Pixel XL vs Nexus 6P Camera Low-Light Comparison!

pixel-xl-vs-nexus6p-camera-lowlight-comparison

In our last camera comparison, Nexus 6P killed Galaxy S7 Edge and HTC 10 in low-light, thus becoming the king of low-light photos in the smartphone world.  Even now, I carry my Nexus 6P just for taking those crispy photos in the dark, it’s definitely still more useful than any other smartphone I have ever owned.

Well, Pixel and Pixel XL are supposed to be the new Google phones with even better performance and my initial testing that seemed true.  I decided to take both Pixel XL and Nexus 6P out in the real world shooting photos in the streets of San Francisco and find out if Pixel XL’s camera was really better than the 6P.

The results were obviously disappointing as the Nexus 6P kills Pixel XL in most low-light situations.  Especially in near darkness, the Nexus 6P had more clear photos with more detail and correct exposing of the street lights while Pixel XL struggled with overexposed lights (just like every other smartphone on the market).

Don’t get me wrong, Pixel still has one of the best cameras but when it comes to low-light photos, it comes nowhere close to the Nexus 6P.

Not convinced?  You can download the original photos we used in this comparison test here and judge for yourself.  (All photos were taken with two hands with focus in the center of the photo.)

Since many were complaining about Pixel phone’s HDR Auto mode (which doesn’t work well), I re-did the test using HDR On mode here.

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Max Lee

Max Lee is the founder of HighOnAndroid.com. Max makes Android tutorials and review videos for people who want to get high on Android over at his YouTube channel and Korean YouTube channel.