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Pixel 3 camera test: Google's phone delivers again

Check out photos shot on Google's latest phone as we take it around New York and put its camera to the test.

Lynn La
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Lynn La
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1 of 33 Sarah Tew/CNET

Photos taken on the Pixel 3

Equipped with a 12.2-megapixel rear camera, new software updates that use machine learning to improve image processing and a secondary wide-angle selfie shooter, Google's Pixel 3 and 3 XL take fantastic images. Click through to see the photos.

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2 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Let's start with some easy, well-lit outdoor images. This was taken in Madison Square Park on a bright day.

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3 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

A closeup of a flower. Here, I like the depth of the petals at the center of the flower.

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4 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Taking a photo of this building at a standard view.

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5 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Zooming in on the building at max zoom.

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6 of 33 Juan Garzon/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

The Pixel 3 and 3 XL both have a feature called Night Sight mode to brighten up low light photography. Here is a photo taken on the phone's auto-mode...

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7 of 33 Juan Garzon/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

And here is the same scene with Night Sight.

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8 of 33 Juan Garzon / CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Another shot without Night Sight...

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9 of 33 Juan Garzon / CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Using Night Sight again.

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10 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

We move now into some indoor shots. This is still a brightly lit room, and you can see plenty of details in the black counter and brick wall.

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11 of 33 Lynn La / CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

A typical shot of some coffee art, but I do like how much details are in the froth.

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12 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

A few more shots indoors...

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13 of 33 Lynn La/CNET
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Taken on the Pixel 3

I like the focus and the details of the fish and clams here.

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15 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

A closeup shot of some bread. I like the falloff between the fore- and background.

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16 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Testing the phone's Portrait mode. With only a single lens, the Pixel 3 pulls off a solid shot of this dog.

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17 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Moving onto low-light images, the Pixel 3 handles these dim settings well -- brightening up shadows and retaining lots of detail.

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18 of 33 Lynn La/CNET
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19 of 33 Lynn La/CNET
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20 of 33 Lynn La / CNET
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21 of 33 Lynn La/CNET
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22 of 33 Lynn La / CNET
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23 of 33 Lynn La/CNET
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24 of 33 Lynn La/CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

These flowers were quite pale looking in real life, but I would have liked the phone to punch up the colors more.

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25 of 33 Lynn La/CNET
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26 of 33 Lynn La/CNET
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27 of 33 Lynn La / CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Taking a selfie shot with the phone's standard front-facing camera.

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28 of 33 Lynn La / CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

Taking a wide-angle shot with the secondary camera. Here you can see more people fitting into the frame.

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29 of 33 Lynn La / CNET

Taken on the Pixel 3

For these next few low-light shots, take note of how the camera handles different lighting situations and exposures. The wide dynamic range allows the Pixel 3 to handle tricky situations like this to produce a solid photo.

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30 of 33 Lynn La / CNET
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31 of 33 Lynn La / CNET
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33 of 33 Angela Lang/CNET

Photos taken on the Pixel 3

The Pixel 3 starts at $799, £739 and AU$1,199 for the 64GB model, while the 3 XL starts at $899, £869 and AU$1,349.

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