OK, did I just accidentally cause an identity crisis at the office? I blind-tested 10 of my co-workers—many of them Apple devotees with models ranging from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 16—to see which photos they preferred: the iPhone 17 Pro Max or Google Pixel 10 Pro XL?
I’ll admit it—I was feeling a little mischievous. Would the Apple girlies still swear by the iPhone camera if I didn’t tell them which phone took them? I review tech for a living and I’ve been conducting blind photo tests for three years now, but these results surprised me.
The contenders:
Without getting too nerdy, let me tell you a little bit about the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Both are the latest and greatest phones that you can get from Apple and Google, respectively.
As a longtime phone reviewer, I've noticed that Apple's approach toward photos has always leaned toward polished realism. The iPhone wants your photos to look clean and balanced, with skin tones that feel familiar and colors that don’t stray too far from what your eyes saw in real life. The Pixel, on the other hand, delivers more contrasted, stylized images that feel "Instagram ready."
Both phones are undeniably excellent. They just have different philosophies about what makes a photo beautiful. And that’s exactly what makes this blind test fun. When you strip away the logos, you’re left with one simple question: Which photos do you prefer when you don’t know which brand shot it?
Take the blind test for yourself:
With both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, I took photos of striking flowers, popular New York City landmarks, and vivid human portraits. Most were taken on the wide lens, but a few were captured on the ultrawide and telephoto lenses for variety. Scroll through the photos below and decide which side you prefer: left or right.
Did you record your selections for each photo? Good! If you chose mostly the left side, you prefer the iPhone 17 Pro Max. However, if you were more drawn to the right side, you like the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL.
You may be wondering how your tastes stack up against the participants in my experiment. Let’s dive right in.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL cameras: Which is better?
I roped in 10 coworkers to participate in my iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL blind photo test.
On my desk monitor, I showed all of them a carousel: seven sets of two side-by-side photos. The iPhone shots were always on the left while the Pixel pictures were on the right—no one knew which was which.
To my surprise, 80% of the participants preferred the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. Let's get into the juicy details! The shot of the Freedom Tower, zoomed in at 2x on both the Pixel and iPhone, was the show-stopping shot for Google: nearly everyone, except for one participant, swooned over its rich, clean detail.
This means the Pixel scored a sweeping win with its telephoto lens—the zoom camera you use when you want close-up shots.
The Pixel also dominated in wide shots of people. I snapped photos of two coworkers for this round, and 80% of the votes went straight to Google’s side.
When it came to the ultrawide shot, things were evenly split—half chose the Pixel, half chose the iPhone. The wide-angle landmark photos were just as divisive. Take the Washington Square Park arch, for instance: five voters sided with Google, and five stuck with Apple.
Why were Apple fangirls drawn to the Pixel?
Here’s my expert take on this. The iPhone 17 Pro Max captures more what I would call “true-to-life" photos. In other words, Apple’s device did a better job at snapping scenes more accurately—everything looks exactly how I saw them.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL’s photos, on the other hand, are bolder, brighter, and more dramatic—almost like they’ve been lightly edited before you even open them. It’s the kind of punchy color and razor-sharp contrast that pops on social media, but occasionally crosses into “too perfect” territory.
The Apple fangirls in the experiment actually preferred a more eye-catching, high-impact aesthetic—the kind that photo appears instantly ready for Instagram.
I’ve done blind tests before; last year, it was the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL versus the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and Apple won by a mile. But this year, the tables have turned. I have two theories: My new group of participants might could have different tastes, or, Google tweaked something in its photo-processing magic with this latest release. If it's the latter, people are loving the results.
Should you upgrade to Google Pixel 10 Pro XL or iPhone 17 Pro Max?
To prove I’m not biased toward any phone brand, you should know that I daily use both the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I use the former, an Android, because it comes with an S Pen, which is useful for me while taking notes at briefings as a journalist. (And for showing bartenders my drink order because it’s too loud at the bar.)
However, as a content creator, I prefer the cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro Max—and AirDrop’s seamless sharing makes it ridiculously easy to transfer photos and videos straight from my iPhone to my MacBook.
Although the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL’s cameras, according to this test, are tempting, I’m one of the many who are locked into the Apple ecosystem.
If you, too, preferred the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL in this test—and you’re wondering whether you should switch, I can help you. What do you prioritize? If you’re someone who values visual drama in your photos, and you don’t consider yourself a full-time content creator, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL may be the one for you.
However, if you prefer true-to-life, accurate photos, choose to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It's also worth noting that while the Pixel 10 Pro XL has decent battery life (about 16 hours, according to my testing), the iPhone 17 Pro Max lasted nearly double that!
No matter which you choose, both the Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 Pro Max are excellent flagship phones in my experience. You can't go wrong with either one.
