iPhone SE vs. Google Pixel 3A: Camera Comparison

The iPhone SE is Apple’s new entry-level phone. For $ 399 (£ 419, AU $ 749), you get a device with the same power A13 processor like the $ 699 iPhone 11, packed in the body of a iPhone 8. Equally impressive, you get a camera that’s similar in many ways to the iPhone 11, albeit without some bells and whistles. This is reminiscent of Google’s Pixel 3A. Last year, the 3A offered the 2018 Pixel 3 camera for just $ 399.

Which begs the question: Does Apple’s new entry-level camera outperform Google’s? In most cases, it surely does.

The two phones have similar camera capabilities. Both are single-lens setups, rare in a time when even budget phones have two or three cameras on the back. As a result, both lack wide-angle capabilities or a dedicated shooter to optimize zoom. (To get an iPhone with a telephoto lens, you’ll have to pay for an 11 Pro.) Both of them can also record 4K videos.

Where they diverge the most is at night: the 3A offers Night Sight, while the SE has no option to improve low-light conditions. And indeed the Pixel 3A has much stronger nighttime performance. Outside of that, however, the SE wins big.

IPhone SE Standard Photography Rules

The photos taken by the Pixel 3A are generally more moderate than those captured by the iPhone SE. There are pros and cons to this. The iPhone occasionally suffers from highlights, while the Pixel is more consistent. But in my tests, it was generally the iPhone that took the most impressive photos.

See how much more vibrant this close-up of a flower is, for example. It looks lightly saturated and artificially refrigerated when captured by the Pixel 3A, and much more lively via the iPhone SE.

However, it is not always as one-sided as this. The Banksia flower below is much more eye-catching like the one captured by the iPhone, for example, but the Pixel has some advantages. The greens are deeper, and the Pixel did a better job of using the light to separate the bottom and the bottom.

However, for the most part, that exuberance trend works in favor of the iPhone. This coffee shame, a little embarrassing to drink in public, exemplifies another dynamic: the Pixel has a tendency to cool images, while the iPhone warms them up. It’s fair to have a subjective preference about the shade you prefer, but, outside of the shade, the iPhone photo certainly appears more.

Again, there are times when Pixel’s more moderate photography works in your favor. This photo of bushes (there isn’t much to take photos of other than flowers and greenery right now) has difficult lighting to handle in the SE compared to the more balanced 3A, for example.

But that photo is an atypical case; Of the dozens of standard photos I took with the two phones, this photo below is probably the most representative. Both phones capture great photos, but iPhones are more dynamic and eye-catching.

iPhone SE portrait mode vs. Pixel 3a

Both the iPhone SE and Pixel 3A take exceptional portraits. However, there are differences. And here, more than the standard shots, which you like the most will come down largely to personal preference rather than one camera being better than another.

A key difference in the two is not the image quality, but the image taking. The Pixel 3A comes close when taking portraits – the shot below was taken from the same distance. This is a practical matter that makes the Pixel 3A a little less flexible when it comes to framing than the SE. (IPhones typically zoom 2x by default for Portrait mode, but the SE doesn’t because it doesn’t have a telephoto lens.)

You’ll notice in the image above that my housemate Dan’s hair, both the curls at the top and the beard at the bottom, are sharper and more detailed in the Pixel capture. Her skin tone also looks a little brushed on the iPhone jack. Also note how different the two devices captured your bridge. The green of the iPhone is more accurate.

In the following Rachael shots, the Pixel’s performance is more balanced. But it is also flatter. Note how clearly highlighted it is in the iPhone shot. There is a certain loss of detail, as Rach’s eyes appear in the iPhone capture, but his color can barely be seen in the Pixel photo. Her skin also looks more natural in the iPhone portrait. The Pixel photo looks like someone took the value of Structure in an Instagram post and uploaded it.

This is most pronounced in Dynn’s portraits below. Her skin looks a little brushed on the iPhone capture, but too sharp and crisp on the Pixel 3A image. The creases under his eyes seem particularly unfortunate results of artificial sharpening.

Ultimately, which phone takes the best portrait photography depends primarily on subjective taste. However, it would give the iPhone points for more consistency.

Night Sight is king

When it comes to low-light photography, it’s pretty simple. If we are comparing night standing shots, the iPhone is generally a little better. But the Pixel 3A has Night Sight, and the iPhone SE doesn’t have the night mode that is in range 11. If Night Sight is on, there is no competition.

Take the scene below. Arguably the Pixel 3A took a cooler picture, the low light produces a creepy effect, but the iPhone SE captured much more information. In the photo of the latter you can see more of the mulch on the ground, as well as more of the surrounding trees.

These gnocchi photos were taken with some backlighting, not real night conditions. The iPhone has a much better contrast and a more satisfactory sharpness. Meanwhile, the Pixel 3A has an unpleasant tint due to some white balance issues.

But then we got to the iPhone SE with the Pixel 3A with Night Sight turned on. It’s a whole new game, one that highlights the number of modes for a blessing night. In all of the cases below, you’ll see that Night Sight outperforms the iPhone SE’s (admirable) low-light performance.

Zoom is the weakness of the iPhone SE camera

You’ll have to give me room with this one, since comparing the zoom capabilities of the two phones was rogue science. The iPhone SE photo app offers you a zoom slider, but there is no corresponding number to tell you if you have a 2x or 3x or 4x zoom. As a result, the following photos will not be 1: 1 comparisons, as they are unlikely to be exactly the same zoom level.

With that said, the Pixel 3a looks way ahead of the iPhone SE. I mean that literally as the 3a can achieve a digital zoom of up to 7x and the SE seems to hit a 5x limit. But the Pixel 3A also takes clearer zoom photos.

In the photo above, at about 2x zoom, the Pixel’s shot is much clearer and sharper. You’ll see this if you look closely at the vegetation, but it hits you right away when you look at the pink flowers.

The next shot has a 4x zoom, of a bottle of wine that I have been hiding from my housemates (drink responsibly, you guys). Admittedly, you can see that I’ve zoomed in a bit more on the iPhone SE, but that there is a big difference in image quality that is unlikely to be explained by the small zoom gap. The iPhone retains its warmth, but it looks much louder. This is especially true when you look at the background.

Finally, this pitcher of water (previously filled with beer, responsible drink, etc.) received a 5x zoom on both phones. The 3A’s shot is much clearer.

I am eager to say something too decisive as again I cannot be 100% sure of the zoom lengths that I captured here. But it certainly seems that the iPhone SE is much less zoom-compatible.

Selfies work best on iPhone

The Pixel 3A and iPhone SE are generally equal when it comes to their front cameras. Sometimes the Pixel captures more detail, other times the iPhone captures richer color. I can’t have it all, huh? However, there is a difference marker. Based on my tests, the iPhone SE is better at dealing with a wider variety of lighting conditions.

In the next selfie, you will see my head strangely. However, take a closer look at the Pixel shot and you’ll also notice more detail in the background bushes. You’ll also see flat white residue on the top of the coffee mug, as well as my dry lips and sadly furry knuckles. Hooray for more details!

However, in the following selfie, I preferred the colors of the iPhone SE, especially in the background sheets. The Pixel also made my face look unusually smooth, a reversal of its Portrait mode effect.

But again, pretty even. However, the Pixel, no matter how hard I tried, couldn’t handle lighting from the front of my house. This is a portrait selfie, a capability both phones have, but the standard shots were the same. Washing, horrible colors and completely dull.

This doesn’t always happen, but even in other photos I noticed that the Pixel was less adept at handling bright lighting conditions. So the wink goes to the iPhone here.

Video comparison

The Pixel does an admirable job in video compared to the iPhone, as Apple devices are renowned for their video capabilities. But the iPhone keeps going here. The key difference was the dynamic range. This was particularly evident at night, where car headlights rang on the Pixel, and the iPhone was visibly capable of capturing deeper blacks. Watch the video below to see some compared video footage.

So, among its more vivid shots, consistent portraits, and selfies, I’d call the iPhone the winner here, even though Pixel works best with zoom and Night Sight. But it is an advantage that Apple cannot maintain for a long time: it is rumored Pixel 4A Is not far.