iPhone 15 Pro Max to P9Pro XL or S25U?

[BlueZebra12]

Hi guys, I've had an iPhone since the 3GS and I'm currently using a 15 Pro Max. I don't have any egregious issues with my iPhone but I want something new. I've spent a couple weeks going back and forth and still can't make a final decision between the Pixel 9 Pro XL or S25U. I also know the OnePlus 13 looks like a great phone but I'm going to be doing a trade in through AT&T so it's unfortunately not an option. The biggest thing I use my phone for is media consumption so I'd like a great screen, good speakers, good battery life, and ideally good picture in picture implementation. I don't do much mobile gaming outside of older emulation (GBC and GBA mostly). I also know Pixel UI is supposed to be easier for iPhone users to switch to but that isn't a concern for me. The AI capabilities aren't a big deal to me so not giving them much weight when it comes to the decision. Some pros and cons I see with each phone are:

 

S25U:

Pros:

-Great screen (I like the anti-glare but will most likely be using a screen protector so not taking it into account)

-Best mobile processor on the market

-Good camera hardware

-Good battery life

-Better speakers

Cons:

-Bad camera software when it comes to moving objects (the few photos I do take tend to be of my cats so it would be nice if this wasn't an issue)

-Samsung bloat and duplicate apps

-Looks like slower roll outs of new software (OneUI 7 having 6 betas over multiple months for older devices)

 

P9Pro XL

Pros:

-Brighter Screen

-Cleaner OS and receives new Android updates quicker.

-Great cameras

-Google call screening

-Ability to use something like GrapheneOS (still very on the fence about this but like having it as an option)

Cons:

-Subpar Tensor chip

-Curved corners cuts off parts of the screen

-PWM dimming issues

 

I honestly think I'll be happy with either phone but want to try to make sure I get the right one for me. Any input is appreciated! Also if anyone has any apps or settings that someone new should definitely check out or that you recommend please let me know!

[Agall]

S25U's dex mode is a solid contender for a PC replacement or at least a backup PC. Docks for it are easy to find. I think its a noticeable feature with Samsung's ecosystem (excluding most of the Z Flip series where this feature isn't available). 

[Haswellx86]

S25U is straight up arguably the best all rounder Android phone.

 

You talk about the camera, and well it has much higher quality raw hardware than Pixel, so the software of the camera is what you might be talking about, and I am not sure about that. Either way these both are so high end, both of them look exceptional, but the Samsung has the lead in raw hardware. So many megapixels.

 

Bloat and duplicate apps is a concern, but is that really enough for you to move away from it? You can uninstall as much as you can. Besides that, the amount of bloat is not significant and the whole environment is optimized enough for the phone. You could root in the phone and do whatever you want to the software.

 

Slower roll outs? It's their own exclusive software which they can control whenever they want to launch. Google, which uses the base Android, doesn't even have such exclusive software. Software requires enough time for testing and to mature. I don't see this is a problem. It's enough that they are at least updating with the Android versions and other features and what not.

 

Personally, the weak processor in the Pixel is a major turn off for me.

 

The comparison between both of them mainly comes down to price, and if that isn't an issue, surely you gotta pick the Samsung.

[flibberdipper]

I've got a 15 Pro Max and a Pixel 7 non-XL, and I'll be honest, every time I use the Pixel I keep getting the brain spiders crawling in trying to convince me to switch to a Pixel 9 XL. My iPhone does something stupid damn near every day that irritates me which the Pixel doesn't, yet personally I feel myself stuck into the Apple walled garden because it's got all of my health data (I've tried the apps that claim they transfer over everything; they don't) and additionally it just ties in extremely nicely with my iPad/Mac Mini AND my PC's thanks to iCloud. Additionally I won't lie, the ecosystem is pretty solid if you have a SO who also has an iPhone, though honestly that's not as much of a driver for me (and hell, I'm sure I could get her to switch to a Pixel as well since her Xr is starting to seriously show its age).