The Pixel 4a has always excelled at low light photography, and it's safe to say that this phone continues that tradition. The night mode on the default camera app means that low-light shots look clearer and brighter than those on the iPhone SE, which doesn't have a night mode on the default camera. Just take a look at the difference that it makes in these shots - it's really night and day. The Pixel 4a also has an astrophotography mode, just like the original Pixel 4. Now this is one of those features that I really don't find myself using much at all, but I love that it's there, and when you do use it, it produces some really nice-looking photos.
Now we've seen what each of the phones can do for photos, let's talk video. Both shoot at 4K, but the iPhone goes to 60 frames per second while the Pixel is at 30. And while it might not make a huge difference on paper, in practice I think the iPhone looks better. The image is a bit sharper overall and colors are more true to life compared to the Pixel. I also found that the iPhone shifts exposure more fluidly, so there wasn't a huge jump when I was going between light and dark areas. The stabilization on both phones is pretty good, but I do think the iPhone displays slightly less of the "jello effect," which is often the result of electronic image stabilization like used on the Pixel.
It's time for some video from the front-facing cameras on the SE and the Pixel 4a. I'm holding them about the same length from my face, so you can see how they deal with me hand-holding it and also to see the background if anything is blown out. See how they deal with dynamic range from the front camera when it comes to video, and also the audio. As I'm talking, we'll switch back and forth between the audio tracks so you can take a listen and see which one sounds better. And I'm also going to do a little bit of a walk, so you can see stabilization as I'm moving rather than just standing still.
Holding your phone steady as you walk is a real talent and a great skill, and I admire anyone who can do it well. So just take a look and see what the stabilization looks like as I am walking and talking and as I try not to trip over the plants in the garden. Alright, let's look at the camera specs. The Pixel 4a has a 12.2 megapixel rear camera at f/1.7 with optical and electronic image stabilization. The front camera is 8 megapixels at f/2 and it's fixed focus. The iPhone has a 12-megapixel rear camera at f/1.8 with optical image stabilization, while the front camera is 7 megapixels at f/2.2.
For some other bits and pieces about these cameras that you might value if you want raw capture as well as JPEG, you'll get that on the Pixel - just go into the settings and toggle it on. Now you can shoot raw on the iPhone, but you do need a third-party app. The Pixel has a beauty mode to soften or retouch your skin, and there's also a pretty useful electronic level that can show you if you're not holding the phone straight.
You've watched the video now, you have to decide which one of these phones wins the comparison for you. Of course, this all comes down to personal preference and the screen you view it on does make a difference. I've been comparing phones for a while in terms of their cameras, and I have to say the results of this comparison for me haven't really presented any surprises - both are excellent at what they do, and considering that they both cost less than $400 in the US for the base models, you're getting an incredible camera for your money.
Now, said that, I think the Pixel just takes the edge when it comes to still images overall. I was just really pleased with the consistency of the images, especially night mode - it does a really good job. Unfortunately, the SE doesn't have night mode built in, if it did, I think there would be absolutely no contest when it comes to still images. But as I said, both of these phones have incredibly capable cameras and you're really not going to be disappointed in either.
If video is a priority for you, then the iPhone is a stronger performer. The images look sharp and detailed, the audio is good, and the stabilization is excellent. So, if that's what matters most to you, then the iPhone might be the better choice. But as I said again, both of these phones have incredibly capable cameras, so you really can't go wrong either way.
Thanks for watching the comparison - let me know which phone you think won down in the comments below, and stay tuned - we've got lots more camera comparisons and phone comparisons coming your way!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe pixel 4a has a few camera tricks up its sleeve to take on the iphone se let's see how the cameras compare on two of the biggest budget phones both of these phones have a single rear camera but the pixel 4a costs 50 less than the iphone se in the us so let's see some photos and videos first and then we'll come back and talk about the differences in camera hardware i took a lot of landscapes for this comparison and i have to say i was expecting there to be a bigger difference between the two phones but as you can see for many of these photos they're really hard to tell apart the iphone's colors are a tiny bit more saturated on some outdoor photos in bright sunlight on this scene with the windmill the photos are so similar but to me it looks like the iphone has a tiny bit more contrast and if you push in a little bit it's still hard to tell the difference but the pixel is overall a little sharper on the windmill itself but more noisy in the shadow areas like here on the tree for this shot of the flower mural i can hardly see any difference at all unless i'm really nitpicking the pixel is maybe a third of a stop underexposed if that compared to the iphone both phones do a really good job of evening out the shadow and highlight detail in their hdr modes so nothing looks blown out but i think the pixel takes a slight edge here as the effect looks a bit more pleasing the pixel also has the option to adjust the hdr by tapping on the image when you're in the regular camera mode and then adjusting these sliders for the highlight and shadow details so you can tweak it as you like and then snap the image but it does take longer to render the hdr effect on the pixel than it does on the iphone which is almost instantaneous for this food shot with natural diffused lighting the biggest difference i can see is the saturation level so the iphone looks a bit more vibrant like we've seen in some of the other shots when you push in a bit closer to look at the detail i cannot separate them moving to portrait mode on the rear camera the pixel pushes in quite a bit so you have to take a few steps back to get the same wide view as the iphone or take a few steps in with the iphone to get the same view as the pixel but if you do that facial features can look a bit more distorted for a shot without too much going on in the background edge detection works pretty well on both and i think the blur looks natural with more of a busy background the phones start to struggle getting the blur right but overall to my eye the pixel just takes this one because of a smoother transition between the subject and the background the white balance is a little more true to life on the pixel but the iphone's colors look punchy and vibrant on the iphone you can also adjust the virtual aperture before or after taking the photo whereas on the pixel you can only adjust after the fact and you can also add different lighting effects on the iphone like studio or stage lighting to enhance the shot but the iphone can't take portrait mode photos of anything other than people so if you try to snap flowers or any other object it will just say no person detected on the screen the pixel on the other hand takes portrait mode photos of pretty much anything for the front camera the pixel's lens has a wider field of view so i found that my facial features looked a little distorted for selfies and it's a fixed focus lens so sometimes if you don't get the angle or the distance between you and the lens just right you can end up being a bit soft and out of focus like all these photos it's about personal preference so i prefer how i look on the iphone compared to the pixel which has a bit more contrast overall thanks to their single lens neither of these phones have optical zoom but the pixel has super resume that merges frames together to create a more detailed image the iphone though has plain old digital zoom so here's a shot from both of the phones at two times and here is one at five times which is the maximum reach of the iphone it's actually not too bad on either of them but i would say the pixel definitely takes the edge on detail and you can push out all the way to seven times on the pixel but yeah it does not look great when you get that close the pixel has always excelled at low light photography and it's safe to say the 4a continues that tradition night mode on the default camera app means that low light shots look clearer and brighter than those on the iphone se which doesn't have a night mode on the default camera just take a look at the difference that it makes in these shots it's really night and day the 4a also has an astrophotography mode just like the original pixel 4. now this is one of those features that i really don't find myself using much at all but i love that it's there and when you do use it it produces some really nice looking photos now we've seen what each of the phones can do for photos let's talk video now both shoot at 4k but the iphone goes to 60 frames a second while the pixel is at 30. and while it might not make a huge difference on paper in practice i think the iphone looks better the image is a bit sharper overall and colors are more true to life compared to the pixel i also found the iphone shifts exposure more fluidly so there wasn't a huge jump when i was going between light and dark areas the stabilization on both phones is pretty good but i do think the iphone displays slightly less of that jello effect which is often the result of electronic image stabilization like used on the pixel okay now it's time for some video from the front-facing cameras on the se and the pixel 4a i'm holding them about the same length from my face the pixel 4a does crop in a little bit more onto the image just want you to take a look at how it deals with me hand holding it and also to see the background if anything is blown out see how they deal with dynamic range from the front camera when it comes to video and also the audio so as i'm talking we'll switch back and forth between the audio tracks so you can take a listen and see which one sounds better and i'm also going to do a little bit of a walk so you can see stabilization as i'm moving rather than just standing still so holding your phone steady as you walk is a real talent and a great skill and i admire anyone who can do it well so just take a look and see what the stabilization looks like as i am walking and talking and as i try not to trip over the plants in the garden all right let's look at the camera specs the pixel 4a has a 12.2 megapixel rear camera at f 1.7 with optical and electronic image stabilization the front camera is 8 megapixels at f2 and it's fixed focus the iphone has a 12 megapixel rear camera at f 1.8 with optical image stabilization while the front camera is 7 megapixels at f 2.2 now for some other bits and pieces about these cameras that you might value if you want raw capture as well as jpeg you'll get that on the pixel just go into the settings and toggle it on now you can shoot raw on the iphone but you do need a third-party app and the pixel has a beauty mode to soften or retouch your skin and there's also a pretty useful electronic level that can show you if you're not holding the phone straight alright you've watched the video now you have to decide which one of these phones wins the comparison for you so the usual disclaimers of course this all comes down to personal preference and the screen you view it on does make a difference so i've been comparing phones for a while in terms of their cameras and i have to say the results of this comparison for me have not really presented any surprises both are excellent at what they do and considering that they both cost less than four hundred dollars in the us for the base models you're getting an incredible camera for your money now that said i think the pixel just takes the edge when it comes to still images overall i was just really pleased with the consistency of the images and especially night mode it does a really good job unfortunately the se does not have night mode built in if it did i think there would be absolutely neck and neck when it comes to still images i do prefer the selfie and the front facing camera on the iphone i think it looks a little bit more flattering when it comes to video though it's the complete opposite the images look sharp detailed the audio is good and the stabilization is excellent so if video is a priority for you then the iphone is a stronger performer but as i said both of these phones have incredibly capable cameras and you're really not going to be disappointed in either thanks for watching the comparison let me know which phone you think won down in the comments below and stay tuned we got lots more camera comparisons and phone comparisons coming your waythe pixel 4a has a few camera tricks up its sleeve to take on the iphone se let's see how the cameras compare on two of the biggest budget phones both of these phones have a single rear camera but the pixel 4a costs 50 less than the iphone se in the us so let's see some photos and videos first and then we'll come back and talk about the differences in camera hardware i took a lot of landscapes for this comparison and i have to say i was expecting there to be a bigger difference between the two phones but as you can see for many of these photos they're really hard to tell apart the iphone's colors are a tiny bit more saturated on some outdoor photos in bright sunlight on this scene with the windmill the photos are so similar but to me it looks like the iphone has a tiny bit more contrast and if you push in a little bit it's still hard to tell the difference but the pixel is overall a little sharper on the windmill itself but more noisy in the shadow areas like here on the tree for this shot of the flower mural i can hardly see any difference at all unless i'm really nitpicking the pixel is maybe a third of a stop underexposed if that compared to the iphone both phones do a really good job of evening out the shadow and highlight detail in their hdr modes so nothing looks blown out but i think the pixel takes a slight edge here as the effect looks a bit more pleasing the pixel also has the option to adjust the hdr by tapping on the image when you're in the regular camera mode and then adjusting these sliders for the highlight and shadow details so you can tweak it as you like and then snap the image but it does take longer to render the hdr effect on the pixel than it does on the iphone which is almost instantaneous for this food shot with natural diffused lighting the biggest difference i can see is the saturation level so the iphone looks a bit more vibrant like we've seen in some of the other shots when you push in a bit closer to look at the detail i cannot separate them moving to portrait mode on the rear camera the pixel pushes in quite a bit so you have to take a few steps back to get the same wide view as the iphone or take a few steps in with the iphone to get the same view as the pixel but if you do that facial features can look a bit more distorted for a shot without too much going on in the background edge detection works pretty well on both and i think the blur looks natural with more of a busy background the phones start to struggle getting the blur right but overall to my eye the pixel just takes this one because of a smoother transition between the subject and the background the white balance is a little more true to life on the pixel but the iphone's colors look punchy and vibrant on the iphone you can also adjust the virtual aperture before or after taking the photo whereas on the pixel you can only adjust after the fact and you can also add different lighting effects on the iphone like studio or stage lighting to enhance the shot but the iphone can't take portrait mode photos of anything other than people so if you try to snap flowers or any other object it will just say no person detected on the screen the pixel on the other hand takes portrait mode photos of pretty much anything for the front camera the pixel's lens has a wider field of view so i found that my facial features looked a little distorted for selfies and it's a fixed focus lens so sometimes if you don't get the angle or the distance between you and the lens just right you can end up being a bit soft and out of focus like all these photos it's about personal preference so i prefer how i look on the iphone compared to the pixel which has a bit more contrast overall thanks to their single lens neither of these phones have optical zoom but the pixel has super resume that merges frames together to create a more detailed image the iphone though has plain old digital zoom so here's a shot from both of the phones at two times and here is one at five times which is the maximum reach of the iphone it's actually not too bad on either of them but i would say the pixel definitely takes the edge on detail and you can push out all the way to seven times on the pixel but yeah it does not look great when you get that close the pixel has always excelled at low light photography and it's safe to say the 4a continues that tradition night mode on the default camera app means that low light shots look clearer and brighter than those on the iphone se which doesn't have a night mode on the default camera just take a look at the difference that it makes in these shots it's really night and day the 4a also has an astrophotography mode just like the original pixel 4. now this is one of those features that i really don't find myself using much at all but i love that it's there and when you do use it it produces some really nice looking photos now we've seen what each of the phones can do for photos let's talk video now both shoot at 4k but the iphone goes to 60 frames a second while the pixel is at 30. and while it might not make a huge difference on paper in practice i think the iphone looks better the image is a bit sharper overall and colors are more true to life compared to the pixel i also found the iphone shifts exposure more fluidly so there wasn't a huge jump when i was going between light and dark areas the stabilization on both phones is pretty good but i do think the iphone displays slightly less of that jello effect which is often the result of electronic image stabilization like used on the pixel okay now it's time for some video from the front-facing cameras on the se and the pixel 4a i'm holding them about the same length from my face the pixel 4a does crop in a little bit more onto the image just want you to take a look at how it deals with me hand holding it and also to see the background if anything is blown out see how they deal with dynamic range from the front camera when it comes to video and also the audio so as i'm talking we'll switch back and forth between the audio tracks so you can take a listen and see which one sounds better and i'm also going to do a little bit of a walk so you can see stabilization as i'm moving rather than just standing still so holding your phone steady as you walk is a real talent and a great skill and i admire anyone who can do it well so just take a look and see what the stabilization looks like as i am walking and talking and as i try not to trip over the plants in the garden all right let's look at the camera specs the pixel 4a has a 12.2 megapixel rear camera at f 1.7 with optical and electronic image stabilization the front camera is 8 megapixels at f2 and it's fixed focus the iphone has a 12 megapixel rear camera at f 1.8 with optical image stabilization while the front camera is 7 megapixels at f 2.2 now for some other bits and pieces about these cameras that you might value if you want raw capture as well as jpeg you'll get that on the pixel just go into the settings and toggle it on now you can shoot raw on the iphone but you do need a third-party app and the pixel has a beauty mode to soften or retouch your skin and there's also a pretty useful electronic level that can show you if you're not holding the phone straight alright you've watched the video now you have to decide which one of these phones wins the comparison for you so the usual disclaimers of course this all comes down to personal preference and the screen you view it on does make a difference so i've been comparing phones for a while in terms of their cameras and i have to say the results of this comparison for me have not really presented any surprises both are excellent at what they do and considering that they both cost less than four hundred dollars in the us for the base models you're getting an incredible camera for your money now that said i think the pixel just takes the edge when it comes to still images overall i was just really pleased with the consistency of the images and especially night mode it does a really good job unfortunately the se does not have night mode built in if it did i think there would be absolutely neck and neck when it comes to still images i do prefer the selfie and the front facing camera on the iphone i think it looks a little bit more flattering when it comes to video though it's the complete opposite the images look sharp detailed the audio is good and the stabilization is excellent so if video is a priority for you then the iphone is a stronger performer but as i said both of these phones have incredibly capable cameras and you're really not going to be disappointed in either thanks for watching the comparison let me know which phone you think won down in the comments below and stay tuned we got lots more camera comparisons and phone comparisons coming your way\n"
