This week, I’ve been in Maui for the Snapdragon Summit and also comparing two non-Snapdragon phone cameras against each other. That’s the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. And the results have been rather interesting to say the least.
Photo quality is a bit subjective, of course, but to me, I want the camera that’s going to give me the most natural light. Recreate the scene how it actually was, versus making it seem cooler, or more saturated (something that Samsung phones do quite often). And so in this case, the iPhone was more reliable to give me the pictures I wanted. While there were a few instances where the Pixel did perform better (as the iPhone does blow out some highlights in some instances), most of the time I preferred the iPhone picture.
How we compared these cameras
Before we jump into the comparisons, let’s talk a bit about the way we compared these two cameras.
- Both cameras were on default settings and auto mode.
- Both cameras were using the same focal length when available (for zoom, iPhone 17 Pro Max was at 4x and Pixel 10 Pro XL was at 5x, since those are their zoom cameras).
- No edits were made, other than to put them side-by-side and add a label to each side.
- Pictures were taken side-by-side to give them the best shot at being the exact same picture.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
Now, let’s jump into the comparison. Below, you’ll find a nunmber of images taken at 1x. Despite the fact that I use the 1.4x or 35mm mode by default on my iPhone, I did set it to 1x, making it 24mm just like the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
The images above were all taken at 1x on both phones, in various lighting conditions. In this particular image below, the Pixel 10 Pro XL does look better, however, it doesn’t look the way it did in real life. The sky is much bluer than it was in real life, and the walkway was also warmer due to those lights. Of course, the better one depends on what your personal preferences are, but I do prefer the iPhone 17 Pro Max here.
This next picture that I want to call your attention to is below, and was taken from the Snapdragon Luau here in Maui. As you can see, the iPhone really blew out the highlights, as well as the lights above us. This is partly because of the lighting conditions, but the Pixel 10 Pro XL performed much better here, even though the sky is not how it looked in real life.
5x Telephoto
Next up, let’s talk Zoom. As mentioned before, the iPhone now has a 4x sensor, versus the 5x that is available on the Pixel 10 Pro XL and even earlier iPhone Pro models. So that’s why some of these pictures won’t be framed the exact same way.
The first picture I want to call your attention here shows how much detail is missing from the roof int he background. The iPhone also appears to show more details on the shaka versus the Pixel 10 Pro XL. This is another one where I’d prefer the iPhone over the Pixel.
The next one I want to point out shows quite a bit more detail on the iPhone versus the Pixel. Just look at the statue there, the Pixel does tend to smooth out the surface, and it’s a tiny bit blurry. Keep in mind that this was taken early in the morning, before the sun fully came up.
Wrap Up
These days, it’s very hard to find a smartphone that has a bad camera, and neither of these phones has a bad camera. If you know what you’re doing, you can really take some great photos with both phones.
It’s important to keep in mind that with photos, this is all subjective. Do you want photos to be more natural-looking? Would you rather it be cooler or warmer, or more saturated? That’s all up to you.
