Earlier this month Google announced its new Google Pixel handsets. The Pixel and Pixel XL, both of which run on Android, offer a suite of impressive specs and features. However, at the event, Google took a dig at Apple, suggesting that its new handsets outperformed the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which is great, considering that Apple’s biggest rival just pulled its newest flagship off the market. But how do Google’s and Apple’s handsets compare?
At the launch event in early October, Google put on what many considered to be a good show, with those looking to move on from what was the Note 7 fiasco now having something to cling to. However, if you’re a believer in benchmark testing, it appears that Apple does not have much to be concerned about. At Geekbench 4, tests have been run to determine how the Google Pixel and Pixel XL perform in both single-core and multi-core tests.
Results
These early tests show that the Google Pixel and Pixel XL do not compare to the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. In fact, the tests show that the older iPhone SE and even the 6s were capable of outperforming the Google handsets.
If you’re not familiar with benchmark testing, it is usually undertaken to determine how well a device is performing. The results will give a reasonable idea as to how the device will cope/perform in real-world situations.
Having been run through the Geekbench 4 system, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL handsets both returned a 1550 single-core score. Both devices received a score of 4,000 on the multi-core test.
In comparison, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with their A10 Fusion chips returned a single-core score of 3,500, which is more than double that returned by the Pixel handsets. Additionally, the multi-core test revealed more significant returns for the iPhones with a score of 5,500.
Apple leading the way?
Earlier I touched on the fact that it appears from early testing that Apple’s older A9 devices also beat the Pixel. This is in single-core performance only, with the Snapdragon 821 leading the way in multi-core performance.
Critics of the Google Pixels are suggesting that Apple’s performance superiority could be down to its hardware being better at raw processing.
Hardware
As for what both sets of handsets offer, both Pixels come with the Snapdragon 821 chipset, plus 4GB of RAM. Both Apple devices come with the A10 Fusion chipset, although the standard 7 has 2GB of RAM, and the iPhone 7 Plus has 3GB of RAM.
Prices
The Pixel and Pixel XL come with two storage options, 32GB and 128GB. Depending on which one you go for, the price will obviously differ. At the lowest end, there’s the SIM-free model with 32GB of storage at $769. For the 128GB model, you’d pay $869, which is similar in price to the 7 Plus.
The standard 32GB iPhone 7 is priced at $649 and goes all the way up to $849 for the 256GB variant. If you want the iPhone 7 Plus, it will cost you $769 for the 32GB and as much as $969 for the 256GB model.
