Technologies

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Pixel 8 Pro: Which Phone to Choose?

How do the top phones from Apple and Google stack up? I tested everything from cameras to battery life to displays to find out.

The iPhone-versus-Android debate is always intense, and I’m here to add fuel to the fire.

I used Apple’s and Google’s newest high-end arrivals, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Pixel 8 Pro, side by side to compare everything from cameras to battery life to displays. Neither of these phones comes cheap (you’re looking at starting prices upwards of $1,000), so here are some takeaways from my experience with both phones, in the hopes that it makes your decision-making easier.

Camera comparison and AI features

Not surprisingly, the camera is one of the biggest areas of focus with any new phone launch.

I tip my hat to the Pixel 8 lineup for having an incredible array of AI features baked into photos and videos. There’s Magic Editor, which lets you move and erase people, change backgrounds and arrange objects how ever you’d like to create an ideal image that’s Instagram-ready (whether that’s ethical is a separate issue).

There’s also Best Take, which sifts through a series of photos and lets you swap out faces so that if someone’s blinking in one shot, for example, you can replace it with another where they’re looking at the camera. The result is a single great image where everyone looks their best (and I can stop scolding my friends for blinking).

Another feature I’ve been having fun with is Audio Magic Eraser, which lets you edit out distracting background sounds from your videos, whether it’s the wind, music or noise from a crowd. It’s not perfect — I tested it out in one of my CNET videos, and it muffled my voice — but it’s not bad for the first iteration.

But AI isn’t everything. In fact, as cool as these features are, I’m just not sure how often I’d reach for them. So, let’s compare the actual picture quality between the two phones.

When it comes to standard images without any special effect, the results are surprisingly similar. Colors barely have any variation, and everything looks crisp and true to life.

The differences began when I switched to Portrait mode. While photographing a tea cup, the Pixel 8 Pro did a great job of keeping the entire cup in focus. But the iPhone 15 Pro Max struggled to keep the further end of the cup in focus, so the heart-shaped design imprinted on the inside is out of focus, like the background. Thankfully, you can adjust the amount of blur through the aperture setting either before or after you take a photo, and Portrait mode also lets you change the focus after you take a picture.

Portrait mode on humans led to fewer inconsistencies. In fact, there wasn’t much of a difference between these shots I took of my colleague Viva. The backgrounds are blurred to the same degree, and Viva is in perfect focus in the foreground. The iPhone’s colors are slightly warmer, but both are great photos.

Selfies have a noticeable difference. On the Pixel, colors are brighter, including my skin and the wall behind me. On the iPhone, everything’s a bit warmer, and shadows are darker. But it’s worth noting that you can dial in a photographic style or customize one to get colors and contrast to look the way you want.

And when it comes to night mode, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the clear winner. In this shot of my plant in my dark room, the iPhone did a better job of brightening everything and making it look clearer.

Videos: Cinematic mode and stabilization

I use Cinematic mode a lot to give videos a more dramatic effect, so I had to compare how each phone handles those shots. The iPhone does a great job of keeping the subject in clear focus, even as I’m moving. But I was slightly disappointed in the Pixel. While taking a video of some decorative pumpkins, their edges were a bit glitchy as the phone struggled to figure out what to blur and when. (Check out the video above to see an example.)

The Pixel and iPhone both have video stabilization on by default, so the results are comparable. I took some shots while walking, and they’re a little shaky but not bad without a gimbal or stabilizer.

Action mode on iPhone helps to create even smoother shots, but you have to have enough light for it to work. The Pixel also has a similar mode called Active Video Stabilization, which is more aggressive than the default setting. So, ultimately, both phones give you the option to prioritize and customize whatever video settings you need to get that ideal shot.

Display differences

Where I really start to see the difference between these phones is in the display. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s screen has a more vibrant, crisp look to it, and colors jump out at you. The Pixel 8 Pro’s colors, by comparison, are more muted, even when I turn up the brightness, but the display is still impressive and sharp.

The differences become most apparent when I’m watching a video. On YouTube, for example, videos on the Pixel have a more gray overtone to them, while colors on the iPhone are a bit warmer and sharper. And that remains true even when I turn on True Tone on the iPhone and Adaptive colors on the Pixel. Even though the Pixel technically has a higher brightness, what sets the iPhone’s display apart is the much higher contrast ratio, which is why these colors look more vibrant. But again, you’re going to get quality with either device — I just appreciated the sharper imagery on the iPhone.

How long do the batteries last?

Battery life is perhaps one of the most important considerations for me when shopping for a new phone. Why spend all that money if it won’t even last a full day?

Thankfully, that’s not the case with either of these devices. In my unscientific test, in which I played YouTube videos nonstop on both phones, the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasted around 22 hours, while the Pixel 8 Pro lasted about 16 hours. In CNET’s battery tests, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also came out ahead.

It’s worth noting that Apple optimizes its A series chips for video playback, and the Pixel’s screen has a higher overall brightness, which can use up more of the battery.

When it comes to charging, the iPhone 15 Pro Max reached full charge in an hour and 50 minutes, and the Pixel 8 Pro was fully charged in an hour and 20 minutes. I used a 30-watt power brick for both. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports up to 27W charging, while the Pixel 8 Pro tops out at 30W, so that helps explain why the Pixel was the winner.

One of the most exciting things about this process was that, even though I used the respective cables each phone came with, I could technically use the same cable for both phones, because they each have USB-C ports. Thank you, Apple, for finally catching on.

How much for each phone?

All those specs and features don’t come cheap.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,200 for 256GB. You can get that same storage option on the Pixel 8 Pro for just over $1,000. Both phones also come in 1TB options, if you’re willing to throw in a few extra hundred dollars.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes in black, white, blue and natural titanium. The Pixel 8 Pro comes in black, white and blue — or «bay,» as Google calls it.

Google promises 7 years of software updates with its Pixel 8 lineup. Apple doesn’t commit to a specific number of years, but right now, iOS 17 support goes back 5 years to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Pixel 8 Pro final thoughts

So, with both phones having great cameras, vibrant displays and stellar battery life, which one would I reach for?

I’m impressed by the Pixel 8 Pro’s portrait mode, and prefer the way selfies look on it, too. I’m also a big fan of the faster charging, and the AI features are unique and can be helpful. Since switching to iPhone from the Samsung Galaxy lineup last year, I’ve missed having the ability to erase distracting objects in photos right from my phone’s gallery, so it was nice to have that again, in addition to much more advanced photo editing capabilities.

But what sells me on the iPhone is the excellent, all-around video quality, especially in Cinematic mode. Everything looks crisper and clearer, and that’s also true for the display. More battery life is always a win too, even if it takes longer to charge up.

And, I have to say it: The Apple ecosystem is unbeatable. So, pairing great hardware and software makes me want to reach for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it’s a really close match here. Ultimately, there are things I’d prefer to do on the Pixel, and vice versa. What it comes down to is what your priorities are — whether it’s taking photos, recording videos, watching movies or having advanced AI-supported editing features at your fingertips.

Check out the video above to see both phones in action, and to hear more about my thoughts on each device.

Technologies

Kohler Wants to Put a Tiny Camera in Your Toilet and Analyze the Contents

The company’s new Dekoda toilet accessory is like a little bathroom detective.

Some smart litter boxes can monitor our pets’ habits and health, so having a camera in our human toilet bowls seems inevitable. That’s just what kitchen and bathroom fixture company Kohler has done for its new health and wellness brand, Kohler Health.

The $599 Dekoda clamps over the rim like a toilet bowl cleaner, pointing an optical sensor at your excretions and secretions. It then analyzes the images to detect any blood and reviews your gut health and hydration status. Depending on the plan you choose, the subscription fee is between $70 and $156 per year.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

At toilet time, you sign in via a fingerprint sensor so that the device knows who’s using the facilities. (Please wash your hands before signing out or tracking your progress.) Then, check in with the app for the day’s analysis and trends over time.

Wait until you’re off the pot, though, before you start doomscrolling your health. The device has a removable, rechargeable battery and uses a USB connection.

Kohler says it secures your data via the aforementioned fingerprint scanner and end-to-end encryption, and notes that the camera uses «discreet optics,» looking only at the results, not your body parts.

«Dekoda’s sensors see down into your toilet and nowhere else,» the company says.

Kohler warns that the technology doesn’t work very well with dark toilet colors, which makes sense. I’m sure there could be an upsell model with a light on it. Maybe the company could add an olfactory sensor, since smell reveals a lot about your gut health too. It could track «session» length or buildup under the rim to alert whoever has responsibility to clean it.

Kohler must have been straining to find appropriate lifestyle photos to include with the publicity materials. Many of the images are hilarious, featuring fit-looking men and women drinking water and staring off into space contemplatively — probably thinking about gas.

Technologies

Who’s Up to Fight Mega-Corporations in the Outer Worlds 2 on Xbox Game Pass?

Save the universe by fighting one CEO at a time in The Outer Worlds 2, plus play other great games coming to Xbox Game Pass in October.

Space is the final frontier, and it’s packed with some devious mega-corporations who are out to make a buck in The Outer Worlds 2. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can fight them in the highly anticipated sequel starting on Oct. 29.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Hollow Knight: Silksong, added monthly.

Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in October, including Ninja Gaiden 4.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

PowerWash Simulator 2

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.

If you’ve ever spent hours watching people on YouTube clean dirty rugs, cars and other grimy objects, you should check out PowerWash Simulator 2. As the name suggests, this sequel is all about blasting away dirt and filth from pools, homes and other objects around town. You have a furry kitty companion, and yes, you can pet them when you’ve finished cleaning.

Bounty Star

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.

The American Southwest has devolved into a lawless, post-apocalyptic desert called the Red Expanse in this game. You’re out to clean the place up in this game by taking down major bounties issued by the government, and the best way to do that is by piloting and customizing a giant mech, of course. When you want to nurse your wounds, head back to your run-down garage to rest, grow and cook food and raise animals. It’s like a cozy Armored Core game.

Super Fantasy Kingdom (game preview)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 24.

After returning from a hunting trip, you find your 8-bit kingdom wrecked in this game. You must rebuild your domain in this roguelite, city builder. But as night falls, hordes of monsters emerge to tear everything back down. Build, mine, cook and grow your home, and prepare to defend it from all dangers.

Halls of Torment

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 28.

Get ready to descend into the deadly Halls of Torment in this retro, horde survival game. You can choose between 11 playable characters, each with their own playstyle, and equip various items and abilities to survive waves of enemies. This game is like Vampire Survivors, so if you like that game give this one a shot.

The Outer Worlds 2

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.

Clear your calendar for this sequel to the award-winning sci-fi adventure, The Outer Worlds. This time, you’re an Earth Directorate agent investigating the cause of devastating rifts that could destroy humanity. You have a new ship, new crew, new enemies and mega-corporation goons standing between you and the answers.

1000xResist

Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 4.

One thousand years in the future, humanity is hanging on by a thread after a disease spread by alien occupation forces people to live underground in this sci-fi adventure game. You play as Watcher, and you fulfill your duties well, until one day you make a shocking discovery. This game won a Peabody Award in 2024, and it was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing that same year, so get ready for a story like no other.

Football Manager 26

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.

Get ready for a more immersive matchday experience in the latest installment of the Football Manager franchise. You can build a star-studded squad with new transfer tools, and this entry features official Premier League licenses and women’s football for the first time in the series’ history.

Game Pass subscribers can play the standard or Console edition of this game.

Games leaving Game Pass on Oct. 31

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing three others from the service on Oct. 31. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

Jusant
Metal Slug Tactics
Return to Monkey Island

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.

Technologies

Does Charging Your Phone Overnight Damage the Battery? We Asked the Experts

Modern smartphones are protected against overcharging, but heat and use habits can still degrade your battery over time.

Plugging your phone in before you head to bed might seem like second nature. That way by the time your alarms go off in the morning, your phone has a full charge and is ready to help you conquer your day. However, over time, your battery will start to degrade. So is keeping your phone plugged in overnight doing damage to the battery?

The short answer is no. Keeping your phone plugged in all the time won’t ruin your battery. Modern smartphones are built with smart charging systems that cut off or taper power once they’re full, preventing the kind of «overcharging damage» that was common in older devices. So if you’re leaving your iPhone or Android on the charger overnight, you can relax.

That said, «won’t ruin your battery» doesn’t mean it has no effect. Batteries naturally degrade with age and use, and how you charge plays a role in how fast that happens. Keeping a phone perpetually at 100% can add extra stress on the battery, especially when paired with heat, which is the real enemy of longevity.

Understanding when this matters (and when it doesn’t) can help you make small changes to extend your phone’s lifespan.

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The science behind battery wear

Battery health isn’t just about how many times you charge your phone. It’s about how it manages voltage, temperature and maintenance. Lithium-ion batteries age fastest when they’re exposed to extreme levels: 0% and 100%.

Keeping them near full charge for long stretches puts additional voltage stress on the cathode and electrolyte. That’s why many devices use «trickle charging» or temporarily pause at 100%, topping up only when needed.

Still, the biggest threat isn’t overcharging — it’s heat. When your phone is plugged in and running demanding apps, it produces heat that accelerates chemical wear inside the battery. If you’re gaming, streaming or charging on a hot day, that extra warmth does far more harm than leaving the cable plugged in overnight.

Apple’s take

Apple’s battery guide describes lithium-ion batteries as «consumable components» that naturally lose capacity over time. To slow that decline, iPhones use Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your daily routine and pauses charging at about 80% until just before you typically unplug, reducing time spent at high voltage.

Apple also advises keeping devices between 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and removing certain cases while charging to improve heat dissipation. You can read more on Apple’s official battery support page.

What Samsung (and other Android makers) do

Samsung offers a similar feature called Battery Protect, found in One UI’s battery and device care settings. When enabled, it caps charging at 85%, which helps reduce stress during long charging sessions.

Other Android makers like Google, OnePlus and Xiaomi include comparable options — often called Adaptive Charging, Optimized Charging or Battery Care — that dynamically slow power delivery or limit charge based on your habits. These systems make it safe to leave your phone plugged in for extended periods without fear of overcharging.

When constant charging can hurt

Even with these safeguards, some conditions can accelerate battery wear. As mentioned before, the most common culprit is high temperature. Even for a short period of time, leaving your phone charging in direct sunlight, in a car or under a pillow can push temperatures into unsafe zones.

Heavy use while charging, like gaming or 4K video editing, can also cause temperature spikes that degrade the battery faster. And cheap, uncertified cables or adapters may deliver unstable current that stresses cells. If your battery is already several years old, it’s naturally more sensitive to this kind of strain.

How to charge smarter

You don’t need to overhaul your habits but a few tweaks can help your battery age gracefully.

Start by turning on your phone’s built-in optimization tools: Optimized Battery Charging on iPhones, Battery Protect on Samsung devices and Adaptive Charging on Google Pixels. These systems learn your routine and adjust charging speed so your phone isn’t sitting at 100% all night.

Keep your phone cool while charging. According to Apple, phone batteries perform best between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 22 degrees Celsius). If your phone feels hot, remove its case or move it to a better-ventilated or shaded spot. Avoid tossing it under a pillow or too close to other electronics, like your laptop, and skip wireless chargers that trap heat overnight.

Use quality chargers and cables from your phone’s manufacturer or trusted brands. Those cheap «fast-charge» kits you find online often deliver inconsistent current, which can cause long-term issues.

Finally, don’t obsess over topping off. It’s perfectly fine to plug in your phone during the day for short bursts. Lithium-ion batteries actually prefer frequent, shallow charges rather than deep, full cycles. You don’t need to keep it between 20% and 80% all the time, but just avoid extremes when possible.

The bottom line

Keeping your phone plugged in overnight or on your desk all day won’t destroy its battery. That’s a leftover myth from a different era of tech. Modern phones are smart enough to protect themselves, and features like Optimized Battery Charging or Battery Protect do most of the heavy lifting for you.

Still, no battery lasts forever. The best way to slow the inevitable is to manage heat, use quality chargers and let your phone’s software do its job. Think of it less as «babying» your battery and more as charging with intention. A few mindful habits today can keep your phone running strong for years.