Pixels have long been known to have the best smartphone cameras — but if the latest leak is any indication, that reign may be coming to an end.
What you need to know
- Someone recently compared the Pixel 4 XL’s camera against the Galaxy Note 10+.
- Not all of the camera modes were available to test.
- There is no time of flight camera on this device.
I want to say that this newest leak for the Pixel 4 XL can be blamed on the dreaded Friday the 13th, but we know that isn’t true. Today we get a video from YouTube from ReLab, the same ones that posted the video yesterday about the unreleased phone’s gaming capabilities.
This new video shows us how photos from the Pixel 4 XL — albeit demo software — stack up against the Galaxy Note 10+. Thankfully in this video, ReLab has done a better job optimizing the upload to support closed captioning for non-Vietnamese speaking folks like myself.
Galaxy Note 10 (left) Pixel 4 (right)
The YouTuber prefaces the viewers that he is dealing with demo software and that that he can’t get all of the shooting modes to work or even turn on. In the first test, we catch a shot from the Note 10+ of an outdoor shot with lots of colors for Samsung to punch up. Samsung, in true fashion, does a great job of showing a wide dynamic range and bold colors. Unfortunately, we don’t see the same photo from Pixel 4 XL. The Pixel’s picture is more real to life and does come with a slightly warm hue.
Galaxy Note 10 (left) Pixel 4 (right)
Up next comes the front-facing camera for a selfie. The Note 10+ does do a better job overall with the photo, although both have a few issues with the cutout and blur separation on the background. Even so, the Note 10+ seems to have a clearer overall photo. The Pixel portrait also seems to have some ghosting around the edges of the photo, most noticeable on the shoulder.
Galaxy Note 10 (left) Pixel 4 (right)
For portrait mode on the rear camera, our intrepid reviewer tells us the sensor on the back flanking the dual camera modules is not a TOF (time of flight) sensor. Instead, we get a laser sensor to aid in getting a fast focus in more lighting conditions. The reviewer shows us a photo taken indoors and mentioned the lighting isn’t the best. Here, it seems that the Pixel takes the crown maintaining more detail in the person and a great job finding edges while distinguishing items near the person. Samsung’s picture is a bit softer and subdued, especially considering how bright and bold the outdoor picture of the buildings was.
Galaxy Note 10 (left) Pixel 4 (right)
The last photo we see compared is out an outdoor shot of a tree against the sky that has the sun peering through it. In a problematic shot, both pictures have their merit, with Samsung’s showing a bit more vibrancy in regards to the colors. Google’s shot is more muted, but seems to have more dynamic range overall.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8819J1SXCPI?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
As the YouTuber takes into the video test, he reiterates that not all modes are available, then letting us in on a few specs. The front camera of the Pixel 4 will record in Full HD and 4K with 30fps on the back. He can turn on the stabilization on both for the tests and gives audio output samples as well. Each phone does a good job with stabilization, with the Note 10+ producing a more saturated front video, with the Pixel washing it out a bit. Audio from each seems to be fairly decent for the average person’s use case. The back camera seems to have a similar output as the front as far as the quality of both colors and stabilization.
While the pictures from the Pixel 4 aren’t terrible, it’s not what we have come to expect from Google. As for the rest of the phone, we’re expecting the display to have a 90Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM, and two rear-facing cameras. Also expected is Google’s Soli chip, which will give the Pixel 4 an accurate face unlock system and air gestures to allow you to control the phone by waving your hand over it.
Google Pixel 4: News, Leaks, Release Date, Specs, and Rumors!
Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Everything you need to know!
