iPhone 7 Plus vs. HTC U11 vs. Pixel XL vs. Xperia XZ Premium: The Camera Review

Our in-depth camera tests are back with a new edition, this time comparing four different phone models, all of which are flagships for their parent companies.

The first model is the 2017-launched HTC U11, which comes with a 12-megapixel camera and which until recently was considered the best camera phone according to DxO. The second phone is the Google Pixel XL released in 2016, while the third device is the Sony Xperia XZ Premium featuring specs that overtake the majority of handsets on the market. And of course, we have the iPhone 7 Plus which according to so many sources, including Apple itself, has a truly great camera.

Just like in every test, we used the cameras of the four phones in different conditions, but always using the same auto settings and HDR set to auto. We only made slight adjustments here and there in terms of brightness if the conditions required it. All photos were taken on the same day and in the same light to make sure that our test perfectly reflects the performance of each phone.

As far as tech specs go, the Xperia XZ has a small advantage thanks to its 19-megapixel camera and 1/2.3" sensor, while the rest of the pack is a little behind as it follows: 12.3MP 1/2.3" Pixel XL vs. 12MP 1/2.3" HTC U11 vs. 12MP 1/3" iPhone 7 Plus.  

TEST #1 – BUILDINGS

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1. In this test, HTC U11 got the right white balance settings, managing to preserve the natural colors of the landscape. The sky keeps its natural colors as well and the correct brightness in the background, making this a well-balanced photo. Both the building and the grass boast accurate settings as well, and very sharp details.

In the same conditions and with the sunlight on the subject, the iPhone 7 Plus keeps the subject and the sky with a color temperature that's very close to the natural settings. Google Pixel XL goes for higher contrast and increases the amount of light, which is mostly visible on the grass in front of the building and the trees in the background, both of which get an artificial look.

The sky looks substantially better in the iPhone 7 Plus shot, as compared to the Google Pixel which returned darker colors. Overall, however, the photo quality appears to be better in the case of the Pixel, mostly because of the iPhone 7 Plus also creating overexposed areas due to the sensor way too small for a 2017 flagship.

Sony's Xperia XZ Premium sets brightness too high, and this is a bug that doesn't seem to go away and which we complained about before as well. Colors have also lost their natural touch, and despite the nearly perfect focus, the grass and the trees are blurry here and there – for some reason, Sony developers have been ignoring these bugs for a long time, focusing instead on other areas.

As a result, HTC leads the test with 9 points, followed by Google Pixel XL with 8 points, iPhone 7 Plus with 7 points, and Sony's model with 5 points.

2. In this photo test with the little house in the park, both the HTC and the Pixel XL managed to keep the natural colors and good detail quality, mostly because they also got the white balance settings correctly. Pixel, however, has less vibrant colors, while the iPhone 7 Plus increased color saturation and used a yellow filter that leads to a significant amount of noise in the lower part of the picture (1/3" sensor, remember?).

Overall, the yellow filter and the noise in the iPhone shot make everything look pretty bad and blurry, which is a little bit unexpected since we're talking about a flagship phone. The background that features perfect lighting and naturally-looking colors lead to similar performance from the HTC and the Pixel, though the latter does show a slight yellow tint.

After lots of attempts to take a good photo, Sony Xperia XZ ruins this photo. Due to failing to adjust white balance settings correctly, the phone completely wrecks colors. Furthermore, the device failed to keep the subject in focus (in the lower part of the photo all elements are out of focus), so overall the shot has nothing to do with what you can see with the naked eye.

When it comes to 100 percent cropping, the HTC U11 offers good detail and color quality, followed by the Pixel XL and the iPhone 7 Plus with pretty good performance, but slightly altered colors. Xperia XZ Premium retains detail quality but loses points in the color chapter, once again due to software issues that make the backlighting feature very aggressive and often unnecessary.

HTC U11 and Google Pixel XL win the test with 9 points, while iPhone 7 Plus gets 7 points. Sony is the last one with 5 points.

TEST #1 SCORE  

TEST #2 – CAROUSEL

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1. The Google Pixel XL and the HTC U11 are the two phone models that offered good photo performance on the subject, with the first getting a better contrast. The well-balanced brightness in the background can be observed in both shots and the same in the case of the trees at the bottom of the carousel. Details are sharper in the Pixel XL shot, while the HTC U11 generates a slight blur that contributes to a more or less artificial look.

Xperia XZ Premium and iPhone 7 Plus take a photo featuring increased contrast and color saturation on the subject, but the sky is darker in Sony’s sample. The iPhone model uses a yellow filter that’s mostly noticeable on the trees in the background and at the bottom of the carousel. Xperia, on the other hand, reduces the amount of yellow, which leads to a more artificial overall look. Just like before, Xperia can’t keep the subject in focus while in the lower part of the photo, colors are washed out.

All the four cameras generated overexposed areas on the subject, and not even the HDR plus feature on the Pixel XL managed to compensate.

HTC U11 wins the test with 8.5 points, while the Pixel XL is the runner-up with 7 points. iPhone 7 Plus is third with 6.5 points, followed by the Sony Xperia XZ Premium with 5 points.

2. The shot with the Ferris wheel looks much closer to reality in the Pixel XL and HTC U11 photos, both of which got the right white balance settings. The background features correct lighting, but in the Pixel sample, it’s darker than in the case of the HTC model. The U11, however, keeps the natural colors despite the light, while the increased contrast and slightly more saturated colors make the Google Pixel Xl the runner-up in this test.

Xperia XZ once again fails to lock the focus on all the objects in the photo, and in the lower right side, this blunder becomes even more noticeable, with blurry parts on the mushrooms. The darkened background and the increased saturation of the colors make the Xperia XZ Premium totally ruin this photo.

iPhone 7 Plus gets pretty close to the natural colors thanks to the yellow filter that the device applies in many of the tests. With better light in the background than Sony’s model, the iPhone offers a sharper subject but alters colors due to slightly off white balance settings.

In the cropping test, all four cameras perform well and provide good detail quality, but the noise is clearly noticeable in absolutely every single case.

HTC and Google lead the test with 9 and 8 points, respectively, while iPhone 7 Plus and Sony Xperia XZ Premium received 6 points each.

TEST #2 SCORE  

TEST #3 – COLORS

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1. With proper outdoor light, HTC U11 and Pixel XL adjusted white balance properly and obtained the best shots, with small differences here and there. The two flower pots, however, feature the correct brightness in the Pixel shot, while HTC applied a slight yellow tint. Both cameras, however, provide good detail quality on the subject, while the natural blue of the sky can be observed in both photo samples. Overall, even though there are slight differences between the two images, they deserve the same number of points.

Apple delivers a pic that’s close in terms of photo quality to the one of the Pixel and HTC. The white half of the Kinder Surprise features increased brightness in the iPhone sample and details are less sharp. Xperia not only that has overexposed areas, but it also increases the amount of yellow on the flower pot.

The background looks more natural in the iPhone test, while Sony once again reduces brightness and applies a green tint on the stairs, so between the two, Apple’s model is clearly the winner.

This leaves us with 9 points for Google and HTC, 7 points for Apple, and 5 points for Sony.

2. Xperia is the only phone that actually managed to get the correct white balance settings. The butterflies have a natural look in the Xperia shot, while in the iPhone 7 Plus sample they get a yellow tint that alters the overall photo quality. The subject looks good in both cases, with natural colors and above-the-average detail quality. The background gets a yellow filter in the iPhone test but looks far better and with well-balanced colors in Sony’s picture.

Pixel XL and HTC U11 both deliver acceptable shots with small differences that don’t drag their score down. Color accuracy and detail quality are very good in both cases, and the background is nearly identical, with only small differences on the butterflies.

In the cropping test, all three cameras offer good detail and color quality.

Sony gets a perfect 10 this time, while Pixel XL and U11 are each rewarded with 8 points. iPhone 7 Plus is the last one this time with 7 points.

TEST #3 SCORE  

TEST #4 – FLOWERS

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1. The colors of this flower bouquet are correctly retained in the Pixel XL and HTC U11 photo samples, while the iPhone 7 Plus increased brightness in a way that affects the outlines of the subject. Pixel XL and HTC increased sharpness and outlines, while the other two models lose points due to reduced depth of field effect.

The background and the table have the right colors in the Pixel and HTC shots, as compared to the Xperia which counterbalanced the sunlight and “painted” the table in green and blue, leading to a darkened background and artificially-looking shot. Apple’s phone, on the other hand, increases the brightness on the table and the background and reduces saturation for the rest of the colors.

HTC U11 scores the best this time with 9 points, while Pixel XL gets 8 points. iPhone 7 Plus is third with 7 points, while Sony’s model is last with 5 points.

2. In this test, Xperia is the only phone that manages to keep colors on the subject in a surprising manner, while the iPhone 7 Plus is the runner-up. Apple’s model takes the best shot this time, mostly because of good brightness in the background and naturally-looking colors, as it reduced the amount of yellow and noisy blur. Sony’s model ignores the background, which despite using a blur effect, is darker than it should be.

In the strong sunlight, HTC and Pixel XL totally wreck this shot. Both cameras have the focus point on the subject and they increase brightness more than they should, while the incorrect white balance settings substantially alter color quality. What’s worth mentioning is that the background in the HTC shot has a better depth of field effect, while the Pixel XL generates slight noise despite the correct brightness.

In the cropping test, Xperia XZ and iPhone 7 Plus are the ones with accurate colors and good detail quality, though Sony’s model increases the sharpness level and the iPhone generates more noise. HTC keeps accurate colors in the first shot despite the noise, but overall quality is reduced in both samples. Pixel XL lacks detail sharpness, while in the second shot it substantially reduces color settings.

The iPhone wins the test with 8 points, while Sony’s model is the runner-up with 6.5 points. Both the HTC and the Google smartphones got 5 points each.

TEST #4 SCORE  

TEST #5 – MACRO

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1. When it comes to macro, Sony Xperia is the one that keeps accurate colors on the subject, while the iPhone 7 Plus once again applies a yellow filter on the whole image, which leads to better performance in the case of the Sony device. The leaves around the subject are far too yellow in the iPhone sample, while Sony also gets them wrong with an increased amount of green.

In the same settings, HTC keeps the correct colors, while Pixel XL’s software processing makes them look more vibrant. The cameras on both models offer good detail quality, but sharper in the Pixel shot because of the increased contrast. The leaves look correctly in the HTC sample, but far too vibrant in the Pixel pic.

HTC and Sony win the test with 8 points each, while iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL received 6 points.

2. Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium is the one that keeps accurate colors and details on the subject in the white flower photo test, as compared to the iPhone which goes for increased contrast but misses the correct color settings. The blurry background looks much better in the Xperia sample as compared to the one of iPhone 7 Plus which is noticeably darker.

Pixel and U11 return good detail quality, but fail to keep the accurate white level on the subject. Both cameras provide well-balanced contrast, while the background, despite having a good-looking depth of field effect, is a little bit darker. A yellow filter can be observed over the entire pic, so overall Sony wins this round.

When it comes to cropping, all three cameras impress thanks to detail and color accuracy, with Sony’s model once again proving that it can deliver stunning pictures when no software bugs occur.

The Xperia thus gets a perfect 10, while all the other 3 models get 7 points each.

TEST #5 SCORE  

TEST #6 – STATUES

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1. The HTC U11 gets the statue shot right, as it correctly adjusted color temperature and white balance settings. The sky also looks natural, while the trees in the background feature just a touch of blur with correct color settings as well. And as a bonus, HTC U11 also got the grass just like it should, with sharp details and natural colors.

Google’s model also gets very close in terms of colors but uses a red filter on the subject. The HDR plus from the Pixel increases the contrast in the whole pic and thus makes the subject and the trees in the background stand out more than they should, while the sky is a bit darker – which has become more of a signature “feature” of the Pixel camera. The grass and the trees feature increased contrast and vibrant colors, and this is why the Pixel XL is the runner-up this time.

In this test, the iPhone 7 Plus keeps the subject in focus with sharp details but uses the same yellow filter on the entire photo. And yet, the iPhone gets the colors right on the sky and the trees as compared to the Xperia (I hope you’re reading this, Sony engineers), thus leading to increased contrast and a shot that’s very far from the original.

Xperia reduces the amount of yellow and thus the trees don’t look natural at all, while the grass gets an artificial tint of green. The Sony model doesn’t keep the whole subject in focus and in the right side of the picture there’s a slightly blurred area. And yet, Xperia offers good detail quality, but given the amount of green on the grass it loses precious points.

HTC is the leader this time with 9 points, followed by Google, Apple, and Sony with 8.5, 7, and 5 points, respectively.

2. In this statue photo test, both the Pixel and the U11 offer good shots. With the focus on the subject and auto settings on, the two phones deliver better outlines on the subject without affecting the color accuracy or detail quality. The differences between the two are only minor, such as the sky, which is darker in the case of the Pixel photo. The trees and the alley in the background are also darker in Pixel’s sample, but both photos are in the end pretty good.

Apple’s phone offers good detail quality on the subject and gets pretty close to the performance of the HTC U11 and the Google Pixel XL, with correct brightness in the background and a naturally-looking sky. And yet, it uses the same yellow filter, which can be observed mostly on the subject and that makes it lose some important points.

Xperia fails in these light settings, and a software error doesn’t allow us to adjust brightness, which leads us to a darkened shot lacking the vibrant colors. In terms of detail quality, the Xperia model performs better, but because not getting the correct white balance settings, the photo looks pretty bad. The subject features increased green saturation, while the lack of focus here and there alters final quality.

In the case of the cropping test, all 4 cameras perform similarly and get decent detail and color accuracy.

This time, HTC U11 and Pixel XL get 10 points, while iPhone 7 Plus and Sony are next with 8.5 and 6 points, respectively.

TEST #6 SCORE  

TEST #7 – FOOD

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1. In good light conditions, the chicken and the mashed potatoes look pretty delicious in the U11 and Xperia XZ Premium photo samples, mostly thanks to the white balance settings that retain color accuracy. The difference between the two cameras is that Sony manages to focus right on the plate, thus leading to a more clear shot in the end. This means the HTC is just the runner-up this time.

Both the Pixel XL and the iPhone 7 Plus fail to get the white balance settings correctly, and the plate doesn’t have the right color in either shot. The food, however, has more vibrant colors in both samples, but Pixel wins extra points thanks to better details. Also, Apple’s model loses focus on the chicken and the mashed potatoes. This is the first time the Google Pixel XL gets the third place, while Apple’s iPhone is last.

This means Sony is rewarded with 9 points, while HTC, Pixel, and iPhone are next with 8, 7, and 5.5 points, respectively.

2. All the sweets look very good in the shots taken with the HTC and the Google smartphones, both of which offered accurate colors and detail quality. Not the same thing can be said about the iPhone, which increased brightness and altered the color of the plate. The same yellow filter can be observed here as well.

Xperia has a performance similar to the one of the iPhone, changing the plate color and going for an overall darker shot. It loses points because it alters brightness when focusing on the subject, despite the better detail quality than the iPhone.

All 4 cameras offer good details and color accuracy in the 100 percent crop test.

Pixel and U11 top the test with 9 points each, while iPhone 7 Plus and Xperia XZ Premium get just 7 points.

TEST #7 SCORE  

TEST #8 – NATURE

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1. In this test, the Pixel XL and the HTC U11 adjusted color temperature and got a well-balanced landscape that looks almost as natural as with the naked eye. Both 12-megapixel cameras offer an impressively high level of detail quality on the water and the leaves, with natural colors and sharp details.

The iPhone camera and its 1/3” sensor get a shot that’s pretty close to the one of its rivals, but it reduced the amount of yellow on the leavez and the water, with a more noticeable amount of green. The same thing in the lower part of the photo, but this time it increased the amount of yellow, though overall the 12-megapixel camera offered good detail quality.

And last but not least, the Sony flagship gets the white balance settings wrong and reduces the amount of yellow way too much, in turn leading to substantially more green in the whole picture. This makes the leaves and the water looks less realistic, despite the 19-megapixel camera delivering good detail quality when not failing with an error and providing correct focus on the subject.

Overall, we have pretty similar scores with the HTC and the Google phones getting 9 points, while the other two receiving 8 points.

2. The focus point is on the trees this time, and the F/2.0 aperture of the Pixel XL allows more light to reach the sensor, which leads to increased contrast on the subject. The colors are also correctly reproduced, while the background features more vibrant settings. The f/1.8 aperture on the iPhone generates a contrast level that is just as good as Pixel’s, and the background looks even more natural and well-balanced in terms of colors. This means the iPhone wins this round, closely followed by the Pixel.

Sony Xperia with the same aperture as the Google Pixel totally misses this shot. The incorrect white balance settings make the phone overexpose the shot, which in its turn leads to altered colors, lack of yellow and an overall artificially-looking shot. The sky and the water have an increased amount of blue, while the darker subject makes everything look odd.

HTC U11 and its f/1.7 aperture beat the Sony, but the lack of contrast leads to altered details, with the sky missing the natural touch of the iPhone. The increased brightness in the background makes the whole pic look washed out, despite the good detail quality.

All 4 cameras provide good detail quality in the cropping test, as they do when it comes to color accuracy.

Apple wins the test thanks to iPhone performance with 9 points, while Google is second with 8 points. HTC gets just 6 points this time, while Sony is far behind the leader with 5 points.

TEST #8 SCORE  

TEST #9 – BLACK & WHITE

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1. When it comes to black and white photos, these have a more special touch because they better highlight the artistic capabilities of each camera.

Pixel XL with the subject in the shadow and a black and white filter called Vogue and available in Google Photos offers the best balance between the dark and light tones. With a good contrast, Pixel XL offers better outlines on the subject, while the iPhone Plus, with the same auto settings and a filter called Vogue, is clearly behind.

Even though it doesn’t provide the same contrast level as the Pixel, the iPhone 7 Plus does manage to keep the subject in focus, though the dark tones become gray. The same reduced contrast level alter the outlines, and the subject doesn’t stand out in the same manner, while also presenting several overexposed areas. The depth of field effect can be observed in both samples.

The HTC U11 and the Sony model have used the same Google Photos filter called Vogue and they performed pretty well in this test, with a good balance between the dark tones and the light ones. Thanks to a better contrast, however, the subject in the HTC sample features sharper details with the subject standing out in a more obvious manner.

Pixel wins the test with 9 points, while the HTC is second with 8 points, followed by the iPhone and the Sony Xperia with 7 and 6.5 points, respectively.

2. With the subject in direct sunlight, Pixel XL and HTC U11 use the Vogue filter in Google Photos to take pretty similar shots with a good balance between the dark and gray tones. With the same 12-megapixel camera, both phones offer impressive detail quality, despite the sky being darker in the Pixel sample.

The iPhone 7 Plus generates increased contrast, but this allows it to increase detail quality. Sony’s model uses the same Google Photos filter and despite a good contrast level, it alters details especially on the face of the subject, mostly because of the super-annoying feature and impossible-to-disable in the auto mode called Beauty Face. Even though Apple’s device has darker tones and the sky is brighter, its photo is still better than Sony’s.

In the cropping test, all 4 cameras offer similar performance, with noise in all cases. In the portrait test, only the iPhone 7 Plus generates noise in the background.

HTC and Google top the round with 9 points, while Apple is again third with 7 points, slightly ahead of Sony with 6.5 points.

TEST #9 SCORE  

TEST #10 – PORTRAIT

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1. Pixel XL and HTC U11 offer nearly identical performance, with correct contrast level and white balance settings. There are good outlines on the subject and sharp details, but it’s worth mentioning that the Pixel XL slightly increases the amount of yellow on the face of the subject. The background looks good in both shots.

The iPhone 7 Plus obtains the correct brightness on the subject and keeps a correct balance between the highlights and the shadows. The face of the subject, however, lacks details because of the incorrect focus, which due to increased contrast leads to a pretty ruined shot. Apple’s device also failed to keep color settings for the wooden wall in the back of the subject.

In the same settings, Sony’s model manages to maintain color accuracy in the background but instead ignores the subject. This means that the Beauty Face once again alters photo quality on the face of the subject, and there’s no option to disable it in the auto mode – you can switch to manual, but it’s not completely disabled either.

Technically speaking, Sony Xperia has a 19-megapixel camera that should clearly beat its rivals, but due to this buggy Beauty Face tool it alters detail quality and leads to an artificial shot that makes you look like a zombie. Again, the software bugs make the Xperia lose points right where it was supposed to excel.

As a result, Pixel and U11 top the round with 8 points, while iPhone beats the Sony with 6 points to 5.

2. With indoor lights, Pixel XL gets a decent white balance configuration, with a correct background in its case, but darker in the case of the HTC. Given the conditions, the Pixel performs well and returns nice details, and the shirt and the skin of the subject look very natural. HTC generates a darker shot with a red tint and lack of clarity.

Apple struggles, and the incorrect white balance makes the background and the subject get a tint of yellow. The subject’s face is darker than it should be and the details are almost completely gone. The noise is visible in both the Sony and the Apple samples.

Once again, Sony’s model doesn’t forget to apply the Beauty Face filter, and this leads to substantially reduced quality on the face of the subject and detail level. Despite all of this, the white balance settings are actually correctly configured.

Overall, the Google Pixel XL wins this round, followed by HTC, with Sony taking the third place. The iPhone lost points mostly because of the altered color accuracy and detail quality.

For the cropping test, the Pixel and the HTC offer the best detail and colors performance, while the iPhone 7 Plus finishes the last because of the second test where it substantially impacted photo quality.

This means the Pixel tops the test with 9 points, and the HTC model is the runner-up with 8 points. Sony is third with 7.5 points, and the iPhone is the last one with just 6 points.

TEST #10 SCORE  

CONCLUSIONS