Galaxy Note 9 vs. Pixel 2 XL: How the cameras compare

Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

I’ve finally found a phone that can keep up with the Pixel 2’s camera in a real way, and it’s called the Galaxy Note 9 by Samsung. 

Take it easy, there, I tell myself. The Pixel 2 is still the undefeated champ, winning round after round of camera comparisons. Some have come close with valiant efforts, but none as close as the Galaxy Note 9.

This isn’t to say that the Galaxy Note 9 takes nearly identical photos as the Pixel 2 XL. Samsung adds its own flair to the Galaxy Note 9’s camera that makes photos look good in different ways. 

For transparency’s sake, I actually used the Pixel 2 XL for the photo shoot, as it’s the model I had with me at the time. But both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have exactly the same camera, so it’s fair to say that the Pixel 2 XL represents Google’s latest lineup of smartphones. 

Note that some of these photos may look blurry or pretty bad on some standard 1080p resolution screens due to the high resolution of the images. 

Check out photos taken with the Pixel 2 XL and Galaxy Note 9:

And when the light gets a little too dim or the subject is dark, the Galaxy Note 9 can use its variable aperture to allow more light to hit the camera sensor. It makes for better low-light photos as a result.

My cat Wally’s face and coat are more visible in the Galaxy Note 9 photo due to its variable aperture. Some call it a gimmick, but it seems to make a difference. 

On a sidenote, do you think Wally’s fur is predominantly black or brown? My wife says his fur is black and I think she’s colorblind. Send me a tweet telling me what you think (@tonyvstech).

Is there a winner here?

I’m not going to sit here and tell you which phone has the best camera, not when they’re so close in terms of photo quality. The best thing you can do is see what camera you think takes better photos. Some prefer the more natural look that the Pixel 2 delivers, others like a little bit of extra flair and image processing that makes their photos pop, like the Galaxy Note 9 (and the Galaxy S9, for that matter).