{"id":6939,"date":"2020-08-19T14:34:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-19T14:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/google-pixel-4a-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-camera-shootout-are-these-pictures-really-worth-1000\/"},"modified":"2020-08-19T14:34:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-19T14:34:00","slug":"google-pixel-4a-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-camera-shootout-are-these-pictures-really-worth-1000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviancetechnologies.com\/blog\/google-pixel-4a-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-camera-shootout-are-these-pictures-really-worth-1000\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Pixel 4a vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera shootout: Are these pictures really worth $1,000?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Google Pixel 4a vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera shootout: Are these pictures really worth $1,000?<\/h2>\n

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The two biggest Android phones of the moment couldn\u2019t be more different. They\u2019re so different, in fact, that there\u2019s nearly $1,000 between them: The Google Pixel 4a costs just $349, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will set you back a whopping $1,300. But while it\u2019s crazy to compare things like performance, design, or battery life between phones so different in price, the camera is another story.<\/p>\n

The Pixel 4a\u2019s\u00a0photography chops are more high-end than its price tag would suggest. It has the same main camera as the $899\u00a0Pixel 4 XL, as well as the same camera app features, including Night Sight and Live HDR+. And because it\u2019s a Google phone, we know the processing is off-the-charts awesome. But can it stand up to a phone that costs nearly four times as much? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n

Pixel 4a vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Bright light<\/h2>\n

In good lighting, both of these phones perform incredibly well. As you can see in the photos below, both cameras were able to capture impressive detail and color, with the Note 20 Ultra amping up the saturation just a bit more than the 4a. The Pixel 4a captures a bit more leaf detail even in places where the background is blurred,\u00a0or the lighting is a touch on the dark side.<\/p>\n

\"note<\/a> Michael Simon\/IDG<\/small>
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The Samsung Note 20 Ultra, left, has incredibly fast and precise autofocus, which works well when your subject stands out.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The clarity and detail on the stigma are very impressive in the Note 20\u2019s shots. That\u2019s aided in part by the Note 20 Ultra\u2019s new laser autofocus, which locks in on its subject very quickly and isn\u2019t fooled by subtle movements caused by the wind.\u00a0For better or worse, you\u2019re going to get Samsung\u2019s usual oversaturation as you can see in most of the photos here, but that\u2019s mostly subjective. I prefer duller, more realistic shots but many people like the vibrancy Samsung\u2019s production adds to photos.<\/p>\n

\"note<\/a> Michael Simon\/IDG<\/small>
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The Note 20 Ultra\u2019s laser autofocus, left, works against it in this very green photo, as it struggled to lock onto the pointy thorns.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, I found that it tends to focus so well, the surrounding scene was in a constant state of blur even when I wasn\u2019t using Live Focus. It\u2019s easiest to see in the pictures of the thorns above. Where the Pixel 4 zeroed in on the thorns and kept some of the detail on the surrounding leaves, the Note 20 Ultra had a tougher time distinguishing among all the green. And in the photo below, you can already see blurriness around the leaves of the flower, where the Pixel 4a keeps things in focus.<\/p>\n

\"note<\/a> Michael Simon\/IDG<\/small>
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The laser autofocus sometimes worked a little too well on the Galaxy Note 20, as you can see in the blurriness around the center of the flower, left.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is something of an extreme example, but the Note 20 Ultra\u2019s laser autofocus is definitely aggressive. I expect it\u2019s something Samsung can dial back in future software updates.<\/p>\n

Pixel 4a vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra:\u00a0Low light<\/h2>\n

Google kicked off the race to take the best low-light shots with Night Sight on the Pixel 3. Even without the dedicated Pixel Visual Core processor, you\u2019re getting excellent low-light photos on the 4a.<\/p>\n

\"note<\/a> Michael Simon\/IDG<\/small>
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Samsung has greatly improved low-light performance on the Note 20 Ultra, left, with excellent detail, shadows, and brightness as compared to the Pixel 4a.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Samsung has made great strides with its own low-light mode on the Note 20 Ultra as well. With a decent amount of ambient light, otherwise dark photos were nicely brightened on Note while still preserving shadows, with even greater detail than the Pixel 4a as seen in the photos above.<\/p>\n