One lens versus two.
It's time for the Google Pixel 2 and the iPhone X to go head to head to compare the cameras.�� I took them to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
All photos were taken with auto HDR turned on and video shot at 4K, 30 frames a second.
[MUSIC] Both phones produce really nice photos in good lighting conditions.
But the Pixel's images are consistently sharper, with more detail.
Colors on the iPhone can look more saturated, and the automatic white balance is a bit warmer.
Google's HDR+ Enhance mode also makes photos look more vivid, and appears to boost the dynamic range.
Apple popularized portrait mode with the iPhone 7 Plus, where the subject looks sharp compared to the background.
To get this effect, the iPhone makes a depth map with the dual cameras and blurs out the background, while the Pixel relies on its single lens and machine learning to make the blur.
In daylight, both phones do a good job of defining the subject and blurring behind, but details generally look sharper on the Pixel, and the effect really makes the subject pop.
And yes, in case you're wondering, portrait mode also works on fish.
I low light the iPhone had a hard time keeping portrait mode active, and kept asking me to turn on the flash.
So, I missed the effect on this photo.
The Pixel had no complaints.
Trying again, the iPhone did manage to take the shot, and produced a more flattering photo, even if the exposure is a little darker than the Pixel's.
Portrait mode is also on the front Front cameras.
Neither phone does a great job with my hair, but the iPhone has a smoother transition between the subject and the background.
And the warmer color temperature is also more flattering.
The Pixel looks like a messy cutout.
[MUSIC] The second lens on the iPhone gives 2x optical zoom while the Pixel relies of digital zoom to get you closer.
At a reduced magnification, you can't see much difference between the two.
But as soon as you look at Sutro Tower, you can see the loss of detail from the Pixel's digital zoom at 2x compared to the optical zoom on the iPhone.
[MUSIC] As for flash, the Pixel's lights up this cave so much it washes out the color while the iPhone's photo is much more true to what it actually looked like.
Which brings us to low light photos in the aquarium.
Reduced magnifications they look pretty similar.
But on closer inspection, the pixel just takes the edge on detail.
It's also slightly less noise.
But overall, they're very close.
[MUSIC] Both phones can shoot 4K at 30 frames a second.
But the iPhone adds 60 frames a second at this resolution.
Below that video the iPhone looks a lot cleaner and has a better exposure overall on the video image.
Highlights tend to blow out on the Pixel and the shot looks noisy.
[MUSIC] The Pixel uses a combination of electronic and optical stabilization where as both of the iPhone's lenses are optically stabilized.
While the Pixel does show some of the Jello effect that's common with electronic stabilization it looks smooth especially if you're moving or doing a tracking shot.
The iPhone can look a bit jerky.
[MUSIC] [MUSIC] At 240 frames a second the Pixel's only recording in 720p while the iPhone is at a full 1080p resolution.
Colors look more punchy on the iPhone while the Pixel over exposes and loses some detail and sharpness on the leafs.
So which phone comes out on top?
The Pixel excel at still images, if you want the most detail and sharpness without extra processing, but the iPhones got optical zoom, a better selfie camera and an overall video quality.
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