Over the weekend, I published an article discussing my frustration with my Pixel 9 Pro’s cameras, especially in darker and warmer environments . I showcased several examples, from the least noticeable to the most glaring, where the photo that I see in the viewfinder on my phone and the final image I get after processing are so different that it feels jarring to witness that transformation.
My conclusion was that the Pixel camera seems to be working extra hard to fake a white balance that isn’t there, at any cost. In search of a balanced image, it forgets that I’m in an environment that isn’t balanced and tries to force a second reality. This results in flatter photos, lacking depth, color, and punch. Worse yet, these do the opposite of what the Pixel camera has prided itself on for years: showing reality. The end image is not what I’m seeing with my own eyes; it’s just fake.
I included a survey in the article, asking you, Pixel 9 Pro owners, whether you were happy with your phone’s photos. And the results of nearly 4500 votes are, to say the least, interesting.
What jumps out at me the most here is that only 42.5% of 4500 responders said they love the photos produced by the Pixel 9 Pro. Unfortunately, we don’t have similar surveys from previous years, but I’d bet you that if we had asked this question in the golden era of the Pixel 2, Pixel 4, or even Pixel 6 and 7, we’d have seen a much higher number of satisfied users.
On the other end of the spectrum, 22% or more than one in five Pixel users say they’re not happy and were expecting more from their cam. Yikes. In the middle, there’s another big chunk of 35.5% who, like me, are mitigated and say the camera gets things right sometimes but fails other times. Overall, 57.5% of Pixel 9 Pro owners aren’t always happy with their camera. That should make Google go back to the drawing board, right?
More telling than the votes are the comments from similarly frustrated users. I didn’t expect to receive over 100 comments on this article, much less that the grand majority would echo my sentiments, agree with my experience, and validate my results. Usually, the internet is much angrier with me when I dare to critique Pixels…
I’m so sick and tired of these over processed pictures after my pixel 3. So that I end up carrying around my huge dinosaur DSLR because I can’t get photos that look natural with my pixel 9.
Even those who hadn’t noticed it went in to test it and saw this issue right away.
Today I tried to take photos and the result didn’t always match what I saw in the preview. I don’t know when it changed and I don’t take photos that often. I only have this problem occasionally on the P6a and when I took photos a while ago, I can confirm that the photos had more color and warmth and today only some are lifeless and others are fine 🤷🏻. You’re right and Google’s software is to blame and I’m very curious when it will be fixed 🤔.
Many commenters said this issue had made them return the phone and switch to Samsung, Apple, or Xiaomi devices instead.
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