Technologies

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Pixel 9 Pro XL: Massive Phone Specs Compared

Apple and Google both have gigantic phones. Here’s how their specs compare.

With a 6.9-inch display, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max is a real beefy bit of kit. But then Google’s 6.8 inch Pixel 9 Pro XL is also a real pocket-stretcher. Both Apple and Google’s flagships pack a stellar lineup of top tech, from their next-gen processors to powerful camera setups. And of course there’s a host of AI features on both models.

Let’s dive into the specs to see how these two mobile giants compare. You’ll find a side-by-side spec chart at the end of this article.

The size is the big similarity here, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s screen measuring in at 6.9 inches — a mere 0.1 inch larger than the 6.8-inch Pixel XL display. It’s hardly a difference you’d likely notice, but if your primary concern is getting the most screen for your money, then the iPhone leads the way. And while the Pixel’s 486ppi pixel density is slightly higher than the iPhone’s 460ppi, again, it’s not really a difference you’ll likely notice in everyday use.

See more: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Review: Compelling Upgrade With My Favorite iPhone Feature in Years

Both phones run on home-grown processors but the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s Tensor G4 has disappointed in benchmark tests, performing closer to last year’s midrange phones and barely outpacing its predecessor. By comparison, even the iPhone 15 Pro Max blew the Pixel out of the water, and the 16 Pro Max whupped the Pixel’s proverbial on our suite of benchmarks. For your everyday emailing and Instagram scrolling you likely won’t notice any difference, but the iPhone is certainly better equipped for things like ray tracing-enabled video games.

The iPhone and Pixel both pack the standard trio of rear cameras — main, ultrawide and 5x telephoto. The Pixel put up a good fight in my recent camera shootout. However, the iPhone’s inclusion of ProRaw imagery and ProRes video encoding — along with the new 4K slow motion mode — makes the iPhone more appealing to photo and video creators.

Neither phone offers expandable storage, but both offer storage capacities up to 1TB and IP68 water resistance.

iPhone 16 Pro Max specs vs. Google Pixel 9 Pro XL

	Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max	Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness	6.9-inch LTPO OLED; 2,868×1,320 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate	6.8-inch LTPO OLED; 2,992×1,344 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate
Pixel density	460 ppi	486 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	6.42 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches	6.4x3x0.3 inches
Dimensions (millimeters)	163 x 77.6 x 8.25mm	162.8×76.6×8.5 mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	227g (7.99 oz)	221g (7.8 oz)
Mobile software	iOS 18	Android 14
Camera	48-megapixel (wide), 48-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (5x telephoto)	50-megapixel (wide), 48-megapixel (ultrawide), 48-megapixel (5x telephoto)
Front-facing camera	12-megapixel	42-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K
Processor	Apple A18 Pro	Google Tensor G4
RAM/storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	16GB + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage	None	None
Battery/charging speeds	Undisclosed, Apple claims up to 33 hours video playback	5,060 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	None (Face ID)	Under display
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	No	None
Special features	Apple Intelligence, Action Button, Camera Control button, 4x audio mics, Dynamic Island, 1 to 2000 nits display brightness range, IP68 resistance, titanium framecolors: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium	Satellite SOS; 7 years of OS, security and Pixel feature drops; IP68 dust and water resistance; Video Boost with 8K Upscaling; Macro Focus on ultrawide; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover glass; 3,000-nit peak brightness; 45W fast charging (charger not included); 15W wireless charging with Google Pixel Stand (second gen); 12W wireless Qi-charging; Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7; NFC; Bluetooth 5.3; dual-SIM (eSIM + nano SIM); Add Me; Best Take; Magic Eraser; Magic Editor
US starting price	$1,199 (256GB)	$1,099 (128GB)
UK starting price	£1,199 (256GB)	Converts to £860 (128GB)
Australia starting price	AU$2,149 (256GB)	Converts to AU$1,670 (128GB)

Should you buy the iPhone or the Pixel?

Despite all the flashy specs and features, the two biggest factors most people should consider if choosing between these two phones is price and software. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts a $1,199 compared to the $1,099 Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Is the Pro Max $100 better than the Google’s biggest Pixel? Honestly, those prices are deceptive. The Pixel comes with 128GB of storage compared to Apple’s 256GB. If you upgraded to a 256GB 9 Pro XL, it costs the same as Apple’s phone.

In terms of software one phone runs iOS and the other Android. Clearly if you, your family or close friends are on Android or iOS, that will be a huge factor in determining which phone is best for you. While Apple promises five years of major OS upgrades, Google commits to seven years. At the end of the day, whether you opt for an iPhone 16 Pro Max of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, you’re getting an excellent phone that should last you for years.

Check Out the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s Cameras, Display and Colors

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 26, #929

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Dec. 26 #929

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is full of fun pop-culture references. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Golden state cliches.

Green group hint: Funny films.

Blue group hint: Rock on.

Purple group hint: Not white.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: California-based character tropes.

Green group: Comedy subgenres.

Blue group: ’70s rock bands.

Purple group: Black ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is California-based character tropes. The four answers are movie exec, surfer, tech bro and Valley Girl.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is comedy subgenres. The four answers are buddy, cringe, screwball and stoner.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is ’70s rock bands. The four answers are America, Chicago, Foreigner and Journey.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is black ____. The four answers are Forest, Friday, Panther and Widow.

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

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 26 #663

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Dec. 26, No. 663.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, but you might struggle at first to see a connection between the words. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please hold.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Cats love these more than they love expensive toys.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

BOXING, CHEAT, HEAT, SMOCK, MOCK, LATE, TEAM, MEAT, TEAMS, LOOT, TOLE, BALL, BALE, KALE, TALL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

GIFT, SHOE, TOOL, LUNCH, MATCH, PIZZA, BALLOT, TACKLE (All are words that can be placed in front of «box.»)

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is BOXINGDAY. To find it, start with the B that’s four letters down on the far-left row, and wind across and then down.

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

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 25, #1650

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Dec. 25, No. 1,650.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle has some tough-to-guess letters. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with P.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with M.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a geometric figure.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is PRISM.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Dec. 24, No. 1649, was SPOOL.

Recent Wordle answers

Dec. 20, No. 1645: WHITE

Dec. 21, No. 1646: QUILT

Dec. 22, No. 1647: CONCH

Dec. 23, No. 1648: GLINT

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

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.

Some solid starter words to try:

ADIEU

TRAIN

STARE

NOISE