Google Pixel 8 vs Apple iPhone 15: Which should you buy?

In a sense, there’s no more fundamental a battle in the platform wars than pitting the Google Pixel 8 vs Apple’s iPhone 15. While both Apple and Google have higher-spec devices — the Pixel 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, respectively — these are the latest “default” devices for Android and iOS. They’re also what more people are likely to buy, being hundreds of dollars cheaper than their Pro counterparts. So putting aside Android Authority‘s bias for a moment, which phone should you buy if you’re flexible on the platform question?

As you can see, the phones aren’t far apart in most respects. It seems like Apple and Google were well aware of what each other would have on the market by fall 2023. Even the phones’ displays are each capable of 2,000 nits of peak brightness outdoors, although the iPhone 15 tends to be slightly brighter in normal conditions.

It’s worth noting that as is usual for Apple, some iPhone 15 specs that seem weak on paper — mainly RAM and battery capacity — may not be in practice. Because Apple has airtight hardware and software integration, it’s able to optimize performance in a way Google can only dream of, despite its Tensor chips.

Something we left out of our specs is that while both phones now support USB-C, the iPhone 15 only supports slow USB 2.0 data speeds, whereas the Pixel 8 is equipped with USB 3.2. Google does make you buy a separate cable to exploit that, yet if you regularly transfer gigabytes of video or other files, you may automatically need the Pixel 8.

Still up in the air is how well Google’s new Tensor G3 processor stacks up against the A16 Bionic. While the A16’s performance is well-documented, since it was used in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, we’re not allowed to share our Tensor G3 benchmarks just yet. Stay tuned!

Practically speaking, there’s not much difference between the phones in size. The Pixel 8 does of course have a slightly larger 6.2-inch display, but in terms of other dimensions, it’s not that much bigger.

Where you might notice things a little is in thickness and weight. The Pixel 8 comes in at 8.9mm thick versus the iPhone 15’s 7.8mm, and it’s a bit heavier at 187g. That might make the iPhone 15 marginally more comfortable in the hand and easier to fit in a pocket.

This is a tough area to talk about for a few reasons, mostly because we have yet to fully test the pair of phones. We’ll update this comparison with galleries at a later date. Specs-wise, the products are extremely close. The iPhone 15 is Apple’s first non-Pro model with a 48 megapixel main camera, just shy of the Pixel 8’s 50 megapixels. Indeed, Apple and Google each claim 2x “optical-quality” zoom, although what they really mean is that their sensors can do a 2x crop without a noticeable quality setback. Both companies have yet to put true telephoto lenses on an entry-level or mid-range device — once again, we’re stuck with an ultrawide as the secondary. Anything beyond 2x zoom is aided by further computational photography trickery.

In fact, Apple and Google each rely on a lot of continually evolving processing wizardry. That’s especially true in the case of Google, which offers a variety of post-shot enhancement options that Apple doesn’t, such as Best Take, Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, and Face Unblur. That, combined with things like an Astrophotography mode, could push the Pixel 8 over the top for people who rely on their phone for all their photos.

Apple is still known for having some of the best camera tech in the industry, however, so no one should be disappointed with an iPhone. When it comes to video, the iPhone 15 should be able to go toe-to-toe or better, supporting 4K at up to 60fps, and matching the Pixel 8’s hardware and software stabilization (on the main lens). The iPhone 15 can even shoot in Dolby Vision, whereas the Pixel is limited to “just” 10-bit HDR. About the only video advantages the Pixel 8 seems to hold (on the surface) are a macro focus recording mode and Audio Magic Eraser for deleted unwanted sounds. We’ll learn more soon.

As hinted, Apple seems to be outperforming the battery specs it has on paper. Although the iPhone 15 is equipped with a 3,349mAh pack, nominally much smaller than the Pixel 8, Apple claims the device can handle up to 20 hours of non-stop video, whereas Google will only promise “beyond 24-hour” battery life when using a mix of functions. In practice, we’d expect both phones to have some charge left at the end of a day, but not enough that you can skip charging overnight. That’s par for the course.

One reason you might prefer the Pixel 8 is its Extreme Battery Saver mode. This goes beyond the low-power mode most smartphones have, shutting down all but the most essential functions to push battery life up to 72 hours. You’ll want to avoid using it, but if you’ve ever been worried about how long your phone will last after a long flight or an extended power outage, it could be appealing.

The Pixel 8’s 27W wired charging is faster than the regular iPhone 15, though not the 15 Pro or Pro Max, and you’ll still need to buy your own USB Power Delivery PPS-compatible adapter to make that happen (there’s no charger in the box). Likewise, while the phone can handle 18W wireless charging, that’s only with Google’s 2nd gen Pixel Stand. You’ll max out at 12W with a conventional Qi charger, which is below the 15W the iPhone 15 can handle with a certified MagSafe accessory. Google also doesn’t appear to have plans to support Qi2 on the Pixel 8, whereas that’s already in the works for the iPhone 15 lineup.

Bear in mind that the iPhone 15 is limited to 7.5W with Qi chargers, and doesn’t offer an equivalent of the Pixel 8’s Battery Share reverse wireless charging. The only reverse charging it has is wired, and even then it’s meant mostly for Apple Watches and AirPods. You can potentially use it with other devices if they support the USB-PD spec.

Though Apple has mercifully avoided hiking prices this year, there’s no doubt that it considers the iPhone 15  a “premium” product, given its $799 entry fee. If you shoot a lot of photos and video you can even spring $1,099 for a 512GB model, though at that point you’re spending as much as you would on a 256GB iPhone 15 Pro.

The Pixel 8 only has 128 and 256GB storage options, but slides in cheaper on both counts. That makes it a pretty good deal — unless of course going with an Android phone might sacrifice some of the Apple ecosystem in your household. More on that in a moment.

Depending on where you live, you might also have to wait longer for the Pixel 8. At the moment, it’s scheduled to ship in 20 countries on October 12, versus the 40-plus the iPhone 15 arrived in on September 22. Hopefully, Google’s reach should expand, but the company doesn’t have the same distribution capacity as Apple.

Really, based purely on features, it’s hard to go wrong with either. They both have solid performance, and may even dispel some of the interest in buying their Pro versions now that you can get 2x digital zoom without hurting photo quality. We’d steer towards the Pixel 8 for reasons like price, photo software, a bigger display, and faster wired charging, but the iPhone 15 has things to recommend such as MagSafe, build quality, top-notch video recording, and the well-proven A16 Bionic chip.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that many people are now bought into either the Android or Apple ecosystems, and choosing one sacrifices the advantages of the other. Android users have an easier time switching phone and accessory brands, for instance, as well as increased customization options, and tie-ins with the Google services even iPhone owners users every day. Apple’s deep cross-product integration is hard to beat however, allowing devices like iPhones, AirPods, Apple Watches, and Macs to work seamlessly with each other (most of the time). There’s a bit of that on the Android side, but even brands like Google and Samsung are playing catch-up.

If you’re already invested in one ecosystem or the other, it’s probably safest to stick with whichever phone is attached to it. If something has nudged you towards making a platform switch, now’s a pretty good time to change lanes, particularly now that we’ve got interchangeable power cables.