Google has new camera hardware in the Pixel 6 Pro, but is it better than last year?
Google Pixel 6 Pro Camera VS Pixel 5
With the introduction of the Pixel 6 Pro, and, to a lesser extent, the regular introduction of the Pixel 6, Google has (finally) given a makeover to its smartphone’s camera pack. But can the new flagship actually take better photos than the 2020 Google Pixel 5? The long-awaited switch between Pixel 5 and Pixel 6 is the introduction of a much larger main image sensor. The durable 12.2MP 1 / 2.55 “Sony IMX363” used in several generations of Pixel smartphones reserves much more space for the main 1 / 1.31 “sensor, which appears to be the behavior of the Samsung Iscocell GN1. The Pixel 6 Pro also has a 4x telephoto lens, which offers a much wider range for mobile phones than previous cameras.In addition, the custom Google Tensor SoC includes new machine learning capabilities tightly integrated with the Pixel 6 imaging pipeline. Google’s impressive HDR, night mode, and astrophotography algorithms already work on the Pixel 5’s mid-range hardware, but Google has extended the improved ML capabilities of the new chip, so it would be interesting to see how the new processor makes a difference. in terms of picture quality. Find out what they are in this shootout with the Google Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 5 cameras.
General image quality
Checks If you can’t see the difference between the photos taken by the Pixel 6 and Pixel 5, you’re not alone. The incredible number of recordings we make is almost indistinguishable, at least at first glance. These two main cameras offer very realistic colors, excellent exposure and a solid white balance. Given the similarities, it’s hard to believe that the Pixel 5’s camera hardware is basically the same as the base hardware since the 2017 Pixel 2 image. However, when it comes to general presentations, there are regular differences between the two. Along with the Pixel 6 Pro’s slightly wider field of view, there are also some very subtle but consistent differences in saturation, exposure, and white balance. The Pixel 6 Pro is often slightly brighter in terms of exposure. This can be seen in the cityscape and pumpkin images above. However, when it comes to daytime shots with the main camera, overall there are surprisingly small differences between the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 5. To distinguish these two cameras from one of the other, we need to look and experiment with a more sophisticated recording environment. .
More megapixels, more details?
With these new 50-megapixel main image sensors, I think the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro can capture much clearer images than the Pixel 5. However, newer phones reduce the image to 12.5 MP, this which is not an option for taking photos at higher resolutions with the standard Google Camera app. Still, will the larger sensor help the Pixel 6 capture more light than the Pixel 5 and resolve more details?
Let’s take a look at 100% cultures. This does not appear to be the case in the brightly lit areas above. The Pixel 6 Pro looks a bit sharper in terms of post-processing, but the 100% crop doesn’t have any additional resolvable detail. The Pixel 5 can certainly catch up, but small sensors often work well in many bright outdoor lights. The Pixel 5 is a bit softer on the inside. Shadows also have low noise levels. The Pixel 6 Pro certainly takes sharper images, but you really have to look at the pixels to notice it. Cloudy-looking images are more complex. Again, the Pixel 6 Pro looks sharper and generally quieter, especially when you focus on the tree in the center of the subject. However, newer smartphones are even more polluted with some trees that are not visible on the Pixel 5. The Pixel 6 Pro is not always good at capturing detail.
Evaluation
After extensive training, Google’s top-of-the-line Pixel 6 Pro has proven to be a more flexible shooter than last year’s Pixel 5, especially when it comes to long-range and low-light photography. However, it is often very difficult to distinguish between sunlight, ultra-wide, and even portraits. Despite the big differences in hardware on paper, the Pixel 5 still offers competitive details, HDR and portraits.