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

The best phones available are great, but previous-generation handsets can offer much more value. If you want to get a great handset without breaking the bank on a brand-new one, chances are you’ll have the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro on your list of options. They’re both premium high-end handsets with great hardware. The iPhone 14 Pro is also the most similarly priced to the Pixel 7 Pro while keeping the newer chipset, higher-end specs, and features.

We’re putting these phones head to head against each other in this Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro comparison. Of course, we’ll touch on all the key points, including design, performance, screen, cameras, battery life, and more.

Also, remember that we will focus only on the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro. We won’t mention the base Pixel 7, Pixel 7a, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, or iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Google Pixel 8 series and the Apple iPhone 15 series have also launched; you may want to look into the newer devices, too.

Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro

Design and display

The Google Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro have very similar designs to their predecessors, the Pixel 6 and iPhone 13 series. Both Google and Apple have decided to follow their previous-generation design languages, but this isn’t necessarily bad.

With the Pixel 6 series, Google finally stepped things up with higher-quality materials and a much more premium design. This ultimately puts the Pixel brand next to high-end competitors like the latest Samsung Galaxy S handsets, and, of course, Apple’s iPhones. It’s no wonder Google decided to keep a similar look with the Pixel 7 Pro.

The Pixel 7 Pro comes with Gorilla Glass Victus on the back and front, with an aluminum frame keeping them together. However, Apple does take things up a notch with the iPhone 14 Pro. The back and front are Corning-made glass, while the frame is made of more robust stainless steel metal. Both also have an IP68 rating for water and dust protection.

Of course, there is also the size difference. The Pixel 7 Pro has a massive 6.7-inch display, while the iPhone 14 Pro keeps a more standard-sized 6.1-inch display. This means the Pixel 7 Pro will be much larger, and, therefore, harder to handle. The iPhone 14 Pro might be a better option for those looking for more pocketability.

While we’re on the topic of displays, it might also be worth noting the Pixel 7 Pro might be the better option if you’re looking for a higher-quality viewing experience. Its panel isn’t only larger, but also has a much higher resolution of 1,440 x 3,120. The iPhone 14 sports a 1,179 x 2,556 resolution. You might argue that’s because of the screen size difference, but the PPI (pixels per inch) is also much higher on the Pixel 7 Pro at 512 PPI. The iPhone 14 Pro display has a 460 PPI pixel density.

The panels are nearly as good. The Pixel 7 Pro has an LTPO AMOLED panel, while the iPhone 14 Pro comes with an LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED screen. Both have a 120Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 14 Pro has a brighter screen at a peak of 2,000 nits. The Pixel 7 Pro screen tops off at 1,500 nits. Honestly, we didn’t see a huge difference in person; both are stunning.

However, Apple pulled a really neat screen-related trick this time around. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max come with a Dynamic Island, which brings functionality to the selfie camera cutout in a very fun way. Some believe it’s a gimmick, but it is fun and functional.

Hardware and cameras

While there are some noticeable hardware differences between the Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro, chances are you won’t notice a real performance difference between the two. At least not in day-to-day use. These are both flagships with awesome specs and features, so they are both blazing fast and handle anything you throw at them.

The Pixel 7 Pro features a Google Tensor G2 processor and 12GB of RAM. Apple threw an A16 Bionic chipset and 6GB of RAM. This means you’ll probably only notice real performance differences when multi-tasking heavily.

However, if you genuinely care about performance and want the absolute most powerful handset out of the two, our Pixel 7 Pro review benchmarks show that the iPhone 14 Pro does beat the Pixel 7 Pro in most cases. And usually by quite a bit. Though we can’t exactly notice a difference in speed by simply using it, it’s apparently there.

There’s also a significant difference in battery size, with the Pixel 7 Pro offering a sizeable 5,000mAh battery. That’s significantly larger than the iPhone 14 Pro’s 3,200mAh unit. Our tests found that the Pixel 7 Pro could easily last a day and a half on a single charge. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro struggled to get to a day’s end with more than 20% battery. And while it could survive the night without charging, we had to rush to a charger by breakfast’s end.

Not only does the Pixel 7 Pro hold a charge for much longer, but it can also charge faster. The Pixel 7 Pro supports 30W wired charging and 23W wireless charging (we have a list of the best Pixel 7 chargers here). Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 can juice up at up to 20W when wired, 15W using MagSafe, and 7.5W when wireless charging via Qi.

During our review time with both phones, we were able to fully charge an iPhone 14 Pro in about 80 minutes. The Pixel 7 Pro took a bit longer; 90-100 minutes. It’s important to keep in mind the Pixel 7 Pro battery is also significantly larger, though.

When choosing between the Google Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro, the camera experience is among the most important deciding factors. There’s no denying Apple and Google are both known for their impressive cameras, especially in the high-tier section. The Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro have amazing camera systems. Both have great hardware in the camera department. The Pixel 7 Pro has a trio of cameras: 50MP wide, 48MP telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro doesn’t fall behind, offering a 48MP primary sensor, and a duo of 12MP ultrawide and telephoto shooters.

Aside from seemingly having superior hardware, we know the Pixel series offers some of the best smartphone cameras year after year. And this was the case even with inferior hardware. The Google Pixel 7 Pro takes advantage of Google’s computational photography advancements, which can work wonders. Chances are you’ll get better results with the Pixel 7 Pro, but the iPhone 14 Pro will still shoot amazing photographs.

If you want to know how each camera excels, we have put together a couple of posts that can help you better understand how they compare. Here’s a camera shootout between the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Price and colors

There’s no denying Apple devices are more expensive, especially with Google getting very aggressive with its prices. While many would consider the Pixel 7 Pro to have a slight advantage in hardware and specs, it costs $100 less than the iPhone 14 Pro.

The Pixel 7 Pro is also getting much less playful with its Pixel 7 Pro color options. The two-tone options are gone, and the options are much less colorful than before. The Pixel 7 Pro is available in Hazel, Snow, and Obsidian. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro is available in Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, and Space Black.

One crucial factor to consider, though, is that iPhones are rarely found at a discount. On the contrary, Pixel devices are heavily discounted very frequently. We’ve seen the Pixel 7 Pro go for under $700. This means that, if you’re patient and look hard enough, you can get the Pixel 7 Pro for significantly cheaper than the iPhone 14 Pro.

That said, you can find both discounted very often, now that the Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 series are out. The Pixel 7 Pro can often be found for $550 on Amazon, brand new. It’s harder to find the iPhone 14 Pro new, but we’ve seen the renewed ones go for about $700. Take that in; a new Pixel 7 Pro is cheaper than a refurbished iPhone 14 Pro.

Pixel 7 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Specs

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

Picking between Google and Apple is getting harder. The Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro offer a great design, powerful performance, outstanding cameras, and amazing experiences. Google and Apple are also the creators of Android and iOS, so this battle has been going on for many years. We are Android fans around here, but we can also understand why some users may believe iOS is superior to Android.

That said, some things put the phones at hand on different sides of the spectrum. The Pixel 7 Pro has a larger, arguably better screen. It also has a much larger battery, faster charging, and the power of Google’s AI behind its camera system. Of course, price is a huge factor to consider, and Google has a clear lead. Its Pixel 7 Pro kicks off at $899 — $100 less than the base iPhone 14 Pro. And it’s common to find it at a discount. We made a second Pixel 7 Pro review six months after its launch, and it is still a formidable phone.

There’s no denying Apple has its advantages, too, though. The design is still class-leading, customer service is superb, and the build quality is slightly better. You also get the Apple ecosystem and more straightforward UI, which are among the most popular reasons why people stick with iPhones.

Are you not convinced by either phone? We recommend you take a look at a couple of our posts. We’ve put together lists of the best Pixel 7 alternatives and the best iPhone 14 alternatives. You might also want to consider upgrading to the latest series from both manufacturers. The Google Pixel 8 series and Apple iPhone 15 series are already out. Of course, we also put those head to head in our Google Pixel 8 Pro vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro comparison.