S25 Ultra vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL – Which is Better?

By Josh Teder

I’ve spent well over 6 months with the S25 Ultra, and now that I’ve had a few months with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, I’m going to take you through whether or not I think Google made a better flagship phone.

Camera Systems: The Biggest Differentiator

First, let’s talk about one of the biggest differentiators between these two phones, and that is their camera systems. With our phones still being the most convenient cameras we often carry around, having one that performs consistently the way you want it to and one with excellent image quality is still really important. And while both of these phones have top-of-the-line camera systems, there’s still a surprising amount of differences between them.

Color Accuracy and Processing

Take overall color choice and accuracy, for example. The S25 Ultra leans more toward green and yellow, especially in shadows, while the Pixel produces more natural, balanced colors. Which one more often looks more true to life? Well, in my experience, that’s been the Pixel. For example, in this shot, it got the Latte R to look just like it did in real life. Or in this shot, the color of the brick looks more true to life. Both the brick and sky look about equally saturated, while the S25 Ultra really just made the sky look saturated.

Another significant difference that you’ll notice is with contrast. The S25 Ultra just loves to push up the shadows, while the Pixel is much more restrained. It will still show you a bit of detail in the shadows, but actually leave them as shadows, so you get more contrast and dynamic range in the image.

Portrait Mode and Professional Camera Alternatives

Another difference between them that I noticed is with portrait mode, which I thought Google’s bokeh looked a bit more lifelike. The S25 Ultra was going for a shallower depth of field, which, when shooting a subject not as close up, didn’t compensate for that and looked a bit artificial. But on both, you can still tell it wasn’t taken with a real lens that has a shallow depth of field.

In general, I just shoot the photo in a non-portrait mode, and then if you want to add that effect later, just do it via Google Photos. And if you really want that professional-looking portrait shot, yes, you should just get a dedicated camera with a lens that can produce that look for you, like this 85mm lens for my Sony cameras, which does fantastic portrait shots.

“This is why I almost always carry around at least one dedicated camera with me when I want good high-quality images at family gatherings and when I travel, especially when I travel.”

And I talked about that in my Fujifilm X100VI review.

Pro Modes and Manual Controls

For the times I don’t have a professional camera on me, I do like that both of these phones have pro modes. Samsung actually has three different pro modes. Pro mode and Expert RAW are both for photography, but Expert RAW is really for multi-frame RAW plus JPEG files with heavy computational stacking built into the RAW file, while with pro mode, there’s minimal processing.

Now, Pro Video gives you all of the same full manual controls that you get for the photo modes, but just for video. It’ll still record in MP4 by default, though you can record in Galaxy Log 10-bit. The reason you’d shoot in log for video on a smartphone is really to maximize dynamic range, and it’ll give you greater flexibility in post for things like color grading.

The Pixel doesn’t have its own version of log for video, but the Pixel team has unlocked a sensor feature called dual conversion gain for third-party developers that allows apps to bypass Google’s processing entirely and capture true 12-bit RAW data from the sensor.

Macro and Night Photography

For macro shots, the Pixel uses the telephoto, which, in my experience, gives you more edge blur and softness, giving it a more stylized look with that vignetting, which, to some, may look better than what the S25 Ultra does with its more even focus across the entire frame.

For night shots, Google seems to handle photos a hair better with their night mode. Bright lights appear slightly cleaner, though this isn’t always the case. Samsung did a bit better with the red in the bow on this giant lit wreath in the park.

Portrait night shots were really interesting. In this backlit photo by the tree, Google seemed to apply noise reduction only around the tree, but not anywhere else, whereas Samsung produced a nice, clear image. But when taken from the reverse angle, it’s clear Samsung is doing some sort of smoothing or noise reduction to the point where it almost looks too much, especially around my eyes and eyebrows.

In another shot, I think Google’s just-let-noise-be-noise approach actually netted an overall cleaner and better image than Samsung’s, which looks—I don’t know—just a little too overprocessed.

Video Quality: Mixed Results with Video Boost

Next, let’s look at video quality. And here I’ve gotten mixed results. You might expect the Pixel to win out because of its Video Boost feature, which is a feature that you can enable where Google will actually take and then upload a much larger video file to process via the cloud. This video file is created via an entirely different processing pipeline than the one that is built into the Pixel phone. And then once it’s done processing in the cloud, it’ll then re-download to your phone in a compressed version in about a few hours or so.

With the Pixel 10 Pro XL, you typically get better footage with improved color, dynamic range, and less noise. However, I have found corner cases where that’s not always true. Like in this mountain shot, it actually made things look a bit oversharpened and too detailed.

Night Video Performance

For videos at night, this is where the Pixel’s camera system can really show some issues, but also ironically, where it can really shine. There are definitely some issues with light reflections in the lens, which look pretty bad compared to the S25 Ultra’s optics. Though at the same time, Video Boost can really help make these night shots shine.

I also took this opportunity to take a slow-motion shot of the falling snow. And here, Google did a better job with overall clarity and brightness. And in shots where you don’t have a lot of those direct lights, I definitely take Google’s Video Boost capabilities over Samsung’s.

Take this video of the park’s fountain. You’ve got lights, color, dark sky, a Christmas tree in the background, and falling snow. That’s a lot going on in frame for a smartphone sensor to handle, and Google just knocks it out of the park.

Camera System Verdict

So when it comes to their camera systems, which phone would I rather be carrying around? Overall, I still think it would be the Pixel 10 Pro XL. It’s just a little bit more consistent doing what I’d expect for photos. Yes, it does have some of the issues with if you’ve got like a bunch of Christmas lights or something near it, and it’ll show those reflections, especially for video. That’s really annoying. But other than that, it’s more of a stylistic thing. But I just like the color choices more that the Pixel does compared to the S25 Ultra, though if you like the photos and videos that you’ve seen with the S25 Ultra better than the Pixel 10, definitely do let me know in the comments.

Operating System Differences and Features

Next up, let’s talk about the operating system differences and features. While both run Android, they represent different ideas of what Google and Samsung think a smartphone should be.

UI Design Philosophy

Take UI design as a prime example. Google’s Pixel UI takes a more minimal, simple, and flat design with its Material You design language. This allows you to really customize your phone to fit your unique style with larger, rounded buttons with playful pastel colors, whereas Samsung’s One UI 7 updated the design with a more frosted glass aesthetic.

In terms of overall navigation, both are pretty similar. However, Samsung has made two vital changes. One, you can enable a scrolling app drawer as the Pixel has had from the start. And the other isthat you can now separate the notification shade and quick settings area just like in Apple’s iOS.

Overall, if I had to choose from an aesthetic standpoint, which one I prefer, it’s definitely Google’s clean, minimalist design, which just feels a bit more fun and different from your average phone experience. So I like that. But that’s also a completely subjective opinion. So if you like the way Samsung’s OS looks, definitely let me know in the comments.

Samsung’s Exclusive Features

Now, let’s take a look at the exclusive software features and design elements. The one that probably stands out the most on the S25 Ultra is Good Lock. This is an additional app that you download from Samsung’s App Store and allows you to further customize your S25 Ultra.

Samsung also has Samsung DeX, which can transform your phone into a desktop computer interface when you connect it to a monitor. And then of course there’s multitasking, which the Pixel can technically do as well. But I find Samsung’s implementation is just a bit easier to get to and use in my experience with their edge panel, which you’ll also use a lot if you use the S Pen.

The S Pen Advantage

Speaking of which, the S Pen. This included stylus unlocks quite a few software features for the S25 Ultra. And not just note-taking and memos, but handwriting to text. You can use AI Select to select specific areas of the screen for annotation or extraction. And the Air Command menu, which appears when you click the button on the S Pen, will appear with shortcuts to all kinds of features, like the magnifying glass.

With Good Lock and the S Pen, if you want one of, if not the most customizable and versatile Android slab phones on the market, the S25 Ultra is going to be that phone.

Google’s Pixel Features

But what about Google? The Pixel 10 Pro XL, while not as customizable as the Ultra, still has exclusive features that might push it over the edge for some, like its Pixel Call Assist suite of features, which includes Call Screen, where the assistant will answer spam and unknown calls and transcribe the call in real time, and Hold for Me, where it’ll stay on hold for you and ring your phone when someone else picks up on the other end.

Pixel devices also get the latest Android updates as soon as they ship. Plus features like Now Playing, which identifies what songs are playing in the background. Camera-specific features like Best Take for making sure everyone’s eyes were open in the same photo, or Add Me, which I’ve had mixed results with in the past, but theoretically allows you to be in a photo with your spouse or friend when no one else is around to take the photo.

The Pixel also comes with Google’s Recorder app, which is quite good with its auto-transcription feature. And this app isn’t available in the Play Store for other Android phones. You’d have to try and sideload it onto Samsung via something like APK Mirror, like the Pixel Weather app, which not only has this great design, but also allows you to customize the order of the widgets, which I quite like.

“Overall, I’d say this one is a tie. It’s really going to come down to your aesthetic preference and which feature set that you like better.”

Form Factor and Design

Another big difference between these two phones is the actual form factor. And surprisingly, the S25 Ultra wins the weight category, coming in at 218g compared to my Pixel 10 Pro XL’s hefty 232g, which, if carrying around the iPhone Air has taught me anything the past few weeks, is that you don’t have to settle for a giant, heavy phone to get a larger screen. It’s good to see Samsung moving in the right direction here, and I hope Google does the same for the next version of their Pixel.

Haptics and Materials

Haptics on them are pretty even. I noticed the haptics are a hair more intense when typing on the Pixel’s keyboard compared to Gboard on the S25 Ultra, though that could just be how both phones are optimized.

When it comes to materials and aesthetics, both look sleek and premium with matte glass on the back. The S25 Ultra uses titanium, while Google opted for a polished stainless steel on the Pixel, and I’m a huge fan of this iteration of the Pixel’s camera bar. I think it really gives the Pixel a unique identity while not looking like a cyborg like previous Pixels did.

Charging and Accessories

When it comes to charging, the Pixel gains a bit of an edge with accessories thanks to its Pixel Snap feature, which is basically Apple’s MagSafe, which allows you to magnetically adhere the phone to all different types of accessories, including magnetic chargers. The S25 Ultra is missing this, and I’m guessing the next version of Samsung’s phones will have it now that MagSafe is basically built into the Qi charging spec.

Both phones have a max wired charging speed of 45 watts, which can charge them from zero to around 70% in 30 minutes. And the Pixel actually has a higher max wireless charging speed of 25 watts compared to the S25 Ultra’s 15.

Display Quality

Moving on to their displays, the edge here still goes to Samsung. The S25 Ultra has a better anti-reflective coating and scratch- and drop-resistant glass with Gorilla Armor 2 compared to the Pixel Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

But in terms of how the displays actually look when using them, they’re pretty even, which didn’t used to be the case with Pixels. And that’s because the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL finally have an ambient light and color temperature sensor, which allows for the Adaptive Tone feature, which dynamically adjusts the display’s white balance to match your ambient lighting environment, making the display much easier to look at.

The Pixel display can get brighter at 3,300 nits compared to the 2,600 nits with the S25 Ultra. Now, in terms of PWM, both actually have a similar PWM of 480 hertz. The Pixel has a feature you can enable that bumps up the PWM from 240Hz.

Battery Life and Performance

When it comes to battery life, in my experience so far, the Pixel has slightly edged out the S25 Ultra in my day-to-day use. However, my S25 Ultra by now has gone through many more charge cycles than my Pixel, which could be the reason for that. Just keep that in mind, and why I’m not really assigning points to either phone for battery life and being the winner there.

For chip performance, the S25 Ultra is significantly more powerful with its Snapdragon 8 Elite chip compared to Google’s Tensor G5.

Ecosystem and Device Integration

Another major difference with phones is their ecosystem and device integration. However, because these phones are both Android devices, they’re going to play well with most accessories that work with Android phones. However, both Samsung and Google have accessories like watches and earbuds that will have some exclusive features that are reserved for their phones, like exclusive health features locked to the Samsung Health app on Samsung phones or seamless switching between Pixel devices with the Pixel Buds or Galaxy devices with the Galaxy Buds.

Samsung also has exclusive continuity features, phone call switching, and more that work between their devices. If you want a phone with a more robust ecosystem of devices and accessories, Samsung is probably still the one to go with. Though if you just need wireless earbuds and a smartwatch, I’d probably just go with the Pixel.

And I’ll leave my reviews of the accessories for both of these phones in our blog post and down in the description.

Price and Value

The last major differentiator I found with these phones is price and value. And here the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the winner, coming in at $100 less than the S25 Ultra’s price, at least here in the US. And you can often find the Pixel on a more significant sale in my experience as well. And you can see the current prices of both of these phones via the pricing links in the description and pinned comment.

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The Final Verdict

So which phone do I ultimately think is the winner? Well, based on all of the categories with the most weight given to camera, operating system, battery life, charging speed, performance, and price, the Pixel wins or ties in most of those categories, except I think performance, which I think definitely gives it the edge.

But let me know what you think in the comments. Should chip performance outweigh things like the camera system, price, or operating system? And which phone do you think is the best? Let me know.

And to see more of my thoughts on smartphones like the S25 Ultra versus the iPhone 17 Pro Max, you can click here to get to those or click here to see some of my popular reviews. And to see all of the products I recommend at any time, you can do that by visiting 6monthslater.net/shop.