Samsung S24 Ultra vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: A Showdown Between Top-tier AI Smartphones

In the dynamic world of smartphones, 2024 is shaping up to be an exhilarating year with the face-off between the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Google Pixel 8 Pro. These flagship devices are vying for supremacy in the Android market, each bringing unique features to the table. Let's delve into a detailed comparison to see which one emerges as the frontrunner.

Design:

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the larger of the two phones with a 6.8-inch screen, compared to the Pixel 8 Pro's 6.7-inch screen. The S24 Ultra’s curved Titanium frame makes it look truly premium, while the Pixel uses an aluminium frame, which is not bad, but fingerprints will be very visible on it.

As usual, the S24 Ultra comes with a built-in S Pen, providing added functionality that the Pixel 8 Pro lacks.

The cameras on the S24 Ultra make its body appear imbalanced when setting it on a flat surface; however, the Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t have this quirk due to different lens placements. That quirk might be a bit irritating if you don’t like using cases on your phones.

Display:

Both screens are bright, with the S24 Ultra reaching an insane 2,600 nits maximum brightness, while the Pixel 8 Pro doesn’t lose too much with 2400 nits of peak brightness. Both screens can be seen clearly under sunlight without a hitch. They are almost the same in terms of refresh rates at 1-120Hz, and the under-display fingerprint readers are included on both phones. Since the S24 Ultra offers a slightly bigger screen, I do feel it is more immersive when watching videos and playing games on it.

Audio:

With stereo speakers on both, audio quality is crisp and loud. The S24 Ultra gets an edge with Dolby Atmos support. In our opinion, both of these phones lack bass ranges. They do perform decently in treble and mid-ranges, though sometimes they may sound too sharp to the ears. 

After testing some music playback, the S24 Ultra sounds better with an elevated surround sound experience, while the Pixel 8 Pro sounds somewhat flat.

Performance:

Powering the S24 Ultra is the powerful new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip versus Google's Tensor G3 on the Pixel. The Ultra has RAM options of up to 16GB and storage up to 1TB compared to the Pixel, which tops out at 12GB RAM and 1TB storage. Both phones promise seven years of Android updates.

We’ve tested the benchmarks using Geekbench 6, and the difference between the two is quite significant. 

The S24 Ultra took the lead with almost twice the score of the Pixel 8 Pro, which is impressive. 

That means the S24 Ultra will take a shorter time for AI processing tasks, and gaming performance would be better. 

	Samsung S24 Ultra	Google Pixel 8 Pro
CPU Single-core	2218	1543
CPU Multi-core	6863	3510
GPU OpenGL Score	13810	5388

Cameras:

The S24 Ultra's main camera features a 200MP lens compared to Pixel 8 Pro's 50MP lens. The former also features a 12MP ultrawide and 50MP periscope lens with 10x optical zoom, while Pixel 8 Pro has a 48MP ultrawide and 48MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. 

Both phones deliver excellent photos with subtle colour variations. The previous generation, S23 Ultra impressed with its cameras, and its successor maintains that high-quality performance, especially in long-range and zoom shots. 

Tested at a concert, the S24 Ultra produced exceptional results.

While the Pixel 8 Pro wasn't taken to the concert, a side-by-side photo comparison showed its competitive performance against the S24 Ultra. Both phones excel in retaining details during zoom tests, with the S24 Ultra being slightly sharper and the Pixel 8 Pro exhibiting less distortion.

Samsung S24 Ultra	Google Pixel 8

AI Features:

Now, let’s jump into the key AI features:

Circle to Search:

Initially exclusive to the S24 Ultra, the 'Circle to Search' feature has become available on both phones following the latest update of the Pixel 8 Pro. 

This feature allows users to circle anything on the screen after a long press on the home icon, enabling instant online searches. This streamlined process eliminates the need for multiple screenshots, enhancing efficiency in search tasks.

Generative Editing:

In photo editing, tilt a photo on the S24 Ultra, and it fills in empty areas by tapping the star icon at the bottom left. 

The star icon indicates a feature using AI, implying it may take more time to process. 

On the S24 Ultra, you can even remove reflections when shooting through windows. 

Both phones can perform similar tasks, such as object relocation; just circle, hold the object, and move it around. 

For object removal, we observed that the magic eraser on the Pixel 8 Pro produces slightly cleaner results.

 In video editing, the Pixel 8 Pro offers more flexibility with features like stabilisation and noise reduction. 

What sets it apart is the 'Best take' feature in Google Photos, a standout for group photos on the Pixel 8 Pro. 

However, for general AI editing tasks, the Pixel 8 Pro's processing speeds are slower.

Voice Assistance:

Pixel 8 Pro provides real-time transcription in its voice memos app with impressive accuracy. 

In contrast, S24 Ultra requires saving the audio file before transcription or summarisation but also offers more flexibility in summarisation styles, including bullet points or detailed forms.

Realtime translation during a phone call:

During a phone call, the S24 Ultra supports one-to-one real-time translations, making it exceptionally useful, especially when communicating with someone who doesn't speak your language. It's accurate, fast, and the entire process is smooth.

The absence of real-time translation during a phone call on the Pixel 8 Pro has made the S24 Ultra perceived as more useful in daily life by users.

Temperature Sensor:

The Pixel 8 Pro's latest update introduces a temperature-taking feature, currently unavailable on the S24 Ultra. 

This functionality proves useful in situations where the user doesn’t have a dedicated thermometer. Notably, even the iPhone doesn’t have this feature. 

In truth, Samsung frequently integrates Google features, making their AI offerings quite similar. Although it’s difficult to make side-by-side comparisons between the two companies’ flagship phones, the decisive factor seems to be user-friendliness, with this criteria determining the leading position.

Pricing & Availability:

Starting at US$1,299, the S24 Ultra is pricier than the US$999 Pixel 8 Pro. However, the S24 Ultra comes with a higher baseline storage of 256GB. Both phones are available for purchase through carriers and retailers.

Conclusion:

In summary, if you’re after superior audio, 'slightly better' cameras, and top-notch CPU and GPU performance, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the go-to choice. 

However, if budget is a key factor, the Pixel 8 Pro provides nearly identical features at a more affordable price. The decision ultimately hinges on your specific preferences and budget considerations.