Google Pixel 8 vs Galaxy S24 vs Others

[Gino76ph]

Hi. I currently have the Google Pixel 8 128GB for 6 months now and i'm looking to replace it.

This may sound a stupid question but if we consider the chipset, RAM and UFS storage which phone feels more responsive and feels faster in opening apps and especially the camera shutter: Pixel 8 8GB (on UFS 3.1) or Galaxy S24 8GB 256GB version with UFS 4.0?

[james887]

I have done the same swap 5 months ago, pixel 8 256gb hazel to s24 256gb in silver UK variant,
Not going to lie I preferred the camera and smoothness of the operating system over the Samsung, but the shocking charging speed when using it sometimes 5 to 6 hour plus, the constant ovan in my pocket and battery that would just randomly plumet, was picky with what chargers would work and the network was terrible,
The Samsung is more reliable and the warranty beats google hands down, also you can use Samsung suit on the pc to back up that Google has no alternative
Imo a altogether better package

[Gino76ph]

What matters to me (tho not entirely deal breakers) are opening apps and a fast camera shutter speeds whether i'm working in the office or on a holiday. That extra speed will make a difference.

Saying that I could get either an S24 256GB or S25 256GB in mint condition on eBay for up to £200-£300 less than that of Samsung. My only gripe with the base models are the slower 25w charging whilst the Pixel 8 and 9 offer slightly faster 27w. I do not want to go for the "Plus" models as i do not want that big size of a phone.

I know there are probably hundreds of video comparison out there but I wanted to know your personal opinions on these ones on which phone is a  better (or practical) investment post-Pixel 8.

[GoanGeek]

Go to a store and try both.

Everyone here will give you different opnions based on their usage.

Somewhere like curry's etc where they have both phones on display you can check.

[Joeeye]

Do not fuss over wattage on charging speeds. 25W and 45W on Samsung devices charge at near identical times in a full charge. The main difference (and I've noticed this from an Ultra perspective user) is the S25 Ultra utilises 45W the most efficiently of all prior Samsung devices with 0 to 80% charge in around 30m, but even at 25W it's at most 40m. For reference, my S21 Ultra still charges faster than my S25 Ultra despite only supporting 25W Superfast Charging 1.0 (both still utilise 5000mah batteries). I can't give you advice and specifics on base S series models (as I do not own them) however, so please do not take this as confirmation to their charging efficiency.

[Gino76ph]

I can obviously go to a store to try both. But you can't try both and hold them side by side as they are all locked. And in most time the phones are either in retail mode or the software is not updated. So, it's kind of pointless. hence, people go to forums or ask Youtube. 

[Gino76ph]

So, even if the charging is slow and base models having only UFS 3.1?

[GoanGeek]

You could try the cameras while you are there.
You also get a feel for software , size and handling.

[Gino76ph]

You see i don't "prioritize" buying an Ultra device. because of my arthritic hands i prefer the base models but on 256GB as they have faster UFS 4.0 which is near identical speedy with an iPhone's NvME. 

The industry has moved on with regards to charging speeds. If i forget to charge my phone overnight and waking up at 06.30 am having less than 10% battery if I charge it to an hour will it go up to 100%? That's my question? 

And the other issues with the base models is the low battery capacity. The optimizations c/o the new Snapdragon chips may compensate for that but i'm still a bit doubtful it will. Again, the industry has moved on with other OEM's having both faster battery charging and much bigger battery capacities. 

[Gino76ph]

I will.

On a different question...Which phone would you choose in terms of performance, battery life and cameras: base Galaxy S25 256GB or the base iPhone 16 128GB? 

[Joeeye]

As I mentioned, I've never owned or used the base S series models, only Ultras, so can't confirm their charging times personally, but most reviews and tests show it's around an hour to 1h 15 tops for a full 0-100%.

The UFS 4.0 speeds are great, but practically speaking you won't see the benefits in photo taking or even videos as neither fully test the flash in these phones. Maximum throughput from even an 4k 120 FPS video using high bitrate still only uses 12MB/s maximum on the S25 Ultra, which in no way comes close to testing the full extent of the flash memory, UFS 3.1 or not. Transferring data will see improvement, but it's not typical you'll be shifting so much data around constantly for it to be a major concern (unless you burn through a lot of video regularly). The reason cameras will ever seem "laggy" will be purely post processing before bandwidth is ever the issue.