iPhone 15 Pro Max outperforms Pixel 8 Pro in speed-test
What's the story
Apple's latest top-tier model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, has significantly outpaced the Google Pixel 8 Pro in the classic PhoneBuff speed test, which evaluated smartphone performance by timing app launches and task execution.
The Pixel series has consistently lagged behind the iPhone in these comparisons, and the latest models are no exception.
The test highlights the disparities in how smartphones manage tasks and maintain apps in memory.
Details
Pixel struggled in video export, app memory
During the initial round of the speed test, the Pixel 8 Pro started strong by opening apps more quickly but stumbled in a video export test.
Here, Apple's superior processing power and app optimization took over. The Pixel never bounced back from this setback, finishing the first round nearly 30 seconds after the iPhone.
In the second round, which assesses app memory retention, the Pixel struggled to keep some apps, like Microsoft Excel and Word, open, further increasing the gap.
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Final results show 40-second difference
The Pixel 8 Pro finished the speed test in three minutes and 28 seconds, roughly 40 seconds slower than the iPhone 15 Pro Max's time of two minutes and 48 seconds.
To recall, the Pixel 7 Pro lost to the iPhone 14 Pro Max by about 30 seconds, while the Pixel 6 Pro trailed the iPhone 13 Pro Max by only six seconds.
These findings underscore Google's need to enhance its flagship phone's performance capabilities.
Insights
Google Tensor needs improvements
The performance discrepancy between the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can be traced back to Google's Tensor G3 chip being less potent than Apple's A17 Pro.
Moreover, Google falls short compared to other Android flagships that employ newer UFS 4.0 storage and more robust Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chips.
While the Pixel 8 Pro is not slow, Google's Tensor chips seemingly lack raw power, which is an aspect that should be addressed in future releases.