India’s smartphone market has changed, and one of the most pronounced shifts is in the way people look at buying top flagship phones. Today, the smartphone buyer is looking for premium options that last over three to four years, and thanks to affordable financing options, these are now no longer just ‘aspirational’.
The size of their market is ever-growing: at the end of last year, premium smartphones priced about ₹50,000 accounted for one in every five phones sold in India—that’s over 2.5 million flagship and premium phones sold in India each month.
It is, therefore, no surprise that Samsung, Apple and Google have each gone all out to market their most expensive smartphones in India right now. To do so, each has relied on the influx of AI as their key factor of appeal. Which, though, comes out in the front?
The jury is still divided on whether AI features on a smartphone have failed to arouse interest already, or if it’s too early to judge this. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, on this note, has come out with a new interface design that’s meant to look easy on the eyes. Last month, Mint’s review of the S25 Ultra lauded this design as the reason why Samsung’s latest flagship felt fresh—in an otherwise lacklustre year for the company’s pinnacle of smartphone innovation.
This interface design makes a difference in the way you, the user, would use AI. It doesn’t ask you to go out of your way to see how AI makes a difference. Instead, AI features are present within most mainstream apps, designed ergonomically. For instance, the Samsung photo editor app gives easy access to erasing the background of a photo—without needing to access a separate AI mode.
On this note, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is a clear early-mover—most AI features on the Galaxy S25 Ultra are powered by Google’s Gemini and Imagen AI models. As a result, the Pixel 9 Pro XL offers a first-hand view of Google’s AI progress. Whether one is better than the other comes down to the interface design, where Samsung’s OneUI feels richer and more suave, while Google’s vanilla Android feels a touch barren—but smooth and functional.
Apple, for now, is behind this curve, but with its ‘Intelligence’ suite of features expected to roll out for Indian users by April this year, would be the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s biggest rival with first-party AI features. Demonstrations of Apple’s AI features, coupled with the availability of transcription on-device already, shows that the OpenAI-powered AI on the iPhone 16 Pro Max is both faster and superior to what you get on the Pixel 9 Pro XL and the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Statistically, one of the most-used features on a smartphone around the world is the camera, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max—thanks to Apple’s long-standing work on improving photos with AI—feels like the most naturally-tuned camera setup of the three. The 48-megapixel stabilized main camera is largely reliable, even in dimly-lit scenes. It also produces the most natural skin tones of the lot.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL aces high-contrast scenes, such as shooting the silhouette of a person from inside a house against a brightly-lit exterior, thanks to its 50-megapixel main camera. It also shoots more subtle portrait photographs, but undoubtedly heightens skin tones to suit a higher level of contrast in any photograph.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features a new ultra-wide camera module, but retains the same camera as its predecessor otherwise. This means that on overall terms, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shoots sharp colours, but does miss out on some of the finest details—especially within shadows. It also captured the least amount of diverse colours in rich landscapes.
Each of the three, however, are nearly comparable in terms of their video-shooting capabilities. Samples of 4K videos recorded at 60 frames per second produce smooth videos with good contrast levels and without any processing-induced jitters. This makes the iPhone 16 Pro Max the most reliable camera of these three, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL a close second. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, though third, isn’t too far away.
In terms of the display, though, Samsung offers by far one of the best phone screens ever made. The Amoled panel offers a faster refresh rate than the human eye, which is expected in flagships today. Coupled with contrast and sharpness levels comparable to any flagship ‘Oled’ television from Sony or LG’s stables, the Galaxy S25 Ultra defies the need for a second entertainment device—and its 6.9-inch display size helps its case, too.
It also comes with a stylus, which is good enough to make you wonder why no other phone brands offer one any longer.
Apple’s ‘Retina’ display, though of a slightly lower resolution, throws in multiple ambiance-sensing modes to ensure that it is the easiest on the eye when watching at night. In terms of granular and automatic brightness control, it does come across as better than the Pixel 9 Pro XL—which makes it easier to live with. The latter, however, is not bad at all—and like its two competitors, does well enough for even the most discerning user in gaming and 4K video streaming.
But, living with a phone is not only a factor of the camera, display and AI features. The ergonomics of design make a big difference in reducing pain in your hands when using a phone for long durations, while the battery stamina can make or break purchasing decisions. The iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Pixel 9 Pro XL have the more ergonomic and smoother designs, while the S25 Ultra feels more industrial, and even borderline ‘cold’. Battery-wise, each of these three last longer than a full day for at least the first six months of usage—and at least for a full day for at least 18 months. There’s little to differentiate on this accord.
However, it is the iPhone 16 Pro Max that continues to be the ultimate social validation tool for most. The Pixel 9 Pro XL, thanks to an increased push from Google, has emerged as the quirky pick, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra—which is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor—finds itself in the hands of most businesspeople.
That said, Apple and Samsung’s stronger service networks make them the top pick of the lot, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL being a close third on overall terms. Users that are more tech-savvy will undoubtedly prefer Google’s take on a modern flagship, and even general users will find the latest Pixel phones to be more premium and more complete as offerings, than before.
For the general buyer, the iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra both come with a seven-year life span in terms of software upgrades, and even longer for security updates on the iPhone. Upon parallel comparison, Apple edges out Samsung by virtue of its easier-to-hold design and a more practical main camera.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has the best display of the lot, and a neatly designed interface that makes AI accessible.
Price: ₹129,999.
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max has the most natural camera and is a super reliable performer, but AI features are amiss.
Price: ₹144,900.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has the best of Google's AI and aces design and ergonomics, but has a bland interface.
Price: ₹124,999.
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