iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 Camera Shootout: Can Apple’s new sensor beat Google’s computational prowess?
When Google set out to make the Pixel, it probably had the iPhone in mind — a device that Google can have total say over software and hardware, one that represents the purest version of Android, and perhaps become the default Android phone. While Google never really got there — the Pixels never sold well, and the Pixel 5 has effectively exited the premium flagship space to compete at a lower tier. But despite that, the Pixel 5 still has arguably the best main camera on the market. With the iPhone 12 and Google Pixel 5 close in price this year, we figured it’s time to do a good old fashioned camera shootout between Apple’s and Google’s most mainstream phone of 2020, to find out which one is better, the Google Pixel 5 or the Apple iPhone 12?
Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: Specification Comparison
| Specifications | Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|---|---|
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| Dimensions & Weight |
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| Display |
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| Storage Options |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Security | Face ID (TrueDepth camera for facial recognition) | Rear Fingerprint Sensor |
| Rear Camera(s) |
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| Front Camera(s) | 12MP, f/2.2 | 8MP, f/2.0 |
| Port(s) | Proprietary Lightning port | USB-C |
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| Software | iOS 14 | Android 11 |
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| Pricing | Starts at $799 | Starts at $699 |
Camera: Hardware and Design
Both phones sport a dual-camera system in a rounded square-shaped module on the upper left corner on the back of the phone. The iPhone 12 shoots mainly with a 12MP, f/1.6 lens, while the Pixel 5’s main camera is a 12.2MP f/1.7 sensor. The ultra-wide lens of the iPhone 12 is a 12MP, f/2.4 sensor with a really wide field-of-view of 110-degrees. The Pixel 5’s ultra-wide meanwhile is a 16MP, f/2.2 shooter with a 107-degree field-of-view.
Around the front, the iPhone packs another 12MP sensor for selfies, and it’s housed in a giant notch with a host of other sensors for facial scanning. The Pixel 5’s 8MP selfie camera is but a tiny dot compared to the iPhone’s wide cut-out.
Camera App: UI and Features
Both camera app UIs are relatively simple to use compared to other Android brands’ camera UI. There’s no “Pro” (manual) mode on either device, for example, as both Apple and Google believe the average smartphone user is better off just pointing and shooting and letting the computational smarts handle all the tweaking. I agree with the general sentiment, but as a more experienced user, I do miss the ability to adjust white balance or shutter speed on the fly.
Both Apple and Google believe the average smartphone user is better off just pointing and shooting
Still, the Pixel 5’s UI does offer sliders to adjust highlights and shadows in real-time, and I find this more useful than the iPhone’s overall exposure dial. Both phones allow plenty of customization once the photo has been snapped. You can do everything from cropping, adjusting contrast, color temperature.
Each phone excels in post-shot editing in one particular area: the Pixel 5 offers superior photo editing after the shot has been taken, with the ability to apply different portrait filters and even apply new portrait lighting around the face that looks highly realistic.
The iPhone 12’s camera app, meanwhile, allows real-time editing of videos — not just simple tweaks like adjusting the length of the video, but you can even crop the video into a different aspect ratio, or rotate orientation. These are all things all Android phones would require a separate — often paid — video editing app to pull off.
Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: General Photography
Let’s start easy with this first set: these are all photos taken in scenes with consistent, solid-to-good lighting — relatively easy shots for any modern smartphone camera. The point of this set is to see how each phone approaches color science and details. Keep in mind, every set of photos in this article will show in this order: iPhone 12 first, then Pixel 5. And because photos are slightly compressed in this article, I have the full-res versions of all photos in this Flicker album.
Photos are in this order: iPhone 12 first, then Pixel 5
Looking through these photos on my computer monitor, the general theme is that the iPhone 12 pulls in better lit photos, and if I zoom in to actual size, the iPhone 12’s shots are usually sharper with less noise. For example, in the first two photos in the set showing the “Mamaday” coffee shop, if you view the full-size pictures, you can see the inside of the cafe slightly better on the iPhone 12 image than on the Pixel 5 image. Likewise with the photo of the dog — once I go into 100% view, the dog’s face, fur, and tail are more detailed on the iPhone 12’s shot.
(Remember, every set of photos in this article goes in this order: iPhone 12, then Pixel 5)
In the night shot with the red taxi, both shots looked great, with proper exposure across the various lights, but once I zoom in, the Pixel 5’s shot is dimmer in dark spots and details go soft, particularly the lower left of the corner. In the iPhone 12’s photo, you can see the texture of the pavement and the tire a bit better.
However, just viewing them in a smaller form factor — like, say, on a phone screen — I usually prefer the Pixel 5’s shots, mainly due to the fact that I like Pixel’s cooler color science than Apple’s overly warm tones.
Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: High contrast shots
Next up, let’s try something more challenging. These are all shots taken in scenes with high contrast, meaning part of the photo is very well lit, and part of it is drenched in shadows. Both the iPhone 12 and Google Pixel 5 are top-notch cameras because every shot here looks properly balanced. A lesser phone camera, like a mid-range Motorola or Nokia, would have blown out the highlights. Heck, even Samsung’s flagship cameras circa 2017 would have blown out all the lights, particularly in the second to last set of my room facing a window and a computer screen.
Photos are in this order: iPhone 12 first, then Pixel 5
The Google Pixel 5 handles high contrast shots a little better than the Apple iPhone 12
I think overall, the Pixel 5 handles these shots a tad better than the iPhone 12. It makes sense since shots with challenging dynamic range like these require computational photography skills more than hardware. The Pixel has always been ahead of the pack here, although Apple and Huawei have closed the gap a lot. Still, any time I zoom into a bright area, it seems the Pixel’s exposure is just a bit more pleasing to my eyes. The iPhone 12’s feel slightly too bright.
In the above set, the scene out the window is a bit washed out on the iPhone 12’s image. The Pixel 5 found a better balance — my computer screen’s colors look slightly better on the Pixel 5’s shot too. For the shot below, I think the sunny part of the shot has more vibrant colors on the Pixel 5’s shot.
Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: Night shots on the main camera
Next up, night shots with the main 1x/primary camera. I hesitate to call these “low light shots” because Hong Kong, even at night, is a very well-lit city. The cameras agree with me too because both the iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 turn on night mode automatically when it’s shooting in a dim environment, and night mode only turned on in the last set. Instead, I have a separate section for really low light down the article.
Photos are in this order: iPhone 12 first, then Pixel 5
In general, I prefer the Pixel 5’s color science in almost every shot. Particularly the third set of the two street signs. There’s just something about that Pixel color science with the sky being extra blue and shadows coming in particularly moody that appeals to me. Of course, this is all subjective.
Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: Night shots on the ultra-wide camera
Smartphone ultra-wide-angle cameras, due to it having to cover such a wide canvas and having smaller sensors than the main camera, tend to suffer a major drop-off in image quality after the sun sets. Both the iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 remedy this problem by kicking in night mode automatically.
Photos are in this order: iPhone 12 first, then Pixel 5
The results are quite impressive. The Pixel 5’s images tend to be brighter and even; but the iPhone 12’s images have less noise and offer a wider, more unique perspective. Neither of these cameras produces shots that allow much zooming in, as details are relatively soft all around. However, I’d argue the point of ultra-wide-angle cameras is to show off the entire scene — so who would zoom in? This one is a close call, I think I might give the slight win to the Pixel 5.
Portraits/bokeh
I expected this one to be an easy win for the Pixel 5 because the last few Pixels have produced the absolute best portrait shots (aka bokeh images), with the blurry depth-of-field effect looking more natural than other phones, as well as superior edge detection around the subject. But much to my surprise, the iPhone 12 keeps up here, only losing clearly in the bokeh shot of the cup of coffee. This is a huge jump from the iPhone’s part, as even on the last year’s iPhone 11, I found the bokeh effects to work well only for humans, and nothing else.
Photos are in this order: iPhone 12 first, then Pixel 5
Looking closer, I can see the Pixel 5’s edge detection around my hair and the crumpled paper lamp is slightly more natural-looking. However, I am not a fan of how the Pixel recreated my skin.
I think overall I prefer the iPhone’s human portraits despite the slightly worse artificial bokeh effect. But for inanimate objects, the Pixel 5’s shots are clearly better.
Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: Selfies
Both the iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 can capture excellent, realistic selfies, with the last part (realistic) a good or bad thing depending on your personal preference. You can also shoot a standard selfie or opt for an artificial bokeh, and the effects are quite natural too. In general, the iPhone 12 illuminated my face a bit better, but I like the moody vibe of the shadows on my face in the Pixel 5 selfie. In the last set, I took it inside a somewhat dark taxi against backlight, and both did an excellent job exposing the scene outside the window. I don’t really have a winner here — it’s too close to call.
Zoom shots
Neither the iPhone 12 nor the Pixel 5 have a dedicated optical zoom camera, so what you get is just digital zoom. The iPhone 12 maxes out at just 5x, while the Pixel 5 can go up to 7x. The first image below is a 1x shot for reference. Then we see what the two phones can do at 2x, and 5x. Since these are entirely digital zoom, it’s not surprising that Google’s superior computational photography wins out again, as the 5x zoom of the Pixel 5 is clearly better than the terrible 5x zoom of the iPhone 12. Google advertises its zoom tech as “Super Res Zoom,” which employs multi-frame capture techniques to extract extra details — and it works.
But, to be fair, as someone who’s used a bunch of Chinese phones in 2020, neither the iPhone nor the Pixel’s zoom shots impress me. The Huawei Mate 40 Pro‘s 5X zoom blow these out of the water.
5x zoom shots with the iPhone 12 (left), Pixel 5 (middle) and Mate 40 Pro (right).
Extremely low light shots
These shots are taken in really dark scenes. The first scene was captured in one of the few dark alleys I could find in Hong Kong, while the second set was taken in my bedroom at night with all the lights off and just some outside light from the window. The scene was nearly pitch black to my eyes. Both phones, of course, turned on the night mode for these shots.
Photos are in this order: iPhone 12 first, then Pixel 5
Since both of these shots rely heavily on computational photography to artificially insert light where the human eyes can’t even see, there’s not much point in zooming in close and pixel peeping, as both are going to be very soft on details. These are shots that were impossible to capture with any mobile devices up until a few years ago, when Huawei pioneered the night mode with the Huawei P20 Pro.
If I do have to judge these shots, however, I’d say the Pixel kept a more natural color that’s closer to real life, but the iPhone 12 shot has less noise and artifact.
Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: Video
In the clip below is a collection of several videos, including a daytime clip shot on a moving van, a walking clip at night, and a selfie vlog test in relatively low light conditions. The iPhone 12 has better stabilization in almost every clip, and better colors during the day, but at night, the Pixel 5 footage has more pleasing colors to my eyes. In terms of dynamic range and exposure, it’s a toss-up, with the iPhone 12 winning by a hair if I must pick. During the selfie vlogging clip, the Pixel 5 did a much better job of picking up my voice, although the iPhone 12 has a “fuller” sound. My voice is louder and more audible in the Pixel clip, but also flat. In the iPhone 12 clip, my voice is drowned out by ambient noise, but you hear more bass in my voice. Check them out and decide for yourself.
Conclusion: Software is the most important part of the camera
Apple and Google proved once again that with mobile cameras, the software is even more important than hardware, because, despite these two phones hosting rather ordinary camera hardware in terms of pixel count or sensor size, they can still be counted among the very best cameras on the market. Sure, a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or Huawei Mate 40 Pro can go toe-to-toe (and in some cases, beat) these two phones in these same tests, but Samsung and Huawei are using significantly more powerful hardware like a larger sensor and a lot more pixels (and consequently, also have higher pricing).
Google’s software smarts in producing portrait shots remain best-in-class, and Apple’s video recording prowess still tops everyone else. But what makes these two cameras so great for most people is how easy it is to use. The camera app is easy to navigate, without the clutter of Samsung or Huawei’s camera UI, and focus speeds are fast. There’s also consistency across all shots with the iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 in terms of color science, which is something I can’t say confidently about any other Android phone.
Google’s software smarts in producing portrait shots remain best-in-class, and Apple’s video recording prowess still tops everyone else.
Overall, if I must pick a camera winner, I’d pick the Pixel 5 by a hair, because I prefer its color science for most shots. But this is totally a personal preference.
iPhone 12 и Pixel 5 сошлись в битве камер [ВИДЕО]
Вслед за Samsung Galaxy S20 FE журналист издания Phandroid Ник Грей протестировал возможности съёмки базовой версии iPhone 12. Его соперником по фотобитве оказался Google Pixel 5 — аппарат фирменной серии, визитной карточкой которой стал модуль основной камеры.
Тыльный блок iPhone 12 включает два сенсора: 12 Мп (f/1.6, 26 мм) + 12 Мп (f/2.4, 120˚, 13 мм). Селфи-модуль флагмана получил датчик с аналогичным разрешением и диафрагмой f/2.2.
Блок тыльной камеры Pixel 5 также состоит из двух модулей: основного 12,2-мегапиксельного (f/1.7, 27 мм, 1/2,55″, 1,4 мкм, OIS) и широкоугольного на 16 Мп (f/2.2, 107˚, 1,0 мкм). Фронталка гаджета представлена единственным сенсором с разрешением 8 Мп (f/2.0).
В дисциплине записи видео лидером стал iPhone 12, продемонстрировавший лучшую цветопередачу и чёткость изображения. Особенно заметна разница в его пользу была при съёмке в условиях низкой освещённости. Гаджет Apple, по мнению блогера, также вырвался вперёд по части качества стабилизации.
При съёмке фото на фронтальный модуль оба устройства добились хорошего результата практически в любых сценариях, однако в ряде случаев Pixel 5 обеспечил лучшую детализацию изображения.
Аналогичная картина наблюдалась и при активации ночного режима. Получить качественные снимки автору обзора удалось с использованием обеих моделей, однако временами смартфон Google демонстрировал более чёткую картинку.
При использовании 2-кратного оптического зума оба устройства показали отличный результат. А вот при съёмке на широкоугольный объектив победителем оказался iPhone 12 за счёт лучшего угла обзора встроенной оптики.
Фотографии, сделанные на улице и в помещении в дневное время, продемонстрировали разницу между моделями по части баланса белого — при съёмке на iPhone 12 цвета оказались более тёплыми. При использовании телеобъектива эффект размытия у смартфона Google на некоторых фото был более выражен, однако изображение основного объекта оказалось качественным на обеих моделях.
Резюмируя итоги сравнения, журналист отметил, iPhone 12 гораздо лучше справился с записью видео, однако уступил Pixel 5 в детализации снимков при съёмке фотографий.
iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5: Camera face-off
By Adam Ismail 25 October 2020
The iPhone 12 are Pixel 5 two of the best camera phones you can buy. But which is better?
The $699 Google Pixel 5 and $799 iPhone 12 are rebuttals to the notion that one needs to spend upwards of $1,000 for a smartphone with excellent cameras.
Both of these devices have primary wide-angle and ultrawide lenses, both are loaded with software tricks like night modes and simulated bokeh effects for portraits and both are among the best camera phones available now, especially considering what they cost.
But which camera phone is best? To find out, we staged a handful of photo comparisons between the iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 in similar scenarios. What we observed may surprise you — while the results from both phones dazzle, sometimes they can be very different, and choosing a winner isn’t easy.
Your preference may depend on the kinds of photos you like to take, as each handset certainly exhibits advantages and disadvantages. Read on for our in-depth iPhone 12 vs. Google Pixel 5 camera comparison.
iPhone 12 vs. Google Pixel 5: Camera specs compared
Before we get into the side-by-side image comparisons, let’s take a look at the imaging hardware. Both the iPhone 12 and Google Pixel 5 have dual-lens rear cameras and both also have wide and ultrawide lenses, but there’s some key differences.
The iPhone 12 packs a 12-megapixel primary wide-angle shooter with a new 7-element lens and ƒ/1.6 aperture, the fastest ever in an iPhone. These improvements are said to allow 27% more light to reach the image sensor, thus enhancing the detail and color of low-light images. The ultrawide camera is also rated at 12MP, with an ƒ/2.4 aperture.
The Pixel 5 utilizes Google’s tried-and-true 12.2MP, ƒ/1.7 primary shooter (also present in the Pixel 4a and 4a 5G) accompanied by a 16MP, ƒ/2.2 ultrawide lens with a 107˚field of view. This is narrower than the 120˚ perspective of the iPhone 12’s ultrawide lens, meaning that the Pixel won’t be able to fit quite as much of a given scene in the frame using its secondary optic as the iPhone can — a fact you’ll soon see in our side-by-side comparisons.
On the front, the iPhone 12 features a 12MP, ƒ/2.2 camera for selfies, while the Pixel 5’s front-facing shooter comes in the form of a decidedly low-resolution 8MP, ƒ/2.0 front camera.
Round 1: Creek
We begin our face-off with a pair of images of a picturesque creek at the peak of autumn. Both offer stunning detail and clarity, and really make you remark on how far mobile imaging in a relatively short amount of time.
Look closely, though, and differences slowly reveal themselves. More light bounces off of the water in the iPhone 12’s shot, compared to the Pixel 5’s. The shadows in the brush and leaves captured by Apple’s phone are brighter than they are in the Pixel 5’s rendition. And yet, the Pixel 5 brings more attention to the specular highlights and light being picked up by the leaves above the creek, filtering the sun’s rays as they shine down.
Overall, personally I want to give the nod to the Pixel 5 here, for its superior contrast and deeper greens, especially in the darker regions of the frame. Most phone makers tune their imaging algorithms to decrease the strength of shadows, and while neither Apple or Google are the worst offenders in that respect, I do feel that in this particular instance, Google’s device is more willing to preserve the weight of shadows, which in turn adds more body and richness to the scene. Still, there’s very little between the two.
Round 2: Portrait
Next we have a pair of portraits, both of which employ each device’s Portrait Mode. Neither device has a telephoto lens, which means portraits end up being quite removed from the subject. However, the Pixel 5 does automatically crop into the frame somewhat, neutralizing the need to get up close.
There are aspects of each image to commend here. The Pixel 5 better picks up the sunlight hitting my colleague Jesse’s face; it also provides more detail within the deepest shadows of the scene, on his right shoulder.
However, the iPhone 12 takes this round for two reasons in particular: sharpness and noise (or, rather, lack thereof). The iPhone’s rendition is so much crisper overall even when you zoom in, which is honestly an incredible feat considering this shot was captured by a regular wide-angle camera, rather than a telephoto with an optical advantage. Apple’s device also better isolates Jesse from his background, and paints a smoother bokeh across the wall of trees behind him.
Winner: iPhone 12
Round 3: Flower (2x zoom)
While neither the iPhone 12 nor Pixel 5 has a dedicated optical zoom lens, they both have the ability to zoom digitally. And this comparison highlights what I find to be the biggest weakness of every iPhone camera — not just the one in the iPhone 12.
For the last few generations of Pixels, Google has employed a technology it calls Super Res Zoom to improve the sharpness and general quality of digital zoom beyond what you used to typically get from most smartphones. I say «used to» because many phone makers on the Android side, from Samsung to OnePlus, use similar systems. When digital zoom is done well in this way, you don’t lament the lack of true optical zoom quite as much.
Apple, however, isn’t doing that — or if it is, we can’t tell. Here we’ve employed 2x zoom on each phone to close in on this flower, and the Pixel 5 delivers noticeably more detail near the center of the petals, picking out the yellow spots and nuance in the petals’ texture. Behind the scenes, the Pixel 5 is using a combination of artificial intelligence and natural hand movement to essentially reconstruct the scene, filling in pixels on the image sensor that would normally have to be inferred.
Whatever the iPhone 12 is doing to enhance zoom here, it doesn’t appear to be working quite as well. The iPhone 12’s shot is generally noisier and blurrier, with the difference in quality becoming more obvious the closer you look.
Round 4: Night with ultrawide
New for the iPhone 12 is the ability to capture Night Mode shots with any of the phone’s cameras, rather than just the main wide-angle optic alone. Thus, here you see two photos, taken using each device’s respective night mode and ultrawide lens.
It’s plain to see there’s a massive difference in the results here, for a couple reasons. First, the iPhone 12’s wider field-of-view definitely plays a role, corralling more of the surrounding environment in the frame, at the expense of increasing distortion at the fringes. Anyone hoping to use their handset for the widest ultrawide shots, then, are going to want to spring for the iPhone.
On the other hand, if you’re planning to do more night photography with your next smartphone, you should probably choose the Pixel 5 instead. Google’s device clearly lights more of this scene, while the iPhone 12’s visibility seems to be constrained to a narrow cone in the center of the image that is the most well-lit.
The iPhone’s shot also gets very blurred at the fringes, which results in a trippy tilt-shift like phenomenon. I wouldn’t call the Pixel 5’s example perfect by any measure, but it’s at least far more consistent, and for that it emerges ahead here.
Round 5: Painting
These two shots of the same painting indoors provide a good opportunity for the iPhone 12 to show off what its Deep Fusion mode can do. This technology relies on a wealth of information captured across many exposures to deliver an optimized final result designed to punch up clarity and fidelity within really fine details, like the texture of the canvas and the globs of paint seen here.
The thing is, I’m not entirely sure Deep Fusion has honed in on those details better than whatever Google’s approach is. To my eye, the Pixel 5’s rendition is sharper, with more of the canvas’ hatchwork texture being discernible. There’s of course an apparent difference in white balance, and I prefer the warmth of the iPhone’s tuning in this particular instance. In terms of mid-lighting detail though, Google has the last word for now.
Round 6: Car (4x zoom)
Here we see another zoom comparison that truly challenges the limits of what these two phones can do. Unfortunately, neither is particularly great, with the low late-afternoon sun descending right behind the garage at the moment these shots were taken, causing a haze to permeate the air between this classic car and I.
At first glance, the iPhone 12’s attempt actually seems a bit sharper here despite the 4x distance. But when you zoom in, you begin to see precisely how the device achieves this, with heavy pixelation somewhat resembling the nearest neighbor effect in Photoshop that is especially evident in the brightest areas of the frame, like the vehicle’s chrome trim. Details like the license plate and the vegetation behind the car seem cleaner and more natural through the Pixel’s lens, though the almost sepia-like cast contributes to muted contrast that satisfies less than the iPhone’s slightly-cool take. In the end, neither really comes out ahead.
Round 7: Selfie
Finally, here we see a couple selfies of yours truly that look very different, despite identical conditions. The iPhone 12 undeniably claims the sharper portrait here, thanks to its higher-megapixel sensor. The Pixel 5, however, benefits from bolder colors, with increased contrast making for a potentially more realistic shot, though my eyes definitely look more sunken in as a result. Given that most people are inclined to share selfies that make them look better, not worse, I’m drawn toward the iPhone 12’s attempt.
Winner: iPhone 12
Round 8: Video
If we’re discussing the iPhone 12’s camera capabilities, we have to talk about video, not just stills. The iPhone 12’s new main lens can make 5,000 adjustments per second to deliver better optical image stabilization than ever before. Additionally, the iPhone 12 can capture Dolby Vision 4K HDR video — something you can’t do with any other smartphone, at least at the moment. Apple’s device can record 4K video up to 60 frames per second, though to get Dolby Vision, you’ll need to cap it at 30 fps. (The iPhone 12 Pro can achieve Dolby Vision at 60 fps.)
That’s not to say the Pixel 5 doesn’t have some video tricks up its sleeve as well. A quartet of new stabilization modes give you greater control of how the camera deals with motion, whether intentional or unexpected. However, while the Pixel 5 can record 4K video at 60 fps, it can’t capture HDR at any resolution or frame rate, which arguably puts it at a serious disadvantage in this age of HDR displays becoming the norm.
Now, you might not be able to see the difference between HDR and non-HDR video in your browser window. That said, you can see the difference in the general smoothness of video and each phone’s respective stabilization technologies from the examples we’ve provided. The Pixel’s clip might dampen movements a little more softly, especially at the start of the video where I descend down a few stairs. But the difference isn’t vast by any measure, and the iPhone’s far brighter highlights and darker shadows, afforded by its HDR capabilities, make it the clear winner where video is concerned anyhow.
Winner: iPhone 12
Winner: Pixel 5
If I was choosing one of these phones primarily on the basis of photo quality, I’d opt for the Pixel 5 for its digital zoom, Night Sight mode, and superior auto white balancing, which I found to produce more pleasing results than the oftentimes cool-tinted output of the iPhone 12. That said, I do like the iPhone 12 for shallow depth-of-field portraits and selfies, and even where Apple falls behind Google in some respects, it doesn’t straggle by much.
| iPhone 12 | Pixel 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Creek | X | |
| Portrait | X | |
| Flower (2x zoom) | X | |
| Night (with ultrawide) | X | |
| Painting | X | |
| Car (4x zoom) | X | X |
| Selfie | X | |
| Video | X | |
| Total | 4 | 5 |
However, there’s a big caveat to my verdict, and you can probably already guess what it is. Apple’s video suite is plainly better thanks to Dolby Vision HDR support built right in, which will make any content you capture look fantastic on your iPhone’s screen or a compatible HDR TV or monitor.
The Pixel 5 offers a wider breadth of optical stabilization options, giving you a lot of range to determine how you want the camera to respond if you’re panning or moving in a certain way, but the iPhone 12’s stabilization system is good enough out of the box. If you tend to record a lot of video on your handset, go with the iPhone 12.
Adam Ismail is a staff writer at Jalopnik and previously worked on Tom’s Guide covering smartphones, car tech and gaming. His love for all things mobile began with the original Motorola Droid; since then he’s owned a variety of Android and iOS-powered handsets, refusing to stay loyal to one platform. His work has also appeared on Digital Trends and GTPlanet. When he’s not fiddling with the latest devices, he’s at an indie pop show, recording a podcast or playing Sega Dreamcast.
http://4pda.to/2020/10/27/377389/
http://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/iphone-12-vs-google-pixel-5-camera-face-off