David Hanak The iPhone XS camera is currently almost the best, what can be found in the field of photomobiles. A few days ago, however, a challenger appeared who is also grinding his teeth at the absolute top position. It is the new flagship from Google, which last week introduced the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The first reviews and also the first comparisons of which phone takes better photos are now appearing on the website.
An interesting comparison was made by the editors of the server Macrumors, who compared the performance of a dual solution from Apple (iPhone XS Max) with a single 12 MPx lens in the Pixel 3 XL. You can see a summary of the test in the video below. Test images, which are always inserted next to each other, can then be found in the gallery (the originals in the original resolution can be found <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1932/8043/files/200721_ODSTOUPENI_BEZ_UDANI_DUVODU__EN.pdf?v=1595428404" data-gt-href-en="https://en.notsofunnyany.com/">here</a>).
Both phones have their own portrait mode, although the iPhone XS Max uses two lenses for it, while the Pixel 3 XL calculates everything in software. As for the portraits themselves, those from the iPhone are sharper and have slightly more true colors. The Pixel 3 XL, on the other hand, can handle the fake bokeh effect better and more accurately. When it comes to zoom options, the iPhone clearly won here, which allows for double optical zoom thanks to the second lens. The Pixel 3 calculates all these efforts via software, and you can tell a little about it in the results.
The iPhone XS Max also performs better when it comes to taking HDR photos. The resulting images are slightly better on iPhones, especially in terms of color rendition and better dynamic range. However, in this regard, the model from Google is waiting for the release of the Night Sight function, which should improve the shooting of HRD images even more. In the case of taking photos in low-light conditions, the iPhone XS Max performed better again, and its images contained less noise. However, the Pixel 3 XL took better photos when using portrait mode under similar conditions.
Gallery
Where the Pixel 3 XL definitely beats the iPhone XS Max is the front camera. In the case of Google, there is a pair of 8 MPx sensors, with one having a classic lens and the other a wide-angle lens. The Pixel 3 XL can thus occupy a significantly wider area than the iPhone XS Max with a classic 7 MPx camera.
Overall, both phones are very capable camera phones, with each model being more capable at something else. However, the resulting image quality is relatively similar. The iPhone XS Max offers a fairly neutral color rendering, while the Pixel 3 XL is a little more aggressive in this regard, and the images tend to either run to warmer or, conversely, cooler shades. When it comes to camera capabilities, potential buyers won't go wrong with either model.
