The iPhone 18 Pro Max has arrived with a variable aperture on the main camera, manual camera controls, and updated Photographic Styles that let you add texture and grain to your shots. What it doesn’t bring is any change to sensor sizes this year.
Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL also adds manual controls, but it goes a step further with a new, much larger telephoto sensor that should deliver better image quality.
With two very different approaches to camera upgrades, it seemed like the right moment to put both phones side by side and see how their photos hold up in real-world conditions.
iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Pixel 11 Pro XL Camera Specs:
 |
 |
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Google Pixel 11 Pro XL |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP (PDAF, ToF 3D depth sensing, Sensor-shift OIS) Sensor name: Sony IMX905 Aperture size: F1.5/F4.0 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28″ Pixel size: 1.22 μm |
50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.7 Sensor size: 1/1.3″ |
| Second camera | |
| 48 MP (Ultra-wide, Sensor-shift OIS) Sensor name: Sony IMX972 Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55″ Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
48 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F1.7 Sensor size: 1/2.51″ |
| Third camera | |
| 48 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX973 Optical zoom: 4.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Focal Length: 100 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55″ Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
48 MP (Telephoto, Periscope) Optical zoom: 5.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Sensor size: 1/1.95″ |
| Front | |
| 18 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR) | 42 MP (PDAF) |
If I had to pick two spec highlights, the first is the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s wider f/1.48 aperture, which lets in roughly 50% more light than last year’s model. That’s a meaningful upgrade for low-light shots and background blur.
The Pixel 11 Pro XL takes a different route with a much larger telephoto sensor, which should translate to better image quality, especially when you zoom in.
