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 abilities. And whereas the cameras put in a strong efficiency throughout my preliminary testing, the true take a look at is to see how they stack up towards the chief rivals. I have been out taking pictures tons of of photographs throughout Edinburgh on the Pixel 9 Professional, side-by-side with Apple’s iPhone 15 Professional Max to see how these two expensive flagships evaluate in the case of images prowess. 

On paper the Pixel punches more durable, with a slightly higher-resolution primary digicam (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 photographs and Apple is well-known for utilizing its software program processing to supply a number of the best-looking images it is doable to get from a cellphone. It may be an attention-grabbing 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 high. All photographs have been taken in JPEG utilizing auto settings within the default digicam app, except in any other case said.

Beginning with this difficult out of doors scene, each telephones have executed exceptionally effectively, with wonderful exposures within the brilliant sky whereas retaining loads of shadow element within the foreground. The iPhone’s shot has a hotter colour stability, which I choose, together with deeper shadows that look extra pure to my eye. 

On this extra shaded out of doors scene, the iPhone has delivered a brighter entrance to this pub, with the Pixel 9 Professional XL trying muted by comparability. Each pictures are full of element, nevertheless.

Though each pictures of those flowers have been taken at a distance utilizing the primary digicam, 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 stability 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 stability 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 main points on the brickwork and tiles of the construction.

Whereas each pictures of this harbor scene are effectively uncovered, there is a vital distinction within the colour stability, with the water within the Pixel’s shot trying brown in contrast with the iPhone’s picture. Whereas I choose the iPhone’s water, the colours on the boats and the sky appears to be like nicer within the Pixel’s shot, so I assume I must mash each collectively in Photoshop to get the picture I really need.

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

The Pixel’s colour stability seems extra pure when utilizing the ultrawide digicam and I choose its brighter publicity. 

Telephoto zoom comparability

Each telephones provide 5x optical zooms, delivering crisp pictures at full decision with out having to digitally crop in on the expense of element. Whereas I choose 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 high-quality particulars exhibits that the iPhone’s picture suffers extra from picture sharpening, giving some areas a “crunchiness” that the Pixel’s picture would not undergo 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. Nonetheless, the Pixel’s particulars are better-looking when seen up shut, with higher definition on a number of the textures on the constructing within the distance. Evidently the Pixel 9 Professional’s considerably higher-resolution telephoto digicam 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 appears to be like higher as a brighter picture, slightly than trying unnatural. As with the earlier examples, the Pixel’s increased decision sensor additionally exhibits 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. Tremendous 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 a number 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 to be like 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 the case of sharper particulars. The Pixel’s aggressive noise-reduction algorithm continues to easy 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 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 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 to be like like incomprehensible nonsense within the Pixel’s shot.

Wanting on the picture metadata, it appears to be like like after I pressed to zoom in, the cellphone merely cropped into the primary sensor, slightly 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 shall be ironed out with updates stays to be seen, however all the time be sure that to verify that the lens you need is unquestionably 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 respectable shot, although it once more falls behind the iPhone for total particulars. 

Panorama, selfie and macro digicam comparability 

The Pixel 9 Professional sequence has an up to date panorama perform, designed to supply better-looking pictures, however I choose 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 while you peek up shut, however the iPhone’s appears to be like higher total 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 digicam has been bumped from 12 megapixels on its predecessor to a way more beneficiant 42 megapixels, I actually cannot inform any distinction intimately between it and the iPhone 15 Professional Max’s 12-megapixel entrance digicam. In reality, 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 ought to be, making the picture look much less detailed consequently. 

I choose the brighter tones on my face within the iPhone’s picture too, though the iPhone’s tighter discipline of view won’t be to everybody’s style, particularly for those who’re making an attempt to squeeze a number of mates 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 to be like about the identical because the Pixel’s normal 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 choose my brighter face on the iPhone’s shot. 

Each telephones have a macro mode that makes use of the ultrawide digicam for shut up focusing. I am dissatisfied with the Pixel’s effort right here; the colours look drab, the blurred background appears to be like synthetic — nearly 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 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 healthier, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not nice. Particulars are smooth, with an nearly hazy impact round them that takes a number 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 a number of latitude to push shadows, pull again highlights and play with colour 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 easy. The Pixel took much more work. 

I is likely to be a distinct segment case, however uncooked seize is essential for me on a cellphone. As knowledgeable photographer, I need to guarantee I am capturing the absolute best high quality in my photographs, with sufficient scope to edit the recordsdata later as I might with any photographs from my skilled digicam. The iPhone permits me to do this, however I would not be joyful utilizing the Pixel’s uncooked recordsdata in a extra skilled context.

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 pictures typically producing extra element — and typically extra pure colour tones — than the iPhone. Nonetheless, I continuously don’t love how a lot the Pixel lifts the shadows in its HDR processing, which I discover appears to be like fairly unnatural. At 5x zoom, the Pixel’s photographs have higher particulars than the iPhone’s, probably due to the upper decision sensor. 

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

Total it is tough to select which one is “greatest” out of the 2 because it’ll probably come all the way down to what you need out of your cellphone. If, like me, you are knowledgeable photographer, and even simply an especially enthusiastic novice, 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 number 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 without doubt one of the greatest digicam telephones round.