Google Pixel 2 Reviewed: Sets New Record for Overall Smartphone Camera Quality

[Canon Rumors]

DXOMark has published their review of the Google Pixel 2 camera and it has been awarded the highest score for a smartphone ever. The first Pixel had a score of 89, the new Pixel camera has received a score of 98.</p>
<p><strong>Fron DXOMark:</strong></p>

<blockquote><p>We’re in danger of running out of superlatives when describing the major image quality attributes of the Google Pixel 2. That makes sense for a device that tops our scoring charts —up from the 94 of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to a record-setting 98. So for just about any Photo or Video <a class="glossaryLink " style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: #ffffff; touch-action: manipulation; color: #334862; text-decoration: none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" href="https://www.dxomark.com/glossary/use-case/" data-cmtooltip="A use case is a real photographic scenario containing the characteristics required for measuring camera sensor performance under a set of defined conditions. DxOMark defines three use cases for sensors: Portrait, Landscape, and Sports, and a(...) <strong></strong>">use case</a>, it recommends itself as the phone camera with the best image quality. A notable exception to that assessment centers around the added performance in Zoom and Bokeh (including Depth and Portrait) that dual-camera smartphones such as the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8 can provide. This said, the Pixel 2 is especially well-suited to videographers, as it achieves the highest Video score for any device we’ve tested — a 96. <a href="https://www.dxomark.com/google-pixel-2-reviewed-sets-new-record-smartphone-camera-quality/">Read the full review</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL preorders will go live today in select countries.</p>
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[Lee Jay]

Great! So I could take 28mm-equivalent images in good light with good image quality. That should cover a good 1-2% of my shooting. That's a worthy upgrade over my current phone which also takes good 28mm-equivalent images in good light.

 

[Don Haines]

Great! So I could take 28mm-equivalent images in good light with good image quality. That should cover a good 1-2% of my shooting. That's a worthy upgrade over my current phone which also takes good 28mm-equivalent images in good light.

It's a better score than any Canon DSLR.... I guess the trolls were right.... Canon is doomed!

 

[Lee Jay]

Great! So I could take 28mm-equivalent images in good light with good image quality. That should cover a good 1-2% of my shooting. That's a worthy upgrade over my current phone which also takes good 28mm-equivalent images in good light.

It's a better score than any Canon DSLR.... I guess the trolls were right.... Canon is doomed!

It's a better score because it's comparing asteroids to hemorrhoids.

 

[tomscott]

Really does make you wonder about where these scores come from.

98 seriously. Better than any canon sensor. Come on.

 

[nemtom]

Really does make you wonder about where these scores come from.

98 seriously. Better than any canon sensor. Come on.

I don't think that the the scale is the same for mobile and for dedicated cameras. Probably that's why do they have two separate list...

 

[aceflibble]

They're scored relative to the other systems of their type. You're not supposed to compare the phone scores to ILC scores. Just like you wouldn't compare the scores of a 15mm lens to a 600mm lens. The 'overall' scores DxO assigns are 1) an average of every aspect measured and 2) based on the context of what the unit is compared to comparable systems.

 

[rlan214]

looks like a paid review I was checking out the review photo's not much stand out that gives pixel 2 +4 points against iphone and galaxy.... maybe one photo I thought that picture does look better but not +4 point good
maybe the pixel peepers says otherwise but I don't care much about that

 

[PureClassA]

Selling my 1DX2 tomorrow to get one of these instead! Thanks DxO!

 

[Jopa]

Yet another BS from DxO. How it can be better compared to the dual camera phones (wide + tele or wide + ultra wide), if it got just one camera? Have they figured this out looking at the crappy portraits with the girl's face in the dead center or skewed carusels? It's not even scientific, just a random number to the highest bidder.

 

[danski0224]

My interest in phones that cost almost $1,000.00 isn't there anymore.

No thanks.

 

[yorgasor]

Just got through looking at the pictures, and I'm pleased to say that my photography career is still safe. Those camera photos were all atrocious!

 

[dolina]

I believe in DXOMark Mobile ranking. I say this as their comparison between my 2015 iPhone 6s and my 2015 Nexus 6P are spot on. After 2 years of use their assessment is still spot on although I know why the Google phone was $200 cheaper than my Apple phone. It's less reliable.

If you're image quality obsessed Android user then this is the phone for you.

The ranking of the Google Pixel is within the smartphone only.

Functionally speaking a smartphone can only do X amount while an ILC can only do Y amount.

A smartphone is more functionally similar to a point & shoot with a similarly sized image sensor.

The advantage of the smartphone over a dedicated camera is the software to allow in-camera edits and the ability to share the image in seconds.

ILCs will still have superior image quality and have the flexibility of hardware modularization although there are strides to match it in terms of bokeh with software and dual camera phones. It's a work in progress to say the least.

Smartphones on a 12/24/36 month contract largely killed off the point & shoot. The telco contract "pushed" new phones with cameras to end-users and subsidies made it financially easier to own a better camera every contract period.

This forced that segment to go more specialized (think underwater & GoPro) or high end (large image sensor and Leica).

As for ILC. I think the slow down of sales has a lot of factors which I will share assuming this quoted. But do not worry, it will not die but evolve to probably be mirrorless-dominated.

 

[powershot2012]

Impressive to say the least. Any nay sayer is simply afraid of the advancements phones have made in recent years.

Congrats Google!

Bar has been raised, yet again. Good luck Apple!

https://www.dxomark.com/google-pixel-2-reviewed-sets-new-record-smartphone-camera-quality/

DXOMark has published their review of the Google Pixel 2 camera and it has been awarded the highest score for a smartphone ever. The first Pixel had a score of 89, the new Pixel camera has received a score of 98.</p>
<p><strong>Fron DXOMark:</strong></p>

<blockquote><p>We’re in danger of running out of superlatives when describing the major image quality attributes of the Google Pixel 2. That makes sense for a device that tops our scoring charts —up from the 94 of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to a record-setting 98. So for just about any Photo or Video <a class="glossaryLink " style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: #ffffff; touch-action: manipulation; color: #334862; text-decoration: none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" href="https://www.dxomark.com/glossary/use-case/" data-cmtooltip="A use case is a real photographic scenario containing the characteristics required for measuring camera sensor performance under a set of defined conditions. DxOMark defines three use cases for sensors: Portrait, Landscape, and Sports, and a(...) <strong></strong>">use case</a>, it recommends itself as the phone camera with the best image quality. A notable exception to that assessment centers around the added performance in Zoom and Bokeh (including Depth and Portrait) that dual-camera smartphones such as the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8 can provide. This said, the Pixel 2 is especially well-suited to videographers, as it achieves the highest Video score for any device we’ve tested — a 96. <a href="https://www.dxomark.com/google-pixel-2-reviewed-sets-new-record-smartphone-camera-quality/">Read the full review</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL preorders will go live today in select countries.</p>
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[Luds34]

My interest in phones that cost almost $1,000.00 isn't there anymore.

No thanks.

Agreed. I've (too) slowly woken up to that fact.

Of course what I haven't seen posted here yet, and is a strong reason I dislike shooting with cell phones, is the ergonomics. The whole tapping the screen to take the picture just induces such camera shake. I'm awful with cell phones and almost always defer to someone else when strangers ask me to take a picture of them with their cell phones.

 

[dolina]

The whole tapping the screen to take the picture just induces such camera shake. I'm awful with cell phones and almost always defer to someone else when strangers ask me to take a picture of them with their cell phones.

I have the same complaint and Apple and Google have a solution.

On Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Google Nexus 6P, Google Nexus 5X, Google Android One and Samsung smartphones you can use the volume button on the side of the phone as your shutter.

To further reduce camera shake you can use the volume button of your earphone to trigger the shutter.

I've been doing this since 2013 with the iPhone 5S. Not to sure about the iPhone 4S from 2011

Double clicking on the power button on certain Android phones with Marshmallow, Nougat and Oreo will activate the camera.

Single clicking on the power button and swiping left on the screen on iPhones will activate the camera.

To make this discussion of smartphone cameras relevant to ILCs be aware that Sony at one time supplied the top 50% of image sensors of all smartphones worldwide.

The R&D money they earned went into producing the full frame image sensors found in the a9, a7S II, a7R II and a7 II.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

There is little doubt that phone makers see the image quality of phones as a selling point. They embarked on a quest to improve them about 4-5 years ago, and have succeeded. They spent a lot more on R&D than Canon or Nikon, but only a small amount per phone sold.

However, I tend to be skeptical about DXO ratings, merely because the reviewers tent to ignore flaws that matter to me, but not to them. They place high values on things like bokeh when I value low noise and low light capability, and no phone camera is at 98 on the low light scale, more like 10.

 

[dolina]

In 2015 Samsung's marketing conducted research on people used their smartphones and what influences their buying decision.

Unsurprisingly the camera on them matters.

https://petapixel.com/2015/02/12/importance-cameras-smartphone-war/

I bring around a SLR when I am going to do something where image quality counts. For everything else a smartphone is a more convenient solution. I even bought a 40mm pancake lens from Canon to make the 5DsR as compact as possible. Thinking of getting a 27mm pancake for the 7D2.

The best camera you can ever own is the one with you.

https://petapixel.com/2017/06/16/smartphone-cameras-improved-time/

 

[aceflibble]

Basically, people are reading the headline, taking one look at the numbers, and completely ignoring context.

Let's reiterate again for those who didn't pay attention the first time:
These scores are only relative to other phones and measurements are scored by the standards of phones, not other camera systems. DxO are not comparing a mobile phone to a 1DX; stop being a jackass, people.

and no phone camera is at 98 on the low light scale, more like 10.

They're not a 98 compared to larger-sensor ILCs, but they can be a 98 compared to other phones, which is how DxO repeatedly explains its mobile scores are handled.

 

[dolina]

Basically, people are reading the headline, taking one look at the numbers, and completely ignoring context.

Let's reiterate again for those who didn't pay attention the first time:
These scores are only relative to other phones and measurements are scored by the standards of phones, not other camera systems. DxO are not comparing a mobile phone to a 1DX; stop being a jackass, people.

and no phone camera is at 98 on the low light scale, more like 10.

They're not a 98 compared to larger-sensor ILCs, but they can be a 98 compared to other phones, which is how DxO repeatedly explains its mobile scores are handled.

That's why they have their own separate list.

We all know image sensor size and optics count.

But for the bottom 99% of the population that will take photos just to display on screens no larger than 6" then the smartphone camera is good enough.

For us who plan to print onto a larger surface then smartphones are no better than $100 point and shoots