The Google Pixel is in an interesting position. Technically, it's the default Android phone because it's made by Google, but because Samsung has been making phones for longer and has such a wide global reach, Galaxy phones are considered the eye-watering Default Android phone Many casual consumers. So every time a new Android flagship is launched, it has to be compared with the latest Samsung flagship.
That's what we're here to do: compare the newly launched excellent Pixel 7 Pro to the still-default Android top dog, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Price and availability
Both phones are on sale now. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is available in almost every country in the world, while the Google Pixel 7 Pro is available in 17 countries - which means the Pixel 7 Pro is available in some markets, including very large markets like China unavailable.
In a sea of similar-looking phones, it's nice to be able to compare two devices with opposing design approaches. The Pixel 7 Pro is a curvaceous phone with rounded corners and a bulky camera module designed to stand out. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a boxy, rectangular tablet with There are no camera modules or islands - each individual lens sits on the back of the phone.
In the US, the Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899 and the Galaxy S22 Ultra starts at $1,199, both for the base 128GB storage variant. Pricing for all variants is:
- Google Pixel 7 Pro:
- 12GB RAM, 128GB storage, $899
- 12GB RAM, 256GB storage, $999
- 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, $1,099
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra:
- 12GB RAM, 12GB storage, $1,099
- 12GB RAM, 256GB storage, $1,199
- 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, $1,299
However, there are frequent deals on the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra, so if you're interested in either device, check out these deals.
Silicon
The Pixel 7 Pro runs on a Google-designed (but ironically made by Samsung) Tensor G2 chip, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or its own Exynos 2200, depending on the region. I haven't tested the Exynos 2200, but my colleague Adam Conway has and he found that The Exynos 2200 is a not-so-great chip.
For US readers, the chipset comparison will be closer, as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is a powerful chip. Benchmark numbers between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Tensor G are pretty similar - to be honest, both run pretty hot compared to the newer Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 or Apple's chips A16 Bionic -- but the Tensor G2 is designed to handle Google's horribly good machine learning algorithms, which helps set the chip apart.
Battery and other hardware bits
Both phones have 5000 mAh batteries, but in my testing the Pixel 7 Pro had better battery life as it gave me a comfortable 13-15 hours of daily use (the final battery percentage was still in the double digits ), while the Galaxy S22 Ultra gives me some battery anxiety after 13 hours or so because the battery The bar fell below 10%.
Both can be charged wired or wirelessly. The wired charging speed of the Galaxy S22 Ultra (45W) is faster than the Pixel 7 Pro (30W), but the wireless charging speed of the latter is faster. Either way, these phones have been slow to charge compared to the OnePlus and Xiaomi phones I've been testing.