Google Pixel Camera Review

We've reached a point in mobile photography where just about every high-end smartphone these days is more or less capable of taking a perfectly good photo. At this point, all we can do is nitpick, zooming into 100% crops and analyzing every last Pixel. By now we've all heard Google's claims that the camera in their new line of Pixel smartphones isn't just one of the best smartphone cameras on the market — it's the king of them all.

Well, that's if DxOMark's review is to be believed, with the Google Pixel receiving high-marks in just about every area, narrowly beating out even the Samsung Galaxy S7 with its camera prowess. So what's so special about the Pixel? Well, on camera hardware is on part with most other offerings. The Pixel is equipped with a 12.3MP Sony IMX378 image sensor that features 1.55um pixels and an f/2.0 lens to help capture more light. There aren't too many devices using this same hardware, but the guys at XDA had a great write up of everything the sensor is technically capable of. But it's in the software and Google's finely tuned image processing where the Pixel truly shines.

HDR+ Auto is your best friend

We know, most phones these days feature some type of HDR mode in their camera app (with varying results). Even last year's Nexus devices featured HDR+, but nobody is doing it the way Google does on the Pixel. First off, HDR+ is now instant. There's no delay when capturing photos like we saw on previous Nexus devices. That's because the Pixel's HDR+ is leveraging the Snapdragon 821's new Hexagon digital signal processor processor.

This allows the camera to begin capturing RAW photos in the background as soon as the camera app is opened. These images are all underexposed and once combined (after the shutter button is pressed), produces a much sharper, less noisy shot with dramatically more detail in highlights that would normally be blown out in other smartphone cameras. Unfortunately, this doesn't do much for lightening up shadows (something the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 excel at with their respective HDR methods), but it is what it is. Because the Pixel's camera doesn't have to take a single loooong exposure like on other devices, it's a big reason why Google didn't feel the need to include OIS on the Pixel — they don't need it. As for video, we'll get to that later…

HDR+ Off, Auto, On

That's not to say the images the Pixel captures are perfect. There's a fair amount of noise. A great deal more than what you normally see on competing devices and depending on who you ask, this could be off-putting. This was actually a conscious move by Google to preserve finer details in photos — a stark contrast to the noise filtering you see on most smartphones these days, resulting in a watercolor-like effect that looks artificial. With the Pixel, you'll see concrete for what it is, couch fibers, hair, pimples — every detail and imperfection. Sure it's a little more noisy, but it's a worthwhile trade-off if you ask us.

Although we'd give the Pixel the slight edge in outdoor daytime shots, it's during moderate to low light situations where the phone absolutely blows past the competition. Simply put, no phone out there can match this level of image quality. We're not talking about taking photos in pitch darkness, but indoors or restaurant lighting where devices like the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 struggle. Not only do they lose much of their detail, photos are mostly washed out at higher ISOs, practically monochrome in some instances. The Pixel's HDR+ on the other hand, pulls much richer colors in low light — all without blowing out highlights, a pitfall of other cameras who use slower shutter speeds to capture more light. In almost ever instance we could test, the difference was like night and day. The Pixel's HDR+ is a force to be reckoned. I will say I think I still prefer the (slower) method on previous Nexus devices, but it's really hard to compete with zero shutter lag.

The downside to using HDR+ Auto on the Pixel? There really is none — so leave it on 24/7.

My only issue with HDR+ Auto/On

My only complaint is the way Google named the two HDR+ shooting modes. On most devices, "HDR Auto" means the phone decides when is the best time to use HDR (like when there's a lot of really dark and bright areas in a shot). Sometimes it engages, sometimes it doesn't. This is much different on the Pixel where HDR+ Auto means HDR+ will always be used. For every shot. The only time it's not used is when you fire off too many shots and the phone's buffer can't keep up. For instance, taking 5 shots in rapid succession will cause HDR+ to skip the 6th and subsequent shots unless you give it a quick second to finish buffering.

I also thought that HDR+ Auto would occasionally trigger that extreme HDR we see with HDR+ On, but it doesn't. So once again, having HDR+ Auto enabled means it will always be used.

HDR+ On, aka Super HDR+

When it comes to the HDR+ On mode, you may be thinking that (like with every other camera out there) it simply means HDR+ will be used for every shot. But if that's already what HDR+ Auto does — what is the difference? Well, think of HDR+ On as a more extreme version of HDR+ Auto. Almost like a really super extreme version of HDR+ if you will.

Where as HDR+ Auto gently brings down highlights, HDR+ On is much more aggressive. It's closer to real HDR photographs you see with DSLRs which means it often times comes off as looking artificial. It doesn't do much to bring out shadows, but sometimes you'll find a teensy bit more detail in dark areas.

There's decent shutter lag too, just like with HDR+ on older Nexuses. Shots take about 1 second to fully capture a photo. It's definitely not for everyone and unlike previous Nexus devices — where HDR+ On was perfect for low lighting conditions — there's significant noise using HDR+ On in low light (much more than HDR+ Auto). But if you're taking a picture of a building at night and want to get all the brightly lit details inside, it can be perfect for that.

Front facing camera using HDR+ Off, Auto, On

The front facing camera also reaps the benefits of the Pixel's amazing HDR+ modes. There's a crazy amount of color detail (almost to a fault), with selfies that are always perfectly exposed, even in low light. On every other smartphone, I never understood how people could willingly choose to use a sh*tty front facing camera to capture a special moment but on the Pixel, there's very little sacrifice. Simply put: thanks to HDR+, this is the best front facing camera around, hands down.

Video so stable, it's like magic

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Source: Google Pixel Camera Review