iPhone 7 Plus dominates Google’s Pixel XL in speed test

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Google Pixel phone family
Pixel XL is sloooooow.
Photo: Google

Google’s new smartphone, the Pixel XL, can’t match the iPhone 7 Plus when it comes real-world speed.

In a new speed test pitting the mighty iPhone 7 Plus against Google’s handset, the Pixel XL gets absolutely stomped, despite having more RAM and the latest SnapDragon 821 processor.

Watch the iPhone 7 kill the Pixel XL:

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To see how fast the two phones perform in real-life scenarios, PhoneBuff made the Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus open a number of apps, then went back through and reopened the apps.

More RAM, less speed

Pixel XL managed to open a couple of apps slightly faster than the iPhone 7 Plus, but Apple’s device was much faster overall. It nearly lapped the Pixel XL by opening all the apps twice in just 1:55, while the Pixel XL barely finished opening the first round of apps in 1:47.

To make matters worse, the Pixel XL isn’t much faster than the Galaxy Note 7 that Samsung had to recall.

Some evidence indicates Google may have spent only nine months developing the Pixel XL. If true, that lightning-fast development cycle might explain why the device’s memory management and speed is so bad. And why Apple’s software and hardware integration is so underrated.

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