iPhone 17 Professional vs. Pixel 10 Professional XL: Pitting Cellphone Digicam Royalty Towards Every Different

I will take virtually any excuse to get out within the fall leaves this time of 12 months. This scene has all of it: fallen leaves, lengthy shadows, clear crisp climate and even a person in a crimson shirt to attract consideration. Each pictures are nice representations of the second, although the iPhone’s colours are a bit of extra punchy with out being oversaturated. Oddly, the foreground department within the Pixel’s picture is barely out of focus, although it is solely noticeable should you zoom in. We’ll come again to this scene with the telephoto cameras later.

When testing cameras, I are likely to search for spots the place persons are more likely to take pictures. I additionally like to search out ones which may problem a smartphone digicam: darkish shadows within the foreground, a vivid mild supply within the center and many little particulars like leaves and sailboat masts that may be tough for any digicam. 

Each cameras have executed nicely right here, too. The colours within the iPhone shot appear extra pure to my eye, whereas the Pixel is ever so barely muted. However actually, they’re each pretty.

Did I point out difficult? Let’s fireplace into the solar on a foggy morning. Once more, I am proud of each pictures. There’s loads of softness across the solar as the sunshine blends outward, and the white steadiness is underneath management in each. When you pixel-peep, you will discover the Pixel 10 Professional XL is a contact sharper — take a look at the road lamp connected to the phone pole on the proper edge — but in addition extra noisy in the dead of night areas, just like the fence at left.

Not each pair of photographs was related, and this scene was a shock. Initially, the colour was means off with the iPhone: very blue and unexpectedly saturated. After some investigating, I spotted the iPhone was set to seize with the Shiny photographic type by default, a brand new function in iOS 26. I’ve had that chosen since I bought the iPhone 17 Professional, and usually, it does create a punchy, participating photograph. However right here it went overboard.

Switching to the Customary type introduced the tones and colours again in line, though they’re nonetheless too cool blue for my style. The Pixel 10 Professional XL has executed an excellent job rendering a extra trustworthy model of the scene with the nice and cozy fall hues.

Trying on the sculpture from just a few toes again, the iPhone continues to be obsessive about making the whole lot blue. Even after setting the photographic type to Customary, the sky nonetheless seems to be unnaturally saturated. The Pixel 10 Professional XL, once more, nails the colour.

On this photograph, I am not simply trying to see how the cameras rendered the topic in shade with vivid daylight within the background, but in addition how every telephone handles its Portrait mode. That is the gentle background impact (bokeh) created in software program as a result of on the essential cameras’ focal lengths, the look is tough to realize naturally.

I am completely happy to report that each cameras have improved the modes over time — the Pixel 10 Professional XL can apply Portrait mode when capturing within the 50-megapixel high-res mode — with natural-looking bokeh and minimal artifacts across the topic. On this case, I favor the Pixel 10 Professional XL picture due to the look on her face, however the lighting and shade of the iPhone 17 Professional photograph is healthier total (I ought to have saved snapping pictures with the iPhone till I bought a greater expression).

This set of pictures reveals one other shock that turned out to be constant all through my expertise. They’re each related, however the Pixel tends to be extra restrained in tone, shade and saturation. Not essentially flat, however it’s virtually as if Google is attempting to atone for the over-processed sins of previous smartphone cameras.

The iPhone photograph is a bit of hotter, brighter and extra contrasty; take a look at the cement walkway on the bottom-left nook. I am not saying both photograph is dangerous; it was a vivid, cloudless day. However like Andrew Lanxon did in his iPhone 17 Professional/Samsung S25 Extremely shootout, I favor extra pure, much less contrasty photographs generally. In that comparability, the iPhone was the mannequin of restraint, however right here, it is the one offering extra pop total.

This man will get included as a result of that vest and people glasses simply make him look cool.

iPhone 17 Professional vs. Pixel 10 Professional XL: Ultrawide digicam

The ultrawide cameras in every telephone stay largely unchanged from their earlier fashions.

What’s notable concerning the ultrawide cameras is one thing you do not see: distortion. Apple and Google have executed nicely to routinely appropriate for warped edges. The highest railing in each pictures does not bend again towards the viewer as one would anticipate with an especially huge lens. By way of shade and tone, the iPhone seems to be higher to me with its extra vibrant greens and brighter publicity.

On this tight bend within the highway, the iPhone is brighter and hotter than the Pixel 10 Professional XL.

iPhone 17 Professional vs. Pixel 10 Professional XL: Zoom high quality

One purpose to purchase a Professional telephone is to shoot with a telephoto digicam that reaches farther than you’ll be able to transfer your toes. The telephoto on the iPhone 17 Professional now lastly has a 48-megapixel sensor and affords a 4x optical zoom, whereas the Pixel 10 Professional XL’s 48-megapixel digicam has a 5x optical zoom.

However we even have to contemplate the 2x (each), 8x (iPhone) and 10x (Pixel) ranges, which every firm calls “optical picture high quality,” as a result of these use a crop of the principle digicam and the telephoto digicam, respectively.

I promised we would get again to this scene for an excellent purpose. From the identical spot as the principle digicam picture earlier, these use the 4x and 5x zoom ranges of every digicam. For a fall-color photograph, I am a fan of the brighter, extra saturated iPhone photograph. The Pixel shot can also be good, however barely muted compared to tamp down the highlights on the leaves. In every photograph, the headline of the signal affixed to the bench is clearly readable — an indication so distant that I did not even discover it from the vantage level the place the pictures had been taken.

Right here I’m going once more, taking pictures immediately into the solar. However this time it is with the iPhone’s 8x zoom and the Pixel’s 10x zoom. They’ve each dealt with the brightness and shade of the final moments earlier than sundown nicely, however the iPhone has captured the solar’s glow higher and has higher managed the sunshine fringing on the clouds. Notably, although, the infamous lens flare from the iPhone is a giant distraction, whereas the Pixel has prevented it.

One shock about photographing with these two telephones is that I am reaching for the 2x zoom stage extra typically, which is a crop of the principle digicam’s sensor, and never the telephoto digicam. On this pair, the iPhone’s white steadiness lighting up the fog in gold hues grabs my eye instantly. The Pixel seems to be prefer it desires to present a “appropriate” temperature, not one which displays the situations. That stated, the sunshine streaks are extra dramatic within the Pixel’s photograph, and it is sharper total. Nonetheless, I favor the iPhone’s model.

Additionally value mentioning: Google’s processing has delivered a 50-megapixel picture, so though it is recording simply the center portion of the sensor, the ultimate shot is upscaled nicely. The iPhone at 2x data a 12-megapixel photograph, no matter which decision mode you’ve got chosen.

One other photograph shot utilizing the 2x zoom ranges in every digicam. The Pixel 10 Professional XL’s essential digicam has a barely narrower discipline of view in comparison with the iPhone, so when cropped within the framing is a bit of tighter. And right here we see the iPhone photograph being brighter and extra saturated, although not by lots. Nonetheless, the Pixel picture comes throughout as muted — I would wish to punch up the colour and brightness in modifying later if this had been the one digicam I had with me.

Listed here are two examples of why an extended telephoto choice is nice to have in a telephone. I am all for “zooming along with your toes,” however a mountain that is miles away is not going to be a lot larger within the body with out a complete lot of strolling. With a telephoto, nonetheless, it is just like the mountain involves me.

The iPhone 17 Professional photograph of Mount Adams at 4x zoom captures numerous element within the grass, the timber and the mountain itself, all at 48-megapixel decision. Nevertheless, it does really feel underexposed to me on the grey, cloudy day.

The Pixel 10 Professional XL picture at 5x can also be stuffed with element and backbone, however has higher shade and publicity. Straight out of the digicam, the Pixel takes this one.

With an 8x and 10x zoom, the compression of the mountain, cloud and timber creates an much more dramatic photograph. Once more, the Pixel’s publicity and shade have created a greater picture. The Pixel picture has been scaled as much as 50 megapixels from the telephoto sensor’s crop, so credit score to the processing right here. The iPhone’s 8x zoom creates 12-megapixel photographs; it is extra true to what the sensor is recording, however you do not get as many pixels total. That stated, decision is not the whole lot, and the 8x pictures have been constantly good.

After the 2 Mount Adams pictures during which the Pixel 10 Professional XL ran counter to its pattern, on this 2x zoom instance, it is again to being extra muted and fewer vibrant. The iPhone 17 Professional renders the yellow leaves, inexperienced moss and a extra pleasing total publicity. It isn’t that the Pixel rendered a nasty picture, however for this scene, the iPhone higher matches what I noticed.

iPhone 17 Professional vs. Pixel 10 Professional XL: Evening modes

We’re used to telephone cameras just like the Pixel and iPhone dealing with low-light and night time pictures virtually effortlessly, however it’s nonetheless one of many harder duties a smartphone digicam takes on.

Technically, these pictures do not rely as Evening mode photographs as a result of, though it was nightfall and quickly getting darkish, each cameras had sufficient mild to shoot the scene with their essential cameras at full 48- and 50-megapixel resolutions. Right here I’d favor the iPhone’s barely hotter tones, however they’re each acceptable photographs.

Let’s pile on the darkness: Nighttime outdoors, taking an image by means of the window of a darkish bar with a full spectrum of lighting. The colours are nice in each, and the Pixel 10 Professional XL picture is high-resolution sufficient to learn the poster inside and even some recognizable bottle labels. The iPhone 17 Professional’s picture is 12 megapixels, however it additionally seems to be good. There are just a few areas of movement blur in each pointing to longer shutter speeds, however that is not a shock in a dimly lit atmosphere like this.

Is it too early for vacation lights? Not right here. Though the pictures are related, zooming in reveals extra decision and element within the Pixel 10 Professional XL photograph. It is a bit of gentle in particulars just like the brick sample on the bell tower. Each pictures had been captured utilizing the principle cameras, not the ultrawide, as you would possibly suppose from the angle of the tower.

iPhone 17 Professional vs. Pixel 10 Professional XL: Selfie

Who would have guessed {that a} selfie digicam would get among the largest enhancements this 12 months? The iPhone 17 Professional now contains an 18-megapixel digicam with a sq. sensor that may seize vertical or horizontal selfies with out turning the bodily telephone. The Pixel 10 Professional XL’s entrance digicam is identical 42-megapixel sensor from the earlier 12 months’s mannequin, however it outputs solely 10-megapixel photographs.

To not be repetitive, however the outcomes from the selfie cameras largely match what we have seen with the rear cameras: The iPhone’s picture is brighter and extra saturated, although in direct daylight, the sunshine on my face comes near getting blown out to white. The Pixel’s picture is once more muted, presumably correcting for the brilliant daylight.

After I stepped again into the shadow of the tree, the pictures had been extra related in tone and shade. The iPhone might have a slight edge right here by way of the saturation within the leaves, however as for the distracted man within the center, there’s loads of element in each the facial hair and the patterned sweater.

iPhone 17 Professional vs. Pixel 10 Professional XL: Which has the higher digicam?