A new side-by-side comparison between iPhone 11 Night Mode Vs Pixel 4 Night Sight sees the former beat Google’s phone. Here are the details.
The arrival of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max brought the announcement of the new Night Mode, too. With the new ability to take photos even in low light, the obvious comparison was with Google’s Pixel phones, powered by Night Sight.
To find out how things went, PCWorld took an iPhone 11 and a Pixel 3 and ran them through some tests last month. At the time, Apple won out.
I’m simply blown away by what Apple has accomplished with Night Mode on the iPhone 11. When I first tried Night Sight on the Pixel 3 last October, I couldn’t believe what Google was able to do with its AI and processing. In no uncertain terms, Apple’s Night Mode makes Night Sight look amateurish.
But now that Google has announced the Pixel 4, how have things changed? We’ve heard positive things from those who have reviewed the Pixel 4, with many saying that the iPhone 11 and new Google phone perform similarly in low light. Whether you prefer one over the other may simply be a matter of personal preference.
So when MacWorld tested an iPhone 11 and a Pixel 4, we awaited the outcome.
We still have some more testing to go before we can reach a verdict on Google’s new Pixel 4 smartphone, but early results continue to show that it’s in for a big fight with the iPhone 11. We tested the improved Night Sight against the iPhone 11’s Night mode to see which camera could snap a better nighttime shot and the results are quite one-sided.
That’s very surprising. Apple’s Night Mode was largely seen as playing catch-up to Google’s version on the Pixel 3, and we all assumed that the Pixel 4 would take another leap to show Apple who’s boss. That might not be the case. In shot after shot, the iPhone 11 didn’t just turn extremely dark images into useable pics—it brightened the right spots, retained the right shadows, and simply handled the whole scene better than the Pixel 4. It’s subtle, but more often than not, the iPhone produced richer, more detailed shots without losing the natural darkness.
Pixel 4 Night Sight (left) versus iPhone 11 Night Mode (Right)
Whether it’s predictable that the iPhone 11 was found best by an Apple-focused website is something you can decide. But even in this piece, it was noted that sometimes the Pixel came out on top because of how it brightened the image more than the iPhone.
I found a situation where the Pixel 4’s all-over brightening is superior to Apple’s measured approach. The fog here is picked up much better by the Pixel 4 and appropriately spooky, while it’s practically invisible in the iPhone 11’s shot. I do think the iPhone 11 did a better job with the pumpkin’s shadows—and check out the inside detail in the left eye, but overall, I prefer the Pixel here.
Pixel 4 Night Sight (left) versus iPhone 11 Night Mode (Right)
So after all that, do we really have a winner? Not really – if you own either phone, it will take some pretty stunning images no matter the light source. And that’s a great place to be as 2019 draws to a close.
(Source: MacWorld)
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