Samsung S24 Ultra vs Pixel 9 Pro XL Performance [In-Depth Comparison]
When choosing between the Samsung S24 Ultra and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, performance often tops the list. Both phones pack powerful processors and plenty of memory, but how they handle everyday tasks and heavy apps can make a big difference. This comparison focuses on real-world speed, multitasking, and software optimization.
Performance matters because it shapes your entire experience—from launching apps to gaming or editing photos. Knowing which phone delivers smoother, faster results will help you pick the one that fits your needs best.
Processor and Chipset Comparison
When it comes to smartphones, the processor is the heart of performance. It drives every task, from opening apps to handling graphics-heavy games. The chipset paired with the processor also plays a big role in how smooth everything feels. Let’s break down what powers the Samsung S24 Ultra and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, outlining their processors, chipsets, and how they stack up on benchmarks.
Samsung S24 Ultra Processor Details
The Samsung S24 Ultra runs on the Exynos 2400 chipset, built on a 4nm fabrication process. This smaller node means the chip uses less power while delivering better performance than previous generations. The processor follows a 1+3+4 core layout:
- 1 Cortex-X4 core at 3.3 GHz for peak performance tasks
- 3 Cortex-A720 cores at 2.8 GHz for balanced mid-level processing
- 4 Cortex-A520 cores at 2.0 GHz for power efficiency during light tasks
Samsung’s chipset includes an upgraded GPU, the Mali-G715 MP8, which improves gaming and graphics rendering. Special features like enhanced AI processing and smart power management further boost everyday efficiency. These help the phone juggle multiple tasks without feeling slow or overheated.
Pixel 9 Pro XL Processor Details
The Pixel 9 Pro XL features Google’s Tensor G3 chip, the company’s third generation of custom silicon. Built on a 4nm process as well, this chip focuses on smart performance through custom AI and machine learning hardware.
Its core setup resembles this pattern:
- 2 Cortex-X2 cores optimized for peak speed
- 2 Cortex-A710 cores handling mid-range tasks
- 4 Cortex-A510 efficiency cores for background operations
Unlike typical off-the-shelf chips, Google customizes Tensor G3 to handle AI and voice commands directly on the device, powering features like real-time translation and advanced camera processing. The GPU, a custom Mali-G710 MP7, enhances gaming but leans more toward balanced efficiency rather than all-out power.
Benchmark Scores Analysis
Benchmarks provide a clear window into how these chips perform under pressure. Here’s a quick comparison of scores from popular tests.
| Benchmark | Samsung S24 Ultra (Exynos 2400) | Pixel 9 Pro XL (Tensor G3) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | ~1900 | ~1600 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | ~7200 | ~6000 |
| AnTuTu v9 | ~950,000 | ~800,000 |
Geekbench results highlight the Samsung’s edge in raw CPU power, especially in single-core and multi-core speed. Meanwhile, the Pixel’s scores are respectable but indicate it favors efficiency and AI workloads over straight computing muscle.
AnTuTu, which measures overall performance including GPU and memory, places the Samsung S24 Ultra well ahead due to its higher GPU count and faster CPU cores. That said, Pixel’s Tensor G3 shines in real-world AI tasks and tasks that optimize for its custom tech rather than peak raw power.
Both phones handle daily tasks with ease, but if you want the fastest processor for gaming or heavy multitasking, the Samsung’s chipset pulls ahead. The Pixel offers a smarter approach, prioritizing AI and machine learning features integrated into the chip.
Photo by Andrey Matveev
RAM, Storage Options, and Impact on Performance
When comparing phone performance, RAM and storage play critical roles beyond just raw processor power. RAM affects how many apps you can run smoothly at once, while storage speed influences how fast apps open and files move. Here’s a clear look at how the Samsung S24 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL stack up in these areas and what it means for your daily use.
RAM Specifications and Multitasking Capabilities
The Samsung S24 Ultra comes with 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which is currently one of the fastest RAM standards available for phones. The higher capacity options give the phone plenty of space to keep multiple apps active. This means when you switch between tasks, you’re less likely to experience delays or app reloads.
Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL uses 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, a step above LPDDR5 in speed and power efficiency. LPDDR5X provides faster data transfer and better battery performance during heavy multitasking. With 12GB on board, the Pixel can handle demanding workflows, like switching between social media, photo editing, and multiple tabs in a breeze.
In real terms:
- Samsung S24 Ultra’s RAM excels in flexible multitasking, especially with the 12GB model, making it easy to juggle games, videos, and apps without hiccups.
- Pixel 9 Pro XL’s RAM uses the slightly quicker LPDDR5X standard, pushing efficiency while maintaining smooth switching even under heavy use.
Both phones offer enough RAM for modern users, but the Pixel’s faster RAM tech gives it a slight edge in power savings and sustained performance during long sessions.
Storage Speeds and Available Configurations
Storage impacts how fast your phone reads and writes data, affecting app load times, file transfers, and system responsiveness. Both phones come with UFS 4.0 storage, the fastest storage technology currently in smartphones, but their configurations vary.
- Samsung S24 Ultra comes in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB options. Thanks to Samsung’s long experience in flash memory, its UFS 4.0 storage delivers rapid app launches and swift file copying. Larger files like 4K videos or game installs load noticeably faster than older phones.
- Pixel 9 Pro XL offers 256GB and 512GB storage variants using UFS 4.0 as well. This ensures apps and media load quickly and transfers happen with minimal delay, matching or slightly beating the Samsung depending on software optimization.
The jump to UFS 4.0 is significant for performance. It cuts down waiting time noticeably, so starting games, opening heavy apps, or saving large photos feels snappier. Faster storage also helps with background app management, letting the phone fetch data swiftly when you return to a paused app.
Key points to remember:
- Both phones use UFS 4.0, which means top-tier read/write speeds.
- Samsung offers slightly more starting storage options but Pixel covers the mid to high end well.
- Faster storage complements RAM and CPU strengths, ensuring fewer slowdowns.
Photo by Andrey Matveev
Gaming and Graphics Performance
When it comes to gaming, a phone’s GPU and how it handles graphics make a huge difference. Both the Samsung S24 Ultra and the Pixel 9 Pro XL offer powerful GPUs, but their gaming experiences vary due to hardware choices and optimizations. Let’s take a close look at how each device handles popular games, the graphics power they pack, and how well they keep cool during long gaming sessions.
Samsung S24 Ultra GPU and Gaming Experience
The Samsung S24 Ultra comes equipped with the Mali-G715 MP8 GPU, a solid graphics processor with eight cores that offers smooth visuals and excellent frame rates. This GPU pairs well with Samsung’s Exynos 2400 chipset to push high settings in demanding titles like Call of Duty: Mobile, Genshin Impact, and PUBG Mobile. You can expect:
- Consistently high frame rates at 60 FPS or more on most popular games.
- Advanced gaming optimizations like Samsung’s Game Booster that tune performance based on the title and reduce background tasks.
- Smooth graphics rendering with minimal stutter or frame drops during intense scenes.
Samsung’s phone takes advantage of its GPU to boost realism and smoothness, especially at higher resolutions. The gaming UI also shows less lag while multitasking, letting you switch apps without missing a beat.
This phone strikes a great balance between power and efficiency, making long gaming sessions visually impressive and fluid without excessive battery drain.
Photo by RDNE Stock project
Pixel 9 Pro XL GPU and Gaming Experience
The Pixel 9 Pro XL features Google’s custom Mali-G710 MP7 GPU, paired with the Tensor G3 chip. While it has fewer GPU cores than Samsung’s model, it benefits from deep software optimization tailored to AI and machine learning tasks. This means:
- Balanced gaming performance, focusing on smooth gameplay at medium to high settings.
- AI-driven enhancements that improve visual fidelity and resource management.
- Solid frame rates on most current games, though pushing max settings in titles like Genshin Impact might tone down to maintain smoothness.
- Google’s custom Tensor chip can optimize game loading times and reduce input lag for a quicker response.
While the Pixel GPU isn’t as raw-power focused as Samsung’s, it smartly adapts to deliver solid gaming while preserving battery life. Gamers who value stable performance over peak graphical power will appreciate this approach.
Thermal Management and Throttling
Nothing kills a good gaming session faster than a throttled phone that slows down when it heats up. Both phones tackle heat in different ways to keep performance stable during extended use.
- Samsung S24 Ultra uses a vapor chamber cooling system and graphite layers to spread and dissipate heat quickly. This setup keeps temperatures moderate, allowing the GPU and CPU to run near peak without throttling for longer periods. Gameplay remains smooth even during marathon sessions.
- Pixel 9 Pro XL relies heavily on efficient chip architecture and thermal-aware software controls. It manages heat by adjusting clock speeds just enough to prevent overheating, sacrificing some frame rate spikes but maintaining consistent performance. This approach extends device life and comfort but may reduce peak power slightly.
Overall, Samsung’s hardware cooling boosts raw gaming power longer, while Google’s smart thermal management prioritizes reliability and steadiness without overheating.
Gaming shows clear strengths for both phones: Samsung delivers more raw graphics muscle and longer burst performance. Pixel gives balanced results with intelligent optimizations. Either way, you’ll find these devices ready to handle your favorite titles well.
Battery Life and Performance Efficiency
Battery life often decides if a phone feels reliable or annoying. No matter how powerful a device is, if it drains too fast, it can leave you tethered to a charger. Both the Samsung S24 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro XL pack impressive batteries, but they approach power management and efficiency differently. Let’s break down how their battery size, charging speeds, and processor efficiency affect your all-day use, especially when pushing the devices hard.
Battery Capacity and Charging Speeds
The Samsung S24 Ultra comes equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery, a solid capacity designed to last through extensive daily use. The Pixel 9 Pro XL, while close in size, features a slightly smaller 4,950 mAh battery. This small difference is often negligible in daily life but can factor into endurance during intensive sessions.
In terms of charging, Samsung leads with:
- Wired charging up to 45W using USB Power Delivery, which can juice the phone to 50% in roughly 25 minutes.
- Wireless charging up to 15W, compatible with Qi wireless chargers.
- Reverse wireless charging of 4.5W, allowing you to power accessories or other phones.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL supports:
- Wired charging up to 30W, providing a 50% charge in about 30 minutes.
- Wireless charging at 20W, slightly faster than Samsung’s wireless option.
- It also offers reverse wireless charging, but at a slower 5W pace.
Samsung gives you faster wired charging, while Google edges ahead in wireless speed. Deciding which matters more depends on your charging habits—quick cable sessions or convenient wireless top-ups.
Real-World Battery Performance under Heavy Use
How a phone behaves with heavy use truly reveals its battery strength. Both phones handle everyday tasks smoothly, but gaming, video streaming, or switching across apps push the limits.
- The Samsung S24 Ultra tends to keep you going longer when on intense gaming sessions or 4K video playback. Its larger battery and efficient Exynos processor extend playtime up to 7-8 hours at continuous gaming, with only mild heating. Multitasking with multiple apps active doesn’t drain it drastically thanks to smart power management.
- The Pixel 9 Pro XL performs admirably but leans more into balanced usage, with gaming sessions averaging about 6-7 hours on a single charge. Its smaller battery means you might need a top-up sooner if gaming non-stop. However, its Tensor G3 chip manages background tasks well, keeping usual media and multitasking use quite efficient.
In streaming or media use, both phones can deliver around 12-14 hours of continuous video playback, hanging close to industry standards for flagship devices. However, tossing in multiple apps or gaming puts Samsung’s larger tank at a slight advantage, letting you work or play longer without rushing to recharge.
Power Efficiency of Processors
Processor efficiency plays a huge role in battery endurance—not just raw size. Both phones pack chips built on a 4nm process, focusing on squeezing power from every milliamp.
The Samsung Exynos 2400 uses a 1+3+4 core setup that balances high-speed cores with more efficient ones to save power during light use. This design helps the phone pull back power when browsing, texting, or streaming, then kick into high gear only when necessary. As a result, the S24 Ultra maintains decent battery life without throttling its performance drastically.
Google’s Tensor G3 takes a different approach, prioritizing AI and machine learning tasks with custom cores. Its 2+2+4 core layout is optimized to handle everyday jobs on efficiency cores, reserving the powerful cores for bursts. This helps reduce power waste during typical phone work. Add in smart task distribution and the Pixel can often stretch its battery life well, especially when dealing with voice commands, camera processing, or background AI workloads.
Thermal output also affects performance over time. The Samsung chip’s efficient cooling helps keep temperatures down, preventing battery drain due to overheating. The Pixel’s chip runs cooler overall, using less aggressive power bursts, which also preserves battery over long stretches.
In short:
- Samsung’s chip delivers strong performance and manages power dynamically for longer gaming and heavy use.
- Pixel’s chip centers efficiency on medium and low power tasks, squeezing more life out of typical daily activities.
Photo by Tyler Lastovich
Software Optimization and User Experience Impact
The power of a smartphone’s hardware is only part of the story. Software controls how smoothly everything works and how well the device uses its resources. In this section, we focus on how Samsung’s One UI and Google’s Pixel software shape performance beyond the raw specs. These layers of software directly influence speed, responsiveness, and long-term enjoyment for users. Let’s break down the details for both devices.
Samsung One UI Performance Enhancements
Samsung has refined One UI to do much more than just look sleek. It’s packed with optimizations aimed at squeezing the best from the hardware while keeping things smooth.
- Adaptive Resource Management: One UI actively monitors how apps use CPU and memory. It shifts resources to active apps and scales down background activity to keep the system responsive. This helps prevent lag during multitasking or gaming.
- Frame Rate Optimization: The interface and apps maintain consistent high frame rates, reducing stuttering. Animations are smoother thanks to fine-tuned refresh rate control that adjusts depending on content.
- Battery and Thermal Controls: One UI includes smart power modes that adapt in real time to device use. This keeps performance steady without overheating or draining the battery quickly.
- Game Booster: Samsung’s built-in Game Booster optimizes gaming performance by prioritizing CPU and GPU power. It also blocks notifications and background processes that could interrupt gameplay.
These tweaks make the S24 Ultra feel fast and fluid in daily tasks. The software keeps performance steady, even under heavy loads, without draining the battery or overheating.
Google Pixel Software and Tensor Integration
Google’s approach focuses on weaving AI and machine learning deeply into software to enhance user experience through performance.
- Tensor-G3 AI Acceleration: The Pixel 9 Pro XL uses its Tensor chip’s AI cores to handle tasks like speech recognition, photo processing, and adaptive performance on-device. This reduces delays and lightens the CPU load.
- Machine Learning Power Management: Google’s system predicts user habits and dynamically manages CPU load and app priority to save power while maintaining smooth performance.
- Smooth UI with Adaptive Refresh: The Pixel interface adjusts refresh rates between 60Hz and higher speeds based on on-screen content, keeping animations buttery smooth and conserving energy.
- Focused App Optimization: Google tailors apps and services like the camera and voice commands to work tightly with Tensor, boosting responsiveness and reducing wait times on complex tasks.
The Pixel’s software blends hardware and AI to deliver a smart, efficient user experience. While it may not push raw speed numbers as high as Samsung, the software ensures the phone works fast where it counts.
Photo by Markus Spiske
OS Updates and Long-Term Performance
Smartphones rely on regular software updates not just for new features but also for maintaining speed and stability over time.
- Samsung One UI Updates: Samsung delivers frequent optimizations and security patches that address bugs and improve performance. Over time, the system becomes more efficient, though occasional major updates can add features that raise hardware demands slightly. Samsung’s software support for flagships usually lasts several years, helping maintain smoothness.
- Pixel’s Timely OS Upgrades: Google pushes clean, timely Android updates directly to its devices. The Pixel 9 Pro XL benefits from early access to new Android releases, which often come with performance improvements and streamlined code. Pixel’s simpler software base tends to stay lighter, reducing bloat that can slow older devices.
- Performance Over Time: Both phones face natural slowdowns if apps or OS versions grow more complex. However, patch fixes, optimized app versions, and efficient RAM/storage management help keep performance stable for the average user across 2-3 years of use.
Good software maintenance is crucial for user experience, ensuring phones don’t feel outdated or sluggish too quickly. Samsung’s heavy customization requires careful updates, while Google’s clean Android plays well with lighter ongoing tweaks.
In summary, software and OS care meaningfully shape how these phones perform every day and over time. Samsung’s One UI offers rich performance tuning and multitasking polish, while Google’s Pixel software uses AI and clean Android to keep things smart and efficient.
Conclusion
The Samsung S24 Ultra leads in raw speed and gaming power, making it the better choice if you want top-tier performance and longer sessions without slowdown. Its RAM options and powerful GPU handle heavy multitasking and high-frame-rate games with ease.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL, on the other hand, balances smart efficiency with strong AI features. It suits users who value smooth everyday performance, clever power use, and software that enhances tasks like voice commands and photography.
Both deliver solid performance, but your pick depends on priorities: go Samsung for peak speed and gaming, choose Pixel for efficient, AI-driven responsiveness. Thanks for reading—share your thoughts on which phone fits your style best.