Lexy Savvides / CNET
You don't have to spend a fortune to get a great camera on a phone. After both have used the new ones iPhone SE and Pixel 4a To take portraits, landscapes, night modes, and selfies, I realized that at $ 400, you're almost as good as a phone that costs twice (or even three times) as much.
The iPhone SE for $ 399 has proven that you don't have to sacrifice camera quality when buying a cheaper phone. The camera takes excellent photos in almost all scenarios. But can Google's $ 349 Pixel 4a do even better? Both phones have a single rear-view camera and both borrow some clever computer photography tricks from their more expensive counterparts like that iPhone 11 and pixel 4.
For more of it
Subscribe to the Mobile Newsletter, receive notifications and see related articles on CNET.
Continue reading: iPhone SE vs. Galaxy A51 camera comparison
Both the iPhone SE and Pixel 4a take great landscape and HDR photos
Getting a great shot with these phones is effortless. Open the camera app, show, shoot and you'll get a stunning photo almost every time. Even San Francisco's notorious foggy, cloudy summer looks good when held on one of these phones.
When I compare landscape photos side by side, I find it difficult to tell the difference. Both have excellent colors and exposures with a good dynamic range thanks to the integrated HDR mode, which balances out shadow and highlight details.
Overall, I noticed that in bright, sunny situations, the colors of the iPhone SE looked a bit more saturated than those of the Pixel 4a, but on cloudy days, the photos were barely distinguishable from those of the Pixel 4a. You'll need to move closer to see the difference, but at 100% magnification, like the photo below, you'll find that the Pixel 4a appears sharper and retains more detail.
Lexy Savvides / CNET
The Pixel 4a gives you more control over HDR mode. Tap the image in the viewfinder to adjust shadows and highlights and see a live preview of what the photo will look like when you press the shutter button. However, the Pixel 4a still needs a few seconds to process the image before you can check it, while the iPhone SE creates its final HDR image with Smart HDR almost instantly after taking the photo.
Some other interesting camera features to consider
- The Pixel 4a can take raw images in the standard camera app. Just go to Settings> Advanced> Raw + JPEG Control. IPhone SE can also take raw photos, but you'll need a third-party app like Halide or Snapseed
- You can record timelapses, panoramas and slow motion videos on both iPhone SE and Pixel 4a
- The Pixel 4a has a digital layer that you can use to hold the phone straight when taking a photo
- Adjust the degree of facial retouching (or beauty mode) on the front camera of the Pixel 4a by tapping the arrow at the top of the camera screen. The iPhone SE does not have facial retouching features. The Pixel 4a's Super Res zoom means that all the pictures you take with the digital zoom look a little sharper and more detailed than those of the iPhone SE. Check out some examples in the video on this page.
The iPhone SE and Pixel 4a prove that a single camera can take good portraits
With more expensive cell phones like the iPhone 11 or Pixel 4, photos in portrait mode can look almost as good as photos from a DSLR. But the iPhone SE and Pixel 4a prove that it can also look decent on a budget phone.
Activating portrait mode on the Pixel 4a will automatically change the field of view when it gets closer to your subject. Portrait mode on iPhone SE is taken from the same perspective as normal photos, making it a little further away than on the pixel. Comparing the two side by side, I found that the wider perspective of the iPhone SE lens could distort facial features if I went closer to get the same view as when I shot the Pixel 4a.
Edge detection works well on both phones, so the blur looks natural as long as there's not too much going on in the background. However, you will have difficulty correcting the blur if it is too busy, as in the picture above. Sometimes the iPhone SE can overlook fine details like hair that accidentally blur. In other cases, pixel 4a misses the mark and creates harder lines around the subject. But if I had to choose, I would say that the Pixel 4a takes this because it has a smoother transition between the subject and the background. The white balance of the Pixel 4a is also more lifelike in portrait than that of the iPhone SE.
And the Pixel 4a can take photos in portrait mode of everything (pets, flowers, groceries), while the iPhone can only take photos of people.
But for portraits on the front camera, I would choose the iPhone SE. The pixel's lens has a wider field of view than the iPhone, so I found that my facial features looked somewhat distorted for selfies. The fixed focus lens on the pixel means that you may be out of focus if you do not adjust the angle correctly. A lens with a fixed focus means that the focus cannot be adjusted.
Photos in low light and at night are a clear win for the Pixel 4a
There is no competition in this category, the pixel wins through a landslide. This is because the Pixel 4a has a night vision device on both the back and the front. Night Sight is the low-light mode, which can be seen for the first time in Pixel 3. It illuminates dark scenes and makes the night almost look like a day.
In contrast to the more expensive iPhone 11, the iPhone SE does not have a night mode 11 per and in dimly lit rooms or at night, the shots look pretty dark and loud. You can definitely take a usable shot when you need it, but the iPhone just can't keep up with the pixel shots. You can find more image examples in the video on this page.
The iPhone SE is king for video recordings
The iPhone is known for recording great videos, and while the SE continues this tradition. To my eyes (and ears), the 4K / 60 recording from the rear view camera of the iPhone SE looks and sounds great for a budget phone and is comparable to the iPhone 11 Pro for $ 999. That is, the pixel 4a has not fallen back too far. The video at 4K / 30 looks sharp and the exposure transitions are relatively smooth. The stabilization is good both when walking and when swinging.
Both iPhone SE and Pixel 4a front cameras film 1080p video, but the difference in quality between the two is dramatic. The Pixel 4a video can look soft and out of focus if you don't keep the camera at the right distance due to the fixed focus lens. The iPhone SE looks great when taking selfie videos in good light.
Which phone has the best camera?
With functions that have been adopted from the more expensive Apple and Google phones, the iPhone SE and Pixel 4a do not save on camera quality. The Pixel 4a is much better suited for shooting in low light conditions and therefore stronger overall for still images. It also has more options than the iPhone SE in its standard camera app. The iPhone SE has the edge for videos and selfies.
