The marketing of cameras for smartphones is practically an Oscar-worthy pursuit, but the only thing that really matters are the results. We have paired the Huawei P40 Pro and Pixel 4 XL cameras to see how far the software can take a camera before the hardware is needed. We also wanted to see what kind of difference the new massive sensor of the P40 Pro makes 1 / 1.28 inch. If you want to dig a little deeper and see the results in an uncompressed form, click here for the original high resolution photos. This is the comparison of the Huawei P40 Pro camera vs Google Pixel 4 XL.
Colors
The differences here are quite minimal, mainly saturation and exposure. The P40 Pro is slightly less saturated than the Pixel 4 XL and still slightly overexposed but with better white balance. The Pixel is a little more contrasted but also shows more noise than the P40 Pro (take a look at the black spray paint at the bottom left of the image). There is no big difference in handling here, but you can see how the Pixel promotes yellow, both in overall exposure but also in the ground tag at the bottom right.
Portrait mode
The pixel’s depth of field is shallower in these portrait shots, but it’s a matter of personal preference. What’s really amazing here is how good the depth detection of the Huawei P40 Pro is. Take a look at the cropping showing single strands of hair held in the background while the pixel blurs them. If you notice that the pixel’s focus is sharper on the hair, it’s because the P40 Pro has focused more on the face – see the cropping of the eyes to see how well the P40 is shooting Pro is sharp. Note: If you want to see the pixels, use the link to the high resolution originals above, don’t trust these super-compressed crops.
How Google Improved Portrait Mode on the Pixel 4 | Which phones have the best portrait mode?
Detail
There is really very little here. Both phones pick up a lot of detail in broad daylight. The Pixel is once again a bit noisier (take a look at the poles on the left of the image) but they both retain the texture of the concrete block in the center of the frame as well as the differentiation between the red bricks lead. The pixels have always been noisy, but the P40 Pro takes an early lead with noise here thanks to the larger RYYB sensor.
Day light
The P40 Pro overexposes this daytime shot. The Pixel 4 XL captures more details in the distance (see cropping around the bridge statues), but this is largely due to the software reinforcing the edges and the result seems quite wrong at close range. The Pixel 4 XL can get more contrasting details in the sections, but the P40 Pro is more natural and again does a lot better with noise. On a smartphone scale, it is difficult not to prefer Pixel shooting, even if it is a technically weaker image that relies too much on the software.
Selfie
The Pixel 4 XL wins this one hands down in terms of sharpness, color and details (yes, I am this pretty shade of pink in real life). The Pixel retains the details better in my beard and my hair, manages the colors more naturally and even better exposes the sky. The P40 Pro clearly relies too much on the software with its front camera (Note: I made sure that the beauty mode was disabled for this photo), but not in a good way.
HDR
This is a pretty revealing photo of how the two cameras handle high dynamic range. The Pixel is again quite noisy while the larger sensor of the P40 Pro tackles dark areas very well without looking fake. The Pixel cannot quite handle the light area at the end of the tunnel, although the two results are quite similar in the darker areas. It’s a direct win for the Huawei P40 Pro even if it takes a few liberties with the saturation of the bricks and produces a warmer picture overall.
Low light
At first glance, these two photos could almost have been taken with the same camera. The colors are remarkably similar and the two are very realistic. On closer inspection, we can see that the Pixel handles the text better on the panel next to the door but again pumps the yellows. This time, the P40 Pro is more contrasted, but the image reveals a much heavier post-processing than the soft noise of the pixels. You can see a clear difference in naturalness between how the larger sensor normally reduces noise, compared to what software-based noise reduction does.
The Pixel’s tendency to tilt in yellow is again visible here, as is its preference for noise. The revealing “HDR look” is clearly in effect in the Pixel 4 shooting and I prefer the P40 Pro photo despite its underexposure. Its white balance is more precise, the noise reduction / sensor combo is effective without turning everything into a hazy mess, and it is much more faithful to reality.
Note: Crops on the left below are from the main 1x lens of each phone (full size images above). Crops on the right are 2x shots (full size images below). In the second pair, the Pixel 4 XL uses its 2x optical lens while the P40 Pro performs digital zoom on its main 1x lens.
Zoom
Zoom performance almost always comes down to hardware. You’ll hear a lot of statements about lossless zoom, hybrid zoom, and SuperRes zoom in mobile technology, but nine times out of ten, an optical lens will win (we’ve seen very good interpolation of hybrid zoom over the years, but never very long distances). Let’s see how the dedicated lenses of the Huawei P40 Pro (wide, 1x, 5x) and Pixel 4 XL (1x and 2x) work at different zoom levels, as well as how their software manages the intermediate zones.
2x zoom
Again, there is a light red-gold tint on the Pixel photo and the P40 Pro is underexposed, but things get more interesting when you zoom in on these photos (see crops above right). Because the Pixel 4 XL has a dedicated 2x optical lens, it does a much better job with the details, clearly identifying the horizontal pattern on the building to the right of the yellow sign and more details in the trees. The P40 Pro here uses a hybrid zoom on its 1x lens and it shows. As with previous shots, the pixel is always noisier, but the 2x optical lens compensates for it with better details.
3x zoom
Neither phone has a dedicated 3x optical lens, so the results are entirely based on the digital zoom of the standard 1x lens. Beyond the strange magenta hue of the P40 Pro shot, the Huawei camera does not interpolate as well as the Pixel. Check out the tree branches at the top left of the image to see how better the Pixel software is here. The same improved detail can also be seen in the weeds at the bottom of the brick wall. The higher contrast of the pixel also brings out the graffiti and the photo is better exposed with a precise white balance.
5x zoom
Dedicated lenses make all the difference. Just like we saw the 2x dedicated Pixel lens easily take the crown of the details in the twilight shot above, the P40 Pro wins this 5x shot by a landslide thanks to its 5x lens and its RYYB sensor bigger. The Pixel 4 XL does an admirable job via SuperRes Zoom, but it can’t just compete with the superior optics provided by a 5x optical lens and a large sensor.
The SuperRes zoom can only be done if and as the light goes down, the differences between the digital zoom and the optical zoom are even more obvious. Huawei has always done a great job in low light, so adding a larger sensor and 5x optical zoom only increases the lead of the P40 Pro. The Pixel may have introduced the idea of night mode to the masses, but combines harsh conditions with digital zoom and there is simply no way to compete.
What is opening? | Explanation of focal length
Night mode
Returning to 1x on both phones, the results of the night mode are extremely competitive. There was still a lot of ambient light when I photographed this bike, but the two phones did a good job. The Pixel is a little noisier as always, but the result depends less on the post-processing (you can see a little smudging in the photo of the P40 Pro) and seems better at close range.
Turn the lights off almost completely, and it’s clear again that Huawei is turning it on. The P40 Pro shot (taken in about six seconds) is sharper and more contrasted than the Pixel Night Sight shot (taken in about eight seconds). The Pixel lights up the scene and increases saturation more than the P40 Pro, but there’s no denying that the Huawei P40 Pro has the best photo here. If you have a minute and a half to spare, the Pixel’s astro mode may get a better picture, but the improvement over the P40 Pro is not that huge and takes more than a minute more.
More isn’t always better, but a bigger sensor is hard to beat
The photos you prefer will likely depend on your personal preferences. I love the way Huawei’s biggest sensor is able to handle noise, day and night. I’m also leaning a bit more towards the naturalness of some of the P40 Pro’s low-light exposures, as opposed to the fake pixel-like HDR. The Pixel, on the other hand, pins the exposure every time – something that the P40 Pro seems to have a little trouble, especially in daylight – and often has just the right amount of contrast and saturation for bring out the image. It’s just a shame there is so little effort to reduce noise, even via software.
Overall, both phones take incredible photos in 90% of the cases. The P40 Pro’s larger sensor is very obvious, but where things get really different is when you switch to a dedicated zoom lens. If you rarely (if ever) digitally zoom in on your scene (or if you only do it a little), the Pixel will serve you very well, assuming you agree with the noise. If, however, you like to get a lot closer (or more, remember that the P40 Pro also has an ultra wide-angle lens), then there’s no denying what more lenses can do.
If you take something out of this comparison, it should mean that more isn’t always better, but a larger sensor is hard to beat. Depending on the type of shooting you like, if you can get a dedicated lens for that type of shooting, then it will almost always be better than a software solution. It’s no surprise that Huawei’s hardware is superior to Google’s here, but Google wins the software war. That said, the combination of decent software, a massive RYYB sensor and several dedicated lenses puts Huawei in the lead in terms of versatility.