Pixel 9 Professional XL vs. iPhone 15 Professional Max Cameras: Which Cellphone Takes Higher Pictures?

The Pixel 9 Professional and Professional XL have impressed me already with their fancy new designs and wealth of AI expertise. And whereas the cameras put in a stable efficiency throughout my preliminary testing, the true take a look at is to see how they stack up in opposition to the chief rivals. I have been out taking pictures tons of of photos throughout Edinburgh on the Pixel 9 Professional, side-by-side with Apple’s iPhone 15 Professional Max to see how these two dear flagships evaluate in relation to pictures prowess. 

On paper the Pixel punches tougher, with a touch higher-resolution primary digital camera (50 megapixels over the iPhone’s 48 megapixels), and each its telephoto and ultrawide cameras provide 48 megapixels of decision over Apple’s 12 megapixels. Nonetheless, extra megapixels do not imply higher photos and Apple is well-known for utilizing its software program processing to supply a few of the best-looking pictures it is attainable to get from a cellphone. It may be an fascinating battle.

From blue-sky days to darkish nights, I’ve examined the telephones in a wide range of eventualities, placing all of the lenses to the take a look at to see which one comes out on prime. All photos have been taken in JPEG utilizing auto settings within the default digital camera app, except in any other case said.

Beginning with this difficult outside scene, each telephones have completed exceptionally properly, with glorious exposures within the brilliant sky whereas retaining loads of shadow element within the foreground. The iPhone’s shot has a hotter coloration steadiness, which I want, together with deeper shadows that look extra pure to my eye. 

On this extra shaded outside scene, the iPhone has delivered a brighter entrance to this pub, with the Pixel 9 Professional XL wanting muted by comparability. Each photographs are filled with element, nonetheless.

Though each photographs of those flowers have been taken at a distance utilizing the primary digital camera, the Pixel’s shot appears to have created some background blur across the central white flowers which I am not particularly eager on. The iPhone’s shot has stored extra of the scene in focus. That mentioned, I really feel the Pixel’s white steadiness could also be extra pure, with the iPhone’s hotter tone including a yellow-green tinge to the flower petals. 

The Pixel’s slight magenta bias within the white steadiness is extra outstanding right here, with the colour tone look showing extra pure within the iPhone’s picture. The iPhone has additionally captured a brighter shot right here, with better-looking distinction on the main points on the brickwork and tiles of the construction.

Whereas each photographs of this harbor scene are properly uncovered, there is a important distinction within the coloration steadiness, with the water within the Pixel’s shot wanting brown in contrast with the iPhone’s picture. Whereas I want the iPhone’s water, the colours on the boats and the sky seems to be nicer within the Pixel’s shot, so I assume I must mash each collectively in Photoshop to get the picture I actually need.

In comparison with the iPhone’s shot, the Pixel seems to have a extra noticeable magenta shift in its white steadiness, though the picture total seems brighter, with barely extra distinction. 

The Pixel’s coloration steadiness seems extra pure when utilizing the ultrawide digital camera and I want its brighter publicity. 

Telephoto zoom comparability

Each telephones provide 5x optical zooms, delivering crisp photographs at full decision with out having to digitally crop in on the expense of element. Whereas I want the publicity and distinction of the iPhone’s shot right here — the Pixel has lifted the shadow element to an unrealistic extent right here — the Pixel’s picture has nicer-looking particulars. Zooming in on effective particulars exhibits that the iPhone’s picture suffers extra from picture sharpening, giving some areas a “crunchiness” that the Pixel’s picture does not endure from.

It is a lot the identical story right here, with the Pixel’s picture wanting artificially brightened in opposition to the iPhone’s extra natural-looking scene. Nevertheless, the Pixel’s particulars are better-looking when considered up shut, with higher definition on a few of the textures on the constructing within the distance. Evidently the Pixel 9 Professional’s considerably higher-resolution telephoto digital camera sensor is shining by way of right here, offering extra element with out having to lean an excessive amount of on digital sharpening.

Once more, the Pixel’s shot is brighter than the iPhone’s, though right here I do assume it merely seems to be higher as a brighter picture, quite than wanting unnatural. As with the earlier examples, the Pixel’s increased decision sensor additionally exhibits cleaner particulars when considered shut up.

Night time mode comparability

At night time, issues take a dramatic flip. Whereas each photographs have related ranges of publicity and distinction, the iPhone’s picture has higher particulars in all areas. High quality particulars on the boat look sharper and whereas the Pixel’s noise discount algorithm has smoothed out the tough, pebble-dashed texture of the buildings on the left, the iPhone has maintained that texture. However regardless of shedding quite a lot of texture elsewhere, the Pixel’s picture nonetheless suffers extra from picture noise within the sky, with noticeable “blotchy” areas, whereas the iPhone’s sky seems to be a lot smoother.

There’s much less to decide on between the 2 when utilizing the night time mode with the ultrawide lenses, though the iPhone’s picture has a slight edge in relation to sharper particulars. The Pixel’s aggressive noise-reduction algorithm continues to easy out particulars that ought to stay, leading to a scarcity of element on areas of brickwork on buildings. 

With sharper particulars and fewer picture noise total, the iPhone takes a transparent victory when taking pictures night time mode scenes utilizing the 5x optical zoom lens.

It is necessary to additionally examine that the 5x telephoto lens has really been activated. Whereas I switched to the lens to take this shot, I used to be confused about why the standard was a lot worse than I anticipated — even the “Plumbase” signal, which is clearly readable within the iPhone’s picture, seems to be like incomprehensible nonsense within the Pixel’s shot.

Trying on the picture metadata, it seems to be like after I pressed to zoom in, the cellphone merely cropped into the primary sensor, quite than swapping to the telephoto sensor, which might account for the astonishing drop in high quality. Whether or not that is an early teething bug that might be ironed out with updates stays to be seen, however all the time make sure that to examine that the lens you need is certainly the one you are utilizing.

That mentioned, the Pixel’s telephoto zoom carried out much better right here, so its efficiency could also be higher described as “hit or miss” at night time. It is a respectable shot, although it once more falls behind the iPhone for total particulars. 

Panorama, selfie and macro digital camera comparability 

The Pixel 9 Professional collection has an up to date panorama operate, designed to supply better-looking photographs, however I want the iPhone’s effort right here — it has a wider view, higher distinction and punchier colours. Sure, the Pixel’s shot has barely extra element once you peek up shut, however the iPhone’s seems to be higher total and hasn’t really sliced the fence in half on the left of the walkway. So the iPhone wins.

Whereas the Pixel 9 Professional XL’s selfie digital camera has been bumped from 12 megapixels on its predecessor to a way more beneficiant 42 megapixels, I truthfully cannot inform any distinction intimately between it and the iPhone 15 Professional Max’s 12-megapixel entrance digital camera. Actually, the iPhone’s element exceeds the Pixel’s in numerous spots because the Pixel’s heavy-handed noise discount once more smooths out areas the place texture needs to be, making the picture look much less detailed consequently. 

I want the brighter tones on my face within the iPhone’s picture too, though the iPhone’s tighter subject of view won’t be to everybody’s style, particularly should you’re attempting to squeeze numerous mates into the shot. 

You’ll be able to swap to wider-angle views on each telephones, although it is received to be mentioned that the iPhone’s wide-angle view seems to be about the identical because the Pixel’s customary view. The Pixel’s large mode is large, providing you with a great deal of room to fill the body with smiling household and mates as a substitute of standing alone on a footpath on a wet day in Scotland. Once more, there’s little distinction in particulars however I do want my brighter face on the iPhone’s shot. 

Each telephones have a macro mode that makes use of the ultrawide digital camera for shut up focusing. I am disenchanted with the Pixel’s effort right here; the colours look drab, the blurred background seems to be synthetic — virtually like movement blur — and the precise element on the fly and the flower it is on is superior on the iPhone. 

Uncooked picture comparability

One space I nonetheless discover the Pixel 9 Professional missing is in its uncooked picture seize. On final yr’s Pixel 8 Professional I discovered its uncooked information have been fuzzy-looking and tough to work with in uncooked picture editors like Adobe Lightroom. The Pixel 9 Professional’s uncooked seize is healthier, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not nice. Particulars are delicate, with an virtually hazy impact round them that takes quite a lot of extra sharpening to get again to a usable level.

The iPhone’s ProRaw continues to be very good, providing distinctive picture high quality with quite a lot of latitude to push shadows, pull again highlights and play with coloration firming with out noticing picture degradation. I’ve tried to match the edits on these two uncooked information and my workflow on the iPhone’s shot was easy. The Pixel took much more work. 

I could be a distinct segment case, however uncooked seize is essential for me on a cellphone. As knowledgeable photographer, I wish to guarantee I am capturing the very best high quality in my photos, with sufficient scope to edit the information later as I’d with any photos from my skilled digital camera. The iPhone permits me to try this, however I would not be glad utilizing the Pixel’s uncooked information in a extra skilled context.

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Which cellphone takes higher photos? 

It has been a detailed match, with every cellphone surpassing the opposite in several methods. I am impressed on the Pixel’s total picture high quality, with its daytime photographs usually producing extra element — and generally extra pure coloration tones — than the iPhone. Nevertheless, I ceaselessly do not like how a lot the Pixel lifts the shadows in its HDR processing, which I discover seems to be fairly unnatural. At 5x zoom, the Pixel’s photos have higher particulars than the iPhone’s, doubtless because of the upper decision sensor. 

However the iPhone delivers superior leads to most nighttime exams, and when utilizing the panorama and macro modes. I even want the selfie digital camera on the iPhone, however the Pixel’s a lot wider angle could be a degree in its favor for you. 

Total it is tough to choose which one is “greatest” out of the 2 because it’ll doubtless come right down to what you need out of your cellphone. If, like me, you are knowledgeable photographer, and even simply a particularly enthusiastic newbie, the iPhone’s much less heavy-handed processing produces extra pure photographs. Its uncooked information are additionally worlds aside, so should you do quite a lot of picture modifying, the iPhone is the best way to go. 

However should you’re after one thing that may merely take great-looking photographs in most situations so that you can share to social media straight out of your cellphone, the Pixel 9 Professional is without doubt one of the greatest digital camera telephones round.