Google Pixel 9 selfie camera shootout: Do you need the extra megapixels?

It’s time for yet another iteration of the classic debate — whether or not more megapixels are actually better on a smartphone camera. Usually, we’re worried about how brands can fit 200MP into a primary camera or why they stuck with a lowly 2MP macro camera for another year, but not this time. This time, it’s all about snapping selfies on the Google Pixel 9 series.

Yes, for the first time in a few years, Google has made a significant change to its selfie camera setup — at least on the Pixel 9 Pro series. It decided it was time to try a high-resolution sensor, and we’re here to see whether or not that decision pays off. Let’s compare the new Pixel 9 Pro XL sensor to the tried and true shooter on the Pixel 9.

More megapixels, matching software

Before we get into the camera samples, we should probably take a minute to talk about the hardware in some of the best camera phones around. After all, the Pixel 9 Pro’s selfie camera is a pretty big departure from what we’re used to. Whereas most previous Pixels sat somewhere between 10.5MP and 12MP selfie cameras, the Pixel 9 Pro series (well, the non-folding models) now packs a whopping 42MP sensor (but outputs 10MP snaps). The updated punch hole comes complete with an ultrawide focal length of 17mm and an ƒ/2.2 aperture. Google’s a little tighter-lipped regarding the size of the sensor itself, but it’s a safe bet that it packs smaller individual pixels than the 1.22µm of its predecessor.

Speaking of its predecessor, the base Pixel 9 has the same 10.5MP sensor that previously appeared on the Pixel 8 series. It has the same ƒ/2.2 aperture as the Pixel 9 Pro models, but it’s paired with a slightly tighter 20mm focal length, meaning you’ll fit a little bit less into your selfies. On the bright side (literally), the Pixel 9 still has the larger 1.22µm pixels, but we’ll have to see if they’re better at capturing light than pixel binning those smaller 42 megapixels together.

Outside of the change in resolution and field of view, though, the two Pixels are pretty similarly equipped when it comes to selfie capabilities. You can record video in 4K at up to 60fps on either device, and both have quick toggles for either 0.7x or 1x zoom when you open the Pixel Camera app. The entire Pixel 9 series also supports AI-powered software features like Magic Editor and Add Me, so let’s get on to what matters — the selfies themselves.

Let’s check out some samples

Like any good camera test, variety is the spice of life. I’ve had the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL for about a week, and I’ve done my best to grab a few selfies from the two superb Android phones in different lighting conditions. Mother Nature had her own ideas about my camera testing, dumping several days of rain on us here in the Mid-Atlantic. Thankfully, though, I’ve found enough breaks in the clouds to try the Pixel 9 series indoors and out, early in the morning and late at night, and here’s what I’ve noticed:

Even in evenly lit selfies, there are differences between the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Google usually offers a consistent color profile across all its devices, but the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL seem to have slightly missed the memo. The more affordable Pixel 9 processed its selfies with a somewhat tinted color profile, with the blue of my coat offering the most noticeable difference, along with the tan color of the fence. That said, both color profiles are still pretty close to reality — certainly not as punchy as Samsung and OnePlus tend to prefer.

Zooming in on my face, it also appears that the Pixel 9 Pro XL managed to preserve better details than the base Pixel 9. At first, you might think that yes, of course, the 42MP sensor offers sharper details than the 10.5MP option, but Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL quad-bins its images down to 10MP to make them more manageable. I’m not sure if the Tensor G4 processor is doing some extra magic to preserve those details, but I can easily pick out more of my beard hairs and details in my hat on the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The shadows look a bit noisier, however.

Next, we’re shutting off portrait mode to examine the slight differences in zoom on the Pixel 9 series. As mentioned above, the Pixel 9 has a slightly tighter equivalent focal length of 20mm compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 17mm, and the difference is surprisingly obvious. I didn’t expect a mere 3mm to make such a big difference, but the Pixel 9 Pro XL fits significantly more of my jacket into the picture at 1x zoom and captures buildings on both sides of the inlet at 0.7x zoom.

Personally, I prefer the extra space, even if both phones tell me they’re zoomed to the same distance — it’s just going to be easier to fit more stuff into the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s wider shot. Don’t get me wrong, the Pixel 9 is still plenty wide to fit a few friends at its ultrawide setting, but it might be just a bit too tight at 1x zoom, especially if you want to keep your background.

When we switch to Night Sight, we see a combination of the differences I mentioned above. The Pixel 9 Pro XL has, again, a clearly much wider field of view than the Pixel 9 and slightly richer colors this time too. Thanks to the greater contrast, it’s much easier to pick out the details in my neck, and you can see part of the shadow on my face from the streetlight above me.

The artificial bokeh in both selfies is pretty similar, which makes the strings of lights and reflections on cars behind me look perfectly dreamy. Unfortunately, it also means that the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL have similar issues when identifying the edges of me, the subject. Both are a bit too sharp along the top edge of my cap while also missing different curls of my hair. Neither one totally missed my hair, though, and both kept the strap of my bag in focus, which is at least kind of impressive against the dark car behind me.

Last up on our short venture through the selfie cameras on the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL is what I’ll call a selfie with an unusual outline. Instead of a straight-on shot of myself like the last few have been, I wanted to see how Google’s software would handle an object held in front of my face — this time, a cup of iced coffee.

There’s… nothing new to report, unsurprisingly. The same hallmarks of the previous images are here, too, with a bit more contrast on the Pixel 9 Pro XL and a slightly tighter field of view from the Pixel 9. I will point out that the Pixel 9 handled the logo on my hat marginally better, though, with the Pixel 9 Pro XL cutting off about half of it as part of the portrait effect.

You can also check out full-resolution versions of these selfies (and a few more) at this Google Drive link.

Google Pixel 9 vs Pixel 9 Pro XL: Google’s gamble pays off

Alright, I’ll admit it — I didn’t expect to like the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s selfie camera as much as I do. I didn’t think it would be the better shooter. Instead, I expected the smaller megapixels to suffer in low light like we saw when Samsung put a 40MP selfie camera on its Galaxy S22 Ultra. But I’m happy to be proven wrong.

This time, the high-resolution sensor works in Google’s favor across all of my camera samples, capturing better contrast and more accurate colors and preserving details that I expected to get lost in the pixel-binning process. Mix in the fact that it has a wider field of view so you can fit more into your 1x zoom selfies, and it’s even easier to recommend the Pixel 9 Pro series over its vanilla Pixel 9 counterpart — at least if you’re willing to spend $1,000 on your next Pixel device.

If you are, or you just want to learn a little more about the new lineup and check out the best prices, you can do so down below.