The most popular compact phones in the same price range right now are the Galaxy S25, iPhone 16, and Pixel 9. After spending a lot of time using each of them, and with all three receiving significant updates, it’s time to compare their software features, camera performance, battery life, and overall performance to help you decide which one is the best choice.
Size & Design
Among the three, the Galaxy S25 stands out as the only truly compact phone, especially when using a case. The Pixel 9 tends to feel bulky, and while the iPhone 16 is fairly manageable, the Galaxy remains noticeably lighter at just 162 grams, compared to 170 grams for the iPhone and 192 grams for the Pixel. The Pixel is also taller than the other two.
Display
All three phones offer bright displays suitable for outdoor use. However, the iPhone 16 still uses a 60Hz refresh rate, which can feel less smooth compared to the 120Hz refresh rate on both Android models. The Galaxy S25 features an LTPO display with a variable refresh rate that helps conserve battery life. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 boasts the Samsung M14 display, known for its high quality.
Face unlock is the sole biometric option on the iPhone, which also includes the Dynamic Island. Both Android phones feature a punch-hole camera and ultrasonic fingerprint scanners.
Software & AI Features
All three phones now include AI capabilities. One of the most practical tools is Magic Eraser, available in the default gallery apps. The quality of this feature varies: the Galaxy does an excellent job at object removal and image reconstruction, while Google performs adequately but with some visible artifacts. The iPhone lags behind, often unable to cleanly remove objects like trees from images, likely due to older processing algorithms.
A standout feature on Android is “Circle to Search,” allowing users to circle any item on the screen for an instant reverse image search. While iPhone users can use Google Lens, it’s not as seamless. Text-based AI features on the Galaxy and iPhone let you select any text to summarize, proofread, or translate—useful for emails or reading apps. The Pixel lacks an equivalent feature.
Another powerful Galaxy tool is AI Select, which allows you to select and act on any text or element—even from apps that don’t support text selection, like Reddit or YouTube comments. Tasks like translation can be applied instantly. This gives the Galaxy an edge in everyday usability.
User Interface
Samsung’s One UI 7 takes some cues from iOS in appearance and functionality, especially in its notification and quick settings separation, which improves usability. Music control, for instance, is visible in different ways across devices. The iPhone uses the Dynamic Island, the Galaxy adds a small bar in the top-left corner, and the Pixel shows no visual indicator until the user pulls down the notification shade.
The lock screen experience has been updated on all three. The Galaxy now features a “Now Bar” at the bottom for interacting with media and apps without unlocking the phone. Apple and Google also offer customizable lock screens, though with slightly different approaches.
Camera Features
The Galaxy S25 is the most feature-rich in terms of its camera app, offering Pro Video modes and options like false color and Dual Camera mode—useful for advanced users. The iPhone’s strength lies in its excellent filter system, while the Pixel 9 offers exclusive modes like Action Pan, Long Exposure, and Add Friend.
Camera hardware varies as well. The Galaxy S25 includes a third lens, a 3x telephoto, while the iPhone 16 and Pixel 9 have just two (wide and ultrawide). Color science also differs: the iPhone tends to add a green tint, the Galaxy is more neutral and vivid, and the Pixel often leans toward magenta—sometimes too much, making skin tones appear unnatural.
In daylight, all phones capture great images. Portrait modes function well, with the same color differences noted. For ultrawide shots, the iPhone and Pixel are slightly wider and have updated sensors. The Galaxy’s ultrawide camera feels dated by comparison.
In video, the iPhone lifts shadows more, the Galaxy is vivid, and the Pixel is more contrast-heavy. However, the Pixel sometimes suffers from exposure shifts. For selfies, the iPhone and Pixel offer wider fields of view than the Galaxy, making group shots easier. The Galaxy also has a longer minimum focus distance, which affects its ability to take macro shots—something both the Pixel and iPhone handle better.
Only the Galaxy S25 has a telephoto lens. While the iPhone performs surprisingly well with 3x digital zoom, and the Pixel starts to lose detail, the optical zoom from the Galaxy’s lens provides better quality overall. That said, at higher zoom levels like 5x, all three phones can still produce decent results, assuming you’re not pixel peeping.
The Galaxy S25 also supports LOG video recording, allowing advanced users to color grade their footage. The iPhone 16 Pro supports LOG as well, but the base iPhone 16 does not.
Performance
Under the hood, the iPhone 16 features the A18 chip, the Galaxy S25 uses a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite, and the Pixel 9 runs on the Tensor G4. Apple’s chip excels in single-core tasks, while the Galaxy has better multicore performance. The Pixel lags significantly behind, often achieving only half the benchmark scores of the others.
In practical usage, this performance difference is clear. For example, exporting a video in CapCut takes around 2 minutes on the iPhone 16 and Galaxy S25, but 3.5 minutes on the Pixel 9. Additionally, the Pixel gets noticeably hotter during tasks like recording 4K video—by several degrees compared to the others.
Battery Life
Despite different battery capacities—3500 mAh (iPhone 16), 4000 mAh (Galaxy S25), and 4700 mAh (Pixel 9)—real-world battery life is quite similar. After a full day of moderate use including video, photography, browsing, and streaming on 5G, battery levels remained around 49–51% across the board.
Conclusion
If you’re already an iPhone user, the iPhone 16 is a safe pick, though the iPhone 16 Pro offers notable upgrades like the 120Hz display and telephoto lens. For Android users, the choice is more nuanced.
The Galaxy S25 is compact, includes a telephoto lens, and uses an LTPO display for better battery efficiency. On the other hand, the Pixel 9 offers a clean, stock Android experience, better ultrawide and macro camera performance, and a slightly larger battery. The choice between the two ultimately depends on whether you value compactness and camera flexibility (Galaxy) or simplicity and software purity (Pixel).
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