Xperia 1 VII vs iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Pixel 9 Pro ( Blind Camera Comparison )
Welcome to the Sony Xperia 1VII blind camera comparison test. I know a lot of people are wondering how good Sony's new camera hardware is. Well, you're about to see that for yourself. So in this video, Xperia 1 VII is up against the Pixel 9 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I've chosen these two specifically because they're both considered to be among the best of the best when it comes to smartphone cameras, but also because they have different chipsets, which a lot of people don't realise affects the camera performance. Due to the different types of approaches to image signal processing, especially when it comes to camera AI. Unlike other camera comparisons, where people just read off the spec sheet and push their narratives, in this one, you will have the freedom to find the answers that you've been looking for. Make sure you choose your winner before the timer runs out. Try and keep a score sheet as well, so we can see how good Sony's new camera hardware is.
Just so you know, I'm not here to sway your opinion in any way. However, I will point out a few observations that might help you. So the image on the right is maybe the most saturated in colour. The set, the photo is very bright, but also shows the darkest colours, which could suggest. A better dynamic range. The picture on the left sits somewhere in between the two. When it comes to the qualities that I've just mentioned, with it having good colour and good contrast, and yes, I did get photobombed by a wasp when taking this one. And as soon as I snapped that photo, I bravely ran away.
All right. One aspect that impressed me about the Xperia 1 VI I tested last year was its Macro mode, which requires some manual input to achieve precise focus. But maybe that's a good thing. And you let me know what you think it is. So see that little tiny flower right there? Let's see how close we can get to that with the macro modes on the phones. There is one significant hardware difference that you need to know about before you find out what phones what. The iPhone and Pixel both use their ultra-wide camera for macro photos, which means you have to get actually physically very close to something to get this close-up shot. Where is the Xperia uses that tele macro approach, where you can be a bit far away, which can help when it comes to not casting shadows. And when you're trying to take photos of. So that's a little hint for you. Generally speaking, when it comes to these photos, they all look really good. There is a difference in colour tones and background blur. So I'm just going to punch in a little bit here. So you can see which one has captured the most amount of details. So let's start the clock. Let me know which one looks the best.
There is one sensor that Sony has changed from the last model. And it is the ultra-wide. It's a larger sensor, is said to be more sensitive. And this is quite a bright shot. But there's also a lot of shadow detail here as well. So this is a great test for that new ultra-wide. Again, there are a lot of visible differences when it comes to the colour tones and things like that. So, once again, is your time. You call it.
So I'm going to roll the next few photos, and I will join you again for some video side-by-side tests And then we'll get into the lower light night shots.
The selfie video test and also a test of the microphones: Please watch the video.
All right, I'm back. And if you were wondering what I was making on my charbroiled gas taco barbecue. It was just some hot dogs. But, you know, a proper quality meat. So I'm not going to comment too much on this one. But at this point in time, it was getting a little bit dark. So here is which phone took these photos.
And let's kick this off with the first proper dark night photo. So when it comes to low light shots, and there's loads of darkness, but there's a bright light source in the frame. This can be a really great test for the sensitivity of the camera sensors. I think the key to winning here is based on the phone's ability to retain details in the bright spots of the image, whilst delivering details in the dark areas without too much digital noise. And you can see that sometimes, when phones try too hard to lift the shadows. So it's all about balance. But once again, the choice is yours. Which one looks the best?
This is just a glass of water. If you're wondering, I actually took this picture with a glass of wine once before, and it looked really nice. I've recreated it here with water, and I actually think there's a clear winner here. Again, if you look for the same qualities, the ability to retain detail and the phone's ability to brighten up without introducing too much digital noise. I think just based off of those two things, you'll be able to find the winner. And check this out. If we just punch in a little bit in this image, you can see my thumbprint right here on the glass. I didn't even realize that was there when I took this photo was actually a bit too dark So all three have actually really impressed me here.
So this one was very dark. And actually that light there is an LED solar light. And it's quite dim to be honest. So what we're seeing here is very different colours. All of them have done a great job of picking out the fine details on the wood here, but I think it really is the colour difference that will. Sway you one way or the other. So let me know which one you like?
This is a really bright garden light, photo taken from right up close and is covered in spider webs. And it seems like the phone on the right is really focused on the filament of the bulb. So inside the bulb, instead of the actual glass around it itself, the phone on the left has delivered a very detailed and bright image, which does look nice. But maybe the center image looks the most balanced of the three having good brightness, good detail on the outside and the inside of the bulb. But anyway, disregard everything I just said. The choice is yours. Pick your winner.
All right, so this is the last night photo that I took. Now's the time to tally up your score sheets. And I'm very interested to read what you guys have to say about the new Sony Xperia 1 VII's camera performance. So definitely leave me a comment and let me know how it stacks up against the Pixel 9 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
