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It could be the sensor, the lenses, or the software. I suspect a combo of both, but the detail they resolve is more like a camera than a phone.

Open these images on a decent monitor, in 2 separate tabs, and flick between them. The iPhone is lagging behind substantially which is a disappointment considering the new sensor and photo engine.

iPhone 14 Pro
Pixel 6

notes from an initial look at those photos:

iPhone: too much green tint throughout the entire image. too bright. despite the increased pixel count of the sensor detail hasn't improved: look at the cracked paint, it's oversharpened and not enough microcontrast to pick up on the paint's full texture. leaves at the top left are oversharpened to compensate. blues are completely off, too yellow-green. the brown wood appears grey and anemic. in fact all the colors are washed out.

Pixel: balanced. blues are blue. pinks are pink. woods are brown and actually look like wood. white balance is significantly better. microcontrast in the paint to pick up on all the detail, again pixel 6 is clearly using all the sensor data it can get. the green leaves are a lot more pleasant. there is an overall distinction between the different colors in the image. more shadow detail.

The biggest takeaway outside of the iPhone suffering from the same flaws it has done for years is that the 14 Pro doesn't even look like it was taken with a 48MP sensor. It's shocking how little Apple have done to improve their image quality this year.
 
My 14 Pro Max arrives in approximately 12 hours and even I think Pixel 6 beats iPhone 14 Pro in many core areas for still photography. Nobody has taken DxOMark seriously for years now, not even the Apple news sites bother posting DxOMark score releases anymore. Like nemo said why do you need an ""authority"" like DxOMark to tell you what to think? Objective scoring for cameras? That's ridiculous, it all comes down to the way images actually look. The 48MP is seemingly doing nothing for regular 12MP HEIC capture. Photonic Engine is the biggest marketing bluff in iPhone history because it seemingly does next to nothing to improve white balance, colors, dynamic range, or low light performance. 14 Pro images look practically identical to 13 Pro images based on what we've seen so far. Again I emphasize how little Apple have bothered to improve color depth and reproduction vs. Pixel.

Last year's Pixel 6 Pro keeps thrashing the 14 Pro in many examples. Look at these photos and tell me which one you honestly prefer:

VKJMt5R3YJGSwogcw3uuXA.jpg

iPhone 14 Pro

htkt5nqeMAUZZD7qnRtLmA.jpg

Pixel 6 Pro
Erm, 100% the iPhone. Look at how blown out the pepper near the centre is on the Pixel in comparison. The iPhone has objectively better dynamic range and more natural colours IMO too.

As for the trees pictures, two completely different scenes that are impossible to compare fairly. TBH the peppers tell me all I need to know.
 
My 14 Pro Max arrives in approximately 12 hours and even I think Pixel 6 beats iPhone 14 Pro in many core areas for still photography. Nobody has taken DxOMark seriously for years now, not even the Apple news sites bother posting DxOMark score releases anymore. Like nemo said why do you need an ""authority"" like DxOMark to tell you what to think? Objective scoring for cameras? That's ridiculous, it all comes down to the way images actually look. The 48MP is seemingly doing nothing for regular 12MP HEIC capture. Photonic Engine is the biggest marketing bluff in iPhone history because it seemingly does next to nothing to improve white balance, colors, dynamic range, or low light performance. 14 Pro images look practically identical to 13 Pro images based on what we've seen so far. Again I emphasize how little Apple have bothered to improve color depth and reproduction vs. Pixel.

Last year's Pixel 6 Pro keeps thrashing the 14 Pro in many examples. Look at these photos and tell me which one you honestly prefer:

VKJMt5R3YJGSwogcw3uuXA.jpg

iPhone 14 Pro

htkt5nqeMAUZZD7qnRtLmA.jpg

Pixel 6 Pro
14 Pro by far. The reflections on the vege are glaringly blown out by the Pixel.
 
A somewhat hyperbolic statement I agree, but I honestly look back at some pictures from my Pixel 2 and feel they are often far nicer than any iPhone I've had.

I may get hold of one to test - that would be interesting.
Hey I’m not saying old pixels are awful. They are still impressive. The 6a can go toe to toe with most flagships. Best part about pixels are the skin tones accuracy
 
My 14 Pro Max arrives in approximately 12 hours and even I think Pixel 6 beats iPhone 14 Pro in many core areas for still photography. Nobody has taken DxOMark seriously for years now, not even the Apple news sites bother posting DxOMark score releases anymore. Like nemo said why do you need an ""authority"" like DxOMark to tell you what to think? Objective scoring for cameras? That's ridiculous, it all comes down to the way images actually look. The 48MP is seemingly doing nothing for regular 12MP HEIC capture. Photonic Engine is the biggest marketing bluff in iPhone history because it seemingly does next to nothing to improve white balance, colors, dynamic range, or low light performance. 14 Pro images look practically identical to 13 Pro images based on what we've seen so far. Again I emphasize how little Apple have bothered to improve color depth and reproduction vs. Pixel.

Last year's Pixel 6 Pro keeps thrashing the 14 Pro in many examples. Look at these photos and tell me which one you honestly prefer:

VKJMt5R3YJGSwogcw3uuXA.jpg

iPhone 14 Pro

htkt5nqeMAUZZD7qnRtLmA.jpg

Pixel 6 Pro
The overblown one is 14 pro if you go back to the website. I think you mislabel this. The not overblown one definitely better
 
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It’s amazing how many amateur/hobbyist photographers smartphones have convinced they’re experts in the field. Truly a testament.

When parties are evenly split on which has “objectively better” exhibition of a characteristic… it’s not objective. There isn’t consensus. The qualitative statements about the product are opinionated and subject to individual preference.
 
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It’s amazing how many amateur/hobbyist photographers smartphones have convinced they’re experts in the field. Truly a testament.

When parties are evenly split on which has “objectively better” exhibition of a characteristic… it’s not objective. There isn’t consensus. The qualitative statements about the product are opinionated and subject to individual preference.
Maybe when talking about color; but if you're discussing a camera's ability to capture fine detail that is certainly objective. You only need to put 2 photos side by side to judge this. Whether that's important for people is of course another matter entirely.

I view my phone images on a 4k monitor, so smudgy textures and oily details are going to be a problem.
 
My Android friends has always said Apple is all about marketing. I always brushed it off. After the iPhone event and the reviews today .. I am starting to believe them. The 14 Pro is barely any different in the camera department compared to the 13 Pro but Apple's marketing threw out numbers like 2x, 3x better or the biggest leap for the iPhone. From now on, I will not watch Apple events anymore, lol.
It did. They want from 12mo to 48mp so yes they 2-3x numbers are real across the board. It is the biggest leap it’s been a 12mp camera since the 8 series. It’s The biggest leap as it went from 6 to 8 to 12 to 48
 
It did. They want from 12mo to 48mp so yes they 2-3x numbers are real across the board. It is the biggest leap it’s been a 12mp camera since the 6 series.
That's the marketing speak, in practice the phone is still scaling photos down to 12mp and images appear to look no better, and in some cases worse. I just spoke to someone with an 11pro who's really disappointed with her 14pro as are people on various forums.

I've spent most of the day watching YouTube videos in a variety of languages and the consensus is that the camera improvements are minimal at best (unless you shoot ProRaw and accept a slower camera with 30-50x more file size).
 
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It's been like the this for quite a while. The new phones are incremental upgrades. But really, they are so good who cares? Hard to make almost perfect better (I'm serious). Frankly, my 11 is (was :)) so good that i'm complacent to upgrade.

But, got to feed the beast, so to speak ;) That they can think up stuff to improve is commendable, really.

Point is, there's meh there. iPhone+Meh.
 
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That's the marketing speak, in practice the phone is still scaling photos down to 12mp and images appear to look no better, and in some cases worse. I just spoke to someone with an 11pro who's really disappointed with her 14pro as are people on various forums.

I've spent most of the day watching YouTube videos in a variety of languages and the consensus is that the camera improvements are minimal at best (unless you shoot ProRaw and accept a slower camera with 30-50x more file size).
Thaz how all smartphones work. As they have to display them on a max 2k smartphone panel. The real difference is shown on a capable monitor. And I’m sorry but Yea I’m sorry but YouTube video reviews only take you so far. You need first hand usage. Plenty of YouTubers are biased or prevent things for a certain audience for views and comments. Images are typically subjective between phones in which is better. Depends on what the viewer likes to see. Unlike video quality which iPhone blows everyone away. It’s all debatable. Most real photographers have to touch up photos anyway
 
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You can judge still the same way you judge video. The sensor and lens's capability to capture and resolve detail /dynamic range / limit noise is not subjective - it's easily measurable against other smartphones.

I agree most YouTube videos are full of sh£t, unless they show in 4k and show 100% crops. Best way is to download the original stills or take them yourself, which is what people have done today hence the disappointment and usual Apple marketing hype.
 
Thaz how all smartphones work. As they have to display them on a max 2k smartphone panel. The real difference is shown on a capable monitor. And I’m sorry but Yea I’m sorry but YouTube video reviews only take you so far. You need first hand usage. Plenty of YouTubers are biased or prevent things for a certain audience for views and comments. Images are typically subjective between phones in which is better. Depends on what the viewer likes to see. Unlike video quality which iPhone blows everyone away. It’s all debatable. Most real photographers have to touch up photos anyway
The final sentence is key. Increase brightness, sharpness, definition a tiny bit and BOOM! A photo will look amazing.
 
I still don't get why everyone thinks we are supposed to see crazy innovation year after year. Improving ease of functionality with a few minor tweaks to what is already good, is fine with me. If you want some crazy over the top bs, buy an android and have fun with your gimmicky phones.
 
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iPhone 14 Pro
Yeah pixel is overly colourful
Erm, 100% the iPhone. Look at how blown out the pepper near the centre is on the Pixel in comparison. The iPhone has objectively better dynamic range and more natural colours IMO too.

As for the trees pictures, two completely different scenes that are impossible to compare fairly. TBH the peppers tell me all I need to know.
The overblown one is 14 pro if you go back to the website. I think you mislabel this. The not overblown one definitely better
@Chidoro @russell_314 @Enviosity @Dulcimer @dborja

Ah Whoops! Drat! Sorry guys, @fortheus is right, looks like I somehow mislabeled the images. The top one, the one you guys preferred, is actually last year's Pixel 6 as per the Tom's Guide review:

5wXwUAR.jpg
 
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Ok fair enough, what about here? A scene that has a lot more contrast due to backlit sky. i had to reduce 14 pro file resolution to get imgur to accept upload but there's still enough there to judge colors, contrast and dynamic range:

4UXovrT.jpeg

iPhone 14 Pro 5 Year Old Pixel 2

9Dhe5Hy.jpeg

Pixel 6 Pro iPhone 13 Pro

I made the same mistake, sorry. The top photo is not the 14 Pro, it's actually a Pixel 2 from 2017. The bottom photo is the iPhone 13 Pro.
 
My 14 Pro Max arrives in approximately 12 hours and even I think Pixel 6 beats iPhone 14 Pro in many core areas for still photography. Nobody has taken DxOMark seriously for years now, not even the Apple news sites bother posting DxOMark score releases anymore. Like nemo said why do you need an ""authority"" like DxOMark to tell you what to think? Objective scoring for cameras? That's ridiculous, it all comes down to the way images actually look. The 48MP is seemingly doing nothing for regular 12MP HEIC capture. Photonic Engine is the biggest marketing bluff in iPhone history because it seemingly does next to nothing to improve white balance, colors, dynamic range, or low light performance. 14 Pro images look practically identical to 13 Pro images based on what we've seen so far. Again I emphasize how little Apple have bothered to improve color depth and reproduction vs. Pixel.

Last year's Pixel 6 Pro keeps thrashing the 14 Pro in many examples. Look at these photos and tell me which one you honestly prefer:

VKJMt5R3YJGSwogcw3uuXA.jpg

iPhone 14 Pro Pixel 6 Pro

htkt5nqeMAUZZD7qnRtLmA.jpg

Pixel 6 Pro iPhone 14 Pro
So... buy a Pixel. Good phones. I don't get the "I'm buying an iphone but I hate it" thing.
 
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So... buy a Pixel. Good phones. I don't get the "I'm buying an iphone but I hate it" thing.

I don't want to use a Pixel, I want to use an iPhone for a myriad of reasons. The Pixel 6 isn't a good phone, Tensor sucks. I want my iPhone to be better and correct some of the basic camera software issues that have plagued it for years, some of which Google have corrected years ago on devices like Pixel 2.

The "I'm buying an iPhone but I hate it" thing is (at least in part) customers that want their selected products to be better. In a 'free' market asking for a product line to improve is just as valid as switching to a different product.
 
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