Phone Comparisons: Google Pixel 9 Pro Vs OnePlus 12 Specs

This time around, we’re comparing two quite powerful phones from Google and OnePlus. We’ll be comparing the Google Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 12 specs. The OnePlus 12 is no longer the company’s flagship, but it was last year. The Pixel 9 Pro, on the other hand, is still the best Google has to offer, alongside the ‘XL’ model. That will change in a couple of months when Google announces the Pixel 10 series, but for the time being… the Pixel 9 Pro is the top dog.

With that being said, these two phones are quite different. They not only look different, but have different internals as well. We’ll first list the specs of both phones and will then move to compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, camera performance, and audio output. Let’s get to it.

Google Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 12: Design

These two phones are as different as they can be, pretty much. The Pixel 9 Pro includes a flat display and has more pronounced corner curvature than the OnePlus 12. The OnePlus 12 ships with a curved display. Both phones have very thin bezels around the display, which are also uniform. The bezels on the OnePlus 12 are a bit thinner. Both phones include a centered display camera hole up top, but the one on the OnePlus 12 is a bit smaller.

Both devices are made out of aluminum and glass. The frame on the Pixel 9 Pro is flat, with slight curves on the edges, for comfort’s sake. The OnePlus 12, on the flip side, has a curved frame on the sides. Both devices have their power/lock and volume up and down buttons on the right-hand side. They’re not in the same spot, however. The Pixel 9 Pro’s power key sits above its volume rocker buttons. The OnePlus 12 also has an alert slider on the left side.

If we flip them around, you’ll notice more differences. The backplate on the Pixel 9 Pro is flat. That’s not the case with the OnePlus 12, as it’s proportional to the phone’s front, it’s curved. The Pixel 9 Pro has a horizontal camera bar, which is pill-shaped. It contains three cameras on the inside. The OnePlus 12, on the other hand, has a round camera bar in the top-left corner. It also has three cameras on the inside, but looks entirely different in comparison to what the Pixel 9 Pro offers.

The OnePlus 12 is a considerably taller and wider phone, which is also a bit thicker. That device also weighs 21 grams more. That’s not surprising as it comes with a considerably bigger display in comparison. The Pixel 9 Pro supports IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. The OnePlus 12 comes with an IP65 certification. Both phones are quite slippery.

Google Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 12: Display

The Google Pixel 9 Pro includes a 6.3-inch 2856 x 1280 LTPO OLED display. That display is flat, and it supports HDR10+ content. It has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz) and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 87%, while the display aspect ratio is 20:9. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is included on the front of the phone, and it comes from Corning.

The OnePlus 12, on the other hand, has a 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display. That panel has a resolution of 3168 x 1440, and it can project up to 1 billion colors. Dolby Vision is supported, as is HDR10+ content. The refresh rate here is adaptive (1-120Hz). This display has a theoretical peak brightness of 4,500 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 90%, while the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 from Corning protects it.

Both of these displays are great, actually. They’re both vivid, have great viewing angles, and they’re more than sharp enough. The touch response is also good, while the blacks are as deep as you’d expect them to be. The OnePlus 12 does technically get a bit brighter, but the difference is not all that big. Both are bright enough, even in direct sunlight. The OnePlus 12 does support high-frequency PWM dimming, unlike the Pixel 9 Pro’s panel, though.

Google Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 12: Performance

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is fueled by the Google Tensor G5 processor. That is a 4nm chip from Google, and it’s paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The OnePlus 12, on the other hand, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from Qualcomm, that’s also a 4nm chip. That processor is paired with up to 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM, up to 16GB of RAM outside of China. UFS 4.0 flash storage is used by OnePlus. Neither phone supports storage expansion, by the way.

The OnePlus 12 is a generation older phone, but it is a bit snappier in direct comparison. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still more powerful than the Tensor G4, and the OnePlus 12 does have faster storage, which kind of explains things. The Pixel 9 Pro is plenty fast, though, and even when you compare them directly, the difference is minimal. Both phones are very fluid and will serve you well for daily tasks, regardless of what you’re doing.

What about gaming? Well, the Pixel 9 Pro is not exactly made for gaming, and comes with fewer gaming features. It can run games rather well, but only with high-end titles will you notice the difference between the two devices. Overheating was not a problem with either device, so you don’t have to worry about that. Both do get quite warm during prolonged gaming.

Google Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 12: Battery

There is a 4,700mAh battery included inside the Google Pixel 9 Pro. The OnePlus 12, on the flip side, has a 5,400mAh battery on the inside. Both smartphones offer great battery life, actually. The Pixel 9 Pro may have a rather compact display, but it still offer great battery life. Both smartphones can achieve extremely high screen-on times. We realized that the OnePlus 12 is still better in direct comparison, but not by that much. Both phones will likely satisfy even the most demanding users when it comes to battery life.

Your mileage may vary, of course, as you’ll be using your phone differently than we do. The thing is, unless you’re playing a lot of games, or doing plenty of other truly demanding tasks, both of these phones are road warriors, basically. You can deplete battery on any phone, if you really want to, but the point is, the battery life is great on both devices, there’s no way around that.

When it comes to charging, the OnePlus 12 humbles Google’s handset. It supports 100W wired (80W in the US), 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The Pixel 9 Pro, on the other hand, supports 27W wired, 21W wireless (Pixel Stand), 12W wireless (Qi), and 5W reverse wireless charging. The OnePlus 12 also comes with a charger, unlike the Google Pixel 9 Pro.

Google Pixel 9 Pro vs OnePlus 12: Cameras

Both of these phones have three cameras on the back, but the setups are different. The Google Pixel 9 Pro includes a 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.31-inch sensor size), along with a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 123-degree FoV), and a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom). The phone also includes a 42-megapixel front-facing camera (ultrawide).

The OnePlus 12, on the other hand, has a 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.43-inch sensor size). A 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.0-inch sensor size, 114-degree FoV) sits on the back, along with a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/2.0-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom). A 32-megapixel selfie camera (1/2.74-inch sensor size) is also a part of the package.

Now, both phones do a great job when it comes to photography. The Pixel 9 Pro shots are more contrasty, while the OnePlus 12’s photos are closer to real life. Both sets of main cameras provide details, well-balanced shots, and that even goes for low-light shots. Even the secondary cameras are quite capable, even though the quality difference is noticeable, especially in low light. Still, you can easily use both ultrawide and periscope telephoto shooters in low light and get away with it.

Audio

You’ll find stereo speakers on both of these phones. The ones on the Pixel 9 Pro are louder, though. The difference is not huge, but it is noticeable when you directly compare them. The output quality is very good on both ends, though.

There is no audio jack on either of these two phones. You can use their Type-C ports, however, if you’d like to connect your wired headphones. If not, Bluetooth 5.3 is supported on the Pixel 9 Pro, while the OnePlus 12 offers Bluetooth 5.4 support.