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Smartphone comparison

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs iPhone Air

Compare cameras, battery, screen and everyday features.

Compared products
01Selected
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

  • 221 g.
  • About 120 Hz display refresh rate.
  • About 6.8 inch screen.
  • Google Tensor G4 (4 nm) processor.
  • 16 GB RAM in this version.
KSh 109,000In Stock
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02
iPhone Air

iPhone Air

  • 165 g.
  • About 6.5 inch screen.
  • Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) processor.
  • 12 GB RAM in this version.
  • Storage: NVMe.
KSh 123,000In Stock
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Google Pixel 10 ProKSh 99,000
Google Pixel 10 Pro XLKSh 125,000
Samsung Galaxy S26 PlusKSh 112,000
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraKSh 113,000
OnePlus 15 5GKSh 111,000
iPhone 16 PlusKSh 111,000
Xiaomi 15KSh 104,000
2 of 4 products

Our quick verdict

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL runs Android and has a much bigger battery (5,060 mAh), optical zoom, sharper selfies (42 MP) and more RAM (16 GB), while the iPhone Air runs iOS, has a premium titanium build with a glass back, is lighter (165 g) and slimmer and has a deeper water-immersion rating (6 m).

Weight

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
221 g
iPhone Air
165 g

Display

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
About 6.8 inch screen
iPhone Air
About 6.5 inch screen

Performance

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Google Tensor G4 (4 nm) processor
iPhone Air
Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) processor

Memory

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
16 GB RAM in this version
iPhone Air
12 GB RAM in this version

Storage

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
UFS 3.1
iPhone Air
NVMe

Key differences

The main differences to help you choose.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

  • Bigger battery: 5,060 mAh (vs 3,149 mAh).
  • More memory: 16 GB RAM (vs 12 GB).
  • Telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom.
  • Larger 6.8-inch screen (vs 6.5-inch).
  • Higher-resolution selfie camera: 42 MP (vs 18 MP).
  • 8K video recording (vs 4K).

iPhone Air

  • Higher rated immersion depth: 6 m (vs 1.5 m), both IP68.
  • Newer Bluetooth 6.0 (vs 5.3).
  • Titanium frame and glass back (vs aluminium frame and glass back).
  • Lighter: 165 g (vs 221 g).
  • Slimmer: 5.6 mm thick (vs 8.5 mm).

What matters most to you?

Choose any priorities

How each product answers the questions buyers ask most. Tick a topic to add it, untick one to hide it.

More topicsFewer topics
6 priorities selected.
How each product answers the selected priorities
PriorityGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
Display6.8-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 486 ppi6.5-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 460 ppi
Camera50 MP main camera with OIS, plus a 5x telephoto camera48 MP main camera with OIS
PerformanceGoogle Tensor G4 processorApple A19 Pro processor
Memory16 GB RAM12 GB RAM
Battery capacity5,060 mAh battery3,149 mAh battery
Charging37 W wired, 23 W wireless chargingWired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min

Detailed comparison

Explore the full specifications, section by section.

General

General specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
BrandGoogleApple
ModelPixel 9 Pro XLApple iPhone Air
Announced2024, August 132025, September 09
Release statusAvailable. Released 2024, August 22Available. Released 2025, September 19
Model numbersGGX8B, GZC4K, GQ57SiPhone18,4, A3517, A3260, A3518, A3516
Device type / form family—Smartphone
SAR (US)—1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body)
Battery test—Active use score 12:44h
EU label energy—Class A
EU label battery—40:00h endurance, 1000 cycles
EU label free fall—Class B (180 falls)
EU label repairability—Class C

Design

Design specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
Dimensions162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm (6.41 x 3.02 x 0.33 in)156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm (6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 in)
Weight221 g (7.80 oz)165 g (5.82 oz)
Build materialsGlass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frameGlass front (Ceramic Shield 2), titanium frame (grade 5), glass back (Ceramic Shield)

Display

Display specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
Display6.8 inches, 109.7 cm2 (~88.0% screen-to-body ratio); LTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2000 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak); 6.5 inches, 104.9 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Screen resolution1344 x 2992 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~486 ppi density)1260 x 2736 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
Display protectionCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Ceramic Shield 2
Display featuresLTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2000 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)Anti-reflective coating
Display technology—LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED
Display size—6.5 inches, 104.9 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Refresh rate—120Hz
Brightness—1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)
HDR formats—HDR10, Dolby Vision
Pixel density—~460 ppi
Aspect ratio—19.5:9 ratio
Screen-to-body ratio—~89.9% screen-to-body ratio

Performance

Performance specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
ProcessorGoogle Tensor G4 (4 nm)Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)
CPUOcta-core (1x3.1 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x2.6 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.92 GHz Cortex-A520)Hexa-core (2x4.26 GHz + 4x2.60 GHz)
GPUMali-G715 MC7Apple GPU (5-core graphics)
Process node—3 nm

Memory & Storage

Memory & Storage specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
RAM16GB12GB
Storage128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Storage technologyUFS 3.1NVMe
Expandable storageNoNo
Memory configurations128GB 16GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM

Cameras

Cameras specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
Rear camera50 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/1.31", 1.2µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 48 MP, f/2.8, 113mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55", dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 48 MP, f/1.7, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", dual pixel PDAF48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS
Front camera42 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide), PDAF18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm (ultrawide), PDAF; SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
Rear camera featuresMulti-zone Laser AF, LED flash, Pixel Shift, Ultra-HDR, panorama, Best Take, Zoom EnhanceDual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Rear camera video8K@30fps (via cloud-based upscaling), 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@24/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.
Front camera featuresHDR, panoramaHDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec.
Front camera video4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS
Wide camera—48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS

Battery & Charging

Battery & Charging specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
BatteryLi-Ion 5060 mAhLi-Ion 3149 mAh
Charging37W wired, PD3.0, PPS, 70% in 30 min 23W wireless (w/ Pixel Stand) 12W wireless (w/ Qi compatible charger) Reverse wireless Bypass chargingWired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min; 20 wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China); 4.5W reverse wired
Battery technology—Li-Ion
Wireless charging—20 wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W - China)
Reverse charging—4.5W reverse wired

Software

Software specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
Operating systemAndroid 14, upgradable to Android 16, up to 7 major OS updatesiOS 26, upgradable to iOS 27

Network

Network specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
NetworkGSM / HSPA / LTE / 5GGSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
SIMNano-SIM + eSIMeSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time)
2G bandsGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; CDMA 800 / 1900
3G bandsHSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100; CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G bands1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - GGX8B; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71, 75 - GZC4K1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66 - A3517; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53, 66, 71 - A3260; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66 - A3518
5G bands1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 71, 77, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - GGX8B; 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - GZC4K1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3517; 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3260; 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A3518
Network speedHSPA, LTE, 5GHSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps

Connectivity

Connectivity specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
NFCYesYes
Bluetooth5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD6.0, A2DP, LE
Wi-FiWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-bandWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot
PositioningGPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavICGPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, QZSS, BDS, NavIC
RadioNoNo
USBUSB Type-C 3.2USB Type-C 2.0
Ultra Wideband (UWB)Ultra Wideband (UWB) supportUltra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip)
Satellite featuresSatellite SOS serviceEmergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite

Durability

Durability specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
Water resistanceIP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min)

Features

Features specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
SensorsFingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, thermometer (skin temperature)Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
ColorsPorcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, ObsidianSpace Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue
Additional featuresUltra Wideband (UWB) support Satellite SOS service—

Audio

Audio specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
LoudspeakersYes, with stereo speakersYes
3.5 mm headphone jackNoNo

Regulatory

Regulatory specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
SAR (EU)0.99 W/kg (head)     1.40 W/kg (body)1.49 W/kg (head) 1.49 W/kg (body)

Tests

Tests specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
Performance benchmarksAnTuTu: 1380138 (v10) GeekBench: 4854 (v6) 3DMark: 2540 (Wild Life Extreme)—
Measured display brightness2365 nits max brightness (measured)998 nits max brightness (measured)
Measured loudspeaker loudness-25.5 LUFS (Very good)-29.8 LUFS (Average)
Active use battery scoreActive use score 12:32h—

EU label

EU label specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone Air
EnergyClass B—
Battery49:30h endurance, 1000 cycles—
Free fallClass A (270 falls)—
RepairabilityClass C—

Similarities

  • Both have 120 Hz displays.
  • Both are rated IP68.
  • Both have optical image stabilisation.
  • Both support Wi-Fi 7.
  • Both have NFC.
  • Both support 5G networks.

In summary

For most buyers the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is the better buy; the iPhone Air makes sense if you want iOS.

Back to compared products ↑

In-stock alternatives

iPhone 16 PlusFor Google Pixel 9 Pro XLiPhone 16 PlusView product ↗OnePlus 15 5GFor Google Pixel 9 Pro XLOnePlus 15 5GView product ↗iPhone 17For iPhone AiriPhone 17View product ↗

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