Latest News Phone: Google Pixel XL scores a solid victory against iPhone, S7 edge in our blind camera comparison

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


iPhone 7 Plus	Google Pixel XL

Galaxy S7 edge	100% zoom

Phonearena polls

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original order votes count

Scene 1: Which photo do you like best?: 2.85%
180 votes (180 votes) iPhone 7 Plus; 86.55%
5462 votes (5462 votes) Google Pixel XL; 10.6%
669 votes (669 votes) Galaxy S7 edge

6311 votes

Scene 2: Reflections


Galaxy S7 edge	Google Pixel XL

iPhone 7 Plus	100% zoom

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original order votes count

Scene 2: Which photo do you like best?: 20.43%
1256 votes (1256 votes) Galaxy S7 edge; 76.07%
4676 votes (4676 votes) Google Pixel XL; 3.5%
215 votes (215 votes) iPhone 7 Plus

6147 votes

Scene 3: Flowers


Google Pixel XL	iPhone 7 Plus

Galaxy S7 edge	100% zoom

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original order votes count

Scene 3: Which photo do you like best?: 42.86%
2587 votes (2587 votes) Google Pixel XL; 32.7%
1974 votes (1974 votes) iPhone 7 Plus; 24.44%
1475 votes (1475 votes) Galaxy S7 edge

6036 votes

Scene 4: Candy


Galaxy S7 edge	iPhone 7 Plus

Google Pixel XL	100% zoom

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Scene 4: Which photo do you like best?: 19.24%
1127 votes (1127 votes) Galaxy S7 edge; 19.31%
1131 votes (1131 votes) iPhone 7 Plus; 61.45%
3599 votes (3599 votes) Google Pixel XL

5857 votes

Scene 5: Markers


iPhone 7 Plus	Galaxy S7 edge

Google Pixel XL	100% zoom

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original order votes count

Scene 5: Which photo do you like best?: 8.45%
490 votes (490 votes) iPhone 7 Plus; 63.8%
3701 votes (3701 votes) Galaxy S7 edge; 27.75%
1610 votes (1610 votes) Google Pixel XL

5801 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).