Selfies On The Google Pixel 2 Vs Selfies On Our Regular Phones

A practical test for practical people looking for practical advice.

The Google Pixel 2 is touted as an industry-leading mobile camera.

And we can all agree that selfies are the frontline of the mobile camera battlefield we inhabit in this year of 2017.

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But is the Google Pixel 2 camera life-changing? Will it change you from zero to hero? From a mere 6 to a mighty 10? Will it help you glow up?

Glow-up note: The Pixel 2 camera does have an auto "retouch" feature that will make your skin literally glow — but let's leave that aside for the time being.

To test this, we decided to see how the Google Pixel 2 selfie camera compares to the phones we have in our pockets.

What we hope to discover is: How much better is the Pixel 2? How bad will it make our regular phones look by comparison, if it all? Will the Google Pixel 2's selfie powers alone make this black-and-white bad boy a must-buy?

Here goes nothing!

The photos below were taken back to back with the same angle and lighting conditions. None of the photos have been edited in any way, unless labeled as such.

Pro tip: Click the images to see each photo in high resolution.

Jeff

Left: Jeff's phone (portrait mode)

Right: Google Pixel 2 (portrait mode)

Notice any difference in clarity or depth of field?

Ada

Left: Ada's phone (black and white)

Right: Google Pixel 2 (black and white)

Notice a difference in true black and true white?

Ayesha

Left: Ayesha's phone (not in portrait mode)

Right: Google Pixel 2 (not in portrait mode)

Notice a difference in light balance and clarity?

Emma

Left: Emma's phone (not in portrait mode)

Right: Google Pixel 2 (not in portrait mode)

Notice a difference in exposure on this backlit photo?

James

Left: James's phone (portrait mode)

Right: Google Pixel 2 (portrait mode)

Notice a difference in vibrance, true black, and depth of focus in this low-light portrait mode photo?

Robyn (and Ronnie!)

Left: Robyn's phone (not in portrait mode)

Right: Google Pixel 2 (not in portrait mode)

Notice a difference in vibrance and exposure?

Charles

Left: Charles's phone (not in portrait mode)

Right: Google Pixel 2 (not in portrait mode)

And finally, notice a difference in sharpness?

THE RESULTS:

It's obvious the Google Pixel 2 takes very clear and crisp photos. The clarity stands out above all else — beating both our older phones and our brand-new phones in the Google Pixel 2's competitive set. Another noteworthy thing is the warm/cool balance. Photos on the Pixel 2 look cooler in most lighting conditions. And finally: portrait mode. The Pixel 2's portrait mode is more extreme than other models, giving a stronger blur and a deeper depth of field. This is especially apparent on the low-light photo, where the Pixel was able to capture more accurate details even 100 metres in the background.

The Google Pixel 2 is clearly a capable selfie machine (even without retouching mode on).

Do you think selfies on the Google Pixel 2 are second to none? Is it worth the upgrade? Learn more about everything you can do on the Google Pixel 2 here.