Imaging software company DxOMark known for its in-depth reviews of mobile camera setups rated the imaging system of the newly announced Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL as the best ever, suggesting that no other smartphone in the industry can really compare to the capabilities of Google’s latest Android-powered flagships which received a score of 98 points, the highest point total ever awarded to a device by DxOMark. The second highest score on the company’s newly updated list is 94 which is jointly held by the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Apple iPhone 8 Plus. Both of those models come close to the Pixel 2-series devices in some aspects but in overall, DxOMark believes that Google managed to outperform every single original equipment manufacturer in the industry and prove that dual-camera setups still aren’t a necessity for achieving a historically high level of image quality.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL both come with a 12.2-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/1.8 and a pixel size of 1.4um, with the system being supported by both optical and electronic image stabilization, as well as phase detection autofocus and laser autofocus, in addition to being accompanied by a dual-LED flash. Coupled with Google’s image processing software, DxOMark believes that the setup outlined above is the ultimate mobile photography tool even if it looks relatively minuscule when compared to robust two-sensor systems of the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 lineup. The company was especially impressed with the dynamic range offered by the Pixel 2 camera which was not only extremely high but also consistent across a wide variety of lighting scenarios. The device is also said to be more than capable of automatically setting a white balance of the vast majority of shots regardless of where they were taken, in addition to boasting possibly the fastest autofocusing mechanism in the industry. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were also found to be extremely effective at utilizing the relatively small dual-LED flash Google opted for this year, with the phones seemingly being capable of automatically adjusting the intensity of the unit in real time and hence using it to both supplement existing light sources and light otherwise dark scene.
Detail preservation impressed DxOMark both in terms of photos and videos, with the latter also being consistent in regards to stabilization and autofocus, as well as related subject tracking, the firm said. Image noise wasn’t an issue even in poor lighting conditions when shooting videos, albeit white balance was somewhat inconsistent when the camera was moving, which is one of the rare complaints the imaging experts had against the flagship(s). Another minor issue had to do with rare flickering and grid patterns observable in highly specific lighting conditions, though no mobile imaging system is completely immune to such artifacts. In overall, Google claims that it delivered the best smartphone camera ever created with the Pixel 2 series and DxOMark tends to agree with the California-based tech giant.
