Google Pixel 4 Has Brilliant Cameras But Not Enough Of Them

With an overall DxOMark Camera score of 112 points, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL (they use identical camera hardware) rank joint 9th alongside Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro from last year. 

The reason for this is due, in no small part, to Google’s decision not to include an ultra-wide camera, something found in every higher-scoring smartphone in DxOMark’s current rankings.

Each iteration of the Google Pixel has brought with it a remarkable ability to deliver class-leading photographic results despite using at least one camera fewer than the competition. 

However, DxOMark’s recent testing of the Pixel 4 reveals what most of us were expecting, that despite some of the best individual test scores achieved by any smartphone, Google’s latest flagship never stood a chance of reaching the top of the charts.

How much this matters to you will depend on whether, unlike Google, you consider an ultra-wide option to be as important as I do. Sacrifice the telephoto capability and there’s always the option to zoom in digitally or crop, albeit at greatly reduced quality. However, to achieve the opposite ‘zoom out’ effect,  you’ll either have to step backward, which isn’t always possible, switch to a highly inconvenient panorama mode (remember those?) or resort to an add-on lens (remember those too?). 

In a move timed somewhat unfortunately for Google, DxOMark recently added new ultra-wide-angle tests to its suite of benchmarks which give all suitably-equipped smartphones the chance to gain significant ‘bonus’ points which can’t be obtained without an ultra-wide lens.

See Also: Google’s Pixel 4 Camera AI Is Too Clever For Its Own Good

Good, but not excellent, Bokeh

With the Pixel range able to produce convincing bokeh effects with just a single lens, I had been eagerly anticipating what Google could do with a dual-lens pair.

However, the Pixel 4 is unable to dominate in DxOMark’s portrait mode tests, as the lack of a dedicated depth sensor results in less accurate 3D perception than higher-scoring rivals such as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. This makes it harder for the camera to isolate the subject from the background without tiny errors creeping in.

Good low light performance

On a more positive note for Google, the updated DxOMark tests also include a new ‘Night’ test, in which the Pixel 4’s famed ‘Night Sight’ mode has been allowed to come into play. However alternatives, such as Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro, pose some serious competition in this regard and the Night test also factors in low-light photography taken without Night Sight activated, where the Pixel 4 doesn’t fare so well.

Furthermore, DxOMark doesn’t factor in Google’s unique Astrophotography mode which enables long-exposure shots to capture stars and even the Milky Way while preserving detail in the foreground.

Powerful Zoom

One area where Google’s software technology succeeds admirably is in the Zoom test. The Pixel 4’s telephoto lens offers a modest 2x optical zoom capability, but when combined with Google’s super-resolution technology it outperformed the 5x telephoto lens of the Huawei P30 Pro. This is the sort of spec-beating performance for which Google is famed. 

High-Quality Video

Controversially, the Pixel 4 has achieved DxOMark’s joint highest score of 101 points for video. This result is made all the more remarkable by the fact that Google’s new flagship was tested at its default 1080p resolution and yet managed to outperform competing cameras shooting at 4K.

DxOMark always performs such tests using the camera defaults rather than trying to level the playing field by tweaking the settings, so we can’t know how much better (or worse) the Pixel 4 would have fared at 4K, nor is the phone penalized for failing to offer a 60 fps option in this ultra-high-definition mode.

Of course, picture quality is only part of the video experience and we’ll have to wait for DxOMark’s separate Audio test results, especially as some users are reporting annoying audio problems when recording via third-party apps. Audio performance does not affect DxOMark’s camera scores.

A big step up from the Pixel 3?

When compared to the Pixel 3, the Pixel 4 achieves considerably better results in most tests and especially in zoom shots, thanks to the addition of that telephoto lens. But, the removal of free original-quality picture backup via Google Photos will doubtless be seen as a step in the wrong direction.

There’s also the fact that the Pixel 4 abandons its predecessor’s dual front camera design in favor of a single selfie camera with fixed focus. Both smartphones achieve the same, quite respectable Selfie score of 92 points, but the Pixel 3’s extra lens added a wide field of view for group selfies which the Pixel 4 can’t quite match, opting instead for a field of view somewhere between the regular and wide modes of the Pixel 3.

Google claims that the fixed focus lens actually offers advantages over the previous autofocus model in that it ensures more of the image is in focus at all times, allowing for sharper backgrounds and more in-focus shots in low light where autofocus mechanisms can struggle.

DxOMark’s tests disagree with Google here, revealing the Pixel 3’s selfie camera to have a much higher focus score of 86 points versus 78 for the Pixel 4. This is partly due to the fact that its fixed focus lens is designed to capture faces at arm’s length with sharp backgrounds, but it can’t adjust itself to focus on objects that are very close to the camera. DxOMark has a specific close-range selfie camera test which therefore disadvantages the Pixel 4.

On the other hand, the Pixel 4 drew specific praise for its image stabilization in front camera video as well as improved dynamic range and color reproduction.

Beyond DxOMark

As always, I would like to reiterate my opinion that DxOMark scores should never be considered a comprehensive review of a smartphone camera’s abilities. While I value the rigorous, repeatable testing regime, there are nearly always important capabilities that go untested along with shortcomings that remain uncovered by the tests. 

This is especially true In the case of the Pixel 4. On one hand, video scores are potentially hampered by running at the default 1080p rather than 4K, but on the other, there’s no score penalty for omitting a 4K 60 fps option, present on most of the competition.

The Pixel 4 is also held back by poor battery life and limited storage options, both factors which would be taken into account in any full camera review, but which don’t directly affect picture quality.