iPhone 14 Pro vs. Pixel 7 Pro: Which Camera Takes Better Photos? - CNET

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This communicative is portion of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET's postulation of news, tips and proposal astir Apple's astir fashionable product.

Google's Pixel 7 Pro impressed maine truthful overmuch I gave it a highly sought-after CNET Editors' Choice award. Its fantabulous triple camera strategy is superb, and I emotion the refreshed plan and streamlined Android 13 software. But the contention is fierce, with Apple's latest iPhone 14 Pro besides packing immoderate potent specs and a acceptable of cameras that tin instrumentality genuinely superb images. And yes, we loved that telephone capable to springiness it an Editors' Choice grant too.

So which 1 of these award-winning smartphones packs the champion camera setup and which 1 should you see if you're looking for the champion photography telephone around? I took some phones astir the stunning Edinburgh suburb of Leith to find out.

It's an absorbing matchup arsenic some phones person akin camera offerings with a main modular lens, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto zoom. And some person already proven their photographic prowess successful our afloat reviews, with affluent images and fantabulous dynamic scope being delivered connected some sides.

I've since enactment the Pixel 7 Pro done immoderate much tests and portion it wasn't apical of the battalion successful night mode situations, I recovered its zoom gave the epic Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra a tally for its money.

Photograph of a vessel connected a river

Take a look astatine the photos supra from the Pixel 7 Pro's 50-megapixel and the iPhone 14 Pro's 48-megapixel main camera lens. Both scenes are good exposed here, with controlled bluish skies and plentifulness of item to beryllium seen successful the much shadowy areas. The iPhone's colour equilibrium is simply a spot warmer, which I deliberation suits the country well, though the Pixel's representation is arguably a interaction much earthy looking.

A wide-angle representation of a vessel connected a river

Switch to the ultrawide lens, and again some phones person done a large occupation successful capturing this precocious opposition country above. There's precise small to take betwixt them, but I deliberation the Pixel 7 Pro's much earthy colour tones mightiness springiness it the edge.

An representation showing riverside buildings and moored narrowboats.

Things alteration erstwhile we power to the zoom lenses though, astir notably due to the fact that the Pixel 7 Pro's 5x offers a overmuch person presumption than the 3x optical zoom of the iPhone 14 Pro. I emotion a longer zoom arsenic it helps you find antithetic photograph compositions successful a country that would beryllium mislaid to those who lone person wide space lenses. Using the zoom lens for the photos supra fto maine seizure a wholly antithetic scene, but I didn't person to physically determination to get it.

That other scope is noticeable connected the Pixel's shot, with a overmuch person zoom connected the buildings successful the distance. Both phones person achieved a bully vulnerability however, and portion the Pixel's representation is noticeably warmer (particularly connected the buildings themselves), I similar the colour balances of some shots.

An representation showing riverside buildings.

Again, that other zoom connected the Pixel fto maine get a tighter creation connected the buildings adjacent to the stream successful the images above, and it's a better-looking photograph arsenic a result. That said, I similar the tones and vulnerability of the iPhone's shot, with brighter whites and a much vibrant popular of orangish disposable connected the cardinal gathering and richer bluish tones successful the sky.

Wide space representation of a riverside scene

The ultrawide photos supra are much mixed however. While some phones achieved a mostly decent exposure, they some person somewhat blown retired highlights disposable successful the distant clouds. And portion I similar the much earthy bluish entity of the iPhone 14 Pro, the Pixel 7 Pro has achieved much vibrant colour tones connected the buildings and trees toward the halfway of the frame. It's pugnacious to marque a telephone connected which is "better" here.

An representation showing trees astir a river

Back to the main camera lens, and there's again precise small to take betwixt the 2 pictures above. There's tons of item successful both, and the wide vulnerability is spot on. If I were nitpicking -- which I americium -- I'd accidental the Pixel 7 Pro's entity has a spot excessively overmuch of a purple tinge successful it and it's a somewhat much contrasty country overall. While that's resulted successful deeper orangish hues connected the autumn leaves, it's little typical of the existent colors of the scene. It's mostly down to idiosyncratic preference, but I'm marginally erring toward the iPhone's changeable here.

A wide space representation showing trees astir a river

The photos supra amusement the aforesaid country but from the ultrawide lens this time. To my eye, it's an easier triumph for the iPhone here. The wide colour equilibrium is much natural. And portion the iPhone kept a decent opposition successful the darker country successful the bottommost left, the Pixel has tried to brighten this country artificially, resulting successful a weird-looking grey spot that I'm not keen on.

An representation showing a adjacent up of a flower.

With the Pixel 7 Pro present packing auto-focus connected its ultrawide lens, it's capable to connection macro photography arsenic it tin absorption wrong a mates of inches of the lens. It's thing Apple introduced connected the iPhone 13 Pro, and it's large amusive to experimentation with.

In the macro photos above, I similar the representation from the Pixel 7 Pro's camera. The achromatic equilibrium has resulted successful much vibrant -- and much close -- blue-purple tones connected the flower's petals. The leaves successful the inheritance besides person much of an emerald tone, alternatively than the yellow-green tones seen connected the iPhone's shot.

A adjacent up representation of a dandelion successful writer with a cloudy bluish entity behind.

And it's overmuch the aforesaid successful the pictures supra erstwhile I utilized the phones to get a low-down changeable of this dandelion, with the bluish entity down it. The Pixel 7 Pro's changeable has overmuch much vibrant greenish tones successful the grasses astir the subject. The iPhone 14 Pro captured a warmer scene, with much yellowish tones seen successful the grasses that I personally don't similar arsenic much.

The Pixel 7 Pro is packing a 10.8-megapixel front-facing selfie camera, which is somewhat beneath the iPhone 14 Pro's 12 megapixels. It's not a immense difference, determination is somewhat much item disposable erstwhile you zoom in. Both shots are mostly solid, however, though I deliberation the Pixel has gone a spot excessively "HDR" by reducing the highlights connected my look excessively much. Personally, I similar however I look successful the iPhone's image.

Both phones person a wider-angle enactment for the front-facing cameras, which is adjuvant if you privation to seizure much of your surroundings oregon privation to squash much of your friends into the picture. I took the photos supra successful this mode, and the Pixel really has the borderline somewhat successful presumption of good representation details. But again, I similar the vulnerability and opposition from the iPhone arsenic the Pixel's HDR has flattened the tones successful my look a spot excessively overmuch for my liking.

A nighttime clip representation of a pub connected a cobbled street.

When switching to nighttime mode connected some phones, I had to springiness an aboriginal triumph to the iPhone successful the photos above. Its achromatic equilibrium produced a nicer-looking changeable without the overly lukewarm orangish code seen successful the Pixel's image.

It's besides wide that the iPhone's representation is sharper erstwhile cropping successful to 100% connected some images, with the Pixel's changeable showing immoderate question blur, peculiarly connected the pub sign. Look astatine the spotlights connected the partition sculptures above; the Pixel's changeable hasn't been capable to seizure the dynamic scope here, resulting successful blow-out areas, portion the iPhone has done a overmuch amended occupation of keeping those agleam tones nether control.

There's not arsenic overmuch to take betwixt successful these night-time shots supra that I took overlooking Leith Shore. Both person akin colour tones, vulnerability and lone marginal improvements connected the iPhone's changeable erstwhile viewed astatine 100%.

Switch to the zoom mode, and there's a bigger quality betwixt the 2 phones. In the images above, the Pixel's changeable is brighter and much vibrant but suffers hugely from question blur, contempt that information that I stabilized myself against a span partition erstwhile taking the shot. I took 3 images present and this was the champion I could get.

You tin truly spot however blurry the Pixel's representation is erstwhile cropping successful to 100%. Sure, the iPhone doesn't person the aforesaid scope with its 3x zoom. But its changeable is overmuch sharper and clearer, and it easy takes the triumph here.

I besides recovered that the Pixel 7 Pro is peculiarly susceptible to lens flare astatine nighttime erstwhile shooting towards agleam airy sources similar the thoroughfare lamp shown successful the pictures above. While some cameras endure from lens flare, the Pixel's is peculiarly problematic since astir of the nighttime entity is filled with red-pink flares surrounding the light. It's a shame due to the fact that this would different person been a bully night-time scene.

Which telephone takes amended pictures?

Both phones took immoderate genuinely superb photos during this test, and it's not casual to springiness either 1 the definitive win. Some elements of what makes a "better" photograph volition travel down to idiosyncratic preference. In well-lit outdoor shots, I recovered that the Pixel 7 Pro achieved a much earthy colour code from its main lens than the iPhone managed. But its colors weren't arsenic bully successful immoderate wider-angle shots. Of course, you tin acceptable up antithetic photographic styles connected the iPhone to customize however the camera captures photos and marque them look much earthy if that's your preference.

At nighttime the iPhone is the wide victor though, with amended colors, crisper item and a superior quality to grip agleam airy sources -- some successful presumption of vulnerability and lens flare. However, the Pixel 7 Pro perfectly takes the triumph with its superior zoom skills, with its 5x zoom letting you snag beautiful, crystal-clear images that are simply retired of scope of the iPhone's 3x zoom. I besides preferred the look of the Pixel's macro images successful each of the tests I shot.

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So which is "best" volition travel down to what you privation astir from your telephone camera. If nighttime photography is important, past spell for the iPhone 14 Pro. If you privation zoom skills to find originative compositions successful your landscapes and thoroughfare photography, past the Pixel 7 Pro is for you.

If you conscionable privation a large each astir camera to drawback vibrant shots of your kids astatine the beach, your friend's nutrient astatine a section marketplace oregon immoderate stunning woodland scenes connected your adjacent hike, past either telephone volition suit you incredibly well. Your bigger determination volition alternatively travel down to whether you privation to spell with iOS oregon Android arsenic your operating strategy and whether spending the other 100 bucks oregon truthful connected the iPhone 14 Pro is worthy it.

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