Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 3 - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S9 vs Google Pixel 3

47 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S9
VS
44 out 100
Google Pixel 3
Samsung Galaxy S9
Google Pixel 3

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S9 Manufactured in March, 2018, with display 5.8 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810, vs Google Pixel 3, Manufactured in November, 2018 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 845. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S9
  • Larger display: 5.8in
  • Higher pixel density: 568ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 3000mAh vs 2915mAh
  • Supports Dolby Atmos
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 3
  • Lighter design: 148g vs 163g
  • Built-in eSIM

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 4/256 GB		 - 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 3
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Smartphones:
Samsung Galaxy S9
vs
Google Pixel 3

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Super AMOLED OLED
Size 5.8 in 5.5 in
Resolution 1440x2960 pixels 1080x2160 pixels
Aspect ratio 18.5:9 18:9
Pixel density 568 ppi 439 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 658 nits 420 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10 Yes HDR10
Screen-to-body ratio 84.1 % 78.7 %
Features Always-On Display - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy S9
657 nits
Google Pixel 3
395 nits
sRGB gamutn/a99.6 %
PWM (Flicker)240 Hz245 Hz
Response time7 ms4.4 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S9], [Google Pixel 3]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 147.7 mm (5.81 in) 145.6 mm (5.73 in)
Width 68.7 mm (2.7 in) 68.2 mm (2.69 in)
Thickness 8.5 mm (0.33 in) 7.9 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 163 g (5.75 oz) 148 g (5.22 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Black
- Gold
- Gray
- Blue
- Purple		 - White
- Black
- Pink
Fingerprint sensor Yes rear Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy S9
84.1 %
Google Pixel 3
78.7 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 3 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Max Frequency 2900 MHz 2500 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.9 (Cortex-A55)
- 4/2.9 (Exynos M3)		 - 4/1.8 (Kryo 385 Silver (Cortex-A55))
- 4/2.8 (Kryo 385 Gold (Cortex-A75))
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 10 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Yes Hexagon 685
Graphics Mali-G72 MP18 Adreno 630
GPU Cores 324 512
GPU Frequency 572 MHz 710 MHz
FLOPS 370.6 GFLOPS 727 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S9
734
Google Pixel 3
734
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S9
1894
Google Pixel 3
1882
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)734734
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)18941882
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy S9
470496
Google Pixel 3
405358
CPU137633122440
GPU168155105572
Memory8618491809
UX7852485537
NanoReview Score470496405358
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy S9
2272
Google Pixel 3
1647
Max Surface Temp.39.2 °C39.8 °C
Stability93 %93 %
Graphics Test13 fps9 fps
Graphics Score22721647
Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S9], [Google Pixel 3]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy S9
6347
Google Pixel 3
8745
Writing score63259549
Web score52656855
Video editing54966398
Data manipulation56946440
NanoReview Score63478745

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 1794 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity64 GB- 64 GB
- 128 GB
Storage TypeUFS 2.1UFS 2.1
Memory CardMicroSDNo

Software

OS Android 8.0 (Upgradeable to Android 10) Android 9.0 (Upgradeable to Android 12)
OS Size 14 GB 12 GB
UI Skin One UI 2.5 Stock Android

Battery

Volume 3000 mAh 2915 mAh
Max Charging Power 15 W 18 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes Qi/PMA (10 W) Yes Qi (10 W)
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (40% in 30 min) Yes Quick Charge 4 (50% in 40 min)
Full Charge Time 1:35 h 2:00 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy S9
15:09
Google Pixel 3
15:14
Web Browsing05:32 h05:20 h
Video Playback09:42 h09:37 h
Games03:45 h03:31 h
Standby Mode75 h78 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 122 MP
Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 240 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 960 fps (720p) 240 fps (720p)
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 12.2 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix12 MP122 MP
Aperturef/1.5 - 2.4f/1.8
Focal length26 mm28 mm
SensorSamsung SAK2L3Sony IMX363
Sensor size1/2.551/2.55
Pixel size1.4 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S9
104
Google Pixel 3
103
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S9
91
Google Pixel 3
98
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy S9
99
Google Pixel 3
101
Sources: DxOMark [Google Pixel 3]

Front camera

Matrix 8 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 3264x2448 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/1.7 f/1.8
Focal length 25 mm 28 mm
Sensor Samsung S5K3H1 Sony IMX355
Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.2
Pixel size 1.22 μm 1.4 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Phase autofocus
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1440p at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S9
n/a
Google Pixel 3
124
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S9
n/a
Google Pixel 3
121

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.1 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*21
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoYes
Hybrid SlotYesNo
2G BandsGSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsHSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
LTE category1816
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack Yes No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes No
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy S9
86 dB
Google Pixel 3
84.9 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced February, 2018 yr October, 2018 yr
Release Date March, 2018 yr November, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) 720 800
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
Total Votes: 0

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below