Google Pixel 3 XL vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Which should you buy?

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Google Pixel 3 XL

Pure Google

$900 at Google Store

Pros

• Large, high-quality screen
• Great camera
• Dual selfie cameras
• Wireless charging
• Guaranteed software updates

Cons

• No headphone jack
• Display notch

Google improved its hardware and jumped to a 6.3-inch 18.5:9 display. It's not just about size though since the display is dramatically better as well. The rest of the phone builds on all of Google's strengths: simple hardware, capable specs, smooth software, and an amazing camera experience front and back. It also added wireless charging and kept stereo speakers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Mighty S Pen

$915 at Amazon

Pros

• Best screen in the business
• Great cameras
• Headphone jack
• Wireless charging
• S Pen stylus

Cons

• Cumbersome software
• Slow ongoing software support

This is Samsung's absolute top-of-the-line phone, and it shows. It has a best-in-class display, top-end specs across the board and loads of hardware features. The cameras are great, too, and the S Pen is truly unique. You just have to take the time to configure and tame Samsung's software.

Though they're both high-end phones that command an equally high price, Google and Samsung have entirely different philosophies about what makes a great phone, so a lot of it comes down to personal preference. We compare the two in detail below.

What's the difference between the Google Pixel 3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 9?

With a handful of improvements this year, Google's Pixel 3 XL is more of a competitor to the Galaxy Note 9 than the 2 XL was to the Note 8. The Pixel 3 XL's screen is almost as big as the Note 9 and almost as good — it's indistinguishable in all respects except total brightness. Google has added wireless charging, a staple Samsung feature, and is IP68 water- and dust-resistant, just like the Note 9. They run on the same Snapdragon 845 processor and have all of the same supporting radios and chips elsewhere inside.

These are flagship phones through and through — but in terms of raw specs, Samsung has a slight advantage.

But still, Samsung wins in the spec battle in a few ways. The Note 9 has 6 or 8GB of RAM to the Pixel's 4GB, giving it more runway for performance with taxing apps in the future. Its 128 or 512GB of storage also beats the Pixel's 64 or 128GB, and Samsung still offers a microSD card slot. The Note has a regular 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is still preferable to using Google's in-box USB-C headphones — and the Pixel's better stereo speakers don't make up the difference. The Note 9's 4000mAh battery is a clear winner over the Pixel 3 XL's 3430mAh, both in capacity and overall battery longevity.

Design-wise, these phones are very similar — they're panes of glass sandwiching metal frames. There are just two main differences here: the Pixel 3 XL is smaller and lighter, while the Note 9 has a curved screen on the sides that some people find is tough to handle. Being smaller and lighter is certainly a win every time, but whether the Note 9's curved sides bother you will be something you have to experience for yourself.

Category	Pixel 3 XL	Note 9
Operating system	Android 9 Pie	Android 8.1 Oreo
Display	6.3-inch OLED 2960x1440 (18.5:9) Gorilla Glass 5	6.4-inch Super AMOLED 2960x1440 (18.5:9) Gorilla Glass 5
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Pixel Visual Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
RAM	4GB	6/8GB
Storage	64/128GB	128/512GB
Expandable	No	microSD
Rear camera 1	12.2MP, 1.4-micron f/1.8, OIS, PDAF	12MP, 1.4-micron f/1.5 or f/2.4, OIS, PDAF
Rear camera 2	n/a	12MP f/2.4, OIS, telephoto lens
Front camera 1	8MP, f/1.8, auto focus 75-degree lens	8MP, f/1.7, auto focus
Front camera 2	8MP, f/2.2, fixed focus 97-degree lens	n/a
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS
Audio	Stereo speakers USB-C	Stereo speakers 3.5 mm headphone jack
Battery	3430mAh Non-removable	4000mAh Non-removable
Charging	18W USB-C PD Qi wireless	Quick Charge 2.0 Qi wireless
Water resistance	IP68	IP68
Security	Fingerprint sensor	Fingerprint sensor Iris scanning
Dimensions	158 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm 184 g	161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm 201g
Colors	Just Black, Very White, Not Pink	Midnight Black, Ocean Blue, Cloud Silver, Lavender Purple

The bigger differences between the phones are more nuanced ones: camera performance and software experience.

Right off the top, I'll recognize that both phones have fantastic cameras and take really good photos. Any differences noted between the two are either small, minimally consequential, or simply a matter of preference. That being said, if I have to put my foot down on one I'll say the Pixel 3 XL takes better photos overall, the reason being that the Pixel consistently takes more eye-pleasing photos with more accuracy and more lifelike representation of scenes. The Note 9 is certainly capable of these kinds of shots, but tends more toward upping the colors unnaturally and overly smoothing details to an unrealistic level of sharpness. The photos look amazing, and you may even prefer them that way, which is why it's really tough to pick between these two.

These phones are matched in so many ways, but there's a clear divide in software and experience.

When it comes to portrait mode and zooming, things are about a wash even though the Note 9 has a second camera to work with. Google does amazing things with just one camera, making digital zoom and portrait mode look just as good as what Samsung does with a single lens. Where Google has an upper hand is in selfies, where its secondary camera provides an actual portrait mode for front-facing shots, as well as a wide-angle view, whereas Samsung sticks with a single camera — but in either case, you get great selfies with a high resolution and auto focus.

Now, software. It's no secret that Google goes with a simpler, cleaner approach than Samsung. You don't get as many features, but you definitely get an easier-to-understand software experience that's faster to pick up and figure out whether you're a novice or a pro. The features Google chooses to include are easy to "set and forget" so they're not getting in your way, and you don't feel like you're spending time in menus and settings to get the phone to just work. On the other hand, those are all things you have to tread through with the Note 9 — the upside, of course, is the customization angle, so you can get the exact experience you want. If you work at it, you can leverage the dozens of features to accomplish even more without installing apps. And that dovetails right into the discussion of the S Pen, which is something without equal on the Pixel side.

With either one of these phones, you get a high-end hardware experience with the latest specs and hardware features. You get a great camera, plenty of power, really nice design and so much more. The question is whether you want the extra bump in specs and features on the hardware side, and are willing to give up Google's preferable software experience to get it.

Google Pixel 3 XL

Pure Google

$900 at Google Store

Google's best-ever phone

Phones are large nowadays, and Google's Pixel 3 XL is no exception. A 6.3-inch OLED screen is dramatically improved from the Pixel 2 XL, and the rest of the experience builds on Google's strengths: awesome software, great performance, innovative camera features, and guaranteed updates.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Mighty S Pen

$915 at Amazon

The do-everything flagship

Samsung's "more is better" approach is in full effect with the Note 9. It has a packed spec sheet, all of the hardware features you want, and tons of extra software to support it. Plus, it has an S Pen stylus and a huge battery. It just lacks some of the polish you get from Google's Pixel line.