Google Pixel XL vs. LG G6 vs. BlackBerry KEYone: The Camera Review

And here we go again. After putting the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, the iPhone 7 Plus, and the DxO One against each other in monster camera tests (1 and 2), it’s time to throw in the battle three other brand-new flagships, each coming with a super-advanced camera.

The Google Pixel XL, the LG G6, and the BlackBerry KEYone are all flagships that are betting big on their cameras. Pixel XL and its already famous 12.3-megapixel camera with HDR+ are definitely a tough nut to crack, in particular by the new BlackBerry KEYone that comes with almost the same 12-megapixel camera that promises to offer better performance than any other BlackBerry model so far.

Both cameras rely on a 1/2.3” sensor, so we’ll put them against the LG G6, which comes with a dual-camera configuration with 13 megapixels for each lens and 1/3” sensor. Will BlackBerry match the performance of Google’s HDR+? Will the G6 prove that many hands make the light work? Let’s find out in another insane test analyzing every little detail of the three cameras.

All three cameras have been tested with auto settings and HDR on, with slight exposure adjustments in certain conditions to get better shots – these manual tweaks are mentioned for each test.  

TEST #1 – BUILDINGS

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1. All the three cameras managed to take a pretty natural shot, but with the focus point on the building and HDR on, the Pixel XL and the LG G6 scored the better detail quality. On the other hand, BlackBerry’s model, despite having HDR on, failed to offer the same contrast level as its rivals, also lacking in terms of detail quality and sharpness.

The sky reflections on the building are easily noticeable in the G6 shot thanks to the increased sharpness, while the Pixel XL keeps colors and brightness to provide a natural photo. With the same 1/2.3” sensor, both the Pixel XL and the BlackBerry KEYone preserve natural colors, with extra points for Pixel XL thanks to detail quality. The LG G6, on the other hand, increases subject sharpness and contrast, while the BlackBerry model loses focus in the lower part of the photo.

The Pixel XL is getting 9 points for this test, while LG G6 and BlackBerry KEYone are rewarded with 8 and 7 points, respectively.

2. With the sunlight on the building, the contrasting light between the blue sky and our subject is the dominating element in this shot. Pixel XL fails to adjust the correct white balance, while the yellow tint on the subject and the street makes the picture look unnatural. LG G6, on the other hand, gets the right white balance, and thanks to correct contrast, it also gets the best shot. The BlackBerry KEYone also fails when it comes to white balance, with the yellow tint more visible this time.

The lack of contrast and clarity in the BlackBerry shot makes the edges of the subject be less visible as compared to the other two pictures.

LG is the one that wins the test with 8 points, while Pixel XL and BlackBerry receive 8 and 6.5 points, respectively.

3. With auto settings and the focus on the subject, none of the three cameras managed to preserve natural colors and details. Pixel XL underexposes the subject, which leads to lower light and increased shades, but the HDR+ does manage to increase the contrast to keep the background brightness correctly adjusted. The Pixel and the LG G6 also managed to preserve the correct colors for the fence and the light pole in front of the building.

Just like the Pixel, the LG G6 also provides a darker shot, while the highlights get more brightness, but in an attempt to adjust the light, it actually increases sharpness levels and loses natural details.

BlackBerry, on the other hand, focused on the subject in particular and preserved natural details, though due to incorrect white balance, it altered the fences and the light poles colors.

As far as 100 percent cropping is concerned, LG G6 and Pixel XL keep a better detail and color quality, while BlackBerry scores better when it comes to colors for picture number 3. Noise is visible in all three shots.

Both the Pixel XL and the LG phones score 6 points this time, while BlackBerry performed slightly better, so it received 7 points.  

TEST #2 – CAROUSEL

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1. With strong light on the subject coming from the left side, Pixel XL with HDR on fails to keep the focus on the carousel, but instead correctly adjust the white balance, which in turns keeps more vibrant colors and better detail quality. The sky has correct light, so the photo is the closest to the landscape you see with a naked eye.

LG G6 fails to adjust the white balance and messes up warm colors. The blue tint is visible on the white parts of the subject, as compared to the other colors which are substantially darker because of the increased contrast. With HDR on and auto settings, the G6 fails to compensate for the botched white balance, with the sky brighter than in the case of the Pixel. Overall, it’s a good shot, but without the natural colors we’ve gotten from the Pixel.

As far as the BlackBerry is concerned, the device does not enable HDR, even though the feature is on, so the picture lacks contrast and colors. The image features extra brightness, but details and colors leave a lot to be desired. The yellow filter also seems to alter pretty much all colors.

The Pixel XL wins the test with 9 points, while the LG G6 is the runner-up with 8 points. The KEYone is third with 6 points.

2. The carousel in the picture has a stunning backlight effect thanks to the countre-jour shot in the case of all three cameras. Despite the fact that the carousel was moving, all three cameras managed to get perfect focus.

As far as the natural colors go, the Pixel XL is by far the winner thanks to correct white balance. The natural blue color of the sky and the skylight show the full potential of the Pixel XL camera and the advanced software processing that Google has implemented into its device.

Both the LG and the BlackBerry models keep the subject in focus, but they increase contrast, leading to more artificial shots. The white balance settings are better in the case of the LG, while the Blackberry smartphone altered colors in a substantial manner.

When it comes to cropping, the LG G6 keeps the best detail quality as compared to its rivals. The noise is easily noticeable in all three cases, with an increased amount for the Pixel and the BlackBerry. Pixel XL wins in terms of colors, followed by the KEYone and the G6.

Pixel XL is the king of the castle once again with 8 points, while both of its rivals got 8 points each.  

TEST #3 – COLORS

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1.It’s almost a tie this time, with slight differences that do not alter the photo in a dramatic manner. With the sunlight on the subject, the LG G6 goes for extra color saturation, as compared to the Pixel and BlackBerry models which, thanks to the same sensor, preserves the natural color. The Pixel, however, adjusts the yellow highlights with a minor orange tint, but on the other hand, went for the correct amount of green on the grass. The KEYone reduced color contrast in the case of the grass, as did the LG G6.

All three models receive 9 points for their performance in this test.

2. Because of the shadow, the LG G6 seems to be the only model that correctly calculates the amount of light, leading to correct white balance, natural colors, and sharp details. The Pixel XL fails to adjust the subject brightness, with lack of color contrast, especially in the lower part where the grass looks artificial, to say the least. The background has a blue tint because of the incorrect white balance settings.

BlackBerry once again didn’t use the HDR mode, so the doesn't boast the correct color contrast. The used yellow filter alters colors, though the subject looks very natural.

When it comes to cropping, LG provides the better performance, though all 3 cameras offer good performance.

The LG gains 9 points in this test, while the Pixel XL and the BlackBerry KEYone each receive 8 points.  

TEST #4 – FLOWERS and TREES

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1. The Pixel XL scores better this time, with a nearly perfect shot that keeps natural colors and the details of the subject covered by the shadow. Both the BlackBerry and the LG phones failed to go for the correct white balance settings, and both of them applied a yellow filter that alters subject colors. Overall, all three cameras offer good detail quality, but Pixel is the clear winner.

Of course, Google’s model gets 10 out of 10 points, while both the LG G6 and the KEYone receive 8 points each.

2. With the flower bouquet in the rain, the differences are only minor, with all three cameras offering above the average detail quality and natural colors. The white flowers, however, boast extra blur in the case of the Pixel XL and the LG G6, while BlackBerry somehow misses the blur effect that should be used in the background.  As far as the overall performance, however, the KEYone is worth the same score as its rivals.

As a result, all three models score a perfect 10 in this test.

3. The orange roses look natural in the Pixel XL shot, and so do the leaves. The LG G6 photo, however, lacks color contrast, with the F/1.8 aperture that allows more light to reach the sensor not making a big difference in this case.

With the same aperture like Pixel, namely F/2.0, the BlackBerry model fails to match the performance of Google’s model though, altering the color contrast. The blur effect is nearly identical for all 3 cameras, but the sky looks better in the Pixel shot.

For cropping, all 3 cameras offer unbelievable detail quality and color saturation.

Google Pixel receives 8 points this time, while LG is the runner-up with 7 points, BlackBerry’s KEYone is last with 6 points.  

TEST #5 – NATURE

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1. With auto settings on and the focus point on the trees, each camera goes for different settings. Pixel XL, for example, sets a 1/290 exposure time and ISO level 122, while BlackBerry picks 1/640 and 100, respectively. They do, however, get the right shots, with correct white balance, correct colors, and good detail quality. The Pixel XL also gets extra points for color contrast versus the KEYone.

LG G6, with 1/210 exposure time and ISO 50 preserves details, but the incorrect white balance makes the yellow highlights to lack contrast, in the end altering colors in a substantial way.

Pixel XL is the leader with 9 points, following by BlackBerry with 8 points, and LG G6 with 6 points.

2. BlackBerry shows a simply perfect picture, with well-balanced colors, excellent details for the trees and naturally-looking blur effect for the background. Pixel is pretty close to BlackBerry’s model, but it doesn’t offer the same color contrast and amount of blur, mostly because it increased the brightness level. The same thing happened in the case of the G6, which offers similar performance in terms of colors, but overexposes the background.

When it comes to cropping, all three cameras offer good detail quality, but BlackBerry leads in terms of colors. The LG G6 shot is the one where the noise is more visible.

As a result, BlackBerry gets a 10 this time, while Pixel XL is close with 9 points, LG G6 is last with 8 points.  

TEST #6 – BLACK AND WHITE

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1. Early in the morning with the sunlight on the subject, the Pixel XL offers a good portrait shot. Since it does not have a black and white mode, we shot the photo in color mode and then applied a “Vista” black and white filter offered by Google Photos. Pixel XL can achieve balanced white and black details, while in the background the gray highlights are more predominant. Pixel offers a clear shot with lots of details, with the face of the subject benefitting from the correct amount of light and sharp shadow.

LG G6 does feature a so-called B&W black and white filter, but it goes for increased contrast that contributes to a more artistic shot. The face of the subject features sharp details, with a refined contrast between white and black parts.

Blackberry’s KEYone features a Memories black and white mode, but it certainly lags behind its rivals. The face of the subject is gray, and the lack of contrast makes all details look less sharp. In the background, the gray highlights are the most noticeable.

The LG G8 is the best performer, so it gets 10 points, while Pixel XL is close with 9 points. The BlackBerry KEYone performed below expectations and received just 7 points.

2. This time the Pixel XL’s Vista filter offers even better performance. The subject offers sharp details with well-balanced contrast and perfectly white and black tones, thus leading to overall improved shot for Google’s model.

LG G6 and the same B&W filter no longer delivers the same high-quality results, lacking contrast and turning the black and white highlights to gray. Details in the background are less sharp as well.

BlackBerry scores better this time and beats the LG G6 when it comes to white and black shadows, but it once again makes everything gray in the background.

Pixel wins the cropping test thanks to detail quality and despite the poor performance for the portrait, while the LG G6 provides exactly the opposite results. BlackBerry makes the indoor shot look blurry and full of noise, while the portrait lacks detail sharpness.

Pixel XL is obviously the winner with a perfect 10, while the KEYone and the G6 are next with 8 points and 7 points, respectively.  

TEST #7 – CARS

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1. LG G6 locks the focus point on the subject, so it obtained natural colors and correct white balance, which in turn leads to better details. The background also offered well-balanced colors and sharp details, and this makes the LG G6 the clear winner of this round.

BlackBerry and Pixel XL fail to go for the correct white balance settings. Google’s model offers lower color saturation, leading to a blue tint for the road and the car windows. BlackBerry provides increased saturation, but colors are far from natural this time.

The background in BlackBerry’s shot features a red tint that also covers the subject and makes the alley lose the correct gray shade. The wheels look right in the case of the LG G6, while on the other two models, they feature altered colors due to blue and red tints. All three cameras offer overexposed parts, though they’re less obvious in the case of the Pixel photo.

LG G6 is the winner here with 8 points, while the Pixel XL is the runner-up with 7 points. Blackberry’s model is third with 6.5 points.

2. The Blackberry model takes the correct photo this time, but a red tint can be seen on the ground and covering the wheels of the car. Google Pixel XL has a yellow shade on the road, as compared to Blackberry which adjusts the amount of yellow in a much more effective way.

The Pixel XL shot gets better brightness for the subject and more vibrant colors for the background, while the LG G6 picture maintains these colors, but picks darker settings.

The wheels look natural in the case of the LG as well, as compared to the Pixel and the Blackberry photos where blue and red tints are pretty obvious. All three cameras offer acceptable detail quality, but BlackBerry wins this round.

In the end, the KEYone scores 8.5 points, while LG G6 gets 7 points. Pixel XL is last with 6.5 points.  

TEST #8 – FOOD

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1. Pixel XL got the better detail quality and natural colors, with the potatoes and the steak having a delicious look as in reality. In the case of the Blackberry, however, the photo is indeed sharp with the electronic image stabilization system, but reduces color intensity, making the food look a little bit less yummy.

LG G6 also offered a clear shot, but more saturated colors and darker tones. The food, however, looks good, and the tomatoes retain their tasty natural colors. Not the same thing can be said about the tomatoes in the Blackberry and Pixel shots where colors are substantially altered. The table and the plate have correct colors in the Pixel and Blackberry pictures.

There’s clearly a tie between Pixel and LG because they perform better than rivals, while the BlackBerry is slightly behind.

As a result, Pixel XL and LG G6 get 9 points, while Blackberry receives just 8 points.

2. For the cookie shot, all shots were made through the protective glass. As expected, the Google Pixel XL with its HDR+ mode on offers 100 percent natural colors with an impressive detail quality. With the correct white balance, Pixel offers results that could hardly be matched by its rivals. Blackberry also adjusts the white balance settings correctly, but reduces color saturation, making the cookies look unnatural, with a blue shade on yellow highlights.

At the same time, the LG G6 increases color saturation, and although it doesn’t look bad, these aren’t the natural colors. Overall, Pixel wins the cookie test thanks to details and natural colors, followed by the LG and Blackberry.

As a result, Pixel XL is rewarded with 9 points, while the LG G6 gets 8.5 points. Blackberry is last with 7.5 points.

3. BlackBerry increases color saturation, as compared to Google’s phone which preserves natural color settings. As far as details are concerned, all three cameras offered similar performance, though the LG G6 brings a slight red tint on the subject. With approximately 50 cm from the subject, the background features a small amount of blur on the Pixel and the LG G6, while the KEYone goes for a clear background.

As for cropping, all cameras keep detail quality and natural colors, but more noise can be spotted in the KEYone and LG G6 last shots.

The Pixel XL leads the charts this time with 9 points, while Blackberry is second with 8.5 points, LG G6 is third with 8 points.  

TEST #9 – NIGHT SHOTS

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1. Night shots are the most challenging for smartphones, even though manufacturers have struggled to improve this side of their cameras with the latest models.

In this first test, Google Pixel uses 1/50 exposure time and ISO 201, but to get a decent shot, -2 exposure time was needed (which is the maximum the Pixel camera allows) to obtain natural colors and reduce the amount of noise. Pixel preserves the green light reflections on the road, while on the left side there’s a red/orange light reflection coming from a light pole.

LG G6 adjusted exposure to 1/35 and ISO 200, and again underexposing the photo down to -2 was needed to reduce noise and to get better colors and details. Just like the Pixel, LG keeps the light reflections, with both red and green tints.

BlackBerry goes for 1/30 exposure and ISO 473, managing to obtain colors that look natural, with the same amount of green as the Pixel shot and reflections looking similar to rival photos.

As a result, Pixel is getting 8 points, while LG G6 receives 7 points. BlackBerry is last with 6 points.

2. Pixel increases brightness on the building to lock focus on the subject, but on the other hand, this leads to noise and altered colors and details. LG obtains much sharper details and colors look a lot more natural, despite the obvious noise. BlackBerry is the one getting less noise in the upper part of the picture, but visible everywhere else.

When it comes to the cropping test, noise is all over the place, but detail quality is better in the LG shot.

Pixel XL receives 7 points this time, while LG G6 scores better and receives 8 points. BlackBerry KEYone is rewarded with 6 points.  

TEST #10 - PORTRAIT and SELFIE

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1. For this portrait shot in low light, neither Pixel’s 12.3-megapixel camera with 1/2.3” sensor size and F/2.0 aperture nor the LG G6’s 13-megapixel shooter with 1/3” sensor and F/1.8 aperture manage to get correct white balance settings and natural colors.

The black shirt has a blue tint that is more visible in the LG shot as compared to the Pixel, which gets closer to black but not enough. The face of the subject with red highlights is correct in the Pixel sample, while LG G6 makes it look closer to white. Both cameras offered good detail quality given the light conditions though. The correct background belongs to the Pixel XL, which uses colors that reflect the reality, while the LG model reduced color saturation and altered the blur effect.

BlackBerry’s 12-megapixel camera with 1/2.3” sensor size and F/2.0 takes a shot that’s close to Pixel’s, and thanks to correct white balance, it achieves correct colors for the shirt as well. There’s a more pale color on the face though, mostly because of the yellow filter that also covers the background, which is more colored than it is supposed to be.

Pixel XL receives 9 points for its performance here, while its two rivals get 8 points each.

2. The indoor portrait puts the Pixel on the first place thanks to correct colors and impressive detail quality given the typical office light conditions. The face of the subject is perfectly reproduced, and the eyes, the nose, and the mouth feature sharp details, while shirt colors are very natural. As a result, the Pixel gets a better shot than the LG, which struggles to compensate for the low light and goes for increased contrast on the subject.

This makes the face look pale, with darker details, but the shirt does have the natural colors. The white background looks good in the Pixel photo, but turns to a white/gray degrade on the LG.

The BlackBerry camera leaves a lot to be desired this time. With increased contrast and the wrong white balance, it goes for the same annoying yellow filter that alters colors, details, and makes the photo a total fail.

As a result, the KEYone gets just 5 points, while the LG G6 scores 7 points. Pixel receives the maximum 10 points.

3. In the case of the statue portrait, BlackBerry takes everyone by surprise, as it nearly matches the performance of the Google Pixel XL and preserves natural colors with super-good detail quality. The KEYone, however, sets lower brightness for the subject, but thanks to sharp edges and slight blur effect for the background, it’s nearly as good as the Pixel.

LG G6 also offers a clear shot with sharp details, but colors are slightly altered because of the red and blue tint caused by the wrong white balance settings. The background features more details because of the reduced blur effect, so overall, BlackBerry and LG score the same performance.

This means the Pixel XL gets a perfect 10, while LG G6 and BlackBerry KEYone are each rewarded with 9 points.

4. As far as the selfies go, the front-facing 5-megapixel LG camera with F/2.2 preserves the right colors, but reduces saturation for colors in the background. Detail quality is, however, good for a 5-megapixel camera, so overall, LG takes a pretty good picture.

Pixel, which has an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter with F/2.4 preserves the right colors in the background, but alters them for the subject. The red tint on the face of the subject is more visible, and the shirt has darker gray tones, far from what you can see with the naked eye.

BlackBerry and its 8-megapixel front camera with F/2.2 have the same problem as the Pixel XL, keeping the correct colors in the background, but altering them on the subject. The yellow filter can be seen on the face of the subject, taking a pretty artificial shot. For cropping, all three keep good detail quality.

LG G6 scores the best this time with 8 points, followed by Pixel XL with 6.5 points and the BlackBerry model with 5 points.  

TEST #11 – STATUES

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1. With auto settings on and the focus point on the statue, the Pixel XL gets a better contrast thanks to its HDR+ feature. With ISO 50 and 1/1200 exposure time, both automatically set when choosing the focus point, Pixel XL gets a clear shot, but it lacks the correct white balance and alters natural colors.

LG G6 with automatic settings on but 1/310 exposure time and ISO 50 offers sharper details for the subject and better quality than in the case of the Pixel. At the same time, white balance settings are correct this time, so colors also look more natural.

BlackBerry also fails to pick the correct white balance and once again applies a yellow filter on the photo. The KEYone configures exposure to 1/280 and ISO level to 100, which helps offer better detail quality, but lacking sharpness in the case of the subject.

Overall, Pixel and LG G6 get the better shots thanks to the HDR features, while BlackBerry KEYone is clearly lagging behind its rivals.

LG G6 scores a perfect 10 in this test, while the Pixel XL is a bit behind with 8 points. BlackBerry disappointed again, so it receives just 5 points.

2. The test with the park statue shows that the LG G6 performs better in these conditions, again offering the correct white balance settings. Pixel XL offers colors that look natural, but with 1/2200 exposure, the photo comes with increased contrast. The grass and the background look better in the LG G6 picture, while the Pixel XL returned darker details.

In these conditions, BlackBerry increases the amount of yellow on the subject and expands it to the whole picture. The F/2.0 aperture and 1/800 exposure time make the background benefit from extra brightness, but lacking contrast and detail quality.

LG G6 is the king of the castle with 9 points, while Pixel XL and BlackBerry have nearly the same performance with 8 points and 7.5 points, respectively.

3. In the third test, Pixel XL goes for an overexposed shot caused by the 1/220 exposure time and ISO 50, with the HDR mode no longer capable of compensating for the darker tones. Because of the amount of light and the lack of contrast, both colors and details are substantially altered.

LG G6 with HDR on sets aperture to F/1.8 and exposure time to 1/250 with ISO 50. This leads to natural colors and correct white balance, which contribute to the best shot overall.

BlackBerry adjusts ISO to 100 and exposure time to 1/310, obtaining a balanced photo, though it lacks color quality, with the yellow filter once again applied.

As for cropping, all three cameras offer good detail quality, but Pixel and LG score extra points for colors, as compared to the KEYone which is again behind its rivals.

Overall, the LG G6 truly deserves 9 points, while BlackBerry is pretty close with 8.5 points. The Pixel XL is left behind with 6 points.  

THE BOTTOM LINE

Google’s Pixel XL, which launched in 2016, managed to score better than LG G6 and BlackBerry KEYone, both of which got to see daylight a year later. In many cases, however, the HDR+ mode on the Pixel XL was the one making the difference, as compared to the HDR auto on the LG and the standard HDR on the BlackBerry which rarely impressed.

The small hardware and software differences between the three cameras allowed them to stay close to each other in terms of performance. Pixel XL features a camera with f/2.0, 1/2.3” and OIS versus BlackBerry KEYone with f/2.0, 1/2.3" and electronic image stabilization and LG G6 dual camera with f/1.8, 1/3" and OIS plus f/2.4 without autofocus.

We didn’t use the wide-angle lens and the manual mode on the LG because both Pixel XL and BlackBerry KEYone lack such capabilities.

It’s also worth mentioning that all cameras come with their own pros and cons, including moments when they fail to get the correct white balance, leading to plenty of noise in their photos. BlackBerry, for instance, alters colors substantially, a thing that you won’t see in Pixel XL shots. Surprisingly, however, the Pixel XL and the BlackBerry KEYone feature the same sensor, but return different results because of the post-processing software. LG G6 also fails to apply the blur effect correctly in some cases.

When it comes to black and white shots, Pixel lacks such a mode, but the Vista filter in Google Photos came to the rescue. Both the KEYone and the G6 have such a mode, but in the end, the Google and the LG smartphones scored the best here.

Overall, these are three of the best cameras on the market, even though Pixel XL was crowned the winner. This is actually the most surprising thing, as the Pixel XL manages to win the race against more advanced cameras, one of which even uses a dual-lens setup.

Thanks to its HDR+ mode, the Pixel XL features the best point and shoot camera on a smartphone, always offering a high-quality shot even in tough conditions were most devices struggle.

As most photographers say, the best camera is the one that you always have around, so in the end, it’s probably recommended to always have a Pixel XL in your pocket.