The Google Pixel is easily one of the best smartphones available. It always has the latest version of Android OS, and it offers strong performance and Google Assistant. But the Pixel's camera is also pretty great, delivering crisp 12.3-megapixel photos and strong HDR+ images in all sorts of conditions.
However, the Pixel faces a strong challenger in the LG G6, which features two 13-megapixel rear cameras, one of which shoots captivating wide-angle images with a 125-degree lens. In fact, the G6's camera took down the iPhone 7 Plus in a recent shootout. Now, it’s Google’s turn to square off against the latest from LG. To compare images, just drag the dividing line between the photos shot by the G6 and the Pixel.
Flat Iron Building
The LG G6’s camera impresses here by picking up greater details in the building. Overall, it’s a sharper image with slightly more contrast. It also picked up more details in the shadows. The Pixel’s camera handles highlight well, but the image looks a little underexposed and the colors aren’t as saturated.
Winner: LG G6
Lego Man
The Lego store had this fellow near the window and we couldn’t resist. The white balance on both images ran a little bit warm, and the Pixel had brighter exposure. The green on the tree behind the figure looks closer to what I saw with the naked eye, though.
Winner: Draw
Bowl of Fruit
Our assistant photo editor put this to me pretty bluntly: “The overall quality [of the Pixel] is not as good as LG.” And it shows here, as the image from the G6 offers richer colors (even though they’re on the warmer side). The LG’s camera also did a better job of balancing shadows and highlights. On the Pixel, the highlights look a little too hot.
Winner: LG G6
Empire State Building (No Zoom)
The real difference in this shot is the color. Once again, the Pixel provided desaturated colors with highlights that were just a bit overexposed. And the white balance went a little cold. The G6's image looks warmer and more inviting while picking up more detail in the buildings and street.
Winner: LG G6
Empire Sate Building (Full Zoom)
This one is no contest. In a zoom shot taken of the Empire State Building, the G6 produced a better image, while the Pixel’s results look muddier. The Pixel also didn’t zoom in nearly as far, maxing out at 4x, compared to 14x for the Pixel. Let’s hope the rumored dual-lens Pixel 2 fares better.
Winner: LG G6
Low Light
Taken in our office stairway, this image reveals that the G6 is capable of picking up good detail in shadows, and the white balance performed pretty well. By comparison, the Pixel's photo exhibited noise in the shadows and blown-out highlights. When we zoomed in on our desktop, the photo looked pretty crummy.
Winner: LG G6
Overall
The Google Pixel has a very good camera — it's one of our top camera phones, in fact. But it's hard to argue with LG winning 5 out of 6 rounds. The G6 is the better shooter based on our testing.
Photo comparison credits: Tom's Guide
