00:00Nothing has yet to top the iPhone 15 Pro Max when it comes to photography despite new flagships
00:05coming out.
00:06The latest challenger to the throne is none other than the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL which
00:10is backed by new cameras and features that aims to make it one of the best camera phones
00:14around.
00:15This is 200 photos with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the iPhone 15 Pro Max to once and
00:20for all declare which is the better one.
00:23A while back I compared the Pixel 8 Pro against the iPhone 15 Pro Max only to find it was
00:27an easy win for Apple.
00:29With its 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra wide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, and
00:35a 42MP autofocus selfie shooter, is the Pixel 9 Pro XL ready to take on the iPhone 15 Pro
00:41Max with its 48MP main snapper, 12MP ultra wide, 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom,
00:49and a 12MP selfie cam?
00:51This time my colleagues and I collaborated to shoot all 200 photos with both phones in
00:55hand.
00:56Let's get started.
00:58Starting off with the main cameras, these photos look pretty similar here at the park.
01:02Overall I think they do an excellent job with the contrast of the light and shaded areas.
01:07But it's only when I zoom into the photos that I see that the iPhone 15 Pro Max pulling
01:11in this slightly sharper image.
01:13It's only noticeable with the leaves around the bench in the foreground.
01:16It's a close one but the iPhone 15 Pro Max takes the early lead.
01:20Next up let's take a look at their ultra wide cameras.
01:22I do want to point out that the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a wider 123 degree field of view while
01:27the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 120 degree one.
01:32That's why you see more of the church and the surrounding area with the shot taken with
01:35the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
01:37And adding to that is the superior dynamic range performance of the Pixel 9 Pro XL which
01:41better gives the church that epic glow with the sun behind it.
01:44The Pixel 9 Pro XL looks more majestic and gets my pick.
01:49Speaking of dynamic range the Pixel 9 Pro XL more often than not delivers the better
01:53performance.
01:54The green bush has the same brilliant glow as the church shot from before all while neutralizing
01:59the exposure throughout the scene.
02:00I can tell that the highlights with the iPhone 15 Pro Max are a little overexposed.
02:05The Pixel 9 Pro has more balanced lighting and it gets its first lead.
02:09What about color reproduction?
02:10Oddly enough the iPhone 15 Pro Max boosts the exposure in these shots resulting in the
02:15colors coming out more eye catching and vibrant.
02:18The Pixel 9 Pro XL's colors are just as pleasant but they just look more subdued compared to
02:23the iPhone's bolder colors.
02:25Tying things up the iPhone 15 Pro Max has the punchier colors that I think most people
02:29would prefer.
02:30Now let's check out their macro photos.
02:33Macro mode automatically kicks in whenever both phones get super close to the subject.
02:38Between the two I'm giving it to the iPhone 15 Pro Max because it produces the brighter
02:43image with more definition in the details.
02:45It's hard to see unless you zoom in tightly into the petals around the flower.
02:48It's a close one but the iPhone 15 Pro Max takes the slightly better macros.
02:53Moving on to selfies here are a few that my colleague Richard shot of himself with both
02:57front facing cameras.
02:58As you can probably tell both had a tough time with his glasses but I'm actually shocked
03:02by how the other results are almost identical.
03:04You'd think that the 42MP selfie camera of the Pixel 9 Pro XL would draw out more detail
03:10But the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 12MP TrueDepth cam does just as good of a job at capturing
03:15all the details like his scruff and the hairline.
03:18The only reason I'm giving it to the iPhone is because of how the background is brighter
03:22and produces those spherical bokeh balls.
03:25Now let's check out their panoramas.
03:27This one's easy because of the iPhone 15 Pro Max's brighter image.
03:31Both phones make it easy to capture panoramas which are both filled with excellent detail
03:35all around.
03:36You can even make out the individual planks on the benches snaking throughout the shot.
03:40In the building in the background the iPhone does a better job boosting the shadowed areas.
03:44With its better exposure in the shadows the iPhone 15 Pro Max is starting to pull away
03:48with its lead.
03:50One of the reasons why you'd buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max is because of its 5x optical zoom
03:55lens.
03:56So let's see how it stacks up against the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
03:59The great thing about both phones is that they do an excellent job at getting you closer
04:03to your subjects thanks to their dedicated telephoto cameras with 5x optical zoom.
04:08Although I'm calling it a tie here with these shots of the street sign.
04:12On one hand I love how the Pixel 9 Pro XL produces a brighter image but the iPhone 15
04:17Pro Max has better sharpness.
04:19Obviously it'll come down to personal preference but I think they both take excellent photos.
04:24Taking it a step further let's take a look at their maximum zoom range.
04:27We captured these photos using their max zooms 30x with the Pixel 9 Pro XL and 25x for the
04:33iPhone 15 Pro Max.
04:35There's clearly more softening as a result which is typical at this range but I'm going
04:39to give it to the iPhone here.
04:41Both phones capture the textures of the bricks and stairs but if we zoom into the sign itself
04:46the iPhone 15 Pro Max clearly captures better definition with the city of Westminster sign.
04:52Even though the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has the further reach the iPhone 15 Pro Max consistently
04:57takes the sharper images.
05:00What about when things get darker?
05:02I'm really surprised by this one given how the iPhone 15 Pro Max did better at low light
05:06against the Pixel 8 Pro when I tested them.
05:09This time it's the opposite with the Pixel 9 Pro XL delivering the brighter image with
05:12night sight.
05:13The room's almost pitch dark in these shots but yet the Pixel 9 Pro XL makes it look like
05:18there's some ambient light hitting the plants on the shelves.
05:21I will say that they both capture fine details like the textures of the walls and wooden
05:25shelves but it's just the boost in exposure that pulls the Pixel ahead.
05:29Google wasn't bluffing when they said that the Pixel 9 Pro was going to be a champ in
05:32low light and that's definitely a strong win here.
05:38I'll hand it to Google for all the camera improvements with the Pixel 9 Pro XL but it
05:42still can't match the overall performance of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
05:46I will say that I'm not surprised by how much better it handles low light which is one clear
05:50area where the iPhone 15 Pro Max was better at than last year's Pixel 8 Pro.
05:55It's a win yet again for Apple which goes to show why it's the best phone for photography.
06:00What do you guys think?
06:01Let me know in the comments below.
06:02Make sure to watch all our videos on the Pixel 9 on our channel, follow us on social at Tom's
06:07Guide.
06:08I'm John B. and I'll see you in my next video.
06:11Yeah look at that bush.
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