Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max couldn't beat Google Pixel 9 Pro XL in DXOMark Camera Test

The new iPhones started shipping last Friday, and now we have new camera test results from DXOMark. The company gave the iPhone 16 Pro Max a score of 157 (the iPhone 16 Pro hasn’t been scored yet, but we expect the score to be about the same). This puts the iPhone 16 Pro Max in fourth place, tied with the Huawei Mate 60 Pro+ and OPPO Find X7 Ultra. That is not a bad place to be at all, since both of those phones have impressive camera setups.

Just ahead of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and HONOR Magic6 Pro at 158, and still in first place is the unbeatable Huawei Pura 70 Ultra with a 163 score.

On the bright side, it did beat the iPhone 15 Pro Max in every test (and tied in Zoom). It’s a pretty decent upgrade over last year’s, considering it’s basically the same sensors. For Photos, the iPhone 16 Pro Max scored 157, up four points year-over-year. On Zoom, it scored 142, which is the same as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and in the video, it scored 159, up one point year-over-year. As expected, the video test is the only one that the iPhone outscored the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Cementing the fact that the iPhone is still the best for video – it even tied with the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra

You can of course, check out the full detailed review from DXOMark here. It’s quite in-depth and does tell you a lot about these cameras.

Google finally has a better camera than the iPhone?

Google has been putting out good cameras for quite some time, but the Pixel 9 series has a pretty incredible camera system this year, and it has beaten the iPhone 16 Pro Max, surprisingly. Despite the trickery that Google is doing with video for the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, the iPhone 16 Pro Max still outperforms it. Of course, having 4K120 probably helps there.

The bottom line is that both phones have incredible cameras, and you really can’t go wrong choosing either one.