The Pixel 6 Pro has the best cameras that Google has ever added to a smartphone, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max also has increased video capabilities. Video is more challenging than photography since it requires all processing to be completed in a fraction of a second. As the Pixel 6 uses Google’s Tensor chip, that might be the advance it needs to finally match or even beat Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max. This comparison will be a look at the rear camera video with a focus on quality.
Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have the same camera arrays and processing capabilities. Capturing a maximum of 12 megapixels with each lens, Apple placed its focus on capturing more light, which is critical to photography and video alike. With larger sensors and wider apertures than ever before, the iPhone 13 Pro models can record video with greater quality in low-light conditions than the previous generation. Using LiDAR, Apple’s smartphone has no problem focusing quickly in low light situations.
Google’s Pixel 6 Pro features cameras that have been greatly upgraded over previous generations, increasing resolution dramatically with a 50-megapixel main camera and 48-megapixel telephoto. The ultra-wide remains at 12 megapixels, but in two out of three, Google dominates Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max in terms of data available for the best possible sharpness and also digital zoom range. The Pixel 6 Pro uses a much larger image sensor, packed densely with pixels to capture 2.5 times more light than the Pixel 5. The Pixel 6 Pro’s main camera has an aperture of f/1.85, which is a bit dark but common on high-resolution sensors. However, each frame of video is processed with its Tensor-powered HDR, enhancing brightness and color. It’s too early to tell if this will be enough to overcome the inherent strength of the very wide f/1.5 aperture found in the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s main camera, which allows more light to reach its large image sensor with minimal noise in low-light. What is clear is that when lighting is sufficient, Google’s greater sharpness should be apparent.
Google Vs. Apple: Telephoto & Camera Apps
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The Pixel 6 Pro’s telephoto is a 4-times optical zoom, reaching a bit further than Apple’s 3-times telephoto. Apple does allow digital zoom, but it isn’t lossless. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6 Pro can add a 4-times lossless digital zoom by cropping the 48-megapixel image down to 12 megapixels, providing a theoretical 16-times lossless zoom. If Google stopped there, the image quality would be noisy since cropping amplifies image sensor errors. With the Pixel 6 Pro’s Super Res Zoom and HDR, Google resamples and processes each frame of the video to improve long-range video greatly, allowing up to 20-times digital zoom when recording video. That means it easily beats the iPhone 13 Pro Max in terms of the zoom range.
While Google didn’t match Apple’s Cinematic mode, an editable portrait blur for video, that mode is limited to 1080p resolution. The iPhone 13 Max’s ProRes option is a low compression format used by professionals, however, the high storage requirements might negate this advantage for most users and it’s also limited to 1080p for models with 128 gigabytes of storage. Apple also offers a macro mode, which is great for capturing tiny details in motion, such as a spider spinning a web or the motion of tiny gears in a mechanical watch.
The Pixel 6 Pro is a great smartphone for video recording and the incredible zoom range gives it the win for anyone anticipating recording live events or wild animal videos where getter closer isn’t an option, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max has stronger core components for video and options that apply to professional video use such as ProRes and Cinematic mode. The match-up between Apple and Google was tighter than ever for video this year but, based on what is known before hands-on reviews are available, the iPhone 13 Pro Max beats the Pixel 6 Pro for video recording.