Pixel 9 Professional XL vs. iPhone 15 Professional Max Cameras: Which Telephone Takes Higher Photographs?

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

On paper the Pixel punches more durable, with a touch higher-resolution primary digital camera (50 megapixels over the iPhone’s 48 megapixels), and each its telephoto and ultrawide cameras supply 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 provide among the best-looking images it is attainable to get from a cellphone. It will be an fascinating battle.

From blue-sky days to darkish nights, I’ve examined the telephones in quite a lot of eventualities, placing all of the lenses to the check to see which one comes out on high. All photos have been taken in JPEG utilizing auto settings within the default digital camera app, until in any other case acknowledged.

Beginning with this difficult outside scene, each telephones have accomplished exceptionally nicely, with wonderful exposures within the shiny sky whereas retaining loads of shadow element within the foreground. The iPhone’s shot has a hotter shade steadiness, which I favor, 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 trying muted by comparability. Each pictures are filled with element, nonetheless.

Though each pictures 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 stated, 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 distinguished 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 small print on the brickwork and tiles of the construction.

Whereas each pictures of this harbor scene are nicely uncovered, there is a important distinction within the shade steadiness, with the water within the Pixel’s shot trying brown in contrast with the iPhone’s picture. Whereas I favor the iPhone’s water, the colours on the boats and the sky appears nicer within the Pixel’s shot, so I suppose 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 general seems brighter, with barely extra distinction. 

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

Telephoto zoom comparability

Each telephones supply 5x optical zooms, delivering crisp pictures at full decision with out having to digitally crop in on the expense of element. Whereas I favor 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 reveals 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 trying artificially brightened towards the iPhone’s extra natural-looking scene. Nevertheless, the Pixel’s particulars are better-looking when seen up shut, with higher definition on among the textures on the constructing within the distance. Evidently the Pixel 9 Professional’s considerably higher-resolution telephoto digital camera sensor is shining via 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 suppose it merely appears higher as a brighter picture, moderately than trying unnatural. As with the earlier examples, the Pixel’s increased decision sensor additionally reveals cleaner particulars when seen shut up.

Night time mode comparability

At night time, issues take a dramatic flip. Whereas each pictures have comparable ranges of publicity and distinction, the iPhone’s picture has higher particulars in all areas. Effective 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 dropping a variety 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 appears 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 terms of sharper particulars. The Pixel’s aggressive noise-reduction algorithm continues to clean out particulars that ought to stay, leading to an absence of element on areas of brickwork on buildings. 

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

It is vital to additionally verify that the 5x telephoto lens has truly 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, appears like incomprehensible nonsense within the Pixel’s shot.

Wanting on the picture metadata, it appears like after I pressed to zoom in, the cellphone merely cropped into the primary sensor, moderately 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 can be ironed out with updates stays to be seen, however all the time make certain to verify that the lens you need is certainly the one you are utilizing.

That stated, 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 first rate shot, although it once more falls behind the iPhone for general particulars. 

Panorama, selfie and macro digital camera comparability 

The Pixel 9 Professional collection has an up to date panorama operate, designed to provide better-looking pictures, however I favor 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 whenever you peek up shut, however the iPhone’s appears higher general and hasn’t truly 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 varied spots because the Pixel’s heavy-handed noise discount once more smooths out areas the place texture ought to be, making the picture look much less detailed because of this. 

I favor the brighter tones on my face within the iPhone’s picture too, though the iPhone’s tighter area of view may not be to everybody’s style, particularly for those who’re attempting to squeeze numerous buddies into the shot. 

You possibly can swap to wider-angle views on each telephones, although it is obtained to be stated that the iPhone’s wide-angle view appears about the identical because the Pixel’s customary view. The Pixel’s huge mode is huge, providing you with a great deal of room to fill the body with smiling household and buddies as an alternative of standing alone on a footpath on a wet day in Scotland. Once more, there’s little distinction in particulars however I do favor 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 dissatisfied with the Pixel’s effort right here; the colours look drab, the blurred background appears 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 12 months’s Pixel 8 Pro I discovered its uncooked recordsdata have been fuzzy-looking and tough to work with in uncooked picture editors like Adobe Lightroom. The Pixel 9 Professional’s uncooked seize is best, but it surely’s nonetheless not nice. Particulars are comfortable, with an virtually hazy impact round them that takes a variety of further sharpening to get again to a usable level.

The iPhone’s ProRaw continues to be very good, providing distinctive picture high quality with a variety of latitude to push shadows, pull again highlights and play with shade firming with out noticing picture degradation. I’ve tried to match the edits on these two uncooked recordsdata and my workflow on the iPhone’s shot was simple. 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 absolute best high quality in my photos, with sufficient scope to edit the recordsdata later as I might with any photos from my skilled digital camera. The iPhone permits me to try this, however I would not be completely satisfied utilizing the Pixel’s uncooked recordsdata in a extra skilled context.

Which cellphone takes higher photos? 

It has been an in depth match, with every cellphone surpassing the opposite in several methods. I am impressed on the Pixel’s general picture high quality, with its daytime pictures typically producing extra element — and typically extra pure shade tones — than the iPhone. Nevertheless, I continuously do not like how a lot the Pixel lifts the shadows in its HDR processing, which I discover appears fairly unnatural. At 5x zoom, the Pixel’s photos have higher particulars than the iPhone’s, doubtless due to the upper decision sensor. 

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

Total it is tough to choose which one is “finest” out of the 2 because it’ll doubtless come all the way down to what you need out of your cellphone. If, like me, you are knowledgeable photographer, and even simply a particularly enthusiastic beginner, the iPhone’s much less heavy-handed processing produces extra pure pictures. Its uncooked recordsdata are additionally worlds aside, so for those who do a variety of picture enhancing, the iPhone is the way in which to go. 

However for those who’re after one thing that may merely take great-looking pictures in most situations so that you can share to social media straight out of your cellphone, the Pixel 9 Professional is likely one of the finest digital camera telephones round.