In this article, we put the two premium flagships from Apple and Google against each other & find out which one you should buy.

Google took wraps off the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro yesterday. The new phones offer iterative but meaningful upgrades over the previous generation and are already available for pre-order (you can find the best deals right here). Another outstanding flagship, which is available at a similar price as the Pixel 7 Pro, is the iPhone 14 Pro.

Apple introduced the iPhone 14 Pro last month, and it packs a lot of comparable features and specs, making it a worthy Pixel 7 Pro. So, in this article, we take a close look at the two premium flagships from Apple and Google and find out which smartphone deserves a place in your pocket.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro will be powered by the new Google Pixel Tensor sensor, providing even more powerful graphics and computing power to let you play all of your favorite games. The device will also have a powerful new camera setup, and it'll be available in Obsidian, Hazel, and Snow colors. 

iPhone 14 Pro is the latest premium smartphone from the brand. It features a new pill-shaped 'Dynamic Island' notch, 48MP primary camera sensors, an A16 Bionic chipset, and much more. Check out all the deals on the device using the links given below.

Starting off our Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro comparison with the design, you'll notice that Google's flagship smartphone features a similar shell as the previous generation. It retains the same design, with the huge camera visor running horizontally across the device’s glass back frame. The only major difference between this generation and the previous generation is that the Pixel 7 Pro has dropped the dual-tone design.

The glass back features a single shade with contrasting anodized aluminum used for the frame and around the camera lenses. The Pixel 7 Pro is available in three color options: Obsidian, Snow, and Hazel. The new design matches the camera bumper’s color with the device’s frame, providing a seamless, more toned-down look, which looks great in my opinion.

iPhone 14 Pro also sports a similar back as the last-gen iPhone 13 Pro. There are no changes to the square-edge design, and the smartphone still comes with the same stainless-steel rails and ceramic shield protection on both the front and back. Among the changes, however, are some new colors and a 48MP primary sensor (more on that later).

When we change our focus to the front, though, it's a completely different story. The iPhone 14 Pro is the company's first smartphone without a notch, instead sporting a 'Dynamic Island' up top. Using the new pill-shaped island, users can interact with their iPhone 14 Pro in new ways.

You can check alerts, notifications, live activities, and do much more using the Dynamic Island notch. Finally, before we move to the display department, it's worth pointing out that both smartphones come with IP68 dust and water resistance.

The Pixel 7 Pro comes with a curved 6.7-inch LTPO QHD+ OLED display. The display curvature is slightly less compared to the Pixel 6 Pro this time, which should only make it easier to handle and eliminate accidental touches. In comparison, iPhone 14 Pro features a much smaller 6.1-inch flat OLED panel.

Both smartphones feature display panels with great contrast ratios, adaptive 120Hz refresh rates, and high resolution. One area where the iPhone 14 Pro one-ups the Pixel 7 Pro is in the peak brightness department. The display on the iPhone 14 Pro can go up to 2,000 nits, making it easier to see outdoors. The Pixel 7 Pro's display, though it's better than the Pixel 6 Pro's display, could be difficult to see under direct sunlight due to its lower peak brightness of 1,500 nits.

Apple has also finally added the always-on mode to the iPhone 14 Pro since the panel can now go as low as 1Hz. On the other hand, Google Pixel smartphones, including the Pixel 7 Pro, have had this feature for quite some time. The display size can be a decisive factor for many — for those seeking a large screen, go with the Pixel 7 Pro — but if it's the display quality that you are looking for, both phones will not disappoint!

iPhone 14 Pro is powered by Apple's latest A16 Bionic chipset. Apple is promising up to 40 percent better CPU performance compared to its Android competitors, and the GPU has also improved from the last time. The A16 Bionic also comes with a new 16-core Neural Engine that can perform nearly 17 trillion operations per second, resulting in better AI and ML capabilities.

On the other hand, the Pixel 7 Pro features the new Tensor G2 chipset. It comes with the same CPU architecture as the previous generation, which means you get two Cortex-X1 Prime cores clocked at 2.85GHz, two Cortex-A79 cores clocked at 2.35GHz, and four Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. Handling the graphics is a Mali G710 MP07 GPU.

Nonetheless, raw processor power has never been Google's feat. It's the ML and AI technologies that make Pixel smartphones better than others. And Google says the new Tensor G2 chipset brings even more helpful and personalized features to photos, videos, calls, security, and speech recognition.

In day-to-day usage, you won't notice much difference between the iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro's performance, and both phones are able to handle any task you throw at them.​​​​​​​

Taking a look at the back, the Pixel 7 Pro comes with the same triple-camera setup as its predecessor. This means you get a Quad Bayer 50 MP wide, a Quad Bayer 48 MP telephoto, and a new 12 MP ultra-wide with autofocus. Even though the hardware remains the same, the real upgrades come thanks to the newer Tensor G2 processor. Google says the new Pixel 7 Pro features much better image and video processing compared to the previous generation.

Some of the new software capabilities include Macro Focus, Real Tone, Photo Unblur, and Movie Motion Blur. Macro Focus will use the ultra-wide camera to get a clear shot of the objects closer to the lens, while the Real Tone — which now works even in low light — helps with better skin color reproduction. Movie Motion Blur for videos offers features similar to Apple's Cinematic Mode for iPhone.

Moving onto the camera of the iPhone 14 Pro, this is the first iPhone to use a 48 MP primary sensor. It also features a better ultra-wide and telephoto lens than the last generation. Apple promises a multifold leap in low-light and day-to-day camera performance, thanks to the new sensors and the next-generation computational photography engine.

While we're on the topic of catching up, it's worth noting that Google has finally added the Face Unlock feature to the Pixel 7 Pro thanks to the new 10.8MP sensor and Tensor G2 chipset. Apple has also upgraded the front camera of the iPhone 14 Pro, which now features autofocus — something that the Pixel 7 Pro's selfie camera misses out on.

Nonetheless, we are not going to make our judgment solely based on price and specs. We are working on the full reviews of iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro, so make sure you stay tuned to Pocketnow to check out how the new cameras perform in real life.

Pixel 7 Pro features the same 5,000 mAh battery cell as the last year's Pixel 6 Pro. Although the number matches the battery on Pixel 6 Pro, we expect the device to have better battery endurance because of the increased efficiency of Tensor G2. There's also Pixel's Extreme Battery Saver mode which can push Pixel 7 Pro to last up to 72 hours.

On the other hand, we don't know the exact 'mAh' of the iPhone 14 Pro's battery as the iPhone 14 Pro's specs page does not mention it. While we were expecting the battery experience of the iPhone 14 Pro to be better than the iPhone 13 Pro's, our initial impressions of the device haven't been good in terms of battery experience, and we will reserve our judgment until the full review of the device.

Taking a look at the charging speeds, the Pixel 7 Pro features the same maximum charging speed of 23W. The iPhone 14 Pro also features (more or less) the same charging speeds, and both smartphones should charge up to 50% in about 30 minutes when using the official chargers (which are, sadly, still sold separately).

It's also worth noting that both smartphones feature wireless charging, but only the Pixel 7 Pro feature reverse wireless charging (Battery Share). Using this feature, you can charge your Qi-compatible accessory, such as Google's own Pixel Buds Pro, by just placing it on the back of the Pixel 7 Pro. This feature is not available on the iPhone 14 Pro.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro will be powered by the new Google Pixel Tensor sensor, providing even more powerful graphics and computing power to let you play all of your favorite games. The device will also have a powerful new camera setup, and it'll be available in Obsidian, Hazel, and Snow colors. 

iPhone 14 Pro is the latest premium smartphone from the brand. It features a new pill-shaped 'Dynamic Island' notch, 48MP primary camera sensors, an A16 Bionic chipset, and much more. Check out all the deals on the device using the links given below.

Engineer by degree, a journalist by profession, and an avid sports lover. When I'm not writing about technology, you'll find me scrolling Football Twitter. Got a tip to share? Found a mistake? Feel free to reach out: sanujbhatia@outlook.com