Google Pixel 6 vs. Pixel 6 Professional: Which digital camera is healthier?

Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro wowed us of their full evaluations due to their enticing designs, clear Android 12 interface and stable total efficiency. I even discovered the Pixel 6 Professional’s digital camera to be an actual rival to the iPhone 13 Pro once I put the two phones side by side, with the ability to take beautiful, well-exposed images in any circumstances. It is why the Pixel 6 Professional earned a coveted CNET Editors’ Alternative award.

The Pixel 6 is the smaller of the 2 telephones and it comes at an affordable $599 — a giant money saving over the Pixel 6 Professional’s $899 asking value. However does that lower cost imply you will have to noticeably compromise digital camera efficiency? Each telephones have 50-megapixel main-camera sensors, backed up by 12-megapixel ultrawide lenses. The Pixel 6 Professional takes issues additional with the addition of a 48-megapixel telephoto zoom, which supplies a powerful 4x zoom. 

To search out out if that zoom is the one distinction between the 2 digital camera methods, I took each telephones round Edinburgh to see what they’ll do. 

Beginning off with this view overlooking Princes Road Gardens, each telephones have captured a ravishing picture with wealthy colours and much of particulars due to that high-resolution sensor. There’s mainly no distinction to inform between the photographs — they may simply have been taken with the identical cellphone.

The massive distinction comes once you zoom in. The Pixel 6 would not have an optical zoom lens, nevertheless it does supply a 2x digital zoom. That zoom primarily simply crops into the picture, so it loses loads of element.

Crop to 100% on the zoom photos and the distinction is evident: The Pixel 6 Professional’s zoom will get you nearer and retains a hell of much more element. 

Again on the primary digital camera, each telephones have produced virtually equivalent photographs on this brilliant, vibrant scene. The skies have been stored utterly underneath management and there is loads of element within the shadows on the boat on the precise. There’s virtually no discernible distinction intimately, distinction or white stability. 

And the identical is true with the wide-angle lens, with each telephones producing excellent photos due to the equivalent 48-megapixel sensors. 

The Pixels supply the very same discipline of view, which is ok, however I did discover that the iPhone 13 Professional’s superwide lens supplies an excellent wider scene, one thing that may attraction to followers of wide-angle pictures.

All of those checks present that the telephones are capable of produce just about equivalent photos when utilizing their predominant digital camera, with no distinction within the stage of seen element or coloration stability. That is a aid should you’re in search of nice picture high quality total however you are hoping to avoid wasting money with the Pixel 6. 

And so they each carry out nicely at night time. This take a look at shot is brilliant and pin-sharp, regardless of being handheld. I like all the sunshine that is been captured within the clouds and the element within the silky reflection on the water. 

With the wide-angle lens, each telephones take a dive in high quality. The pictures are brilliant and there is virtually no discernible shift in coloration from the primary digital camera, however the particulars are mushier, virtually as if it isn’t centered correctly. 

Cropping in to 100% on the Pixel 6’s regular and wide-angle night time mode photographs, the distinction intimately is apparent. The identical is true of the Pixel 6 Professional. 

Each telephones additionally function a neat long-exposure mode, which I have been ready to make use of right here to seize automotive lights snaking their method by the darkish metropolis streets. It is spectacular that the telephones can maintain the whole lot else in sharp focus — a handheld lengthy publicity of a number of seconds on an everyday digital camera would require a tripod. 

Total, it is clear that the shared {hardware} of each telephones means they’re each capable of take photos of almost equivalent high quality. That could possibly be an apparent conclusion, nevertheless it’s usually the case that producers do not use fairly as high-quality glass for the lens on cheaper fashions. Usually they’re going to use less-advanced software program, leading to poorer efficiency, and due to this fact giving extra purpose to pay additional for the highest mannequin.

However, since Google has put equal effort into the digital camera methods on each telephones, it might solely make sense from a pictures perspective to spend additional if you’d like the telephoto zoom lens. Whether or not that is cash value spending is as much as you. In the event you’re actually invested in your images, I might strongly think about saving up a bit extra for the Professional: That 4x zoom can take beautiful photos with a discipline of view that opens up a wealth of compositions. 

If, nevertheless, you are in search of a usually nice digital camera for journey, and wish to avoid wasting cash, the Pixel 6 is an excellent and inexpensive possibility to contemplate.