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iPhone 15
The brand-new iPhone 15 comes with an improved rear camera, an A16 chip, and a USB-C port. The display now has the Dynamic Island feature, and the bezels are much thinner than the iPhone 14. You can buy the iPhone 15 in pink, blue, yellow, green, and black color options.
Pros- Excellent chipset
- Screen now peaks at 2000 nits
Cons- Same design as previous 2 gens
- No change in fast-charging speeds
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Google Pixel 7
With the Tensor G2 chip under the hood, the Pixel 7 continues the trend of being a photography-focused smartphone but with improved processing power. The phone is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance and comes in Obsidian, Lemongrass, and Snow colors.
Pros- Excellent camera
- Affordable price for a flagship phone
Cons- No telephoto lens
- Processor-intensive tasks heat up the phone
It’s not common to see people jump ship from one smartphone operating system to another, and by that, we mean iPhone users switching to Android or Android users jumping ship to explore Apple phones. But seeing how attractive flagship phones in both iOS and Android are so exciting, we totally get it! Take, for example, Google’s best against Apple’s champion: the Pixel against the iPhone. To be more specific, we’re talking about the iPhone 15 vs Google Pixel 7 — two of the best phones available in the market today.
We’re all still high on the excitement of the recent launch of the brand-new iPhone 15, and we just had to compare it against its arch nemesis, the Pixel 7. There is a $350 price difference between these two phones, but in many ways, these phones are pretty similar. But we’re here to talk about differences, so let’s get down to it.
iPhone 15 vs Google Pixel 7: Pricing, specs, and availability
The Google Pixel 7 came out in October 2022, so it’s readily available on Google’s online store or any major retailer like Best Buy or Amazon. The base model is priced at $449 and for another $100, you can get the 256GB model.
- Pixel 7 (128GB): $449
- Pixel 7 (256GB): $549
The iPhone 15 ships out Sept. 22, 2023, and the listings can be found on Apple’s website, as well as sites like Amazon and Best Buy. While the base model of the iPhone 15 starts at $799, you can pick up the top model for $1,099.
- iPhone 15 (128GB): $799
- iPhone 15 (256GB): $899
- iPhone 15 (512GB): $1,099
iPhone 15 Google Pixel 7 SoC Apple A16 Bionic Google Tensor G2 Display 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR 6.3 inches, AMOLED, 90Hz, HDR10+, 1400nits Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB Battery 3,349mAh 4,355mAh, 20W wired and 12W Qi wireless charging Ports USB-C USB Type-C (USB 3.2) Operating System iOS 17 Android Rear cameras 48MP f/1.6 main, 12MP f/2.4 ultra wide Primary: 50MP, f/1.9, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS;Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/2.2 Dimensions 5.81x2.82x0.31 inches (147.6x71.6x7.80mm) 6.1 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches (155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm) Colors Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, Black Obsidian, Snow, Lemongrass Weight 6.02 ounces (171 g) 6.9 ounces (197g) Charging USB-C (20W), MagSafe, Qi2 Wired: 20W; Wireless: 20W; Reverse Wireless: 4.5W IP Rating IP68 IP68
Design, display, and hardware: Marginal improvements
The design of flagship phones was the one thing we eagerly looked forward to, but recently, it feels like there have been some layoffs in the design departments of major phone companies. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not particularly happy about this new trend of premium phones looking like clones of previous generations. At this point, I miss the era when phone companies would alternate between making the edges curved or flat — and that was the most boring period of smartphone designing.
So the Pixel 7 doesn’t look radically different from the Pixel 6, and we are surprised to see that the iPhone 15 looks almost identical to both the iPhone 13 and 14 models from the back. The Dynamic Island is a nice addition to the iPhone 15, though; we’re sure that people will be excited to experience the much-talked-about feature that was available only on the Pro models last year.
Both phones use a mix of aluminum and glass, and if you’ve never owned a flagship phone, you would love either of these phones equally. The diagonal camera array on the iPhone 15 and the horizontal metal strip across the back of the Pixel 7 make these phones immediately recognizable.
On the front, the Pixel 7 comes with a punch-hole camera whereas the iPhone has the Dynamic Island that we mentioned earlier. The iPhone 15 has trimmed some fat off the bezels, thanks to a technology serendipitously named LIPO (low-injection pressure over-molding).
The 6.1-inch OLED screen on the iPhone now hits a max brightness of 2000 nits, compared to 1200 nits on the iPhone 14. In comparison, the Pixel 7’s 6.3-inch AMOLED display hits only 1400 nits. But the Pixel 7’s screen has a refresh rate of 90Hz, while the iPhone 15 is stuck at 60Hz. I’m definitely disappointed about this; there are mid-range phones out there offering 120Hz, so there’s no reason for Apple refusing to do better. Additionally, another year has passed without Apple adding the always-on feature — but as iOS 17 will bring it to the Pro models, I hope it will make it to the base iPhone next year.
Both phones now feature USB-C ports, thanks to the European Parliament forcing Apple to make USB-C the standard charging port. As for speakers, both phones feature stereo speakers and sound pretty good, but when you compare the two, it’s clear that the iPhone 15 sounds better.
Camera quality: Neck-to-neck
Fans of either of these phones get into some very intense arguments on X (formerly Twitter) about image quality, and I sympathize — but there’s no reason I can’t love both. And boy, I sure love how both these phones snap pictures. But if I had a gun to my head, I would immediately choose the Pixel 7.
The Pixel 7 is equipped with a 50MP primary camera and an ultra-wide snapper for wide shots. The photos you can capture with the Pixel 7 are beautiful — you could hand it over to an inexperienced user, and they could easily capture stellar photos. A lot of this is software wizardry, as the image processor on the Tensor G2 chip is capable of turning your boring photos into art pieces. The Super Res Zoom on the Pixel 7 lets you zoom in up to 8x, but this is entirely optical.
The iPhone 15 features a 48MP main camera paired with a 12MP ultra-wide camera. The telephoto lens now lets you shoot at 0.5x, 1x, and 2x zoom levels. It can record 4K videos at 60fps, something the Pixel 7 can do, too.
Video is where the iPhone has traditionally beaten the Pixel; unfortunately, the trend continues. The video quality on iPhones only gets better year after year, and the Pixel 7 can’t even match the video quality of the iPhone 13. In an age where video is everything, we’re hoping Google addresses this issue soon and adds better video recording capabilities to the Pixel 8.
Processing power: Tensor G2 against the A16 chip
The 5nm Tensor G2 is an excellent chipset — it’s a competent processor that takes on a lot of machine-learning tasks and personalizes your Pixel 7 experience while keeping the phone fast and responsive.
Unfortunately for Google, Apple is just way too far ahead in terms of raw processing power. Its 4nm A16 Bionic chip, which was part of the Pro models last year and has been passed down to the iPhone 15, is simply a beast of a processor. The computing muscle on this chipset nukes the competition when it comes to tasks like rendering videos, operating multiple apps, processing photos, and more. The A16 Bionic dominates the Tensor G2 in benchmark tests as well.
People often ask why iPhones need such powerful chips. I feel it’s when you’re multitasking or running editing apps that you’re truly grateful for Apple’s overkill approach; you can buy an iPhone and never see it stutter for the entire time you own it.
Battery: New USB-C port, same battery on the iPhone 15
We’re going to disappoint you without further ado — the iPhone 15 has not added 35W charging capabilities like all the rumors claimed it would. Its wired fast-charging capabilities are still at 20W, but the wireless charging is now at 15W (same as MagSafe), thanks to Qi2 support. But there’s no improvement to battery life, as the video and audio playback hours remain the same as the iPhone 14 (20 hours and 80 hours respectively). That said, we’re definitely glad to see the Lightning connector go — we can now borrow charging cables from our Android comrades!
You can expect similar or slightly better battery life from the Pixel 7’s 4355mAh battery. The charging capabilities of the Pixel 7 are somewhat similar to the iPhone 15, as it offers 20W (wired and wireless) fast charging speeds.
Software experience: At par
There definitely was a time when Androids simply could not match iPhones in terms of user experience, but that era is long gone. The software experience on Androids is just as good as iPhones, and I say this as someone who has owned iPhones for almost a decade. I loved all the Android phones I’ve tested recently, so I feel confident that my next phone will be an Android.
There are definitely some obvious differences between the software features of the two phones. On Androids, I appreciate things like Google Assistant being much better than Siri, accessing app settings from the app itself, or being able to find a contact by using the dial pad. On iPhones, I love AirDrop, I like the privacy options, and I like that I don’t need to worry about third-party apps.
Two features that have me going back to iPhones are AirTags and Crash Detection. I have AirTags on all my travel bags. There’s also the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature; that one’s not too important to me as I’m not really Bear Grylls, but it’s nice to have.
Back to the iOS versus Android discussion — which one would you like more? Honestly, it comes down to how open you are to change. Regardless of which phone you pick, there is a learning curve, and there are things you must let go of, as you also discover features you like; and then you have to decide what you like more.
Both Android 13 and iOS 17 look amazing, are smooth, and offer tons of features, so the software may not be the best way to differentiate between these two, as it is often the smallest feature that impresses or annoys you. If you’re concerned about software support, you should know that Google offers just as many years of software support for its Pixel phones as Apple does for iPhones.
iPhone 15 vs Google Pixel 7: Which one should you get?
Oof, we’ve arrived at the toughest section. First off, let me say that I’m glad that deciding between these two was so tough because it means that Google has gotten its act together, compared to a few years ago, when an iPhone would be the obvious choice. Today, if you leave aside the brand value that Apple phones enjoy, this is as close of a tie as it gets.
That said, $350 dollars is a significant amount of money. Do I feel like the iPhone 15 is worth that much more than the Pixel 7? I do not; I think a buyer would be incredibly happy owning a Pixel 7, and they wouldn’t be missing out on much. If you’re big on snapping photos, I’d suggest you get the Pixel phone. If you’re familiar with Androids and use a ton of Google apps, I’d say that there isn’t really much of a benefit in switching operating systems.
Google Pixel 7
With the Tensor G2 chip under the hood, the Pixel 7 continues the trend of being a photography-focused smartphone but with improved processing power. The phone is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance and comes in Obsidian, Lemongrass, and Snow colors.
If you want to enjoy an almost-perfect ecosystem with an Apple Watch and a Mac, I’d recommend that you buy an iPhone. If you want features like Find My and Crash Detection, go ahead and get that iPhone 15. And if you do decide to buy it, make sure you check out some of the coolest accessories available for it, and no matter what, get a good case.
iPhone 15
The brand-new iPhone 15 comes with an improved rear camera, an A16 chip, and a USB-C port. The display now has the Dynamic Island feature and the bezels are much thinner than the iPhone 14. You can buy the iPhone 15 in pink, blue, yellow, green, and black color options.