The iPhone 14 Plus launched last month as a more affordable alternative to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This phone basically replaced the ‘Mini’ phone from last year. It is huge, but it’s inferior to the ‘Pro Max’ model. That being said, this phone has the same base price tag as Google’s flagship handset, which is why we’ll compare them in this article. We’ll compare the Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Apple iPhone 14 Plus.
We’ve already compared the Pixel 7 Pro to the most powerful handset Apple has to offer at the moment, in case you’re interested in that. That being said, the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Plus are considerably different in almost every way. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then compare them across a number of categories. Including design, display, performance, battery, cameras, and audio categories.
Specs
Google Pixel 7 Pro | Apple iPhone 14 Plus | |
Screen size | 6.7-inch QHD+ curved AMOLED LTPO display (120Hz refresh rate) | 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display (60Hz refresh rate) |
Screen resolution | 3120 x 1440 | 2778 x 1284 |
SoC | Google Tensor G2 | Apple A15 Bionic |
RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5) | 6GB |
Storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, non-expandable |
Rear cameras | 50MP (Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor, 1.2um pixel size, f/1.85 aperture, 82-degree FoV) 12MP (ultrawide, 1.25um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 125.8-degree FoV, lens correction) 48MP (telephoto, 0.7um pixel size, f/3.5 aperture, 20.6-degree FoV, 5x optical zoom, Super Res Zoom up to 30x) |
12MP (wide, f/1.5 aperture, 26mm lens, 1.9um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS) 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.4 aperture, 13mm, 120-degree FoV) |
Front cameras | 10.8MP (1.22um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 92.8-degree FoV, Fixed Focus) | 12MP (wide-angle, f/1.9 aperture, 23mm lens, PDAF) SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) |
Battery | 5,000mAh, non-removable, 23W wired charging, 23W wireless charging, reverse wireless charger Charger not included |
4,323mAh, non-removable, 23W wired charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging Charger not included |
Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9mm | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8mm |
Weight | 212 grams | 203 grams |
Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Lightning port |
Security | Face Unlock In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
Advanced facial scanning |
OS | Android 13 | iOS 16 |
Price | $899/$999/$1,099 | $899 |
Buy | Apple |
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Apple iPhone 14 Plus: Design
The moment you lay your eyes on these two phones you can see a ton of differences. The Pixel 7 Pro has a centered display camera hole, while the iPhone 14 Plus has a display notch at the top. Both phones have very thin bezels, but the Pixel 7 Pro has a curved display, unlike the iPhone 14 Plus. The Pixel 7 Pro has slightly boxier corners, but it offers a lot more curves overall. The iPhone 14 Plus has flat front and back sides, and the same goes for its frame on the sides. The Pixel 7 Pro’s back and front sides curve into the frame.
The Pixel 7 Pro has a camera visor on the back, which goes from one side of the phone to the other. It is actually covered in metal, which slopes down to the frame. The iPhone 14 Plus has a regular-looking camera island in the top-left corner. Both of these smartphones have glass backs, and metal frames. In fact, both of these phones utilize frames made out of aluminum. The Pro and Pro Max iPhone models use stainless steel.
The Pixel 7 Pro is slightly taller than the iPhone 14 Plus, but it’s also narrower and thicker. It weighs 212 grams, compared to 203 grams of the iPhone 14 Plus. Both of these phones are quite slippery, but they offer a considerably different in-hand feel. The iPhone 14 Plus does cut into your hand a bit more due to its flat frame. Neither phone is easy to use with one hand due to their sheer size. They do have one-hand modes, but… still, it’s only a tool that helps out in certain situations. Using a case with these two is definitely something you should do.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Apple iPhone 14 Plus: Display
Both phones have 6.7-inch panels, but they’re considerably different. The Pixel 7 Pro utilizes a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. This panel is curved, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. It does support HDR10+ content, and has a max display brightness of 1,500 nits. The Pixel 7 Pro’s panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus. This display offers a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
The iPhone 14 Plus, on the flip side, has a 6.7-inch 2778 x 1284 Super Retina XDR OLED display. This panel offers support for HDR10 content, and supports Dolby Vision. It has a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. You’re getting a 60Hz panel here, so no high refresh rate. The display is protected by ceramic shield glass, and it has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, the same as the Pixel 7 Pro.
Now, both of these displays offer vivid colors, and great viewing angles. They also offer deep blacks, and have a very good touch response rate. The Pixel 7 Pro does get a bit brighter outdoors, and the fact it has a 120Hz refresh rate is noticeable, of course. The Pixel 7 Pro’s display is also sharper, but that’s not something many of you will notice during regular usage. Google’s flagship does have a better display, there’s no doubt about that. The vast majority of people will be more than happy with the iPhone 14 Plus’ panel, though.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Apple iPhone 14 Plus: Performance
The Pixel 7 Pro comes with the Google Tensor G2 SoC, along with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The iPhone 14 Plus is fueled by the Apple A15 Bionic SoC, while it has 6GB of RAM and NVMe storage. The Pixel 7 Pro has better RAM and storage internals, but the SoC is technically still more powerful in the iPhone 14 Plus, despite the fact it’s not the latest flagship SoC from Apple.
The Apple A16 Bionic is a marginal improvement over the A15 Bionic, on paper, at least. Google is betting on the cohesion between hardware and software in the Pixel 7, and it does work well for them. Apple is kind of aiming at the same thing, though it also has a more powerful SoC. Each of the two companies uses its own processor here, so… that’s not surprising. In any case, both smartphones perform really well.
In regular, everyday tasks, they’re neck-to-neck. They’re extremely fluid, and snappy, though the Tensor G2 does run a bit warmer during prolonged use. What about gaming, though? Well, the iPhone 14 Plus does have the upper hand there. It won’t have an issue even with the most demanding titles, like Genshin Impact. The Pixel 7 Pro is not that great with such games. You’ll likely have to lower the details in Genshin Impact, unless you want stuttery performance and frame drops. The Pixel 7 Pro also gets quite warm during gaming sessions, at least with more demanding games. Google may yet balance things out with updates, though.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Apple iPhone 14 Plus: Battery
The Pixel 7 Pro utilizes a 5,000mAh battery, while the iPhone 14 Plus has a 4,323mAh battery. Don’t let the battery capacity fool you, as Apple’s handsets need less battery capacity to offer similar battery durability as Android phones. That being said, both of these phones do have really good battery life, but the iPhone 14 Plus does have the upper hand in that regard. It seems like the Apple A15 Bionic consumes less battery than its successor, at least based on what we’ve seen thus far.
The iPhone 14 Plus offers insane screen-on-time stats, to say the least. The iPhone 13 Pro Max was the king in that regard, and you can expect similar results from the iPhone 14 Plus. This phone can last for two days with regular use. With more intense use, you’ll have to charge it, but you’ll be surprised by its battery life. The Pixel 7 Pro’s results were mixed. Its battery life is good, but not as good as the Pixel 6 Pro’s was. We’ve managed to squeeze out 6-7 hours of screen-on-time, depending on the day.
The Pixel 7 Pro supports 23W wired and wireless charging, in addition to much slower reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 14 Plus offers support for 20W wired charging (approximately), 15W MagSafe wireless charging, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. Neither of these two phones ships with a charging brick, though.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Apple iPhone 14 Plus: Cameras
The Pixel 7 Pro features three cameras on the back, while the iPhone 14 Plus has two. Google’s handset includes a 50-megapixel main camera, in addition to a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 48-megapixel telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The iPhone 14 Plus has two 12-megapixel cameras, wide and ultrawide units. The images these two phones provide are considerably different, but both of them do an amazing job.
The Pixel 7 Pro provides images with cooler tones, and does an amazing job in HDR conditions. The iPhone 14 Plus are, by default, a bit warmer. There are a number of different shooting styles that you can choose from. The iPhone 14 Plus does sometimes struggle in HDR conditions, as it has a tendency to provide overblown highlights. That doesn’t happen at all times, though. The iPhone 14 Plus also tends to sharpen up foliage scenes a bit too much.
Apple’s handset does provide a bit more realistic shots, though. Its nighttime images are also usually more true to life, even though the Pixel 7 Pro shines in low light. It provides brighter images, but extremely well-balanced ones, and they usually pop. The iPhone 14 Plus does better when it comes to video recording, though. The Pixel 7 Pro did bring improvements in that regard, but the iPhone 14 Plus still comes out on top.
Audio
Both devices include stereo speakers, but neither of them has a dedicated audio jack. The speakers are really good on both phones. The sound is loud, and yet well-balanced. The vocals are easy to discern, and there’s even some bass on both phones. The soundstage is wide enough on both, though the output is a bit different in comparison.
For wired connections, you’ll need to utilize a Type-C port on the Pixel 7 Pro, and the Lightning port on the iPhone 14 Plus. You can, alternatively, go for a wireless connection. These two devices support Bluetooth 5.2 and 5.3, respectively.