We Tested Night Mode on the iPhone 14 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra - CNET

1 year ago 45

We've been truly impressed by the cameras connected the Pixel 7 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Pixel 7 Pro's zoom skills adjacent gave the Galaxy S22 Ultra a tally for its money, arsenic good arsenic offering some genuine contention to a nonrecreational DSLR. But however bash these apical phones execute erstwhile things spell dark?

All 3 phones battalion awesome nighttime shooting modes, which fto you seizure agleam and wide shots adjacent successful astir full darkness. I've done immoderate nighttime mode investigating connected the phones already arsenic portion of the main Pixel 7 Pro review, but I wanted to walk a spot much side-by-side clip with each 3 phones to spot which 1 genuinely takes the best-looking images astatine night.

So I charged them up, enactment connected my wintertime overgarment and headed retired into the acold and acheronian streets of the Edinburgh suburb of Leith, Scotland. All images were taken successful JPEG format, with the main cameras (unless different stated) and utilizing the dedicated nighttime modes connected some the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra. The iPhone 14 Pro's mode kicks successful automatically, truthful I simply made definite it was progressive erstwhile taking photos.

This archetypal trial supra isn't a large commencement for the Pixel 7 Pro. Its changeable is darker than its rivals, with rather grungy details connected the vessel itself.

Zooming successful to 100% connected the aforesaid shots above, it's wide that some the iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra achieved crisper, much balanced images. Between the two, the S22 Ultra did a amended occupation astatine capturing much earthy colour tones and its changeable wasn't affected by reflected lights successful its lens -- thing overmuch much noticeable successful the iPhone's shot.

The Pixel 7 Pro did a overmuch amended occupation successful the stream country above, with an fantabulous vulnerability crossed the full representation and tons of details disposable connected buildings successful the distance. All 3 phones captured the country well, with crisp details and minimal representation noise. The iPhone's representation is simply a spot much contrasty, which I don't dislike, but it makes the changeable look a interaction darker arsenic a result.

One happening to enactment connected the Pixel's changeable nevertheless is the noticeable lens flare from the streetlight connected the near broadside of the image. While each 3 phones endure from flare to an extent, it's noticeably worse connected the Pixel's image, which is thing I'd recovered connected my archetypal tests for the review. Some shots I took had flares truthful salient they ruined the image, and it's thing that you'll request to support successful caput with agleam airy sources.

All 3 phones captured the aged pub beforehand supra well, with fantabulous exposures crossed the board. I'm impressed astatine however they've each captured tons of item successful the shadowy areas of the images, yet managed to equilibrium the agleam highlights successful the model and connected the carvings well.

As with the earlier representation of the boat, the iPhone 14 Pro's changeable leans toward a yellow-tinged achromatic balance, which doesn't look rather arsenic realistic arsenic the Galaxy S22 Ultra's shot. The Pixel went a small acold the different way, with a much magenta-toned image.

The Roseleaf barroom astatine nighttime cropped in

Zooming successful to 100% connected the aforesaid images and things power around. It's precise marginal, but the Pixel 7 Pro achieved a somewhat sharper representation than its rivals, with the iPhone pursuing adjacent down and the S22 Ultra bringing up the rear. I person to pixel peep astatine this constituent though, and adjacent past the quality is astir negligible. At afloat screen, each 3 images are pin-sharp and look great.

Street lights reflected connected a stream astatine night

The country supra works to summarize the attack the 3 phones take. The iPhone's representation has a much yellowy achromatic equilibrium which isn't peculiarly realistic. The Pixel 7 Pro's changeable is simply a small darker and much magenta-toned, portion the S22 Ultra's changeable seems to onslaught a amended equilibrium betwixt the 2 with fantabulous vulnerability and much adjacent colors.

A enactment of buildings on a stream astatine night

But what astir erstwhile we usage the zoom lenses connected these phones? Well, starting disconnected with the modular cameras, each 3 phones person managed to seizure coagulated images above.

A enactment of buildings on a stream astatine nighttime astatine 2x magnification

Both the iPhone and Pixel connection 2x zoom modes (digitally cropping) and there's not a immense magnitude to take betwixt them successful the photos above. The integer harvest has noticeably reduced the prime connected photos from some phones and portion the iPhone's is simply a interaction sharper, the Pixel's has somewhat amended dynamic range, with immoderate of the highlights being little blown out.

A enactment of buildings on a stream astatine nighttime astatine 3x magnification

At 3x optical zoom connected the iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra (the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5x zoom, which I'll travel to), the iPhone's changeable supra is noticeably amended than its 2x integer zoom shot, with improved details and dynamic range. And though its changeable looks a small darker than the S22 Ultra's, it has sharper, much defined details and a much adjacent dynamic scope which results successful a amended representation overall.

A enactment of buildings on a stream astatine nighttime cropped in

Zooming close successful to 150%, it's wide that the iPhone's dynamic scope is amended (look astatine the agleam timepiece look successful the precocious near of the scene) and the details are overmuch sharper.

A enactment of buildings on a stream astatine nighttime astatine 5x magnification

A enactment of buildings on a stream astatine nighttime astatine 10x magnification

The Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra tin instrumentality their zooms further though, with 5x and 10x optical zooms being offered, respectively. The S22's representation supra is evidently a batch much zoomed in, yet it maintains details and exposure. The Pixel's looks coagulated too, with bully colors and clarity. Given the large quality successful zoom levels, there's small constituent successful deciding which 1 is amended here.

Which telephone takes the champion nighttime mode photos?

Overall I'm impressed astatine however good each 3 phones person done successful these tests. Despite the acheronian conditions, I got images that are bright, colorful and packed with details, which is astonishing to spot fixed that I conscionable took the shots hand-held, without a tripod -- which I would request if I were taking the aforesaid changeable connected my nonrecreational camera. There's not a immense gulf betwixt immoderate of them and immoderate lensman would beryllium pleased with the results they're capable to get successful nighttime clip conditions.

That said, I'd person to springiness the wide triumph to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Its shots were consistently agleam and clear, and crucially produced much earthy colour tones than the iPhone 14 Pro oregon Pixel 7 Pro managed to achieve. The iPhone sometimes produced somewhat sharper images, but that's lone noticeable erstwhile you zoom close into a pixel-level view, which astir of america are improbable to do. For pure, straight-out-of-camera images that are acceptable to upload to Instagram, the S22 Ultra somewhat edges retired its rivals.