Google Pixel 4 / Pixel 4 XL (2019) vs Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018)

The Google Pixel 4 XL (2019) is a relatively good Smartphone for people that are willing to spend around $260. The Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018), by contrast, is quite unremarkable and doesn't stand out in any meaningful way from other products at this price point.

In both cases, however, we recommend that you take look at some other options at the $260 and $130 budget ranges; in all likelihood you'll find some better alternatives.

If you're still interested in learning more about the Google Pixel 4 XL (2019) and Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018), however, we wrote a summary of what we know about them:

The Google Pixel 4 XL (2019) was loved by reviewers at Tom's Guide, a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "The best smartphone cameras" roundup where it was named its "Ranked 2 out of 5", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

Returning to the Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018), CNET, a source that's known for its high-quality in-depth testing, has great things to say about it. In fact, it was named its "Ranked 3 out of 9" in its "10 best phones with facial recognition: iPhone X, Note 9, LG G7 and more" roundup, which is quite a feat.

We analyzed all of the review data that we could find on these two Smartphones. First, we examined sources that tested and scored both of these products - What Hi-Fi?, techaeris.com, Photography Blog, ePHOTOzine, Techradar, techadvisor.com, slashgear.com, PCWorld, CNET, and Android Authority favored the Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018) over the Google Pixel 4 XL (2019), whereas reviewers at PCmag, PhoneArena, Expert Reviews, and TrustedReviews haven't shown a preference for either.

Then we took a look at which sources liked them the most - we found that the Google Pixel 4 XL (2019) was best received by techaeris.com - it gave it a score of 9.4, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018) got its highest score of 10 from reviewers at What Hi-Fi?.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Smartphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Smartphones being 7.5 out of 10, whereas the Google Pixel 4 XL (2019) and Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018) managed averages of 7.8 and 8.4 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Google Pixel 4 XL (2019) vs. Samsung Galaxy S9 (2018) comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.