Stephen Headrick / Android Authority
My smartphone is more of a camera than a phone to me. In fact, I originally switched to Android (Google Pixel 2 XL “panda edition,” which is still one of my favorite designs) specifically because I liked the images that Google’s camera app produced. Year over year, camera upgrades brought significant upgrades that — for me, at least — warranted buying a new phone each year. But in more recent years, the improvements have been less dramatic and, in many cases, not very noticeable to the average user. As someone who has continued to upgrade most years, this made me wonder how Google’s latest device stacks up against one of its predecessors, so I decided to compare the Pixel 8 Pro to my latest Pixel 10 Pro. Let’s dig into the pixels to see how a two-year-old device stacks up against Google’s latest efforts.
What is the most important factor when choosing your next smartphone? 137 votes Battery life 44 % Camera 42 % Other internals (processor, RAM, etc.) 10 % Something else (let us know in the comments!) 4 %
Are you sure we’re using two different devices? Let’s start with the main camera. The lens itself is identical on both devices, so in theory, the images should be relatively similar.
Pixel 8 Pro (1x) Pixel 10 Pro (1x)
If I didn’t already know these were taken on different devices, I would’ve guessed they came from the same camera. Even when you zoom in to examine the details, you’ll have a difficult time spotting differences, especially in photos taken on the main lens at 1x zoom. In our first sample with the palm trees, both cameras do a great job capturing rich colors and fine details, even in the shadows.
Pixel 8 Pro (1x) Pixel 10 Pro (1x)
Staying on the same lens, this next photo hints at one of the major differences I started to notice between the Pixel 10 Pro and the Pixel 8 Pro: a subtle shift towards warmer colors in Google’s latest device. The difference is rather small here in this sample, but still notable. You may not notice at first glance, but it’s especially easy to see in the red paint to the top left of the white building. The 8 Pro’s red looks a little washed out to me, while the 10 Pro’s image comes out a bit more bold and confident in its colors. My eyes prefer the 10 Pro’s camera here.
Other than that rather minor difference, you’ll see you’re still getting a great photo from both devices, with similar amounts of detail in the shadows.
Pixel 8 Pro (1x) Pixel 10 Pro (1x)
... continue reading