We put the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL through our rigorous SBMARK camera test suite to measure its performance in photo, video and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article analyzes the behavior of the device in a series of tests and several common use cases and aims to highlight the most important results of our tests with an excerpt of the acquired data.
Overview
Key Camera Specifications:
- Main: 50 MP 1/1.3″ sensor, 1.2 µm pixels, 25 mm equivalent f/1.68 aperture lens, Octa PD, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 48 MP 1/2.55″ sensor, 0.7 µm pixels, 13 mm equivalent f/1.7 aperture lens, Quad PD
- Tele: 48 MP 1/2.55″ sensor, 0.7 µm pixels, 128 mm equivalent f/2.8 aperture lens, Quad PD, OIS
Pro
- Precise and stable exposure and wide dynamic range
- Accurate white balance with generally good skin tones
- Few artifacts compared to the competition
- Excellent texture/noise compromise with fine details and almost no noise
- Quite reliable autofocus with fast convergence
- Good detail in tele and ultra wide videos
Against
- The target exposure on the face is slightly low in strong HDR scenes
- Skin tones may be slightly too red on fair models working outdoors
- Slight lack of detail in mid-range zoom shots
- Flare in some outdoor scenes
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL’s video enhancement mode delivered the best performance in the SBMARK camera video tests, earning it the top score in our current ranking. This mode shows very impressive improvements over the basic video mode available on the camera. It improves already good parts of Pixel Video and compensates for some shortcomings giving us an overall really positive experience as a user.
Videos have good exposure and wide dynamic range, as well as generally pleasing colors and accurate white balance. Furthermore, cloud processing allows you to correct almost all instabilities in terms of exposure and colors, offering very stable videos with smooth transitions between different light conditions. The main interest of this mode is the exceptional compromise between noise reduction and detail preservation in all conditions, especially in low light and at night. It maintains a high level of fine detail without any noise being visible. Stabilization is also slightly improved compared to normal mode.
Using the tele and ultra wide module, the video boost also allows us to have better video quality than normal mode, giving even better details and drastically reducing visible noise on videos. It still lacks mid-range detail, just before switching to the dedicated tele camera, but once you switch the detail level is quite impressive.
Please note that our tests were conducted using an HDR-compatible monitor. All comments about image quality are based on viewing on that monitor.
Test summary
About SBMARK Camera Tests: Evaluations of SBMARK cameras take place in labs and real-world situations using a wide variety of use cases. Scores are based on objective tests whose results are calculated directly using measurement software in our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests where a sophisticated set of metrics allows a panel of imaging experts to compare aspects of image quality that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo and video quality are evaluated separately and then combined into an overall score for comparing cameras on different devices. For more information on the SBMARK camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores can be found here. The following section compiles key elements of SBMARK’s comprehensive testing and analysis. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us to find out how to receive a full report.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Camera Scores (Video Boost).
This graph compares SBMARK photo and video scores between the tested device and the references. The average and maximum scores of the price range are also indicated. The average and maximum scores for each price segment are calculated based on the SBMARK database of tested devices.
About SBMARK Camera Video Tests
SBMARK engineers capture and evaluate nearly 3 hours of video in controlled laboratory environments and natural low-light scenes, indoors and outdoors, using default camera settings. The evaluation consists of visual inspection of natural videos taken under various conditions and performing objective measurements on videos of graphs recorded in the laboratory under different conditions from 0.1 to 10,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300 K to 6,500 K.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL offers an interesting Video Boost mode, which allows the user to capture a video that will be processed in the cloud and downloaded automatically, ensuring better quality than the videos on the phone. The final video produced can go up to 8K30fps, but we ran the tests at 4K 60fps. There are two options available in the Photos app, (Original Quality or Space Saver) which will allow you to have smaller videos (1080p). The upload and processing process can be a little long (1-2 hours for a 5-second video), making it not yet suitable for social media, but it is done automatically and the final video will sync to your phone’s Photos app once ready.
Overall it’s a real game changer in terms of quality, ensuring a truly stable experience with a high level of texture and a very low noise level, offering the best video quality observed for a smartphone, surpassing the iPhone 17 Pro and of course the Pixel 10 Pro XL without VB.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Video Scores (Video Boost).
The main video tests analyze the same image quality attributes as still images, such as exposure, color, texture or noise, as well as temporal aspects such as speed, smoothness and stability of exposure, white balance and autofocus transitions.
Exposure
Exposure tests evaluate the brightness level of the main subject, the overall contrast and the ability to render the dynamic range of the scene (ability to make details visible in both bright and dark areas). When the camera provides HDR Video format, videos are analyzed with a display on an HDR reference monitor, under the reference conditions specified in the metadata. The stability and temporal adaptation of the exposure are also analyzed.
Pixel 10 Pro XL videos already offer a wide dynamic range and good exposure in most conditions but Video Boost allows for even better and stable exposure and dark recovery especially in low light conditions. Stability and transitions in terms of exposure are also much smoother and more natural. The only small issue we noticed is in strong HDR conditions, the target exposure on the face (especially on dark skin tones) tends to be slightly low, allowing for good highlight recovery in the background, but the face can be slightly too dark and difficult to read.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL VB – Accurate exposure on both subjects, slight clipping of highlights
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – Slightly low target exposure on subjects, slight clipping of highlights
Apple iPhone 17 Pro – Accurate subject exposure, slight highlight clipping
Image quality color analysis examines color rendering, skin tone rendering, white balance, color shading, white balance stability and its adaptation when the light changes.
The Pixel 10 Pro shows really good color rendition in most conditions. The Video Boost mode shows an improvement especially in terms of stability and adaptation. In bright, indoor conditions it offers a neutral and pleasant white balance, while in low light it tends to be more yellow-green than orange. Color rendering is slightly different than normal mode, with more vibrant colors and bluer skies. We have noticed in some cases that skin tones can be slightly too red in external conditions on already red skin types.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL VB – Good color rendition and skin tones, neutral white balance, accurate exposure
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – Good color rendition and skin tones, neutral white balance, slightly lower exposure
Apple iPhone 17 Pro – Good color rendition and skin tones, warmer white balance, accurate exposure
Sharpness and timing
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Google Pixel 9 ProXL
For video, autofocus tests focus on focus accuracy, focus stability, and convergence analysis for speed and smoothness.
In terms of autofocus, the video enhancement mode doesn’t show much difference as it largely depends on the original videos of the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
Texture tests analyze the level of detail and texture of real videos and graphics videos recorded in the lab. Natural video footage is assessed visually, paying particular attention to the level of detail in bright and dark areas. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken under various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux. The cards used are SBMARK (DMC) card and Dead Leaves card.
One of the key qualities of the Video Boost mode is the high level of detail it produces, especially compared to the Pixel 10 Pro’s original video. Fine detail is very well preserved in bright conditions and still looks natural, and in low light it is better than most of the competition. A slight local loss of detail may sometimes be visible on flat areas in low-light conditions, but the trade-off for texture noise is by far the best observed on a smartphone video.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL VB – Fine details very well preserved, natural texture rendering
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – Fine details well preserved, natural texture rendering
Apple iPhone 17 Pro – Fine details well preserved, natural rendering of textures
SBMARK CHART (DMC) Video detail retention score versus lux levels
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention video score with the lux level in the video. The DMC Detail Retention Score is derived from an AI-based metric trained to evaluate the performance of texture and detail on a selection of crops from our SBMARK chart.
Noise tests analyze various noise attributes such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real video recordings and on videos of graphs taken in the laboratory. Natural videos are evaluated visually, with particular attention to noise in dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on graph videos recorded under various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux. The graph used is the SBMARK visual noise graph.
With Video Boost mode, noise is nearly invisible even in challenging or low-light videos. Luminance noise almost completely disappears without affecting the level of detail. Some slight color noise may sometimes be visible in low light conditions.
Evolution of spatial visual noise with illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of spatial visual noise with lux level. Spatial visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup. SBMARK visual noise measurement is derived from the ISO15739 standard.
Temporal evolution of visual noise with illuminance level
This graph shows the evolution of temporal visual noise with lux level. Temporal visual noise is measured on the visual noise graph in the video noise setup.
The stabilization rating checks the device’s ability to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS or any other means. The evaluation examines residual motion, smoothness, gel artifacts, and residual motion blur in walking and running use cases under various lighting conditions. The video below is an excerpt of one of the scenes tested.
Video stabilization already does a good job on the Pixel 10 Pro XL and is even better with Video Boost. During static or motion, motion is well compensated in most lighting conditions.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL VB – Slight camera shake when walking
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – Slight camera shake when walking
Apple iPhone 17 Pro – Walking motion is well compensated
Artifacts
Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR graph in the lab, as well as frame rate measurements using the LED universal timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated paying particular attention to artifacts such as aliasing, quantization, blocking, and hue shifting, among others. The more severe and frequent the artifact, the greater the deduction of points from the score. The main artifacts and the corresponding point loss are listed below.
Top penalties for video artifacts
All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths between approximately 12mm and 300mm, with particular attention to the consistency and smoothness of the zoom effect. The score is derived from a series of objective measurements in the laboratory and perceptual analysis of real-life video recordings.
SBMARK CHART (DMC) detail retention score by focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score versus the full-frame equivalent focal length for different lighting conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance, and the y-axis represents the maximum detail retention metric score – a higher value means better quality. The large dots correspond to the zoom ratio available in the camera application user interface.
SBMARK CHART (DMC) detail retention score by focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score versus the full-frame equivalent focal length for different lighting conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance, and the y-axis represents the maximum detail retention metric score – a higher value means better quality. The large dots correspond to the zoom ratio available in the camera application user interface.
SBMARK CHART (DMC) detail retention score by focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score versus the full-frame equivalent focal length for different lighting conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance, and the y-axis represents the maximum detail retention metric score – a higher value means better quality. The large dots correspond to the zoom ratio available in the camera application user interface.
The Pixel 10 Pro XL VB offers an even better video zoom experience, especially when using the tele and ultra-wide camera modules. It uses the very wide ultra-wide field to capture sharp details without visible noise in bright conditions. However, quality drops in low light, with more intrusive noise, and even when zooming in on the main camera
Tele
SBMARK CHART (DMC) detail retention score by focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score versus the full-frame equivalent focal length for different lighting conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance, and the y-axis represents the maximum detail retention metric score – a higher value means better quality. The large dots correspond to the zoom ratio available in the camera application user interface.
SBMARK CHART (DMC) detail retention score by focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score versus the full-frame equivalent focal length for different lighting conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance, and the y-axis represents the maximum detail retention metric score – a higher value means better quality. The large dots correspond to the zoom ratio available in the camera application user interface.
SBMARK CHART (DMC) detail retention score by focal length
This graph shows the evolution of the DMC detail retention score versus the full-frame equivalent focal length for different lighting conditions. The x-axis represents the equivalent focal length measured for each corresponding shooting distance, and the y-axis represents the maximum detail retention metric score – a higher value means better quality. The large dots correspond to the zoom ratio available in the camera application user interface.
Since the Video Boost mode improves the results of the Pixel 10 Pro cameras, the texture noise trade-off is quite impressive when using the dedicated camera (at 5x and above). A slight lack of detail can be noticed even at medium distances (less than 5x) and jumps can be seen between cameras.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL VB – Good focus tracking, accurate exposure, lack of fine detail at the end of the clip
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – Good focus tracking, slight underexposure while subject is moving, lack of fine detail at the end of the clip
Apple iPhone 17 Pro – Good focus tracking, slight underexposure while subject is moving, lack of fine detail at the end of the clip
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