The internet never lies. Except when it told us that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with its long-ass name was at least 300% better than Google’s Tensor 4 because benchmarks are eleventy times better. I think. Maybe.
This video from YouTuber In Depth Tech Reviews says otherwise. Using his 100% bonafide scientific methods, the Tensor G4-powered Pixel 9 Pro XL did better than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (at this point, I like typing it) and is equal to the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max’s A17 Pro when it comes to actually doing things.
My God, tech names suck.
In case you can’t be bothered to watch the video, all phones were cranked to max refresh rate, a Microsoft Teams meeting was joined, screen sharing mode was enabled, a 2160p YouTube video was played in picture-in-picture mode, Google Maps was set to navigate to the Dubai Mall, and all this is left running in the background whilst playing Asphalt 9. Yeah, it’s totally normal things people do every day.
The verdict? Pixel 9 Pro XL handily beats the S24 Ultra because the S24 got too hot and crashed. And the Pixel couldn’t do it without the sheer power of the mighty Google Tensor G4. In fact, the Pixel was as good or better than the iPhone and we know that the iPhone’s chip is like a supercharged V8 engine running on jet fuel and nitrous oxide.
While you knowingly nod because you knew the Pixel was unbeatable, please remember the poor Galaxy S24 during this difficult time.
OK, I can’t do this. It’s all bullshit.
The video is real, and it happened just the way I described it, but it means absolutely nothing. Just like running benchmarks and saying something different means absolutely nothing. Let people enjoy doing it if they like, but know that none of this makes any difference to anyone else.
If you’re curious, this test shows that Google is doing a better job with thermal management than Apple and Samsung are doing. Certainly better than previous Pixels. That’s not surprising because Google already said as much.
In the end, you’ll find a phone for a particular thing if you want to buy it. There are gaming phones from companies like Red Magic that are better equipped to play games than anything from Samsung or Google. There are productivity phones like the Galaxy S24. And there are AI phones like the Pixel 9.
One thing they all have in common is that the companies making them have a vision about what they want the product to do. Do not fool yourself into thinking that Google isn’t capable of building a product that beats Samsung at running Geekbench tests. It just doesn’t care because it thinks you won’t care. Google, at least for now, is all about AI and designs its products to work well with the way it does AI.
That’s what the Pixel 9 is: the Google AI phone. Doing some crazy stuff might make for an entertaining video, but it doesn’t tell you that one product is better than another. Buy what you like and whatever does the things you want it to do.
And for God’s sake, can we stop arguing about it?