Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE shoot-out: Which budget phone takes better photos?

(Paradigm credit: Tom's Guide)

This Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE photographic camera shoot-out volition expect at only how these upkeep phones compare. Both take awesome pictures considering their low cost, and we wanted to run across merely how they stack up.

At $449, the Google Pixel 5a is the best Android camera phone under $500, easily-downward. While it costs $l more than the iPhone SE'south starting cost, the Pixel 5a offers a second ultrawide photographic camera, which can be very useful in several situations. Still, in terms of price, it can't compete with the upcoming Samsung Milky way A13 5G, which will sell for $249.

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As for the single-lens iPhone SE, information technology lacks a dedicated night mode, relying on the regular camera way to take depression-light photos. In dissimilarity, the Pixel has Google'due south powerful Nighttime Sight, which is one of the all-time dark modes you can go.

The Pixel 5a packs a 12.2MP primary camera paired with a 16MP ultrawide, with an 8MP selfie cam. The iPhone SE uses a single 12MP rear camera with a 7MP forepart-facing 1.

This is a battle of budget telephone cameras. I've taken several photos in different situations to meet whether the Pixel 5a or iPhone SE comes out on top. You can see for yourself which phone is better when it comes to photography.

Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE: Outdoor photos

Boot things off is this photo of vivid magenta-ish flowers, you lot tin meet articulate differences betwixt the photos produced past the two phones. The Pixel 5a kept the colors toned down to a more natural profile, while also reflecting the warmer tones of the mean solar day on which I took these pictures. The iPhone SE took a more fantastical approach with over-saturated colors, softer focus and a cooler tone. It's not a bad image, but it's too Samsung-esque for my taste.

Cheque out this picture of a beautiful blue Ford Raptor pickup truck. As with the flowers, the difference between the two phones comes downward to saturation. The Pixel 5a kept everything toned downward while the iPhone SE cranked everything up. Not just is the truck bluer than it ought to be in the iPhone's paradigm, but the grass, wooden fence, and bricks in the background are mode besides saturated. If this is how y'all like your photos, fine, simply information technology's non realistic.

Overall, the Pixel 5a keeps with Google'south trend to use more natural color profiles for its images. The iPhone SE's performance is rather strange, considering that Apple takes the same arroyo as Google on its flagship phones. This upkeep iPhone, however, produces images that would look right at abode on a Milky way Due south device.

Winner: Pixel 5a

Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE: Indoor photos

Like with the outdoor photos, there'due south quite a difference between the two phones when I took a picture of this Merida statuette. The Pixel 5a has a cooler tone, but nonetheless shows off the colors of Merida'south dress brilliantly. Fifty-fifty the yellow candle off to the right looks adept, and the Pixel didn't let the bright yellow taint the overall image.

I cannot say the aforementioned for the iPhone SE's shot, which has a very warm look. The wall in the background looks yellow and Merida's coloring looks off in comparing to reality. I remember the iPhone overcompensated for the candle, letting information technology sour the image as a whole.

In this photograph of a produce stand, neither telephone did particularly well. The lighting in the grocery shop was pretty harsh, and both devices took different approaches to compensate. The Pixel 5a'due south image is warmer and a scrap also yellow. You can run into this specially on the yellow apples, the yellowish wall in the groundwork, and the strange yellow-green color on the granny smith apples. The iPhone over-cooled the final picture. Some of the more than vibrant apples wait a tad done out with some hints of overexposure on the left.

In naturally-lit indoor settings, the Pixel 5a has an edge thanks to Google's natural colour reproduction algorithms. The iPhone SE struggled on these indoor shots with over-compensation. In the statuette'due south case, it warmed upwards the paradigm too much in response to the yellow candle; in the produce stand up scene, it cooled the paradigm too much to contrast the blue-white fluorescent lighting. I'm not entirely certain what happened to the Pixel with the produce, but it didn't like the harsh low-cal, either.

Winner: Pixel 5a

Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE: Portrait shot

The portraits here are pretty similar. The Pixel 5a'south image has a stronger bokeh (mistiness) consequence effectually me, merely the iPhone SE'due south flick is however very good and artistic.

Apple and Google have the strongest portrait modes out of any phone I've ever tested, so this is quite a battle. I'd say the Pixel gets the edge here because of the stronger blur radius — it makes me stand out a lot more in the foreground, which is the point of a portrait photo.

Winner: Pixel 5a

Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE: Nighttime photos

This comparing feels a flake unfair given the iPhone SE's lack of a dedicated night mode. Still, as you lot'd imagine,, only the iPhone SE can't keep up to the Pixel 5a when the lights are low. The Pixel comes equipped with Google's powerful Night Sight, the results of which you can see in the photo to a higher place.

The smoker in the Pixel 5a'due south shot is clearly visible with strong focus, calm colors, and excellent dynamic range for a night photograph. Although you can all the same encounter the smoker in the iPhone's effort, it's about blurry and the prototype overall is very dim. Considering there's no night mode here, I'd say the iPhone SE did an OK job, but the Pixel 5a crushed it on this i.

Winner: Pixel 5a

Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE: Selfies

When it comes to selfies, the two phones once again produce quite different results. The Pixel 5a produced a dimmer prototype, making my hair and beard look a bit dark. Still, my peel tone is more realistic, with finer and more authentic details. Conversely, the iPhone SE's image looks a bit too bright, though it did lighten my hair colors to something closer to reality.

This comparison is a bit strange, with both phones taking different approaches to the aforementioned face up in the aforementioned light with the same groundwork. Both selfies accept something most them that I dislike, but they also practise certain things right. I prefer the natural pare tones and effectively details in the Pixel's selfie.

Winner: Pixel 5a

Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE camera shoot-out: Bottom line

	Pixel 5a	iPhone SE
Outdoors	X
Indoors	X
Portraits	X
Nighttime	Ten
Selfies	X

Calling a victor in this camera shoot-out is pretty easy. Fifty-fifty though the iPhone SE runs laps effectually the Pixel 5a in terms of performance and costs less, Google's new upkeep telephone bests the Apple handset in every photographic camera category.

Besides the $fifty toll difference, there's a huge gap in photographic camera hardware, too. The iPhone SE doesn't have an ultrawide lens, simply the single wide-angle one. In contrast, the Pixel 5a has a 117-degree ultrawide lens. Information technology makes the Pixel much more versatile than the iPhone in more photography situations, especially in wide nature shots and large group photos.

In terms of cameras, the Pixel clearly wins out. It comes down to Google's powerful computational photography, which hasn't been limited to the flagship Pixels. It appears that Apple has saved its own photography chops for the mainline iPhones, even something as basic every bit a night fashion. The post-processing on the iPhone SE leaves a lot to exist desired in my opinion — the fantastical, over-saturated await is enough to make Samsung chroma in some cases.

That said, the iPhone SE is past no means a bad camera phone. To the opposite, it'due south quite skilful, but the Pixel 5a is but improve. If you want the best camera feel nether $500, the Pixel 5a is your best bet.

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Jordan is the Phones Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all things telephone-related. He's written almost phones for over v years and plans to go along for a long while to come. He loves nothing more than relaxing in his home with a book, game, or his latest personal writing project. Jordan likes finding new things to dive into, from books and games to new mechanical keyboard switches and fun keycap sets. Jordan tends to lurk on social media, but you can best achieve him on Twitter.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/google-pixel-5a-vs-iphone-se-shoot-out-which-budget-phone-takes-better-photos

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Google Pixel 5a vs. iPhone SE shoot-out: Which budget phone takes better photos?