Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Natural Titanium, 256GB) vs Google Pixel 8a 5G (Obsidian, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)
What separates them
These two differ on 11 recorded specifications. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Natural Titanium, 256GB) is ₹1,06,901 dearer.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Natural Titanium, 256GB) vs Google Pixel 8a 5G (Obsidian, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)
Apple
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Natural Titanium, 256GB)
₹1,59,900
Apple does not publish an update commitment, unlike Google and Samsung, so the six to seven years here is inferred from history rather than promised -- worth knowing when comparing against a Pixel's explicit seven.
Full details →
Google Pixel 8a 5G (Obsidian, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage)
₹52,999
Seven years of Android upgrades and seven years of patches is the longest commitment of any phone here, at a third of flagship pricing, and it is the specification that decides what this costs to own rather than to buy.
Full details →Who the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is for
Buy it if: Anyone in the Apple ecosystem wanting the longest practical support and ProRes video capability.
Avoid it if: Anyone who wants a published update commitment, or fast charging.
Who the Google Pixel 8a 5G is for
Buy it if: Anyone who keeps a phone five years or more and wants it supported the whole time.
Avoid it if: Anyone who charges in short bursts -- 18 W is slow, and there is no fast option.
Specifications, side by side
11 of 13 rows differ. Differences first.
| Specification | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | Google Pixel 8a 5G |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ₹1,59,900 | ₹52,999 |
| Battery | 4441 mAh | 4492 mAh |
| Charging | About 27 W wired, 15 W MagSafe -- roughly 100 minutes to full | 18 W wired, 7.5 W wireless -- slow for the price |
| Chipset | Apple A17 Pro, 3 nanometre | Google Tensor G3 |
| Display | 6.7 inch Super Retina XDR LTPO, 120 Hz ProMotion | 6.1 inch Actua OLED, 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 2000 nits peak outdoors, 1000 nits sustained full screen | 2000 nits peak, 1400 nits high brightness mode |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB LPDDR5X |
| Rear camera | 48 MP main with OIS + 12 MP periscope 5x + 12 MP ultrawide | 64 MP main with OIS (f/1.89) + 13 MP ultrawide |
| Software support | Typically 6 to 7 years of iOS, based on Apple's history rather than a published commitment | 7 Android upgrades, 7 years security patches -- the longest of any phone in this catalogue |
| Storage | 256 GB NVMe | 128 GB UFS 3.1 |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP67 |
| Weight | 221 g | 188 g |
| Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty | 1 Year Official Brand Warranty |
| Port | USB-C, but USB 3 speeds only on Pro models -- 10 Gbps | not published |
Every row is a figure one or both products record. A blank is a figure the catalogue does not hold, not a zero.