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Smartphone comparison

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus

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
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus

  • 190 g.
  • About 120 Hz display refresh rate.
  • About 6.7 inch screen.
  • Adreno 840 (1.3GHz) - US/CA/CN, Xclipse 960 - ROW graphics.
  • 12 GB RAM in this version.
KSh 112,000In Stock
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Google Pixel 10 ProKSh 99,000
Google Pixel 10 Pro XLKSh 125,000
Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraKSh 113,000
OnePlus 15 5GKSh 111,000
iPhone 16 PlusKSh 111,000
Xiaomi 15KSh 104,000
POCO F8 UltraKSh 106,000
2 of 4 products

Our quick verdict

With the same IP68 rating and 50 MP main camera, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus charges faster (45 W), runs newer Android 16 and has a longer cycle life (1,200 cycles), while the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has more RAM (16 GB), a brighter screen for outdoor use and sharper selfies (42 MP).

Weight

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
221 g
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus
190 g

Display

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
About 6.8 inch screen
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus
About 6.7 inch screen

Performance

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Mali-G715 MC7 graphics
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Adreno 840 (1.3GHz) - US/CA/CN Xclipse 960 - ROW graphics

Memory

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
16 GB RAM in this version
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus
12 GB RAM in this version

Storage

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
UFS 3.1
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus
UFS 4.X

Key differences

The main differences to help you choose.

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

  • More memory: 16 GB RAM (vs 12 GB).
  • Brighter display: up to 3,000 nits (vs 2,600).
  • Higher-resolution selfie camera: 42 MP (vs 12 MP).

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus

  • Faster rated wired charging: 45 W (vs 37 W).
  • Rated for more charge cycles: 1,200 (vs 1,000).
  • Newer Android 16 (vs Android 14).
  • Newer Bluetooth 6.0 (vs 5.3).
  • Lighter: 190 g (vs 221 g).
  • Slimmer: 7.3 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 XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Display6.8-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 486 ppi6.7-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 516 ppi
Camera50 MP main camera with OIS, plus a 5x telephoto camera50 MP main camera with OIS, plus a 3x telephoto camera
PerformanceGoogle Tensor G4 processorQualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor
StorageUp to 1 TB storageUp to 512 GB storage
Battery capacity5,060 mAh battery4,900 mAh battery
Charging37 W wired, 23 W wireless charging45 W wired, 20 W wireless charging

Detailed comparison

Explore the full specifications, section by section.

General

General specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
BrandGoogleSamsung
ModelPixel 9 Pro XLGalaxy S26+
Announced2024, August 132026, February 25
Release statusAvailable. Released 2024, August 22Available. Released 2026, March 06
Model numbersGGX8B, GZC4K, GQ57SSM-S947B, SM-S947B/DS, SM-S947U, SM-S947U1, SM-S947W, SM-S947N, SM-S9470, SM-S947E, SM-S947E/DS
SAR—1.15 W/kg (head)     1.17 W/kg (body)

Design

Design specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Dimensions162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm (6.41 x 3.02 x 0.33 in)158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm (6.24 x 2.98 x 0.29 in)
Weight221 g (7.80 oz)190 g (6.70 oz)
Build materialsGlass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frameGlass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame

Display

Display specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Display6.8 inches, 109.7 cm2 (~88.0% screen-to-body ratio); LTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2000 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak); 6.7 inches, 108.9 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio)
Screen resolution1344 x 2992 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~486 ppi density)1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~516 ppi density)
Display protectionCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Display featuresLTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2000 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak)Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak)

Performance

Performance specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
ProcessorGoogle Tensor G4 (4 nm)Qualcomm SM8850-1-AD Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) - US/CA/CN Exynos 2600 (2 nm) - ROW
CPUOcta-core (1x3.1 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x2.6 GHz Cortex-A720 & 4x1.92 GHz Cortex-A520)Octa-core (2x4.74 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) - US/CA/CN 10-core (1x3.80GHz C1-Ultra & 3x3.25GHz C1-Pro & 6x2.75GHz C1-Pro) - ROW
GPUMali-G715 MC7Adreno 840 (1.3GHz) - US/CA/CN Xclipse 960 - ROW

Memory & Storage

Memory & Storage specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
RAM16GB12GB
Storage128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB256GB / 512GB
Storage technologyUFS 3.1UFS 4.X
Expandable storageNoNo
Memory configurations128GB 16GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM

Cameras

Cameras specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
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 PDAF50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video
Front camera42 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide), PDAF12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF
Rear camera featuresMulti-zone Laser AF, LED flash, Pixel Shift, Ultra-HDR, panorama, Best Take, Zoom EnhanceBest Face, Horizon Lock, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Rear camera video8K@30fps (via cloud-based upscaling), 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@24/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Front camera featuresHDR, panoramaHDR, HDR10+
Front camera video4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps

Battery & Charging

Battery & Charging specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
BatteryLi-Ion 5060 mAhLi-Ion 4900 mAh
Charging37W wired, PD3.0, PPS, 70% in 30 min 23W wireless (w/ Pixel Stand) 12W wireless (w/ Qi compatible charger) Reverse wireless Bypass charging45W wired, PD3.0, 69% in 30 min 20W wireless (Qi2.2) 4.5W reverse wireless
Wireless charging—20W wireless (Qi2.2); 4.5W reverse wireless
Reverse charging—4.5W reverse wireless

Software

Software specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Operating systemAndroid 14, upgradable to Android 16, up to 7 major OS updatesAndroid 16, upgradable to Android 17, up to 7 major OS updates, One UI 9

Network

Network specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
NetworkGSM / HSPA / LTE / 5GGSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
SIMNano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - INT · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) - USA · Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM - CN
2G bandsGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA
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, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71 - USA unlocked
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, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International; 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA unlocked
Network speedHSPA, LTE, 5GHSPA, LTE (CA), 5G

Connectivity

Connectivity specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
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, Wi-Fi Direct
PositioningGPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavICGPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
RadioNoNo
USBUSB Type-C 3.2USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG
Ultra Wideband (UWB)Ultra Wideband (UWB) supportUltra Wideband (UWB) support
Satellite featuresSatellite SOS service—

Durability

Durability specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Water resistanceIP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor Aluminum 2

Features

Features specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
SensorsFingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, thermometer (skin temperature)Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
ColorsPorcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazel, ObsidianCobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, Pink Gold
Additional featuresUltra Wideband (UWB) support Satellite SOS service—
Desktop mode—Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)

Audio

Audio specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
LoudspeakersYes, with stereo speakersYes, with stereo speakers
3.5 mm headphone jackNoNo
Audio features—High-bitrate audio support

Regulatory

Regulatory specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
SAR (EU)0.99 W/kg (head)     1.40 W/kg (body)0.78 W/kg (head)     1.22 W/kg (body)

Tests

Tests specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
Performance benchmarksAnTuTu: 1380138 (v10) GeekBench: 4854 (v6) 3DMark: 2540 (Wild Life Extreme)—
Measured display brightness2365 nits max brightness (measured)—
Measured loudspeaker loudness-25.5 LUFS (Very good)—
Active use battery scoreActive use score 12:32h—
Performance—AnTuTu: 2459298 (v10), 3142032 (v11) GeekBench: 10982 (v6) 3DMark: 7138 (Wild Life Extreme)
Display—1498 nits max brightness (measured)
Loudspeaker—-26.2 LUFS (Good)
Battery—Active use score 16:25h

EU label

EU label specifications comparison
SpecificationGoogle Pixel 9 Pro XLSamsung Galaxy S26 Plus
EnergyClass BClass A
Battery49:30h endurance, 1000 cycles55:00h endurance, 1200 cycles
Free fallClass A (270 falls)Class A (270 falls)
RepairabilityClass CClass C

Similarities

  • Both are rated IP68.
  • Both have optical image stabilisation.
  • Both support Wi-Fi 7.
  • Both have NFC.
  • Both have an aluminium frame.
  • Both have stereo speakers.

In summary

Get the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus if you want faster charging and newer Android 16, or the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL if you would rather have more RAM and a brighter screen for outdoor use.

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 ↗Samsung Galaxy S25 UltraFor Samsung Galaxy S26 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 UltraView product ↗iPhone 17For Samsung Galaxy S26 PlusiPhone 17View product ↗

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