November 7th, 2026

OnePlus 12 vs. Pixel 6 at Hueco Tanks.

Is It “Pixel” Perfect?

OnePlus 12 vs. the Pixel 6: My Idea of "fun".

Earlier this year, I purchased yet another smartphone, a OnePlus 12. I wanted a phone that would take great photos, have enough space for photos and all my stuff, and run Android. That phone met the requirements, and was only a bit more expensive than the Pixel 8 Pro, so I bought it. Of course, I haven’t had the chance to take it to my favorite place to take photos: Hueco Tanks. A few weeks ago, I did end up going. It was a perfect day for photos. I simply had to drag along both my OnePlus 12 and the Pixel 6.

I’ve decided to sort these photos according to which camera lens took them. I will warn you that I am NOT a professional photographer. I take pictures for fun, and as such my decision as to “what looks better” might vary significantly from your. I personally enjoy more “vivid” photograph. This bias will most likely be obvious here.

Main Camera (1x).

The first photo is one of a rock with some bushes and the such near it. The rock is off a bit from where the photo was taken.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

The Pixel 6 overall has a more “muted” look to it. The yellow on some of the bushes visible on the OnePlus 12’s photo is hardly visible. However, the clouds are more detailed than the OnePlus. I also like the Pixel’s way of doing the sky color. It was not vivid bright blue when I was there, as far as I remember. Both photos, to me, are perfectly fine and I don’t really have a preference.

This one has a rock at the end of a path and plenty of pretty bushes with yellow flowers.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

As soon as I opened them side-by-side, my eye was drawn to the OnePlus’ photo. It has significantly more “pop” to it. The sky is, again, a bit blue. The bushes are also a bit brighter than real life, but the bushes in the Pixel seem to me to be darker than real life. I prefer the vibrancy of the rock in the OnePlus photo as well. Again, both photos are great, save for the fact that this time I do have a preference for the OnePlus.

And this one has another rock. With trees! Yay.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

I looked at the Pixel one and immediately decided it was the loser. The rock looks significantly prettier in the OnePlus photo. Not only that, the trees have color to them instead of the gray the Pixel chose. The sky looks just right, and the gray of the clouds shows through much better. The OnePlus wins this one. Bye-bye Pixel.

Some pretty bushes as well.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

Ultrawide Camera (0.6x on OnePlus 12, 0.7x on Pixel 6).

Disclaimer: I do know that both are at different focal lengths. However, I don’t believe this is a reason to not compare the two. Another thing is that ultrawides are generally the worst camera on any flagship smartphone. This will be obvious here.

First up is a scene with plenty of rocks and cactus and the such.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

I noticed the Pixel has more detail. The rock on the right looks nicer if you zoom in. The colors are more muted than the OnePlus, and I don’t like that, but I do like the detail. The cactuses look like rubbish on both though, when you zoom in. I feel like the OnePlus did better with the color (overdone sky excluded) and the Pixel better with the details. My preference is for the OnePlus, but only because of the colors. Otherwise, the Pixel would win.

Second are some rocks and a nice big sky.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

This one I noticed the OnePlus did better on the trees. The detail on the trees is less “generative lump” and more “here’s the best I can do from that distance without a lump”. The sky also looks nicer. The rocks in the OnePlus photo once again have a bit of “odd detail” off in the distance and look a bit too bumpy when you zoom in, but overall it’s a better photo than the Pixel. The Pixel looks dull and doesn’t capture the scene the way I would like a phone to. OnePlus wins on this one.

Third is a pathway.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

Same as the first. The Pixel captured a lot of the detail but not the colors. The OnePlus got the colors right but the detail iffy. Not to mention its digital stabilization seems to have led to a shakier picture than the Pixel. I will only give the OnePlus a win on this because of the colors. That’s it.

This fourth one is more of a gag photo than anything.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

The OnePlus wins. The sky it captured looks far better than the Pixel. Not only that, it didn’t turn the rocks green. Hooray for reliable post-processing! Unfair comparisons are the best. On a serious note, I do really enjoy the way the OnePlus does sun-and-clouds over the Pixel regardless of whether or not the Pixel decided to crash in the process of processing.

The fifth one is the same rock as the first 1x image.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

Again, much like the first, hard to say. The detail is good on the OnePlus as well as the Pixel. For both phones it’s a nearly perfect photograph spot. I won’t pick one in this case. They’re both good.

This sixth and final one is for all you portrait-orientation people.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

To me it’s obvious who won. The OnePlus did. The colors and detail are much better on it. The only issue I saw was that the bridge’s planks had some green surrounding them on the OnePlus.

Telephoto Camera (2x Digital on Both, 3x Optical on OnePlus 12 as Well).

It’s only fair I compare using the 2x mode. We’ll be unfair as well though.

First is a tree on a rock.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

I ignored the tree on a rock. I got sidetracked looking at another tree in the bottom right corner. The OnePlus looks more lumped together. The Pixel looks like nightmare tree. Not to mention the Pixel just looks a bit gross. I’m giving it to the OnePlus in this case. The detail is less on the OnePlus but it doesn’t look overexaggerated.

OnePlus 12 3x.

If we do The Thing and be unfair, the OnePlus gets less surroundings but a better picture. The detail looks nice and we can see a lot more of the tree.

Second is That Rock from the First 1x Again.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

I zoomed in on the edge of the rock to find that the OnePlus did a worse job than the first. The photo is lacking in zoom detail, and has an odd pink hue on the edge of the rock. You wouldn’t normally notice that, but it’s there. However, the Pixel balances that out with more light and a bit more detail, not to mention no weird pink thing. Both photos to me are great photos for digital zoom. Tied.

OnePlus 12 3x.

The OnePlus did a thing with the 3x. Less light overall, but the details at least look real and I can see a bump on the rock on the rock that the Pixel didn’t get. There is a bit of pink on the rock on the rock though, but overall it’s a nice photo.

Third are two trees and some bushes.

OnePlus 12

Pixel 6

Both color and details seem less mushed than the Pixel on the OnePlus. Zooming in on the weird bench in the distance confirms the Pixel did worse. So much for all the hype on digital zoom.

OnePlus 12 3x.

Dragging the OnePlus 3x in again, it does better on the detail and overall photo.

Conclusion.

Overall, the OnePlus 12 seems to be the better of the two to my eye. For someone who likes a more plain photo, the Pixel 6 wins. But for me, I prefer a more vibrant photo. They have more life to them, it seems. The OnePlus 12 satisfies this itch quite nicely.

Chickens!

Agathae has begun her molt. I don’t get it. Temperatures are already at 50F and below at times, and yet she thought she should wait until now.

Agathae sunbathing.