iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Pixel 8 Pro camera comparison: the results shocked me

This showdown between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Pixel 8 Pro camera came about because I kept hearing, “Pixel phones take the best photos!” among mobile technology enthusiasts.

“Even better than the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S series?” I would ask. “Yes!” they often replied.

In the words of Marcia The Brady Gang“Sure Jan.”

Now I’m not saying I don’t believe them, I’m just skeptical. However, I’m trying to be a bit open-minded here. I’m well versed in the iPhone space, as I’ve been reviewing them for several years, but I’m green when it comes to the Pixel line.

That said, I managed to get my hands on a Pixel 8 Pro and compared it to the mighty iPhone 15 Pro Max. See for yourself which phone – the Apple device or the Google device – takes the best photos.

iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Pixel 8 Pro: Wide photos

Take a look at these two wide shots of the Washington Square Arch in Greenwich Village, NYC. Which do you prefer?

I sent these photos to my circle of technology journalists without telling them which smartphone she took. Within my network, which also includes Mashable Tech Reporter Alex Perry, the top photo (Pixel 8 Pro) was the most preferred over the bottom one (iPhone 15 Pro Max).

The Pixel 8 Pro processed a brighter, better-lit photo, which is easier on the eye. However, Jason England, Tom’s Guide’s Computing Editor with years of experience in mobile technology, told Mashable that the Pixel 8 Pro’s wide photo at bright to his taste.

“This one,” England said, pointing to the Pixel 8 Pro photo during the blind test, “has too much color and loses some detail by being too bright, so the HDR isn’t that good.”

England makes a good point. At first glance, the Pixel 8 Pro’s wide shot may be more aesthetically pleasing, but when you take a closer look at the details, the Google phone has lost some of the weathered, time-worn details of its structure.

The rusty, red-orange tones prominent on the arch’s base – as well as the more intricate carvings on the architectural marble masterpiece – are less noticeable in the Pixel 8 Pro’s wide photo.

The Washington Square Arch on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is more lifelike and captures more old, weathered details, including the slight yellow tint. And do you see the man with the cap? On the Pixel 8 Pro it has a bold blue shirt, but on the iPhone 15 Pro Max it’s more of a teal color. I was actually there, so I’d say the iPhone 15 Pro Max shot is more realistic.

When I told England he was the only one who chose the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the blind test of seven tech journalists, he jokingly said: “They should never be trusted with a camera comparison again. Do they even have eyes?”

It’s worth noting that England owns an iPhone 14 Pro and is a mega Apple fan.

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• Specifications of the iPhone 15 Pro Max wide-angle camera: 48 MP, F/1.8,1.22 µm

• Pixel 8 Pro wide-angle camera specifications: 50MP, F/1.7, 1.2 µm

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iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Pixel 8 Pro: Selfie photos

I took selfies (portrait mode) in Madison Square Park and the winner here, from my circle of tech journalists, was unanimous. Which do you prefer?

The top photo is the iPhone 15 Pro Max, while the bottom one is the Pixel 8 Pro. Every tech journalist preferred the iPhone 15 Pro Max during the blind test.

I’m disappointed with the Google Pixel 8 Pro here. The lens flare in the selfie has gone out of control. At first I thought there were some smudges on the front camera causing the stray light artifacts, but even after wiping the selfie lens with my microfiber cloth, lens flare continued to plague our selfies.

Speaking at the Made by Google 2023 event, Google product management director Shenaz Zack said the company continues to expand its “image enhancement efforts”, claiming that the Pixel 8 series should now accurately represent the vast range of human skin tones.

I can’t say I agree with it. Our skin tones look a little washed out on the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Perry’s navy blue hoodie is, well, less blue on the Pixel 8 Pro. Plus, my lipstick — shoutout to Fenty Beauty’s HBIC shade — looks less vibrant on the Pixel 8 Pro.

England is also not a fan of the Pixel 8 Pro’s color range. “The software tries too hard to balance the light and dark tones,” he said. “It doesn’t look natural.”

Interestingly enough, there is also a strange distortion involving our facial features. I suspect this has something to do with the Pixel 8 Pro’s 20mm focal length, which is less ideal compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 23mm focal length. A longer focal length is better – and more attractive – because it makes your facial features look more proportionate.

Conversely, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s selfie doesn’t show any annoying light artifacts to ruin the photo. Our complexion is more precise, colors are richer and more lifelike – and there are no pesky shadows that seem to come out of nowhere.

The clear winner here is the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

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• iPhone 15 Pro Max selfie camera specifications: 12 MP, F/1.9, 23mm

• Pixel 8 Pro selfie camera specifications: 10.8MP, F/2.2, 20mm

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iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Pixel 8 Pro: Zoom

I could not do it to wait to test the telephoto on both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Pixel 8 Pro. The former is now capable of 5x optical zoom, and is exclusive to the Pro Max, an upgrade from its predecessor’s 3x optical zoom.

The Pixel 8 Pro also has 5x optical zoom, but this isn’t new; it’s been around since Google launched the 7 Pro. The Pixel 8 Pro can digitally zoom up to 30x, which is greater than the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s maximum 25x digital zoom range.

In Madison Square Park we zoomed in 5x on some yellow flowers on both phones. Which do you prefer?

The top photo is the Pixel 8 Pro, while the bottom one is the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I prefer the latter. The petals appear sharper. The colors are richer too, from the woman’s green jacket to the bright, yellow-orange hue of the striking flowers.

Max zoom test on iPhone 15 Pro Max and Google Pixel 8 Pro

When we saw the Con Edison building, we decided to zoom in on the funky green tower. To give you an idea of ​​how far we were from this building, here is a wide shot of it.

We decided to zoom in to the maximum on both phones. That would be 25x on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and 30x on the Google Pixel 8 Pro. No, it’s not an apples to apples comparison, but I thought it would be fun to see what results we would get by limiting their zoom capabilities.

Here we have the iPhone 15 Pro Max:

And this is the Google Pixel 8 Pro:

As expected, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is sharper and produces more details. After all, it has a zoom factor of 25x, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a zoom factor of 30x. However, you can see how much further the Pixel 8 Pro can go.

If anyone – or if you believe in the supernatural – something peered out that window, the Pixel 8 Pro would be better equipped to capture it.

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• iPhone 15 Pro Max (telephoto specs): 12 MP, F/2.8, 1.12 µm

• Pixel 8 Pro (telephoto specs): 48 MP, F/2.8, 0.7 µm

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iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Pixel 8 Pro: Ultra-wide photos

Back at the Washington Square Arch, we tested the ultrawide shooters of both phones. Which photo do you prefer?

The top photo is the iPhone 15 Pro Max, while the bottom one is the Google Pixel 8 Pro. The latter’s ultrawide photo retains more detail, which makes sense considering it has a 48MP shooter compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 12MP lens. For example, you will see more scratches, rust and other weathering details on the lamppost.

I can say the same for the ground: you can see more cracks, fissures, and erosion on the Pixel 8 Pro’s ultra-wide shot. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s ultrawide lens is better at reproducing colors and textures.

For example, do you see the woman in the trendy purple jacket? On the iPhone 15 Pro Max version, it picks up more of the metallic material than the rich violet hue. Conversely, in the Pixel 8 Pro’s ultrawide photo, her jacket is slightly more faded.

However, because the Pixel 8 Pro has a wider field of view (126 degrees versus 120 degrees), it captures more landscapes than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

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• iPhone 15 Pro Max (ultra-wide specs): 12 MP, f/2.2, 120 degree field of view

• Google Pixel 8 Pro (ultra-wide specs): 48 MP, f/2.0, 126 degree field of view

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Final thoughts

Do I agree that the Pixel 8 Pro is better than the iPhone? No. However, I’m surprised at how well the device performed in some of our tests, especially when it comes to taking ultra-wide shots.

If I could build the perfect phone, it would have the selfie camera of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the ultrawide shooter of the Pixel 8 Pro, the telephoto hardware of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the 30x zoom of the Google Pixel 8 Pro, and the wide zoom of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. lens.

If you love selfies and want to capture the most realistic version of yourself, choose the iPhone 15 Pro Max to upload to Instagram, Twitter and more. If you are a traveler and enjoy taking photos of grandiose landscapes, get the Pixel 8 Pro.

It’s worth noting that some technology journalists who participated in a blind test own iPhones, and they were shocked that their favorite wide shot is a Pixel 8 Pro. To leave you with a rhetorical question: were you shocked by the photos you liked more?