A Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro camera showdown is just the latest skirmish in a long-running battle between two device makers renowned for their way with camera phones. When one company comes out with a new device, it usually leapfrogs the competition with improved hardware and new photo-processing features — at least until the other phone maker comes out with an update of their own.
This year, it was Google getting the jump on Apple by moving up the launch of the Pixel 9 Pro. This version of Google's Pro phone may be smaller than before — you need to get the Pixel 9 Pro XL for the big-screen model — but its cameras are more powerful than ever. In our Pixel 9 Pro review, we cited the cameras as one of the stronger features on Google's latest flagship for the way they handled color and shadow — particularly when compared to what Apple's current phones can do.
Of course, with the iPhone 16 models waiting in the wings, it won't be long before Apple gets its chance to best what Google just released. But for now, the most pertinent comparison is with the iPhone 15 Pro, a pretty impressive camera phone in its own right. Beat the current iPhone when it comes to cameras, and the Pixel 9 Pro will find itself well-positioned to take on whatever Apple plans to release later this month.
To get a sense of where the Pixel 9 Pro ranks among the best camera phones, I grabbed Google's latest flagship and an iPhone 15 Pro and shot more than 200 photos with each device. Here's how that Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro camera comparison shook out.
Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro camera specs
You'll find only a few hardware changes in this year's Pixel 9 Pro compared to the Pixel 8 Pro that came before it. There's a new ultrawide sensor that introduces a Macro Focus mode to that camera. Google also upgraded the front camera to a 42MP sensor instead of the 10.5 camera. The rear camera array on the new Pixel is still made up of a 50MP main camera and a pair of 48MP lenses — one for ultrawide shots and the other a telephoto camera that can deliver a 5x optical zoom.
| Google Pixel 9 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro | |
| Main camera | 50MP (f/1.68) | 48 MP (f/1.78) |
| Ultrawide camera | 48MP (f/1.7), FOV: 123 degrees | 12MP (f/2.2), FOV: 120 degrees |
| Telephoto camera | 48MP (f/2.8); 5x optical zoom, 30x Super Res Zoom | 12MP (f/2.8); 3x optical zoom, 15x digital zoom |
| Front camera | 42MP (f/2.2) w/ autofocus | 12MP (f/1.9) w/ autofocus |
The iPhone 15 Pro features three rear cameras — a 48MP main shooter accompanied by a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP telephoto lens that tops out a 3x zoom. (It's the more expensive iPhone 15 Pro Max that can support 5x zooms with its tetraprism telephoto lens.) A 12MP TrueDepth camera handles selfie duties.
Comparing hardware specs only takes you so far, though. Both Google and Apple turn to computational photography to tweak and bolster what the cameras are able to capture. With the Pixel 9 Pro running on a new Tensor G4 chipset, Google's phone figures to have fine-tuned its own image-processing algorithms. The Tensor G4 supports some AI-powered photo editing tools as well, but we're primarily interested in comparing the shots these two devices are able to produce as opposed to the edits you can make after the fact. So we'll leave Pixel 9 features like Reimagine and Add Me out of this 200-photo face-off.
Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro cameras: Outdoor shots
I was lucky enough to do most of my photo testing on bright, sunny days with a lot of well-lit scenes that lend themselves to sharp images. That allows us to see how these cameras perform at the margins since there's not a lot of unfavorable lighting or strange angles for them to overcome. And at first glance, the Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro look pretty evenly matched with some nearly identical-looking shots.
But I think more of the iPhone shots look a fraction better than what the Pixel 9 Pro produces. For starters, they're a shade more colorful — the iPhone 15 Pro captures more of the pink neon in this sign outside of a famous San Francisco eatery. (Read your "Maltese Falcon," kids.) And if you scroll over to shots of the Oakland Coliseum, you'll see the floodlights standing out more sharply against the sky in the iPhone 15 shot. The fading sign for the Original Joe's restaurant looks more colorful, too, as the Pixel 9 Pro produces realistic, yet muted colors.
Other shots are more evenly matched. I defy you to spot any differences in those two cable car photos, for example. But I think the iPhone 15 Pro nudges just ahead of the Pixel 9 Pro in this category more often than not.
Winner: iPhone 15 Pro
Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro cameras: Indoor shots
Moving to indoor shots, the mains cameras on both the Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro have to work a little harder, as some overhead lighting can be unforgiving to images. You've also got the prospect of sunlight streaming in from windows, potentially backlighting the shot.
Again, both phones are even matched. The Pixel 9 Pro excels on a few shots like the neon sign above a local Mexican-Filipino eatery, which looks more artful and evocative than the iPhone's truer-to-life recreation. I also like how the light dances off the bottles of wine in the Pixel 9 Pro photo, giving the shot more depth than the iPhone 15 Pro's flatter look.
But overall, I think the iPhone 15 Pro does better indoors when there's tough lighting for a scene. A Negroni in a dimly lit bar looks sharper in the iPhone 15 Pro's photo, and the orange garnish stands out more in its shot. A plate of scrambled eggs looks backlit in the Pixel 9 Pro photo, while the iPhone 15 Pro does a better job accounting for the light coming in from the bag of the shot. The colors of a subway station wall also look richer when captured by the iPhone 15 Pro despite some rather harsh ambient lighting.
Winner: iPhone 15 Pro
Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro cameras: Dynamic Range
When it comes to balancing light and shadow, the Pixel 9 Pro shows the iPhone 15 Pro how it's done. Take the first photo of a Chinatown alley, where the Pixel 9 Pro shows off the bright red lanterns, particularly the ones hung vertically on the right side of the picture. Those same lanterns appear dark in the iPhone 15 Pro shot, and Apple's phone also has trouble with the light on the right.
There are other instances, like a mural on the side of a hotel in Oakland. With sunlight beaming into the shot, the Pixel 9 Pro still manages to show a colorful image while the iPhone 15 Pro photo gets lost in shadow. I'm not particularly fond of how either phone dealt with shadows around the Dragon Gate in Chinatown, but at least you can see the dragons on top in the Pixel 9 Pro photo.
It's not a complete washout, as the iPhone 15 Pro has a better shot of a cable car in shadow — look at how the Giants logo on top of the car stands out. I also like the richer colors of the Columbus Tower in the iPhone 15 Pro photo. But in most shots, the Pixel 9 Pro has the better dynamic range by some measure.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro
Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro cameras: Color reproduction
Bright or natural? That's the question you have to ask yourself when evaluating the photos produced by the Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro. Generally speaking, the iPhone 15 Pro produces brighter, more vibrant colors in many shots. But I think the Pixel 9 Pro takes a more true-to-life approach to color that puts it ahead of the iPhone more often than not.
The Sun Yat-sen statue is a perfect example of how each phone approaches color. The iPhone 15 Pro picks up the brightness of the colors, creating a nice contrast with the trees in the background. But the Pixel 9 Pro's more muted look appears more realistic and makes for a better composed shot in my opinion. Similarly, the Pixel 9 Pro tones down the colors of Zoltar the Fortune Teller's face, making it easier to make out details than in the iPhone 15 Pro photo.
I prefer the darker shade of blue that the iPhone 15 Pro features in its photo of a ferry boat, while photos of a rose and jujubes are evenly matched between the two camera phones. But overall, the Pixel 9 Pro has a slight edge on color in most of the shots I took.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro
Google Pixel 9 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro cameras: Macros
To test out the Pixel 9 Pro's new Macro Focus mode, I got up close and personal with a rose, and I think Google's close-up is much more striking since it kept the color throughout while also capturing details on the petals. The iPhone 15 Pro sacrifices some of the pink on the outer petals in the name of detail.
A close-up of a sunflower indoors lacks focus in the Pixel 9 Pro shot, so as a tie-breaker, I took a macro photo of a lemon. Both images are colorful, but the Pixel 9 Pro's is a little better balanced. I'd turn to Google's phone for these kinds of close-ups.
Winner: Google Pixel 9 Pro
