Galaxy S10 vs. Google Pixel 3: Which should you buy?

At Android Central, we spend countless hours testing and analyzing all of the latest phones, tablets, smartwatches, and more so that you can find and purchase the gadgets that are best-suited for your lifestyle.

Samsung Galaxy S10

Does it all

$900 at Samsung

Pros

• Gorgeous AMOLED display
• In-screen fingerprint sensor
• Three rear cameras
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Expandable storage

Cons

• Samsung has a bumpy record with updates
• $100 more expensive

The Galaxy S10 is a flagship that'll appeal to just about everyone. It has one of the best displays available on a smartphone, three rear camers with a new ultrawide sensor, and fan-favorites like a headphone jack and expandable storage. Samsung's software, something that used to be a pain, is also better than ever.

Google Pixel 3

Incredible camera

$799 at Google Store

Pros

• Industry-leading camera
• Smooth, clean software experience
• First in line for updates
• More affordable

Cons

• No headphone jack or expandable storage
• Has last year's processor

If you want the very best smartphone camera around, get the Pixel 3. Despite having just one rear camera compared to three, its photos continue to be just as jaw-dropping as they were back in October. You also get access to a great software experience with fast, guaranteed updates.

The Galaxy S10 hits just about every nail on the head: best display on the market, Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon processor, three rear cameras, expandable storage and a headphone jack. For most people, this will be the phone to get. However, if you want a phone that'll take the very best pictures possible or value a clean software experience with fast updates, the Pixel 3 will be a better purchase.

The Galaxy S10 is a better choice for most people

Samsung's Galaxy S flagships are always among the most popular Android phones, and with this year's S10, we don't envision things will change one bit.

The Galaxy S10 kind of makes last October's Pixel 3 look like an ancient relic. Where the Pixel 3 has considerably large bezels surrounding its display, the Galaxy S10 has virtually no side bezels, an extremely small chin and forehead, and a front-facing camera that's actually built into the screen itself. Aside from the good looks, this also allows Samsung to cram a larger screen into a body that's not too unwieldy.

The Galaxy S10 looks like a phone from the future.

Turning the S10 around, you'll find its three rear cameras. There's a primary 12MP sensor with an aperture you can manually change to allow for better low-light photos, a 12MP telephoto camera which enables 2X optical zoom, and a third 16MP ultrawide one. This opens up a lot of possibilities for the kinds of pictures you can take, especially when compared to the Pixel 3's single rear camera.

Samsung also gets the edge in a few other ways. It has a newer, faster processor, double the RAM of the Pixel 3, more base storage, expandable storage, Dolby Atmos support for better sound quality, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

	Galaxy S10	Pixel 3
Operating System	Android 9 Pie Samsung One UI 1.1	Android 9 Pie
Display	6.1-inch AMOLED 3040 x 1440 19:9	5.5-inch OLED 2160 x 1080 18:9
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Storage	128GB 512GB	64GB 128GB
Expandable	Up to 512GB	❌
RAM	8GB	4GB
Rear Camera 1	12MP Main Camera OIS f/1.5 - f/2.4	12.2MP Main Camera OIS f/1.8
Rear Camera 2	12MP Telephoto Camera OIS f/2.4	❌
Rear Camera 3	16MP Ultrawide Camera f/2.2	❌
Front Camera 1	10MP Main Camera f/1.9	8MP Main Camera f/1.8
Front Camera 2	❌	8MP Ultrawide Camera f/2.2
Battery	3,400 mAh	2,915 mAh
Charging	15W wired charging Qi wireless charging	18W wired charging Qi wireless charging
Water Resistnace	IP68	IP68
Security	In-screen ultrasonic fingerprint sensor	Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor
Audio	Stereo speakers Dolby Atmos 3.5mm headphone jack	Stereo speakers USB-C

Yeah, there's a lot to like here.

But the Pixel 3 is still superior in two important ways

Don't count the Pixel 3 out just yet, though. Compared to the Galaxy S10, it has two big advantages — photo quality and software.

The S10 may have more rear cameras, but the Pixel 3's single 12.2MP camera still takes better pictures. Google's image processing and AI wizardry make it virtually impossible to take a bad photo with the phone. Pictures are sharp, colors are extremely accurate, and thanks to Google's Night Sight feature, the Pixel 3 dominates the S10 when it comes to using the camera in low-light situations.

When we say the Pixel 3 has the best camera in a smartphone, we mean it.

The other big strength of the Pixel 3 is its software experience. Since it's made by Google, the Pixel 3 is first-in-line for big software updates and monthly security patches as they're released. Google's confirmed that'll it'll continue to update the Pixel 3 until 2021, and while Samsung has gotten better with its software update turnaround recently, you'll still rock the latest software before everyone else if you have a Pixel phone.

On top of that, the user interface on the Pixel 3 is a lot cleaner and less cluttered than what you'll find on the S10. Similarly, it's less likely to bog down overtime the way that Samsung's software has a tendency of doing.

Lastly, while the Pixel 3's display, processor, and battery may not be as impressive as the Galaxy S10's, they're still all damn good and shouldn't be disappointing for anyone.

So, which one should you buy?

While you can't go wrong with either of these two phones, each one will serve a different group of people more effectively.

If you want a phone with the best display money can buy, value things like expandable storage and a headphone jack, want the functionality that comes with having three rear cameras, and/or love the idea of having your fingerprint sensor hidden underneath the screen, the Galaxy S10 will be a perfect fit.

Alternatively, if you just want the very best smartphone camera money can buy and want to ensure you're always running the very latest version of Android, the Pixel 3 makes the most sense.

Samsung Galaxy S10

Does it all

$900 at Samsung

A flagship with every imaginable feature.

If the Galaxy S10 seems like a phone that tries to please everyone, that's because it kind of is. Its huge feature list includes things like a stunning AMOLED display, a headphone jack, expandable storage, Qualcomm's latest processor, and a rear camera combo that should allow for a lot of unique photos.

Google Pixel 3

Incredible camera

$799 at Google Store

Google's excellent camera is also a great phone.

By now, you've probably heard a lot of hype surrounding the Pixel 3's camera. Believe it. All these months later, the photos this phone takes continue to blow our minds. Add that together with a clean build of Android, speedy software updates, and a great design, and you're in for a treat.