iPhone 14 Pro vs Google Pixel 7 Pro: Which should you buy?

Years of iPhone dominance has prompted Google to up its game and make a competing lineup of "pro" phones to do battle with Apple's own premium, top-tier smartphones. 

Following Apple's iPhone 14 series launch, Google has unveiled the Pixel 7 series. Both series will face off against each other, but the real competition is between the top performance models — the Pixel 7 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro. Both flagships are bringing the promise of the best software experience each company has to offer, backed by fantastic camera performance. Here's our breakdown of the Google Pixel 7 Pro vs. the iPhone 14 Pro, and which one you should pick.

Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Specifications

When it comes to iPhones vs Android phones, specification sheets are thrown around a lot. While these on-paper specifications don't matter as much as real-world performance, they can be helpful in quickly comparing the capabilities of phones. Here's how the two phones stack up next to each other.

The Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro share a ton of similarities, but there are a few differences. To begin with, the Pixel 7 Pro is a bigger phone, coming with a 6.7-inch screen which is closer to the iPhone 14 Pro Max than the 6.1-inch 14 Pro. The two phones are similar in weight, though, with the Pixel 7 Pro weighing 212g, only 6g more than the 206g of the iPhone 14 Pro. The two phones are definitely close competitors, though, and many folks looking for a solid flagship phone will shortlist these two. Let's take a deeper dive into these phones to see which one would be the right one for you.

Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro Design: Dynamic Island vs the Visor

iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro are both good-looking phones. They have classier designs than their base model counterparts. The iPhone 14 Pro keeps the flattened design from the last generation but comes with a big change at the front. The notch is gone and in its place is a new pill-shaped cutout that Apple is calling Dynamic Island. Dynamic Island is also a new UI experience revolving around the cutout. On the other hand, the Pixel 7 Pro is keeping much of the same as the Pixel 6 Pro, with the camera visor looking slightly different now.

Both phones have solid build quality as well. They're regular glass sandwiches, but the Pixel 7 Pro uses the visor to cut it into two pieces. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro has a full glass back, with the camera lens area integrated into the glass. The iPhone 14 Pro uses Ceramic Shield glass, which is more shatterproof, but also more prone to scratches. On the other hand, the Pixel 7 Pro has Gorilla Glass Victus, which has great shatter proofing but not as good as the Ceramic Shield. Another key difference is that while the iPhone 14 Pro gets a stainless steel frame, the Pixel 7 Pro uses an aluminum frame. While both should hold up fine for daily use, the iPhone 14 Pro has this stronger build on paper here.

The Pixel 7 Pro's 6.7-inch screen has a better pixel density at 512 ppi, with the screen running at a resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels. In comparison, the iPhone 14 Pro's 6.1-inch screen runs at a resolution of 1179 x 2556 pixels, with a pixel density of 460 ppi. However, it doesn't get as bright as the iPhone 14 Pro's screen, which can hit up to 2,000 nits peak brightness, while the Pixel 7 Pro's screen tops out at 1,500 nits. This makes the 14 Pro's screen the better one, although the 7 Pro's display is no slacker. Both screens also get a 120Hz refresh rate.

Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro Performance: Veteran Apple Silicon or newbie Google Tensor? 

The iPhone's strength has always been its performance, with the best-in-class processing thanks to the Apple Silicon chips. Google has entered the custom silicon game very recently, starting with the Pixel 6 series. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro has the A16 Bionic chip, while the Pixel 7 Pro has the Google Tensor G2.  The A16 will win out in pretty much every benchmark you'll throw at it, and many practical use cases as well. However, for day-to-day use, it's unlikely that you will notice much of a difference unless you're planning on regularly using your phone for some CPU-heavy tasks like video editing.

The iPhone 14 Pro wins out with the storage options as well. Apple offers it in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage capacities. The Pixel 7 Pro has similar variants, minus the 1TB version. The marketing for both the Pixel and the iPhone lays heavy emphasis on their respective camera performances. As such, the Pixel missing the 1TB storage option is a bit disappointing. Sure, you get a solid cloud experience with the Pixel 7 Pro, but the option to get 1TB of local storage would have been nice. So, if you want more local storage, the iPhone 14 Pro is the one to pick.

On the battery life front, the iPhone 14 Pro promises video playback of up to 23 hours and audio playback of up to 75 hours. With the Pixel 7 the only estimate we got was an "All day battery," which is yet to be tested. For now, the Pixel 7 Pro's battery life remains a mystery. However, many users have been complaining about the iPhone 14 Pro's battery life, so the Pixel 7 Pro has a chance here. 

Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro price: Features and software

When it comes to Pixel vs iPhone, the features and software comparison is a very close one. Both companies pack in some impressive hardware, and it is backed by equally great software. Of course, Android vs iOS is very old, so if you prefer one of the two, your choice will be easy. iOS has better privacy and the promise of the ecosystem which works quite well if you have other Apple devices. Android, on the other hand, offers more flexibility and freedom. Both phones get best-in-class software support.

Pixel 7 Pro brings in a ton of software features. These include audio message transcription, unblur for photos, and face unlock, the latter of which was missing from the Pixel lineup. The iPhone 14 Pro has its fair share of exclusive features as well, including emergency SOS via satellite, which will let you contact emergency services if you don't have cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. The iPhone 14 Pro also Crash Detection for car accidents, and the Pixel 7 Pro also has a similar feature.

The Pixel 7 Pro is running Android 13 on arrival, offering the best and purest Android experience you can get. While it has the Material You theming engine, the iPhone 14 Pro runs iOS 16, which has improved customization features, getting close to those found on Android. Both phones offer the best software experience you can find with either of these operating systems, so it's hard to go wrong with either.

Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Competing for the camera crown

Apple has historically had the superior camera experience with iPhones, but the Pixel lineup has been gradually improving on that front year after year. With the Pixel 7 Pro, the setup is remaining similar to the 6 Pro, but Google's image processing is expected to offer better performance. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro is upgrading the camera hardware for the first time in a while, and that is backed by more software prowess, so it is quite hard to beat.

With the Pixel 7 Pro, you get a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP telephoto camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and an 11.1MP front camera. On the other hand, the iPhone 14 Pro gets a 48MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, a 12MP telephoto, and a dual-lens 12MP camera in the front. 

The telephoto experience on the Pixel 7 Pro is expected to be superior to the iPhone 14 Pro, thanks to the larger sensor and improved processing. On the video side of things, it seems that the two phones appear to be matched on paper. You get up to 4K 60fps video, 1080p 240fps video, and 10-bit HDR on both. The Pixel 7 Pro also gets a Cinematic Blur feature that competes with Apple's Cinematic Mode.

While the iPhone has had great image processing and color science for years, with the iPhone 14 Pro you can expect it to be better thanks to the bigger sensor providing a higher level of detail. Pixel delivers on those fronts as well. In terms of video capabilities, the two are matched on paper, but the iPhone 14 Pro is likely to impress more than the Pixel 7 Pro. It will be tough to make a choice between these two based on camera capabilities, but the iPhone 14 Pro wins out by a small margin overall.

Pixel 7 Pro vs. iPhone 14 Pro: Which should you buy?

The iPhone 14 Pro and the Google Pixel 7 Pro are both very capable phones, so it's a rather difficult question to answer. Android and iOS are also both great operating systems, so you won't be missing out on much regardless of which one you pick. 

However, there are certain kinds of use cases that will make one of these phones a better fit than the other. iOS offers a significant advantage with its privacy, which makes for a less intrusive overall experience. On the other hand, Android offers flexibility, which can come at the cost of privacy at times. With the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple has made significant changes to the iPhone after a long time. It feels like a decidedly different phone than the 13 Pro. On the other hand, the Pixel 7 Pro shares a lot of similarities with the 6 Pro, so don't expect it to be too different. 

Coming to performance, while the Pixel 7 Pro will perform very well, the iPhone 14 Pro is likely to remain the best-performing phone on the market. The two phones also have comparable displays, but the Pixel 7 Pro gets a bigger and higher resolution display, while the iPhone 14 Pro has a brighter display. Battery life is a tie right now, but that may change over the next few months as software updates and more user data gives us a clearer picture. The Google Pixel 7 is promising three years of software updates and five years of security patches. On the other hand, Apple doesn't explicitly make an update promise, but it has passed Google's figure regularly.

The iPhone 14 is the best iPhone Apple has ever made, and the Pixel 7 Pro is the best Android phone from Google yet. The final decision comes down to the price of these two phones. The iPhone 14 Pro is priced starting at $999, while the Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899. If you want the best phone, all things considered, the iPhone 14 Pro is the way to go. If you want to save some money, and still get a really good phone, the Pixel 7 Pro seems like the one to buy.

Want to check out the best buying options for these phones? Well, we have a roundup of the best iPhone 14 Pro deals, and our colleagues over at Android Central have you covered for today's finest Pixel 7 Pro deals.