera performance; you won’t go wrong with either.
Battery Life
- Pixel 8: All-day battery with faster charging.
- iPhone 15: All-day battery with the convenience of MagSafe.
Advice: Both brands promise all-day battery performance. Pixel 8 has slightly faster charging, and the iPhone 15 has MagSafe support.
Additional Features
- Pixel 8: Stereo speakers and AI-powered software features not found anywhere else.
- iPhone 15: Stereo speakers, Apple Pay, Face ID.
Advice: While the Pixel 8 has great exclusive AI-powered features, the iPhone 15 supports Apple Pay and Face ID as standout features.
Concluding the comparison, there is no clear winner between Pixel 8 and iPhone 15. Both are two different takes on a compact flagship. Pixel 8 is the culmination of all the AI-prowess Google has been working on and more. It has a great set of cameras and looks and feels premium. iPhone 15 is equally great, maybe even more. It has a great set of cameras, a good display with Dynamic Island, and great performance. If you’re already part of the Apple ecosystem, there’s no need to think twice, even though it costs slightly more!
- Pixel 8 Prices – Starts from $699/£699/€799
- iPhone 15 Prices – Starts from $799/£799/€959
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