Earlier this week, we invited you to participate in a blind camera comparison – a race where you, dear readers, got to pick the winner based solely on what your eyes liked best. The phones that competed for your vote were the iPhone 7 Plus, the Google Pixel XL, and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. No doubt about it, all three are among the best shooters money can buy right now. The S7 edge, in particular, has been victorious in a great deal of camera comparisons we’ve hosted in the past. However, it fell short of winning the gold this time around.
By collecting nearly 18,000 of our readers’ votes and winning in 4 out of 5 scenes, the Google Pixel XL is the undisputed winner of this blind camera comparison. In fact, it collected more votes than its opponents combined! In second place, we have the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, which got a respectable 8226 votes, and the iPhone 7 Plus got the bronze with a total of 3990 votes.
While the lead of the Pixel XL is impressive, it comes as no surprise that its images were liked by such a large number of readers. Its HDR+ mode, which is enabled by default, allows it to produce lively images with wide dynamics range. In scene 1, for instance, the Pixel’s image has much more detail in the shadows. In scene 2, only the Pixel managed to capture the sky without overexposing it, and its colorful representation of the third scene easily grabs one’s attention.
So, are you surprised by the results? Were you expecting the Pixel to win by a mile against its opponents? Let us know in the comments below!
Scene 1: The windmill
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sort by
- Scene 1: Which photo do you like best?
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2.85%
180 votes
iPhone 7 Plus -
86.55%
5461 votes
Google Pixel XL -
10.6%
669 votes
Galaxy S7 edge
6310 votes
Scene 2: Reflections
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sort by
- Scene 2: Which photo do you like best?
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20.44%
1256 votes
Galaxy S7 edge -
76.07%
4675 votes
Google Pixel XL -
3.5%
215 votes
iPhone 7 Plus
6146 votes
Scene 3: Flowers
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sort by
- Scene 3: Which photo do you like best?
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42.85%
2586 votes
Google Pixel XL -
32.71%
1974 votes
iPhone 7 Plus -
24.44%
1475 votes
Galaxy S7 edge
6035 votes
Scene 4: Candy
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sort by
- Scene 4: Which photo do you like best?
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19.23%
1126 votes
Galaxy S7 edge -
19.31%
1131 votes
iPhone 7 Plus -
61.46%
3599 votes
Google Pixel XL
5856 votes
Scene 5: Markers
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sort by
- Scene 5: Which photo do you like best?
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8.45%
490 votes
iPhone 7 Plus -
63.79%
3700 votes
Galaxy S7 edge -
27.76%
1610 votes
Google Pixel XL
5800 votes
The gallery below contains all the images used in this comparison in high resolution, as well as 100% zoom crops for side-by-side comparison of every set of images. You can zoom in with a double-click or use the full-screen mode for a closer look at each photo (desktop only).
All images in high resolution
