Google launched its latest high-end flagship smartphone, the Pixel 7 Pro, in October. The Pixel 7 Pro came out a few weeks after Apple’s new iPhone 14 Pro Max, so we thought we should compare the cameras of these two smartphones, comparing the high-end iPhone to the high-end Pixel 7.
On paper, the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Pixel 7 Pro have similar camera systems. The iPhone features a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 48-megapixel wide-angle lens, which Apple calls the “main” camera. The Pixel 7 Pro has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 48-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 50-megapixel wide-angle lens. The Pixel 7 Pro wins in raw megapixels, especially the telephoto lens.
We’ve learned from camera comparisons over the years that high-end smartphones have all taken similar photos, and they’ve all done well. For the most part, you’ll get stunning images with the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Pixel 7 Pro, but there are some differences to be aware of.
For standard photos, shadows in the iPhone image are darker, while the Pixel 7 Pro is slightly brighter. The Pixel 7 Pro’s image was less saturated, and we saw more vibrant colors on the iPhone. In some cases, images straight from the Pixel 7 Pro’s camera looked sharper, though that may be a difference between software effects and Google’s editing behind the scenes.
Wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle images are rendered similarly, but the Pixel 7 Pro’s telephoto capabilities are much better than what the iPhone offers. Google has added 5x optical zoom compared to the 3x optical zoom of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and it makes a difference. In fact, there’s a 30x Super Res digital zoom option that’s pretty sharp.
In portrait mode, the Pixel 7 Pro offers a greater depth of field for more background blur, which some people will appreciate. It can sometimes be difficult to separate the subject from the background, and it works better with people than objects.
As for night mode, both smartphones have their pros and cons. The Pixel 7 Pro is better at nighttime portraits of people, as the iPhone tends to be too soft around the face, but the iPhone is better at taking photos that include the sky. The Pixel 7 Pro is sharper on more images and wins in astrophotography, but has artifact issues in some images.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max does a better job when it comes to video, a theme we’ve seen over the years. Although Google has made some progress with stabilization, the iPhone’s video is sharper. Movie mode on the iPhone gets improved in 2022, supporting 4K video at 24 and 30fps, while the Pixel’s movie blur is limited to 30fps.
All in all, the Pixel 7 Pro has the advantage in photos and the iPhone 14 Pro Max wins in the video category, but both smartphones take great images, and it’s often hard to decide which is better. What do you think of the Pixel 7 Pro? Let us know in the comments below.
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