Sony Xperia XZ Premium vs. Huawei P10 Lite vs. Pixel XL: The Camera Review

Aaaaaand… We’re back! This time, our camera performance review includes three different Android smartphones, all of them highly-praised for the photo quality they can provide.

First, it’s the Google Pixel XL launched in 2016, which until recently was the phone with the best camera according to DxO. Then, there’s the more affordable Huawei P10 Lite launched earlier this year, and last but not least, it’s the Sony Xperia XZ Premium that was crowned the best new smartphone at MWC 2017.

As it happens with every camera review that we run, we took several shots with each smartphone on the same day and with the same automatic settings and HDR on when it was needed. All shots were made with the same lighting for a better look at how each smartphone performs.

Technically speaking, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is the one that appears to have an ace up its sleeve thanks to its 19-megapixel camera featuring a 1/2.3” sensor, as compared to the 12.3-megapixel shooter with 1/2.3” sensor on the Pixel XL and the 12-megapixel unit with 1/2.8” on the Huawei model.

TEST #1 – BUILDINGS

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1. So let’s start with the wooden house in the park. In this test, the Google Pixel XL is the one that got the white balance settings right, so it’s the one offering natural colors and impressive details. Huawei, on the other hand, failed to do the same thing, altering colors in a substantial way.

The reduced amount of yellow on the subject and in the background impacts quality, though it’s worth saying that detail quality is above the average. The naturally-looking background makes the Google Pixel the clear winner of this test, but there’s something that we should note here as well, as a slightly increased of yellow is also visible.

With the same sensor as the Google Pixel XL, but with a 19-megapixel camera, Sony Xperia XZ Premium wrecks this shot, mostly because of the incorrect white balance settings which, in their turn, led to altered colors and a green tint that dramatically reduces yellow details from the photo.

What’s also notable is that we took multiple shots with the Xperia, but all of them encountered the exact same problems, suffering when it comes to colors and blurry details due to incorrect focus. Sony’s device experienced the same behavior several times, struggling to focus on the subject for no clear reason.

As a result, the Google Pixel XL wins the test with 9 points, followed by Huawei’s P10 Lite with 7 points, Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium is the last one with 5 points.

2. Google Pixel XL is the only one that offers a correct photo, though the sky in its shot is actually darker than it was in reality.

In this test performed during a bright sunny day, Huawei gets pretty close to a high-quality picture, especially when taking into account the lighting conditions. And yet, it fails to reach the same color quality as Google’s model, though its performance is impressive for a low-budget device.

Xperia XZ Premium goes for increased contrast, which leads to darker tones, but also boosts sharpness for the roof of the house and the building behind it. With the focus point on the areas that are brighter, Sony fails to maintain a balance between bright and dark tones, most likely because the automatic settings delivered mixed performance, leading to either overexposed or underexposed shots, all with substantially altered colors.

Google’s Pixel XL scores 9 points this time, while both the Huawei P10 Lite and the Sony Xperia XZ Premium get 7 points each.

3. With the camera far away from the subject and using the zoom with the focus point on the trees, Google’s Pixel XL is the one that keeps the natural look of the trees and the building. Thanks to the focus on the subject, the phone managed to get fine details, but on the other hand, it went for darker tones in the case of the sky and the water.

Huawei P10 lacks in terms of detail quality, and the device also reduces color saturation to the point where everything looks unnatural. The same thing in the case of the sky, while the lack of yellow highlights is more visible on the trees at the bottom of the building.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium offers similar performance and goes for a darker shot with slightly blurry details for the trees. Outlines on the subject are sharper, but Sony once again reduces brightness.

When it comes to 100 percent cropping, Pixel XL offers natural colors and fine details, while Huawei also scores extra for the details, but loses points for the noise in the third shot. Sony Xperia XZ Premium offers the same color and detail quality as the photos with the original size.

As a result, Pixel XL gets 9 points, with Huawei the runner-up with 7 points, followed by Sony with 6 points.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #2 – CAROUSEL

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1. The Ferris wheel looks good in the Google Pixel XL shot, mostly thanks to the correct white balance and the natural background. Pixel XL saves the naturally-looking colors despite the outdoor light, contrary to the Sony model which once again goes for a darker shot. Increased color saturation and contrast make the Xperia XZ Premium photo look unnatural, while also noting that the device failed to focus several times – notice the mushrooms in the photo which are indeed a bit blurry because of the incorrect focus.

Huawei’s P10 Lite offers an entirely opposed performance, with extra brightness and overexposed areas. Huawei also messes up the white balance and applies a yellow filter that’s mostly visible on the purple hat that looks totally unnatural.

This makes Google Pixel XL the winner of the test with 9 points, while Huawei P10 Lite and Sony Xperia XZ Premium come next with 7 and 6 points, respectively.

2. Google Pixel XL is the device keeping the natural colors and the HDR plus feature substantially reduces the overexposed areas as compared to the other two models. The correct brightness for the background in the Pixel shot comes in line with the overall performance, which includes correct tones for the carousel and the trees. The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is pretty close to the leader this time, but increases color saturation and reduces the amount of yellow on the trees in the background. Once again, it fails to keep the focus on the subject and alters colors on the natural fence around the carousel.

With the focus point on the subject and HDR enabled, Huawei failed to adjust brightness, but instead mixed altered colors in the overexposed areas with correct tones at the top of the subject. Overall, Huawei is lagging behind its rivals this time.

In other words, Google Pixel XL tops the test with 9 points, while Huawei is far behind with 5 points. Sony jumps in the second spot with 7 points.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #3 – NATURE

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1. This time, Google Pixel XL properly adjusted color temperature, which led to a correctly-balanced shot that looks very natural, super-close to the landscape you can see with naked eyes. Huawei, on the other hand, reduced color saturation and applied a yellow filter that’s more visible on the water.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium gets the white balance all wrong and tones down yellow highlights, leading instead to a green tint on the trees and intense blue on the water.

The clear sky looks more natural in the case of the Pixel, as compared to the Huawei shot were it’s closer to gray and to the Sony model that made it look brighter than it actually was. Overall, Pixel XL is crowned the winner this time thanks to a good mix of natural colors and fine details.

Google thus obtains 9 points, while Huawei comes next with 7 points and Sony with 6 points.

2. With the focus point on the boat, all three models fail to get decent results given the strong light. Pixel XL is the only phone that managed to keep the correct colors for the water and the sky, while the Huawei P10 Lite applies the same yellow filter we’ve discussed before. Sony also performs below expectations due to a green filter on the photo.

The far-away forest in the background is darker in Pixel’s and Huawei’s photos and benefits from extra brightness in the case of the Xperia. Due to incorrect white balance, all three devices fail below expectations, though it’s worth mentioning that the Google Pixel XL is the only one that offers acceptable performance.

This means the Google Pixel XL receives 7 points, while the other two models get 5 points each.

3. Pixel’s f/2.0 aperture uses a smaller amount of light that reaches the sensor and combined with HDR plus enabled, it provides increased contrast on the subject. We get correct colors this time, with fine details also achieved.

Huawei, on the other hand, has an aperture of f/2.2 and matches Google’s Pixel contrast settings, but in turn alters colors and loses the natural look from the Pixel photo.

And last but not least, Sony Xperia XZ Premium, with the same aperture like the Google, totally ruins this photo. As a result of incorrect white balance, the Xperia overexposes the image and substantially alters colors, while the lack of contrast makes all details lose their sharpness.

The depth of field effect is more vibrant in the case of the Pixel, as compared to the Huawei model which reduces the amount of blur used on the background, mostly because of the increased brightness. Xperia experienced the same results as earlier, with increased brightness and altered colors.

In the cropping test, all three cameras offered good detail color, with the same level maintained when zooming in.

Overall, Pixel XL tops the competition with 8 points, while Huawei scores 8 points, ahead of the Sony model with 5 points.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #4 – FLOWERS

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1. The colors of the flowers are properly retained by Pixel XL and Huawei P10, while the Sony Xperia increased brightness and thus reduced color saturation. Pixel XL also achieved correct depth of field effect, while the other two models lack the sharp outlines for the subject. It’s important to note that Google Pixel locked the focus on the subject.

The table looks as it’s supposed to in the Pixel and Huawei shots, while Sony’s model once again tried to compensate for the light of the shadow and thus altered colors. The blurry background looks similar in all three shots, though better contrast can be observed in the Pixel and Huawei photos.

Pixel and Huawei top the test with 9 points each, while Sony is close with 8 points.

2. in this test, Xperia and P10 Lite surprisingly manage to offer the more naturally-looking colors of the subject, as compared to the Google Pixel XL which reduces the amount of yellow. Outlines are good in all three shots, and so is the background, though in the case of the Sony Xperia it’s a bit darker and the depth of field effect is less visible.

Huawei and Sony win this time with 9 points, leaving behind Google’s Pixel XL which got just 8 points.

3. The color temperature is correctly adjusted by the Google Pixel XL camera sensor, which also measures white balance properly, with the mix leading in the end to the right colors. Huawei, on the other hand, overexposes the photo.

The blurry background and the wood fence feature well-balanced colors in Google’s shot, as compared to Huawei’s where colors have been substantially altered.

In this test, Sony’s smartphone does manage to get correct white balance settings, but instead fails when it comes to setting the subject brightness, thus leading to an underexposed shot. Due to increased contrast and color saturation, Xperia once again fails to offer a natural pic, despite the fact that the outdoor lighting was just perfect for taking photos.

Google Pixel XL and Sony Xperia do offer good detail quality, as compared to Huawei’s model that reduces colors substantially in an obvious way. Detail and color quality is correctly maintained by all three cameras in the cropping test.

Google Pixel XL is rewarded with 9 points for its performance here, followed by its two rivals today which got just 6 points each.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #5 – COLORS

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1. Despite the indoor lights, both the Sony and the Huawei models managed to get good shots, mostly thanks to correct white balance settings, though the first actually offers better detail quality on the subject. Huawei’s device, however, got pretty close, but some details are slightly off focus. Pixel XL does not get white balance settings correctly this time, so the water bottle lacks its natural look, receiving instead a slight blue tint. Despite trying from multiple angles, Google’s Pixel XL fails to reproduce this shade of blue no matter the light.

The red bottle cap looks fine in the Xperia XZ shot, while both the Pixel and the P10 Lite actually reduced the amount of light, making it a bit darker. The depth of field effect is also more eye-candy on the Pixel XL and the Xperia XZ Premium, so overall, Sony gets an impressive shot that it should’ve delivered in every single test.

This means that Sony’s model gets 10 points this time, while Huawei P10 Lite is the runner-up with 8 points and followed by Google Pixel XL with 6 points.

2. After several attempts to take a good photo in the shadow of the trees with the Xperia XZ Premium, we got the same picture with reduced color saturation, incorrect white balance, and green tint on the darker tones. In the exact same conditions, Google Pixel performs substantially better, mostly thanks to a good balance between light and shadow. Google thus offers good colors and contrast, making the overall photo look pretty natural.

Huawei, on the other hand, failed to handle the large amount of light, so the resulting picture features increased brightness with altered highlights. A slight yellow tint also shows up in the lower part of the picture, but not as visible as in the case of the Sony model.

The background is substantially better in the Google photo, while Huawei once again increased brightness too much. Because of the lack of yellow, Sony’s picture altered tree colors and showed the same focus issue, leading to small blur in the case of the background.

As far as details are concerned, Google Pixel XL wins this round thanks to its 12.3-megapixel camera that makes details sharper than in the case of the Xperia XZ Premium. Both the Sony and the Huawei models altered contrast and eventually reduced detail quality with decreased sharpness.

As for 100 percent cropping, all 3 cameras offer good performance in the test number 1, but the second shows that Huawei and Sony increase the amount of noise despite the good detail and color quality.

In the end, Google Pixel XL receives 8 points, while Huawei and Sony come next with 7 points and 6 points, respectively.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #6 – FOOD

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1. With indoor lights, the fruit and vegetable plate looks great in Google’s photo, mostly thanks to the correct white balance that leads to natural colors and good contrast. Huawei’s P10 Lite loses where the Pixel XL scores extra points, with a noticeable color difference more visible in the case of the milk and beer bottles were the amount of yellow was substantially reduced.

Xperia has a similar performance, increasing the contrast on the subject, leading to unnatural colors. The background is perfect in the Pixel shot, as compared to the Huawei and the Xperia models which apply blue and green filters, respectively.

Google’s Pixel XL scores a perfect 10, while the other two models get 7 points each.

2. In this test, Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium managed to keep the natural colors of the seafood but instead loses precious points because of the incorrect focus. Both the Pixel XL and the P10 Lite offered a high-quality shot with good details, but they do lack in terms of colors. The plate looks much better in Sony’s shot, while Huawei made it completely white.

As far as details, the winner here is the Google Pixel XL whose 12.3-megapixel camera beats the competition despite the 19-megapixel unit on the Sony model. Huawei does have detail quality, but the white balance impacts the overall quality of the photo.

Overall, the food looks more yum thanks to Sony’s smartphones, but because of the slow focus, the Xperia XZ Premium does not deserve to win this test.

This means the Pixel XL tops the test with 8 points, followed by Huawei with 7 points, and Sony with 6 points.

3. With auto settings and focus locked on the subject, all three cameras performed pretty well, with good detail quality. The Pixel and the P10 offer the correct color of the steak, as compared to Sony’s device which applies a yellow filter. Pixel also keeps the correct color of the plate, while Huawei turns it white because of the lack of yellow highlights. Xperia, on the other hand, increases the amount of yellow, getting the plate look close to the one in the Google picture.

Overall, there are three pretty good shots, though not the same thing can be said about cropping. Details seem substantially better in the Google Pixel XL and Huawei P10 Lite shots, while Sony loses big points because of its inability to focus correctly.

After this test, Google receives 9 more points, while Huawei gets closer with 8 points. Sony is once again far behind with 7 points.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #7 – STATUES

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1. Google’s Pixel XL offers the better photo with the statue in the park thanks to correct color temperature settings, also winning in terms of details and white balance. However, because of the big amount of light, the device makes the sky look darker than it is, mostly because it struggled to keep the correct colors for the subject. In addition, both the grass and the trees feature well-balanced colors and sharpness.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium reduces the amount of yellow in the whole picture, just like the Huawei P10, both getting an unnatural look overall. The grass and trees in the background look better in the Sony shot though, as compared to Huawei’s, which lacks the vibrant colors of its rival.

So Google once again tops the test with 9 points for its Pixel XL, followed by Sony’s model with 8 points and Huawei’s with 6.5 points.

2. With the focus on the subject and auto settings on, Pixel XL goes for the better depth of field effect, offering fine details and excellent colors. Huawei failed to balance colors, and the subject features increased brightness, which in the end affects the naturally-looking colors. Even though the sky is darker, Pixel is the only one getting close to a perfect shot.

Xperia XZ fails once again in strong light, and because of a software bug, we weren’t able to adjust brightness, in the end leaving us with a darkened shot. The subject also gets increased greens, and because of the incorrect focus, the picture looks pretty awful.

For cropping, all three models offer the same good detail and color quality.

Google obviously wins the test with 9 points, followed by Huawei with 7 points, while Sony disappoints and gets just 5 points.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #8 – CARS

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1. In the parked yellow car test, Pixel XL is the one that gets pretty close to the real colors, while Huawei reduces the yellow saturation, leading to darker tones. Both cameras, however, achieve fine details and correct brightness for the background, though colors are better balanced in the Pixel shot.

Xperia, on the other hand, lacks the vibrant colors from its rivals, mostly because it reduces the amount of yellow in the photo, in the end affecting all the warm tones. The tree reflections on the car are less visible in the Pixel XL, but at the same time, Google’s model also gets the more naturally-looking background with correct colors.

In the cropping test, all cameras keep decent detail quality, but Google Pixel XL wins thanks to natural colors.

This means we have 9 points for the Pixel XL, and 7 points for each of the other two devices.

2. In this test, we set auto settings on and the focus point on the car, and Huawei’s phone takes a pretty good shot despite the strong light outside. With the same settings, both the Pixel XL and the Xperia XZ take darker photos.

There’s just one thing that needs to be mentioned here: if Huawei’s model didn’t overexposed the hood of the car, it was by far the best phone in this test, so in the end it has a performance that matches the one of its rivals.

All three phones offered good 100 percent crop detail quality, but in the case of the Pixel XL, the subject features better sharpness and outlines. Furthermore, there is more noise in the Xperia and P10 Lite shots.

All three models get 7 points each in this last test.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #9 – BLACK AND WHITE

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1. In this test, we tried to determine the phones’ capabilities of getting a more artistic shot, as black and white photos typically highlight the subject if the camera is good enough. This is what happened in the case of the Google Pixel XL picture, who thanks to the Vogue filter in Google Photos offered a good balance between the gray and the dark tones in the picture despite the sunlight.

Pixel XL thus gets the better contrast, while the Huawei P10 Lite uses the same Google Photos filter, but is not able to match the performance of Google’s model. What’s important to note is that while it fails to offer the same contrast level, it does maintain the correct white tones, but it lacks when it comes to gray because of the reduced contrast.

And last but not least, there’s the Sony Xperia XZ Premium which takes a good picture, but all the details on the face of the subject are gone because of the Beauty Face filter applied by the camera. Even if all three cameras used the same Vogue filter, Pixel wins by a small margin, while Sony loses precious points because of its Beauty Face mode.

This leaves us with 9 points for the Google Pixel XL, and 8 points for Huawei and Sony.

2. Both the Pixel XL and the Xperia XZ Premium did really well this time, as both cameras achieved a good balance between the white and black tones and Google’s model even offered above the average contrast. Sony’s device, on the other hand, mixes the black and gray tones, leading instead to a darker shot, with details less visible especially on the ship and the pirates. Huawei overexposes some parts of the picture.

Pixel XL offers the best detail quality in the cropping test, and the noise is more visible in the test shots we took with the Huawei and the Sony devices.

Google tops the test with 8 points, followed by Sony with 7 points, and Huawei with 6 points.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #10 – PORTRAIT

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1. With the sunlight right on the subject, the Google Pixel XL gets the contrast right, but alters colors on the T-shirt. Huawei P10 Lite also offers good contrast settings, but on the other hand, increases color saturation on the T-shirt. And last but not least, the Sony model is the only one that got the T-shirt almost right (not perfect though), with contrast that matches Google’s.

With the face of the subject featuring more light, Pixel XL and Xperia XZ Premium keep a good balance between the highlights and the shadows, with the skin of the subject looking natural in both shots. Not the same thing can be said about Huawei, which increases the contrast and makes the face look a bit red.

The background and the grass look better in the test photo we took with the Pixel XL, while Huawei’s model increased contrast and color saturation by a small percentage. Xperia XZ Premium, on the other hand, reduced saturation, but due to the Beauty Face effect, it makes details less sharp overall. Despite the T-shirt, the Pixel XL outperforms its two rivals, getting the better naturally-looking photo.

In the end, we give 8 points to Google Pixel XL, 7 points to Sony Xperia XZ Premium, and 6 points to Huawei P10 Lite.

2. In the case of the portrait test with low light, Google Pixel XL offered acceptable white balance settings, but the background gets a blue tint, as compared to Huawei’s test photo where the background is closer to yellow. The background in the Sony shot is also darker, but overall better than Huawei’s. In the case of the Pixel, we notice better outlines with correct colors and fine details.

Huawei and Sony also manage to keep the subject in focus, and this substantially affects detail quality. Huawei once again generated a red tint on the face of the subject, while the Xperia XZ Premium gets closer to Google’s performance, but with darker tones.

The T-shirt looks correctly in Google’s test shot, but Huawei applies a yellow filter that alters saturation. Overall, Google Pixel XL wins this test, as its rivals lost points due to incorrect color saturation and detail quality.

Google Pixel XL thus obtains 9 points, while Sony and Huawei are next with 7 and 5 points, respectively.

3. In the shadow, Google Pixel XL with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera offers a high-quality selfie, with darker tones, but good details and natural colors. Xperia, which uses a 13-megapixel camera, reduced detail quality and even though the Beauty Face option was off, its effects were still clearly noticeable.

Huawei is the worst performer in this test, as it offers over saturated colors, increased brightness for the background and a degrade effect. The outlines are also less sharp, with blur effect in the background covering the other details. What’s also weird on the P10 Lite is that it offers a mirrored image.

Once again Pixel scores the best when it comes to the cropping test, followed by Xperia with lower quality details but good colors in most cases. Huawei is the last one with the worst detail and color quality.

Overall, the Google Pixel XL performance deserves 7 points, while Sony gets 5 points. Huawei is far behind with just 4 points.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

TEST #11 – NIGHT

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1. With the focus point on the subject, both the Pixel XL and the Huawei P10 Lite managed to get right the green tones, while Sony Xperia altered the color due to increased brightness. Pixel XL offers better detail quality as compared to Huawei’s model, with sharpness missing in the case of the road, while the Xperia XZ offered a slightly blurred road with increased brightness.

The building in the background looks good in the test shots we took with Google’s and Huawei’s phones, while Sony’s applied a red tint due to the low light. Overall, Google Pixel XL outperformed the other models, followed by the Huawei P10 and the Xperia XZ Premium.

In terms of score, the Google Pixel XL got 8 points, while Huawei received 7 points. Sony’s model is the last one this time with just 6 points.

2. In this test with the light on the building, all three cameras have pros and cons. Pixel XL offered the best light for the building, but also generates a significant amount of noise on the subject and in the background. The P10 Lite and the Xperia XZ Premium reduced brightness, but also lowered the noise.

In 100 percent cropping test, all three cameras offer poor detail quality, with visible noise in all cases. Yet, the Sony shot is the one that looks a bit better, despite the aforementioned setbacks.

In the end, we have 7 points for Sony and 5 points for Pixel and Huawei each.

FINAL TEST SCORE  

THE BOTTOM LINE

Despite being launched in 2017, Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium failed to match the performance of Google’s Pixel XL, which got to see daylight one year before. In most of the cases, the difference was made by the correct white balance settings, but also the software processing, which on Google’s model is a lot more advanced. At the end of the test, there’s just one conclusion: you don’t need a 19-megapixel camera to take good photos, and a flagship isn’t a must-have, with Huawei’s P10 Lite being the living proof.

The software side definitely played a critical role, as it works flawlessly on the Google and Huawei smartphones, but fails way too often on the Xperia XZ Premium. There’s clearly a big disappointment because Sony didn’t manage to optimize its software, as this leads to a number of drawbacks, including the inability to correctly focus on the subject or disable the Beauty Face completely when taking selfies.

There’s obviously hope that Sony would launch a firmware for its camera, as the company developed a very advanced camera that’s mainly dragged down because of its companion software. If Sony manages to deliver the quality we’ve seen in around 5 percent of the test shots, there’s no doubt it can become the best mobile phone camera at this point.

It’s also worth mentioning that for each test, we took several shots with different focus points to get the best quality. Overall, we reached the conclusion that all three cameras are very powerful, though it was very clear that Google Pixel XL deserved to win, mostly because of its solid software. That’s too bad for the Sony model, which has the potential to become the leader, but its perfect shots are extremely rare.

As far as the experience with the phone is concerned, the king of the castle is Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium. With a dedicated camera button, a fingerprint sensor that’s placed in a perfect position and an exceptional screen, the latest Xperia model is an outstanding device that lacks substantially in terms of software.

One main advantage is the microSD card support, which allows you to insert and remove a card without pulling out the SIM. As a result, you can copy all of your photos on a card and check them out on the device without any major inconvenient. As said, Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium provides a nearly complete experience for a photographer, but again, it lacks the proper software to help it go wild.