Let's get this out of the way: the $1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max takes better photos than the $799 Google Pixel 10. The differences, though, are not nearly as great as you might think, at least that's what I learned when I took the two phones on my staycation and started shooting the same image with each phone.
Google Pixel phones have long been lauded for their photographic capabilities, with some claiming that they outstrip those of the garden-variety iPhone. I've never quite found that, but I will acknowledge that I have long been impressed with Pixel's image-capture skills. After Google unveiled its Pixel 10 line at its Made by Google event and sent me the base model, I decided that, for the duration of my go-nowhere vacation, it would sit in the pocket opposite the one carrying my everyday handset: the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.
