Google Pixel 3 vs Samsung Galaxy S9
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Google Pixel 3 and the Samsung Galaxy S9, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Price | $99 | $159 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 2,915 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 18W | 15W |
| RAM (max) | — | 4 GB |
| Storage (max) | 128 GB | 400 GB |
| Screen size | 5.5 in | 5.8 in |
| Main camera | 12.2 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 148 g | 163 g |
| Released | Oct 2018 | Mar 2018 |
Summary: Google Pixel 3 is ahead on wired charging, main camera, weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S9 is ahead on battery, storage (max), screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Google Pixel 3 is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Type | P-OLED, HDR | Super AMOLED, HDR10 |
| Size | 5.5 inches, 76.7 cm2 (~77.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.8 inches, 84.2 cm² (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~443 ppi density) | 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~570 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
Platform
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) | Exynos 9810 (10 nm) - EMEA or Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) - USA/LATAM, China |
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.5 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.6 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) | Octa-core (4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA or Octa-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) - USA/LATAM, China |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Mali-G72 MP18 - EMEA or Adreno 630 - USA/LATAM, China |
| OS | — | Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2.5 |
Memory
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| RAM | 4GB LPDDR4X | — |
| Internal Storage | 64GB or 128GB | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Card slot | — | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only or dedicated slot - single SIM model, up to 400 GB |
| Internal | — | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Single | 12.2 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS |
| Features | Dual-LED flash, Pixel Visual Core, Auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@240fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS, OIS |
Selfie Camera
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Dual | 8 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), PDAF; 8 MP, f/2.2, 19mm (ultrawide), no AF | 8 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.22µm, AF; 2 MP (dedicated iris scanner camera) |
| Features | Auto-HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1440p@30fps |
Battery
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Po 2915 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 18W wired, PD2.0; 10W wireless (Qi) with Pixel Stand, 5W with other Qi chargers | 15W wired, QC2.0; Qi/PMA wireless charging |
Body
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9 mm (5.73 x 2.69 x 0.31 in) | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm (5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 in) |
| Weight | 148 g (5.22 oz) | 163 g (5.75 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and/or eSIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 | USB Type-C 3.1 |
Launch
| Google Pixel 3 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|
| Announced | October 2018 | February 25, 2018 |
| Status | Available. Released 2018, October 18 | Available. Released March 16, 2018. |
| OS at Launch | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 12 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Google Pixel 3 or Samsung Galaxy S9?
Samsung Galaxy S9 — 2,915 mAh for the Google Pixel 3 versus 3,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Which is lighter, Google Pixel 3 or Samsung Galaxy S9?
Google Pixel 3 — 148 g for the Google Pixel 3 versus 163 g for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Which is newer, Google Pixel 3 or Samsung Galaxy S9?
Google Pixel 3 — Oct 2018 for the Google Pixel 3 versus Mar 2018 for the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Is the Google Pixel 3 or the Samsung Galaxy S9 rated higher?
We rate the Google Pixel 3 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S9 7/10.
Best phone lists →
