Alright, the time has come to compare the telephoto lenses between the #iPhone16Pro and the #Pixel9ProXL!

I won't deny, that probably around 85-90% of all my photos are taken with a zoom lens. I love the perspective and compression it offers, and a nice, natural blur is usually a great addition, that can't (yet) be challenged by the software portrait modes.

Pixel 9 Pro XL:
48 MP, f/2.8, 113mm, 1/2.55"
iPhone 16 Pro:
12 MP, f/2.8, 120mm, 1/3.06"

(no, I haven't by mistake pasted the specs from last year's models, but blink and you'll miss it - sadly, these are mostly the same parts)

Contrary to the main camera modules, this time even the hardware specifications are enough to get worried if you are a #TeamiPhone.
Despite both being marketed as x5, Apple's lens offers slightly longer zoom (it compares to ~x5.5-x6 on P9Pro), but every other spec clearly favours its competitor: high mpix count combined with much larger sensor makes the #TeamPixel rejoice from the get go.

OK, let's look at some photos, starting with a perfect lightning:

Pixel 9 Pro XL

iPhone 16 Pro

We can clearly see a difference with exposure. Just like with the main lens, iPhone tends to set a higher overall exposure, but also you can clearly see more sharpening.

The frame isn't exactly the same, which shows another difference - once again, it's the minimal focusing distance. To be able to catch a focus with the Pixel, you need to be ~75-78cm from the object. It's not a great result, but the iPhone needs even more - over 100 cm! A slight advantage in the focal length helps Apple to mitigate this a bit, but it doesn't change the fact, that when Pixel is able to use it's optical x5 lens, the iPhone still needs to resort to a crop from the main sensor.

Pixel 9 Pro XL x5

iPhone 16 Pro x1, crop to x5

This IS problematic, especially now, where there is no other optical option between the main lens and the zoom lens, and the x5 needs to be digitally cropped from the x1.

And as much as the perspective offered by the x5 lens is great, I fear that not a lot of users will be really using it. iPhone doesn't offer the option to force a specific lens (contrary to Samsung and Google), so you can't control the switch. 🤷‍♂️

Not being able to control the lens is especially frustrating when you're trying to shoot in more demanding conditions. The size of the sensor and its light gathering capabilities are not class-leading, so the phone will just refuse to switch to the optical x5 and you're basically left with one, default x1 camera.

🧵...


But once you're in a good lightning and the object you're trying to photograph is further away, all should be good.

Well, almost.
It's all good except the colours. I have no idea what's going on, but sometimes the default processing is stripping the worlds of life. And I do not mean that the photos, compared for example to Samsung, are natural. They are often bland, even depressing.

Let's take a look at an "ok" example first:

Pixel 9 Pro XL

iPhone 16 Pro

Even though the Pixel was able to better reproduce what my eyes were seeing, I agree that it's mostly a stylistic choice. Both are totally fine.

But sometimes...

Pixel 9 Pro XL

iPhone 16 Pro

The difference is stark here. The weather was funny, behind my back was a clear sky, with a sun shining brightly on the bricks, roof, and the greens, making them look almost like during a classic golden hour, and in front of me the sky was dark grey, foretelling a coming rain.
It's exactly what you can see on the on the Pixel shot. The iPhone, however, drained all the colours away, leaving all the objects in the frame desaturated and grey.

🧵...

Time for another #iPhone16Pro vs #Pixel9ProXL camera comparison, this time we'll take a look at the main cameras.

Pixel 9 Pro XL: 50 MP, f/1.7, 25mm, 1/1.31"
iPhone 16 Pro: 48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.28"

Specs-wise they are very comparable, but Apple is supposed to have a new, quicker version of the sensor.
Does it really help, though? Buckle up, and let's see.

But I'm warning y'all, it's going to be a long one. 🙈 In perfect lightning conditions, photos are very comparable. iPhone was even able to pull slightly more details in the green areas (🏞️#1). So far so good!

Another big advantage is that iPhone takes 24mpix images by default (12, 24, 48 available), while Pixel is set to 12mpix (12, 50 available).
Although I must say, that the difference isn't as prominent (🏞️#2 and #3) as it was just a year ago, when I was comparing Pixel 8 Pro to iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Interesting. 🤔