For years now, the margin between Samsung and Google has gotten slimmer with each new phone they release. Google, for example, is making its strongest case for the best camera phone with its Pixel 9 Pro XL. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is no slouch in this area either given how it tops our list of best Android phones.
In my Pixel 9 Pro XL review, I specifically mention how its upgraded ultrawide and selfie cameras are marked improvements over its predecessor. I also love how it features some of the best AI-assisted photo editing tools around, like Add Me and Reimagine, which certainly makes it a much more robust camera phone.
However, its triple camera arrangement with a 50MP main camera, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom will need to over deliver if it has any chance in winning this camera shootout.
Samsung’s continually been a strong performer in this area, and, as I’ve mentioned in my Galaxy S24 Ultra review, is no different armed with its triple cameras; a 200MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3X optical zoom, and a 50MP telephoto with a 5X optical zoom. These pixel crunching numbers look impressive on paper, but it ultimately comes down to what they actually produce.
Previously, it was almost a deadlock in my Pixel 8 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra photo shootout. Even though Samsung narrowly came out on top, the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s new upgrades could be enough to pull Google ahead this time. Just like my other photo shootouts, I’m shooting the same exact scenes with the two flagships — then previewing their photos on a monitor to pixel peep their differences.
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: daytime
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Since I was close to the water, I snapped the first set of images in the gallery above overlooking some docked boats in the foreground with buildings in the background. This daytime scene looks almost identical until I start zooming, where I can make out the better exposure with the highlights and boats from the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s shot. The S24 Ultra’s snapshot looks just as good, but zooming definitely shows how it’s a smidge less with the definition.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: dynamic range
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More often than not in the snapshots I’ve taken, it’s a toss up when looking at their dynamic range performances. With the sun setting behind the trees, the Pixel 9 Pro XL neutralizes the brighter areas of the horizon to draw out the details in the clouds. In contrast, the S24 Ultra has a slightly brighter picture that better shows the difference in light and shadow throughout the shot. Due to this, I’m giving it to the S24 Ultra — but only by a smidge.
Winner: Galaxy S24 Ultra
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: macro
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This one’s a clear win for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, mainly because of how it produces the brighter images with better clarity. I thought I wasn’t getting close enough to my subjects with the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s dedicated macro mode, but even when I tried adjusting my distance, it still couldn’t match the S24 Ultra’s shots. Not only are they brighter in almost every instance, but they’re noticeably sharper and detailed.
Winner: Galaxy S24 Ultra
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: color reproduction
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Frankly, I’m always enticed by saturated colors, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra is way too aggressive with it in all the shots I captured. The deep blues and greens almost make it look like it’s been heavily edited, whereas the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s color reproduction paints a more realistic image of the scene.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: selfie
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There are several reasons why the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s selfie camera is better than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Even though it has an advantage on paper with its absurd 42MP front-facing camera, its wider field of view makes it more suitable for group shots. You can see the difference in the first set of photos in the gallery above, but what’s more noticeable is how the S24 Ultra’s selfie camera over exposes the bright scene behind me.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: ultrawide
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Another clear area where the Pixel 9 Pro XL reigns supreme is in the ultrawide department. In addition to having the wider 123-degree field of view (versus S24 Ultra’s 120-degree one), the Pixel 9 Pro XL also casts the brighter picture each time — thanks in part to its wider f/1.7 aperture lens that better exposes the shadows through the building in the first set of images above.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: portrait
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If there’s one complaint about shooting portrait photos with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, it’s that the minimum distance for portrait mode is 1.5x zoom. Despite this, Google’s delivers better results than the Galaxy S24 Ultra both in detail and skin tones. There’s better sharpness to all of my facial features in the portrait photos above with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, while the S24 Ultra is again too heavy on the saturation — which gives me a slight orangey tan.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: zoom
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Now this is where things really get interesting. Samsung has historically been tops in the zoom department, but the company switched to a shorter 5x optical zoom camera for the S24 Ultra — down from 10x optical zoom of the prior S23 Ultra. I shot all the zoom samples at 5x and 30x zoom levels, with the former being the more usable of the two.
Interestingly, their performances go back and forth, with one seemingly doing better than the other. Take the W 41st St sign I captured at 30x zoom, which has the Pixel 9 Pro XL capturing more the sign’s texture. In another 30x zoom shot of the PG-13 stamp on a sign at Times Square, it’s the S24 Ultra with the sharper details.
At 5x zoom, the differences are harder to make out — so they’re leaning on their image processing algorithms to enhance them at 30x zoom.
Winner: tie
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: panorama
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I’m still on the fence about how Google switches up the way panoramic photos are captured with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which ditches the usual one direction movement for one that requires me to line up the camera with the dots on the screen. Nevertheless, this new implementation yields better panoramas in every situation.
From my vantage point at Madison Square Garden, the Pixel 9 Pro XL does a much better job at dealing with all the extreme lighting in the shot — while the S24 Ultra struggles to tone down the bright areas of the buildings in the background.
Winner: Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: low light
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This one’s also tough to judge because it can largely hinge on personal preference. When there’s a strong contrast in lighting, I think the Pixel 9 Pro XL delivers the better results because of how it’s able to balance out the exposure between the shadows and highlights. With the tree in my backyard in the first set of images, it manages to minimize the strong light source in the far back — whereas the S24 Ultra over exposes the same area.
However, I will admit that the S24 Ultra frequently casts the brighter photo when it’s pitch dark conditions. For example, the second set of images with another tree in my yard is better exposed with the Samsung, resulting in more details to be visible from the branches.
Winner: tie
Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: verdict
After tallying up the results, it’s another surprising win for the Pixel 9 Pro XL — thanks in part to the upgrades it receives, namely to its ultrawide and selfie cameras. Although, its main camera proves it’s just as good for any occasion.
Samsung has long dominated the telephoto range, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL can clearly hold its ground thanks to Google’s image processing algorithms to enhance the quality. Even though Samsung comes up short this time, it’s still a formidable camera phone with robust shooting modes that enthusiasts like myself crave.
However, the new AI-assisted photo editing features with the Pixel 9 Pro XL adds more to the phone’s value, which in my eyes are valuable in making it the better overall experience.
