The Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max sit at the top of our best camera phone checklist, but which phone works best at night? To find out, we put both flagships to the test in a wide range of scenarios, both indoors and outdoors.
As you will see in our Pixel 7 Pro Review, Google’s latest device is a formidable camera phone. It features a 50MP (f/1.85) main lens, a 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide angle, and a 48MP (f/3.5) 5x telephoto lens. Google made a number of improvements to its Night Sight photos, including new ML techniques to reduce noise and less blur because exposures are now up to twice as fast.
But our iPhone 14 Pro Max Review shows that Apple is no slouch when it comes to its own night mode. This phone packs a 48MP (f/1.78) main lens, 12MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide, and 12MP (f/2.8) 3x telephoto lens. There’s a new Photonic Engine that’s designed to deliver brighter images through each camera, thanks to the A16 Bionic chip.
So which of these camera phones wins the night? Let’s find out.
Font
For this first comparison, I photographed this fountain in Bryant Park with the New York City skyline in the background. Both the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the Pixel 7 Pro produced excellent photos.
However, I would give the iPhone the advantage here because its image is brighter, especially when you look at the water just below the top of the fountain that is dripping. The water droplets also look a bit sharper.
However, the Pixel 7 Pro does a better job with the left side of the frame, as it doesn’t blow out the lights coming from the nearby store.
dog
Talk about a challenge. This room was completely dark with only a bit of ambient light coming from the hallway. And I think the iPhone 14 Pro Max wins this round. You get a much brighter image, even though there is a lot of noise in the shot.
The Pixel 7 Pro image is definitely on the dark side, but if you look closely, this photo is sharper on the dog’s paws and on the blanket.
Portrait
In this night portrait shot, the Pixel 7 Pro struggles to capture a sharp image of my face. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro Max shot makes my face brighter, and more detail can be made out on both my shirt and jacket. In fact, we took two photos with the Pixel because the first image was also blurry.
glass christmas tree
Here’s a case where I think the Pixel 7 Pro is ahead of the game. In this photo of a glass Christmas tree, Google’s shot does a better job of capturing the swirling glitter on the glass. Yes, the iPhone image is brighter, and the fur in the background looks sharper, but some of that great detail within the tree is lost.
decorations
How about some Christmas decorations? The iPhone 14 Pro Max once again offers a brighter image and there is more contrast between the transparent glass ball and the second ball inside. The Pixel 7 Pro shot looks a bit flat in comparison.
On the plus side, decorations on the right side of the image look sharper through the Pixel and tree branches look sharper around lights. The iPhone blows this area a bit.
times square
This round is a bit difficult to call. For one thing, the Pixel 7 Pro captures a brighter shot of Times Square. You can make out the people in the photo more easily and also see the right side of the frame above the ESPN sign. Those angled glass panels aren’t even visible in the iPhone 14 Pro Max photo.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max photo looks more like what I saw with the naked eye, and there’s a blue tint over the Pixel 7 Pro photo that isn’t there with Apple’s. Still, I’d give the Pixel the edge here.
Empire State Building
This 3x zoom shot of the Empire State Building is another close round. I like the moodiness of the Pixel 7 Pro photo and the fact that the area around the needle is sharper where the light is coming from. But once again, there is a blue cast to the image, and the sky is darker in the photo than it is in real life, as it was just after sunset.
The sky in the iPhone 14 Pro Max image is warmer and more realistic, and the blue lights towards the top of the building are more subtle. Still, it’s more likely to share the image of the Pixel 7 Pro given the choice between the two. The buildings around the Empire State Building also stand out more in the Pixel shot.
home bar
There was just a bit of light to the right in this Night mode photo of a launch bar, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max comes out swinging with a brighter image of the bottles. You can make out more bottles in the second row because it’s a brighter display.
However, the Pixel 7 Pro’s camera captures sharper text on Don Julio tequila and the 1800 Coconut label. The ridges on the tequila bottle are also more defined.
Which phone wins?
Overall, I’d give the iPhone 14 Pro Max a slight edge because it simply delivers brighter photos in most conditions. But brighter isn’t always better, and the Pixel 7 Pro does a better job of dealing with bright lights in a dark scene.
The good news is that neither of these phones will let you down when the lights go out. Which phone do you think wins? Let us know in the comments.
