22 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 68
These portraits taken with the Pixel 4 XL (left)
and the Pixel 3 XL (right) are extremely similar
on the back wall and the mantle that don’t appear in
the Pixel 3 XL’s shot.
The Pixel 3 XL wowed us with Night Sight last year,
but Google’s competitors have caught up fast and
exposed its weaknesses. The iPhone 11’s Night mode
bests the Pixel 4 XL in just about every situation. The
biggest problem is the Pixel’s tendency to brighten
everything, which often undermines the nuance and
integrity of the scene. Apple’s method consistently
preserved shadows and low lights that were lost or
washed out by the Pixel. The both did an admirable
job, but the iPhone was consistently just a little better,
as you can plainly see in the photo on page 24.
