Gadgetory

if you're in the market for a top Android phone the Samsung Galaxy S 9 and Google pixel two are probably on your list of considerations that's no surprise the galaxy s 9 is a powerful and elegant machine that sits at the top of its class it's also pricey at about 720 to 800 dollars depending on the carrier meanwhile the pixel 2 is a champ in itself with a best-in-show camera and a lower price tag that starts at six hundred and forty nine dollars so which one should you buy we've stacked these two powerhouses against one another to see which one comes out on top what's great about these phones are that both are water-resistant but I was never a huge fan of the pixel twos design though I love its pocketable 5-inch size it's thick bezels and matte finish on an aluminum back feels dated and cheap it also doesn't have a headphone jack whereas the galaxy s 9 does and it's a deal-breaker for many meanwhile the Galaxy S 9 has a sharper edge to edge curved screen it's glass encasing is sleek and elegant even though I kind of hate how much it collects fingerprints so easily overall I have to hand it to the Galaxy S 9 and it's polish looks for this round we've already doped deep into a camera comparison between these two phones which I highly recommend you watch for even more info but if you want the TLDR here's a lowdown the Galaxy S 9 has a fantastic camera and excels at taking noise-free photos like when you're taking pictures of the sky or a low-light night shot but the pixel twos camera is exceptional and is our pick for this category it's hdr+ enhanced feature Atlas you just click the shutter and take a great shot even with tricky lining portrait mode on both the rear and front facing cameras are smoother and looked better lastly we're super impressed with its video stabilization capabilities which is one of the best if not the best on any phone available both phones run Android Oreo but the pixel 2 will receive updates from Google as soon as they're available the pixel 2 also has the Google assistant digital voices system while the galaxy s 9 has both assistant and Samsung's own fix V voice both assistant and fix feed can do the basics fine including setting reminders and checking the weather but Bixby can handle complex multi-step commands like posting your latest photo on Instagram with a dictated caption assistant on the other hand taps into Google's vast search database and can look up queries through continued conversation it's also faster when looking up answers where as big speed takes a beat or two longer both platforms can also look up visual items like identify landmarks or scan barcodes via google lens and Bixby vision also keep in mind that galaxy s 9 has iris scanning for security too I gotta say though that this rounds a toss-up personally I prefer assistant because of its speed and I like the pixel twos more streamlined and refined user experience but when it comes to quote-unquote doing more the Galaxy S nine definitely has more options equipped with Qualcomm's latest snapdragon 845 chipset the Galaxy S nine is smooth and lightning quick and it comfortably beats the pixel 2 in our benchmark tests but just because a pixel 2 has last year's processor it doesn't mean it's not zippy and responsive itself when it comes to day-to-day usage I didn't discern any difference in speed between the two the galaxy s 9s battery is only a little bigger than the pixel 2 yet its battery life is impressive in our lab tests for continuous video playback on airplane mode the galaxy s 9 ran in lengthy 15 hours and 30 minutes the pixel 2 meanwhile lasted 13 hours and 28 minutes in addition the Galaxy S 9 has wireless charging similar to previous Galaxy phone while this isn't exactly a make-or-break feature for me it's one more convenience that the s9 has that the pixel doesn't so while the pixel 2 is as reliable a phone as any the galaxy s 9 is faster and has a longer lasting battery to boot because I love the ease of which I can take a great photo with little effort I personally lean towards the pixel - I also like its minimalistic interface pocketable size and slightly lower price tag but what's objectively the better phone I have to say is a galaxy s 9 with its smooth looks fast processor and long-lasting battery it edged out the pixel - in more categories this all makes sense since it's the newer and more expensive phone whatever fun you choose you'll surely be satisfied with both lastly if you don't need a new phone right away note that Google is expected to launch the pixel 3 in October and the next big Samsung phone is assumed to be the Galaxy Note 9 which is due out for release in August