This year, Google upgraded the camera on its more affordable Pixel 10. While the Pixel 10 Pro models saw an improvement in OIS, the sensors themselves remained unchanged.  We covered the cameras separately in each of the reviews (10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL), but with the differences in pricing between the three, is there really that much difference in camera quality?
To recap on the camera specs of each of these two models, refer to the table below:
| Pixel 10 | Pixel 10 Pro | |
| Rear Camera | 48 MP wide with Macro Focus 13 MP ultrawide 120deg FOV 10.8 MP 5x telephoto lens Super Res Zoom up to 20x and optical quality at 0.6x, 1x, 5x,10x | 50 MP wide 48 MP ultrawide with Macro Focus 48 MP 5x telephoto lens Pro Res Zoom up to 100x and optical quality at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x |
| Front Camera | 10.5 MP Dual PD selfie camera with autofocus95° ultrawide field of view | 42 MP Dual PD selfie camera with 103° ultrawide field of view |
Although the specs are still significantly different, the gap between the two has decreased. Surely this means that the photo quality between the two is closer now right?
To endeavour to find out just how close the gap between the two is now, I headed out with both the Pixel 10 and the Pixel 10 Pro in my pocket and took a whole host of photos of different landmarks and cool things around Melbourne.
I’ll share a sample of the images below and offer my commentary on the differences.
If you just looked at the above pictures, you could be well and truly forgiven for saying they look the same in nearly all situations, but there is a difference. Although the difference is subtle, when you switch from one back to the other, you can certainly see that the photos taken with the Pixel 10 Pro have more vibrant colours, which are more accurate and have better sharpness and detail when zoomed in. These differences are not massive though.
There are larger differences in photos taken from a difference and the zoom on the cameras is used. The Pixel 10 Pro has Pro Res Zoom (100x), whereas the Pixel 10 has Super Res Zoom (20x) and the difference is quite stark. The Pixel 10 Pro takes far better photos from a distance so if you are going on holidays and taking quite a few snaps from a distance it will certainly be better but in everyday life, just how often are you doing that?
The night photos show where a lot of the money is. In the ability of the camera sensors to capture light in low-light situations. The Pixel 10 Pro produces significantly better images, with improved lighting and colours, in low-light scenarios. Now that is not to say the Pixel 10 night photos are bad — far from it — but they are just not as good as those from the Pixel 10 Pro. Once again, whether those differences are significant enough for you to invest in the extra funds for the Pro model is up to you.
Final thoughts
The Pixel smartphones from Google have always taken great photos and this year the Pixel 10 series is no different. Every single smartphone in the series takes great pictures, all competing to be the very best in its respective price range. Within the series, there are differences in camera quality, which is to be expected given that the Pro models cost $350 and $650 more than the more affordable Pixel 10.
As you can see in the images above, the Pro model phones (the Pro XL has the exact same camera as that in the Pro) produce better photos than that in the base model Pixel 10. Just how much better those are the big thing here, though, because they are not all that much better when you think of real-world scenarios and how and when most people take their photos.
Most people take photos in social situations, whether it’s other people, their pets, their food or a quick snap of a restaurant they went to and for these photos, the Pixel 10 is incredibly close to the Pro models in colour, sharpness and overall image quality.
There are other advantages for getting the Pro models other than just a better camera but if you do not need these advantages (check out our in-depth reviews) you can feel confident and comfortable that you will still be getting a very high-quality camera if you do decide to save some coin and go with the more affordable Pixel 10.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
