Pixel 10 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus: Which is best for gaming?

The Pixel 10 Pro and Galaxy S25 Plus are some of the latest flagship-grade smartphones in the market. They are designed with some of the highest-end materials and hardware in the market, with features designed to handle the most demanding apps and games with ease. However, the two phones are philosophically different: while Google focuses on efficiency, clean software, and a streamlined experience powered by AI, Samsung has a reputation for moonshot performance.

This raises the question: Which is the best gaming phone, Pixel or Samsung? While we are still a few days from the Pixel's official launch, Google has unveiled enough information to predict how it will perform in the latest titles. Let's analyze what we know.

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Google's Pixel 10 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus are some high-end smartphones for gaming

The Pixel 10 Pro is designed to deliver some of the best gaming performance (Image via Google)

The Galaxy S25 Plus builds on Samsung's established reputation, while Google has tried to deliver a significant revamp of both the cameras and performance this generation. You get better AI-driven photography and system resource management, the latter of which can help gaming.

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Specs comparison

Google's Pixel 10 Pro is powered by the custom Tensor G5 chip built on 3nm process technology. The company claims it to be 37% faster in both CPU and GPU. You get 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, which should suffice the requirements of all Android games.

Samsung's Galaxy S25 Plus uses the 3nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 "Elite" processor. You get 12GB of RAM and storage options of 256GB or 512GB, which trails the Pixel.

You get some of the best displays in the market with either smartphone: a 6.3-inch Super Actua OLED display with 1280×2856 resolution on the Pixel and a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x on the S25. While they both feature 120 Hz refresh rates, Samsung bundles the S25+ with LTPO technology, meaning the panel goes down to just 1 Hz, while the Pixel only does up to 60 Hz. Moreover, you also get vapor chamber cooling on both devices, which should help in cooling while gaming.

Here are the specs of the two devices side by side:

Specification	Pixel 10 Pro	Samsung Galaxy S25 +
Display	6.3 in Super Actua OLED (1280 × 2856, LTPO, 1–120 Hz, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, up to 3,300 nits peak)	6.7 in Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X (QHD+, 3120 × 1440, ~513 ppi, 1–120 Hz, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, up to 2,600 nits)
Processor (SoC)	Google Tensor G5 (3 nm, improved AI and CPU performance)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 “Elite” (3 nm, for Galaxy)
RAM / Storage	16 GB RAM; up to 1 TB storage (UFS 4.0/Zoned)	12 GB RAM; 256 GB / 512 GB storage options
Rear Cameras	Triple: 50 MP main, 48 MP ultrawide, 48 MP telephoto (5× zoom), plus Pro Res Zoom up to 100×	Triple: 50 MP wide, 10 MP telephoto (3×), 12 MP ultrawide; 8K video support
Front Camera	42 MP selfie camera	12 MP front camera
Battery	~4,870 mAh; >30 hr usage; up to ~45 W wired charging, Qi2 wireless (25 W on XL variant)	4,900 mAh; ~30 hr video playback; 45 W wired charging, Qi2 wireless readiness (15 W)
Build & Protection	IP68, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, premium metal build	Armor aluminum + Gorilla Glass Victus 2, IP68 (in most markets)
Software & Updates	Android 16, 7 years of OS/security updates, Gemini AI features	One UI 7 (Android 15), Galaxy AI enhancements, 7 years of updates

The 12 GB Pixel 10 Pro starts at $999. Meanwhile, the Samsung S25+ also targets the same price. This further complicates the question of which device to opt for.

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Performance comparison

The Galaxy S25 Plus is designed for top-tier performance (Image via Samsung)

Gaming performance depends on both CPU and GPU. While the Pixel hasn't been tested for exact FPS marks in titles like PUBG and Genshin Impact, we can make educated guesses based on the Geekbench and AnTuTu scores that have been revealed online.

Benchmark	Pixel 10 Pro	Samsung Galaxy S25+
Geekbench (single-core)	2,296	2,851
Geekbench (multi-core)	6,203	9,482
AnTuTu v10 (total)	~1,415,000	~2,265,000 – 2,514,500

The Galaxy S25 Plus is much more capable with its Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite across all benchmarks. We get 24% better single-core performance and 53% improvement in multi-core, which should result in tangible differences in gaming. Moreover, the AnTuTu score patterns are concerning, as the Galaxy S25+ almost doubles the 10 Pro's score. That said, Pixel's benchmark scores have been doubted by the community and could change in a final launch.

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While the Pixel has certain advantages: more RAM, better AI features, and a more streamlined software experience that should harness the Tensor G5's capabilities more efficiently, the 8 Elite represents the pinnacle of mobile chips, which Google can't beat. This makes the S25 Plus the better choice for gaming in 2025.