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How good is your zoom?
The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x f/2.8, 12MP camera is a new benchmark in the iPhone line.
Two excellent images of the top of the Empire State Building in New York City. Google’s habit of over-brightening images cuts away a tiny bit of detail, making the building look a little too clean. There’s also a slight sepia cast on the Pixel 8 Pro image, which results in the sky looking a little less separated from the building than it does in the iPhone 15 Pro Max shot.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Google’s phone is capable of capturing 30x digital zoom photos, but I’m not interested in that.
There’s simply not enough reality in these admittedly exciting images.
I simply pointed the phone camera at my subject and tapped the shutter button.
In this early-morning bird-on-a-wire shot, the Pixel 8 Pro’s fondness for warm colors works in its favor – the starling looks like it’s watching a sunrise. The iPhone 15 Pro Max pushes the blacks and keeps a clear blue sky in the back, which results in a decidedly less warm image. Both get high marks for clarity in a bird that refused to stay still.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Zooming into the truth
Below, I present my findings in two formats.
Below that, I offer slider images of all my comparative photos.
The good news is that I think you’ll be happy with either 5x telephoto camera.
In this flower-pot shot, the iPhone 15 Pro Max produced a brighter image, with a much better overall leaf definition. It also appears a little grainier than the Pixel 8 Pro image. To be fair, I’m not in love with either shot.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I did not, by the way, testSamsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Even so, if you want the ultimate in smartphone zoom, the S23 Ultra is your obvious choice.
Naturally, they’ve been compressed to fit on this page.
This building top is another instance where the Google Pixel 8 Pro over-brightens the image, but to generally pleasing effect – you can see more of the brickwork in the image. In the iPhone 15 Pro Max image, the lighting is probably truer, and the dirt on the building isn’t sun-blasted away. I think, though, the grain is more evident in the iPhone 15 Pro image.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
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Sunrise was an interesting challenge, because a direct photo of the sun will almost always overwhelm the sensor and create a bright blotch instead of a circular, glowing orb. I didn’t touch either screen to get these photos, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max has captured a notably sharper image of the sun, while the orange in the sunrise is also much deeper. While it couldn’t match that sun quality, there’s nothing wrong with the Pixel 8 Pro image; it has equally good leaf definition, and the camera does an admirable job overall.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
I think Google’s overall approach to this swan picture creates a generally more pleasing effect. There’s too much grain in the iPhone 15 Pro Max image, which makes the water and swan look a bit rougher. That said, the iPhone captures a truer depiction of the swan, especially in the areas where the swan’s features are a little dirty.(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
(Image credit: Future Lance Ulanoff)
