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Sony Xperia XZ3 vs Galaxy Note 9 vs Pixel 2 XL vs iPhone X: camera comparison

By Victor Hristov

Updated: Jun 05, 2020, 5:31 AM

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Sony Xperia XZ3 vs Galaxy Note 9 vs Pixel 2 XL vs iPhone X: camera comparison

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There is a lot to like about the new Sony Xperia XZ3: its sleek design with elegant curves that fits comfortably in the hand, its gorgeous OLED screen with beautiful colors, and even the fact that it comes with the latest version of Android, Pie, on board, but can it stand its ground against the best phones out there in terms of camera performance?

The XZ3 largely inherits the camera of the XZ2: it features a single, 19-megapixel rear camera with one of the largest sensors ever put on a phone, and a 13-megapixel wide-angle camera for selfies on the front.

Not content with just the camera specs, we were eager to see how good this camera is in real life and we compared it against three of the best camera phones out there: the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, the Google Pixel 2 XL, and the Apple iPhone X. Take a look at the photos right below.

Round #1: Daylight Color Fight

In the first round, the Sony Xperia XZ3 starts strong. The picture it takes looks best of all four: it hits the highest dynamics, as the church is well exposed, but you also see a lot of the greens in the trees and there is a nice balance to the colors. If you look closer, you will notice that the XZ3 has the most noise of all the phones, especially noticeable in the grain in the clear sky. That is strange considering that we took the photo in the bright sunlight, but still it's not a dealbreaker in this case.

The Galaxy Note 9 takes a decent, but not a great picture. It does not have enough dynamics and loses the detail in the trees, plus it underexposes the main thing in the picture: the church. You can also notice that the gold hue from the afternoon sun rays are not properly portrayed here.

The Pixel 2 XL is the absolute worst. The whole picture is severely underexposed, there is no detail in the trees, the church is also way too dark and the sky, instead of its pleasing blue, is half gray. Not a great start for the Pixel.

Finally, the iPhone X captures a very good looking image. It has nice exposure, a clear blue sky, a pleasing color representation, but it loses a bit of the detail in the shadows, and that's why we score it slightly below the Xperia.

Phone	#1
Sony Xperia XZ3	8
Galaxy Note 9	6
Google Pixel 2 XL	3
Apple iPhone X	7

Round 2: Detail and Blue Skies

Here, the Xperia XZ3 does probably the best job in rendering accurate colors: the walls of the church were indeed slightly warm, just like you see on the picture, and the greens in the trees are also well represented. Mostly a good job, except for that blown out color in the sky.

The Galaxy shoots a photo that looks very different and while the colors might be a bit colder than in real life, it definitely catches the eye with plentiful detail and great exposure of the church, as well as nicely rendered skies.

The Pixel again looks much worse than the rest: it captures an orange-y shot that is underexposed and there is too much contrast in it. And just look at the skies: they are grey to brown, nowhere near the blue skies that were actually there!

The iPhone captures a pleasing image, but it loses a bit of dynamics in the shadows and gets the white balance a bit too cold, something that you can see in the walls of the church. Good, but not great.

Phone	#1	#2
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5
Galaxy Note 9	6	7
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5
Apple iPhone X	7	7

Round 3: High Dynamic Scene

In these challenging conditions, the XZ3 blows out the highlights, but we still like the colors on the photo it took best. While two of the other phones got fooled into incorrectly interpreting the color (notice the walkway is too cold on the Note and the iPhone), the Xperia maintains very pleasing colors and exposure.

The Note 9 captures a more dynamic image. It's able to preserve the sky and still shows everything else in great detail, but colors are slightly on the cold side and the photo looks a bit hazy.

The Pixel 2 XL is able to capture a lot of the dynamics of the shot and has good detail, but the shadows are under-exposed and the sky has a very unnatural color to it.

Finally, the iPhone shoots a picture that almost looks as if it was taken through some sort of a blue filter. Colors appear faded, darker areas of the picture are underexposed and white balance is way too cold.

Phone	#1	#2	#3
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5

Round 4: The Old Theater

In this round, all phones did well. Once again, the Xperia has very pleasing, realistically warm colors, but blows out the highlights in the sky and there is a strange loss in detail at the corners (notice the leaves).

The Note captures great colors, great detail and produces a... great photo! The Pixel is again on the dark side, and while we like the dynamics, colors appear way too contrasty and the skies (again!) look terrible.

The iPhone captures a very decent picture with slightly colder colors, but it has excellent detail.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5

Round 5: Color Explosion

The Xperia had the most trouble getting this macro shot in focus, but the end result is a fairly pleasing image that does not go overboard with contrast and looks nice.

The Note overly exaggerates colors and slightly overexposes this shos, plus it adds a bit too much contrast. The end result is a very eye-popping shot, but one that is a bit unrealistic.

The Pixel captures a slightly lower exposure, with plenty of saturation and detail, so it also looks good.

Finally, the iPhone goes a bit overboard with colors and oversaturates the petals, but again, the photo looks good.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6

Round 6: Vintage Door

The Xperia shoots a decent shot with good detail and balanced exposure. Good, but not quite great.

The Note severely underexposes this photo and the picture lacks pop.

The Pixel shines here: it has nailed the exposure, capture the highest dynamics of all and the photos has great detail.

The iPhone really goes crazy with saturation and contrast in this shot, and the end result is an eye-popping photo that is not realistic at all.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5

Round 7: Night Time Neons

When it comes to night time photos, the Xperia has some tough competition, but can it stand its ground? In this first night photo, the XZ3 is doing well: not quite great, as it lacks in dynamics, especially in the shadows that appear way too dark and colors are a bit skewed towards the red, but it's a decent shot.

The Galaxy is doing a slightly better job with the typical for this phone brighter shot, but it handles the neon lights well and is best able to show the Heineken sign at the side. Great job!

The Pixel is traditionally one of the best cameras for night pictures, especially with those neon signs and its picture has more definition. It's hard to tell which one is better, the Pixel or the Note, but the Pixel seems to have a bit more punch.

Finally, the iPhone is just not a very good shooter at night. It cannot handle the dynamics introduced with the neon signs and burns them badly.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7	7
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5	8
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8	8
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5	6

Round 8: Night Lights

This beautifully lit building looks stunning at night, but it's a hard photographic object for a smartphone. The Xperia does a good job at preserving the highlights without blowing them out of proportion, but the shadows are too dark and the picture lacks a bit in sharpness.

The Note 9 is well exposed, showing detail in the shadows, while keeping the highlights nice and sharp. Good job.

The Pixel also captures a great shot, revealing even more detail in the shadows, showing its unprecedented dynamic range once again, but it's not quite as sharp as the Note 9. Still a great image.

Finally, the iPhone photo is just the opposite of what we have on the Xperia: it exposes more for the shadows, while blowing the highlights out of proportion.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7	7	5.5
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5	8	7
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8	8	7
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5	6	5.5

Round 9: Main Street

More night lights! In this round, the Xperia again shows that it can handle night photos fairly well: it does not blow the highlights, but the shadows are again way too dark with little detail in them.

The Galaxy Note 9 really impresses in this shot. It is able to resolve both highlights and shadows, and it captures the neon signs beautifully in all their color and detail.

The Pixel is good, but not quite as impressive: the neon sign on the left is too bright even for the praised Google phone.

Finally, the iPhone really struggles in this shot. All the signs and lights are way overblown, which makes for a sub-par photo.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7	7	5.5	6
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5	8	7	8
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8	8	7	7
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5	6	5.5	5.5

Round 10: Pizza Alley

One last night-time shot with the rear cameras, and this time again we see that the Xperia is able to do a good job with the bright lights at night, but in this picture it gets the white balance a bit wrong, so you get a color cast to the picture.

The Note 9 again impresses with its dynamics: it's able to resolve both the bright lights and the darker areas in the image, all while preserving very good detail.

The Pixel captures deeper blacks and also shoots a great night time photo that is quite likable.

Finally, the iPhone does not do as well: it struggles with the bright lights and introduces weird flares around them, but does a better job than the Xperia in terms of white balance.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9	#10
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7	7	5.5	6	6.5
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5	8	7	8	8
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8	8	7	7	8
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5	6	5.5	5.5	5.5

Round 11: Daylight Selfie

We could not finish this without some selfies, could we?

First, the Xperia captures a good-looking shot with realistic colors and a nice amount of detail, without oversharpening the photo. It blows the background out of proportion, but the subject is exposed good and the rendition of the skin color is pleasing.

Next, the Galaxy produces some very pleasing, warmer colors, but has smudged the details a bit. It's still a very nice looking image. Again, the Galaxy also has troubles with the bright background and it burns it.

The Pixel has the widest dynamic range of them all, for a very rich picture. Unfortunately, it oversharpens the photo dramatically, so that all the undesirable wrinkles get amplified and look even worse. Despite the nice colors and great dynamics, this oversharpening has ruined many of my selfies with the Pixel.

The iPhone, however, is the one that takes the raspberry award for this round with a selfie that looks strange, with too much contrast, a blown background and with far less detail than the rest.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9	#10	#11
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7	7	5.5	6	6.5	7
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5	8	7	8	8	7
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8	8	7	7	8	6
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5	6	5.5	5.5	5.5	4

Round 12: Nighttime Selfie

We have one more selfie, but this time at night. The Xperia captures a fairly sharp image that looks good, as it manages to correctly render my skin tone.

The Galaxy Note is not as good and gets the skin colors all wrong, but it has a decent amount of detail to it.

The Pixel does best in terms of dynamic range, but it really paints my face in a very weird, pastel tonality that does not look natural at all.

Finally, the iPhone failed to get this one in sharp focus and it blows out the lamps in the background in a very distracting manner.

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9	#10	#11	#12
Sony Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7	7	5.5	6	6.5	7	6
Galaxy Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5	8	7	8	8	7	5
Google Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8	8	7	7	8	6	6
Apple iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5	6	5.5	5.5	5.5	4	3

Final Countdown: Who is the WINNER?

Phone	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9	#10	#11	#12	All
Xperia XZ3	8	7.5	7	7	6	7	7	5.5	6	6.5	7	6	80.5
Note 9	6	7	6	8	6	5	8	7	8	8	7	5	81
Pixel 2 XL	3	5.5	6	6	7	8	8	7	7	8	6	6	77.5
iPhone X	7	7	4.5	6.5	6	6.5	6	5.5	5.5	5.5	4	3	67.5

Okay, it's time to draw the line and take a look at the total score.

Which phone scored the most?

Well, it's not the Xperia XZ3, but it's very close to the leader. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the phone that wins this comparison with 81 points, while the Xperia XZ3 is a close runner-up with a score of 80.5. The Google Pixel 2 XL scored 77.5, and the iPhone X was far behind the first three with just 67.5 points.

Let us also add a couple of words to this: first and foremost, the Xperia XZ3 has a beautiful OLED screen and it's a pleasure looking at the photos on it, but its focus is much slower than on the others and it lacks a few important features like a proper portrait mode (which we did not test in this comparison). The Galaxy Note really felt like the winner even before we started examining the photos in detail: it was the fastest to focus and take pictures, and that Super AMOLED screen was the brightest and possibly the most impressive one. As for the other two, we've already talked a lot about them in the past.

So... what do you think about the Xperia XZ3 and its camera? Are you surprised with the results? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section right below!

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.