Camera Comparison: iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Pixel 8 Pro

Both Apple and Google came out with new high-end flagship smartphones this autumn, debuting the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Pixel 8 Pro, respectively. As with any expensive smartphone, the cameras in both produce amazing images, but there are some notable differences that can be seen in our comparison video and article.


The ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max has a triple-lens camera system with 48-megapixel Main (wide) camera that can be set to three focal lengths, a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, and a 12-megapixel Telephoto lens that supports up to 5x optical zoom. The Pixel 8 Pro also has a triple-lens camera system with 50-megapixel Wide camera, a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, and a 48-megapixel Telephoto camera also with 5x optical zoom.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 3
The Google and Apple camera systems have similarities in available lenses and technologies like portrait mode, night mode, HDR, and more, but there are different software algorithms that are at work under the hood, and that's what brings in some of the biggest differences that we're seeing.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 9
When it comes to landscape images that show a lot of sky, the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max looks more natural. The colors are more accurate and the differences between sky and cloud are more pronounced for an overall better looking image. The Pixel 8 Pro trends toward a more blue tint for sky images, and it also has a tendency to overexpose in some shots. You'll also notice that the Pixel photos tend to be brighter, while the iPhone photos are downright moody.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 10
There are definite themes to color temperature, saturation, exposure, and other factors. Several of the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max images feel oversaturated compared to the Pixel 8 Pro, with Apple giving deeper blacks and more vibrant colors, while Google's images have a brighter feel with contrast bumped down. In the taxi image, for example, the cars were not that shade of yellow that Apple produced, but both images look good and choosing a favorite will depend on whether you prefer images that are more saturated or brighter.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 11
Apple's 5x Telephoto lens is limited to 12 megapixels and it does not have the wide aperture of the Main lens, so it should not be a surprise that the images that come out of it look different in terms of sharpness and saturation. 5x images from the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max and the Pixel 8 Pro look similar in most instances, but the Pixel 8 Pro seems to have more pronounced textures because the images are brighter with the contrast bumped up a bit more than what we're getting with the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 15
Apple's 5x zoom lens has an edge when it comes to portrait mode because it can capture 5x portraits, while the Pixel is limited to 2x portraits. The ‌iPhone‌ really wins out in terms of background blur, and even in portraits with other lenses, Apple is doing better with color, skin tone, and blur. The Pixel's portrait images sometimes come out better in situations with lower light.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 18
As for night shots, iPhones have always been a bit ahead in terms of a natural look, and that hasn't changed. The nighttime images from the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max are more true to life, while the Pixel 8 Pro is much brighter and doesn't have the same nighttime mood.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 16
Apple's video stabilization has always been tough to beat, and the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max produces better video than you get with the Pixel 8 Pro. Google has caught up somewhat with its latest smartphones, but Apple remains a step ahead. For pros, Apple also has an option for ProRes Log recording, so you can record a flat image that can be used with custom LUTs in post-processing.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 22
Google has added some fun AI features to its camera that Apple can't compete with. Best Take, for example, sorts through multiple group photos that have been captured and finds the best shot. You can go change each person's face, swapping in from another in the series so that each person is smiling and looking at the camera. Magic Editor lets you erase objects in an image and uses generative AI to fill in the blank spot, and the Audio Magic Eraser can pull out unwanted sounds.

phone 15 pro max vs pixel 27
Which images do you prefer? ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max or Pixel 8 Pro? Let us know in the comments below.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

ersan191 Avatar
23 months ago
Seems like Pixel is better most of the time.
Score: 65 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
23 months ago
I wish MacRumors would stamp images with A & B or 1 & 2 and poll the crowd on which images look better... then "update" or post a followup article after 48-72 hours revealing which was Apple's vs. which is <others>. By putting the favorite company's name on images in articles like this, fans/anti-fans find things to favor/fault in those shots.

A poll as described would have people judging solely on quality of photos head-to-head and the delayed big reveal or followup article would give us an overall objective group opinion.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cocky jeremy Avatar
23 months ago
It looks like the iPhone has better contrast. Some Pixel shots look washed out and overexposed. They're really close overall though.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FSMBP Avatar
23 months ago
I still can't believe Apple doesn't have a 'Magic Eraser' tool. I would use that more than lifting a subject out of the background. Hopefully we'll see more in iOS 18!
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MareLuce Avatar
23 months ago
The magic ___ branding Google is using for those features is excellent marketing. ( in addition to being incredibly useful features )

It’s rare to see Apple out-marketed by Google.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mnsportsgeek Avatar
23 months ago
Side by side the pixel 8 pro is usually better imo
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)