Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
Here's what an average photo looks like from each phone in a fairly typical situation: plenty of sun, plenty of color, and a less-than-ideal mix of shine and shadow.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
These images do a good job of showing off the shooting "styles" of each phone.
The Galaxy S7 makes by far the best exposure decision of the three, cheating down a little to capture the sky and highlights. And its white balance and image processing bring out the color differences between sunlight and shadow. But you could argue the result is more vibrant than real life.
The iPhone 7's result is a bit more muted and conservative. But you couldn't accuse it of a mistake or overdoing the color.
And the Pixel...looks a little flat. That's the wrong white balance for this scene, wiping out all the subtleties of color. Plus, its bright exposure has all but wiped out the sky.
In my first hours with the Pixel, my impression was pretty negative. Again and again, it made obvious mistakes in color balancing and focus that you rarely see from the S7 or iPhone. In this example, I'd told each camera to expose for leaves on the upper-left of the frame.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
There were no difficult situations where the Pixel outperformed both the iPhone and Galaxy S7. Though there were a few were it beat out just one of them — like the Galaxy S7 example below.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
Turning on HDR doesn't help matters. I find the Pixel's results even more garish and over-the-top than usual for a smartphone.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
Of course, all of those examples come from situations that push the camera to perform. In more ideal light, it's hard to judge the Pixel better or worse than its competition.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
Here's the only measure by which the Pixel obviously blows the iPhone and Galaxy out of the water: sharpness. Blowing the above image up to full size, you can see how much more detail the Pixel captures.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
I suspect this is the strongest contributor to the Pixel receiving such high laboratory ratings. Though personally, I don't buy a smartphone for its ability to resolve details on far-away buildings.
The big area where the Pixel comes up short is its sub-par autofocus system. Not only is it fairly slow, but it simply doesn't work in some situations.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
In this example, I tried to shoot a plant fluttering rapidly in the wind.
The Galaxy S7 is far out in the lead on this one. Its autofocus system is far faster and more precise than the iPhone 7's, and got the shot on the first try. But even the iPhone will usually get a pretty good shot within a few attempts.
After standing around like an idiot trying to shoot a tiny plant with the Pixel for several minutes, I gave up. The shot just wasn't happening — the closest I got was the above backfocus onto the plants behind it.
That's especially surprising because the reduced aperture on the Pixel gives it a somewhat expanded field of focus as compared to the iPhone or Galaxy.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
Aperture is a measure of how wide the lens opens to allow light in. The wider, the better usually — though the result is more bokeh and a narrower field of focus. By rights, the f/2.0 Pixel should have an easier time focusing than the f/1.8 iPhone or f/1.7 (lower numbers mean wider apertures), but that doesn't appear to be the case in my tests.
Now here's the caveat. Despite all the faults I've identified, in most situations the Pixel's shot isn't measurably better or worse than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
The Pixel is a very good camera. And it shows. I'm just not convinced it's the best.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
And there's one last big way the Pixel does stand out. Lower apertures can lead to worse performance in low light. But the Pixel is an exception.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
The Pixel easily outperforms the iPhone in the mixed light of a dim bar. There's enough difference and idiosyncrasy between the Pixel's low light performance and the S7's to fill a second article (which I plan on doing). But for now, it's pretty clear the the two phones are neck-and-neck in the dark. Both turn up plenty of shadow detail, without blowing out highlights. And neither produces images too grainy to use. In this example, I'd argue the Pixel's shot is better.
In an even darker setting, like this alley at night, only the Galaxy S7 can see much of anything. The Pixel and iPhone can't see much at all.
Sorry Google, the Pixel's camera isn't better than the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7
The S7's low-light performance still outclasses every other phone. But most of the time, you aren't shooting with your phone in a place this dark anyway. And the Pixel's dim-room results are admirable.
Verdict: The Google Pixel camera has some impressive tricks up its sleeve. But it's hard to argue it's the best in the world.
The Google Pixel's camera isn't bad. And on some measures, like sharpness and low-light performance, it's very impressive. But it makes too many mistakes in real-world use for me to call it the "best in the world."
If you're buying a smartphone for the camera, I'd still recommend the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7.
Popular Right Now
Advertisement