A month before Apple introduced the iPhone 17 lineup, Google debuted its new Pixel 10 smartphone line. Since both companies have brand new flagship devices, we thought we'd do a comparison to see which one has the better camera technology.
With Apple adopting a camera "plateau" instead of a camera bump, the camera setup for the two smartphones looks more similar than ever before. Google has used a pill-shaped multi-lens horizontal camera bar for several years now, and now Apple uses a design that's not too far off. The iPhone 17 Pro's camera bump is wider, more square shaped, and it still has all three lenses on the left side, while Google's bar has rounded corners and lenses positioned in a row.
The iPhone 17 Pro has a trio of 48-megapixel lenses, including Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto. The Pixel 10 Pro also has three lenses, offering a 50-megapixel Wide lens, a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide lens, and a 48-megapixel Telephoto lens. The camera systems are so similar and are high quality enough that choosing which one is better mostly comes down to personal taste.
Google seems to be doing more post processing, a tactic that makes some images sharper and more detailed, but that can also look unnatural. Colors on the Pixel 10 Pro are more saturated and vibrant in some cases, while the iPhone can look more natural. In other images, the iPhone offers more detail, including with the Telephoto lens.
Apple has been ahead on video for years now, and the iPhone 17 Pro still beats the Pixel 10 Pro. Apple has ProRes RAW, Cinematic mode, and other pro-level features that Google doesn't match. Google has improved video taking capabilities, though, and the Pixel 10 Pro does a good job with day-to-day captures.
The iPhone's new 18-megapixel front-facing camera has a useful feature that rotates into landscape so you can fit more in a selfie shot, which is a useful addition that sets it apart.
When it comes to AI-based camera features, Google is far ahead of Apple. The Pixel 10 Pro has a Gemini-based Camera Coach for getting the best shots, plus Google Photos supports voice-based edits. You can add yourself or other people into shots, boost your video quality, take 100x shots enhanced by AI, and access a better Magic Eraser tool for erasing unwanted objects in images. The iPhone 17 Pro may get some of these capabilities when Apple's improved version of Siri comes out, but right now, Apple can't match Google's AI capabilities.
The Pixel 10 Pro is priced starting at $999, while the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, but the Pixel 10 Pro's $999 price point is for 128GB of storage. The equivalent 256GB model is $1,099, so the devices are essentially the same price.
Do you prefer the Pixel 10 Pro or the iPhone 17 Pro photos and videos? Let us know in the comments below.
