It's true that I've done a fair number of shootouts that include Google Pixels in the past - and the hardware here is the same as the main camera on the last few generations - but the software continues to be tweaked and, besides, the Pixel 4a is brand new to the UK (and compared generally to the Lumia 950 here), so why not pitch it against the natural single-lensed competitor from the Windows world? Neither of these camera set-ups are as flexible as the triple-lensed solutions available elsewhere, but they both still take great as-is photos...

Lumia 950 and Pixel 4a cameras - both single-lensed in 2020 but equally capable...

Let's start with a few basic specs:

Lumia 950 (2015)	Google Pixel 4a (2020)
Dedicated shutter button/launch key 20 MP (oversampled to 8MP here), f/1.9, 1/2.4", PDAF, OIS	12.2 MP, f/1.7, 1/2.55", dual pixel PDAF, OIS

Notes:

• I've shot at 4:3 at the default output resolutions on each (leaving headroom for some lossless 'PureView' zoom into the 950's sensor and also getting the advantages of oversampling and noise reduction). Yes, I realise that 8MP on the 950 and 12MP on the Pixel 4a makes for crop framing below that's not exact, but it would also have not been exact if I'd allowed the 950 to go up to its full 20MP.
• All photos were taken on full auto and handheld, as a regular user would do. No tripods or RAW editing sessions needed!
• The weather for the 24 hours of testing was inclement and there's no sunshine below at all! Not that this is a problem, since sunny shots are easy for any phone camera. We're interested here in pushing the limits and seeing what the tech can cope with.

Let's pit the results against each other, using our Famed Interactive Comparator (FIC). All 1:1 crops are at 900x500 for comparison, though I've put up the originals on my own server, for you to download if you want to do your own analysis.

Note that the interactive comparator below uses javascript and does need to load each pair of images. Please be patient while this page loads, if you see a pair of images above each other than you've either not waited long enough or your browser isn't capable enough! You ideally need a powerful, large-screened tablet or a proper laptop or desktop. This comparator may not work in some browsers. Sorry about that. On Windows 10 Mobile, use the 'AAWP Universal' UWP app, which handles the comparator very competently (see the tips in the app's help screens)

Test 1: Greenery, nature

The downfall of most phone camera systems - capturing the infinite detail in nature. Here is the overall scene:

You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Pixel 4a (2020), for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 and then Pixel 4a, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

I've often said that the Lumia 950 image processing (started with 'Lumia Camera 5' on the platform) is right on the edge of being over-enhanced when it comes to greenery - and the detail at 1:1 is a good balance of accuracy at the pixel level and looking good when viewed as a whole. The Pixel 4a's shot is enhanced just a little more, so the really fine detail in grass and trees is lost in thick edges and artificiality. But it's still far preferable to the default processing on Samsung and Huawei camera phones, so don't despair too much.

Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Google Pixel 4a (2020): 8 pts

Test 2: Texture-heavy landscape

Shot at about 30m and with loads of texture on the building. Here is the overall scene, unzoomed, with tap to focus on the building's door (just in case):

You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Pixel 4a (2020), for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 and then Pixel 4a, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

A definite win for the Lumia's PureView oversampling - the Pixel 4a shot, examined in detail, looks like a photocopy of the Lumia shot. A good photocopy, to be sure, but there's contrast there that's not there in real life and its down to Google's contrast-heavy processing. Having said that, the extra resolution by default does make the sign above the door (just about) readable - so, although the Lumia wins here, the Pixel 4a shot is also pretty darned good.

Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Google Pixel 4a (2020): 9 pts

Test 3: Texture-heavy landscape, zoomed

The same scene but with (roughly) 2x digital zoom - the Lumia has 1.5 lossless plus 0.5x 'blocky' digital on top, while the Pixel has what Google calls 'Super-res Zoom' and it uses natural handshake between multiple exposures to build up sub-pixels on the final image, effectively, beyond the native resolution of the sensor when zoomed. You can grab the original zoomed photos from the Lumia 950 and Pixel 4a (2020), for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 and then Pixel 4a, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

The Pixel's zoom algorithms draw level with the PureView zoom and digital extension on the Lumia 950 - neither zoom attempt is close to what you would get with a genuine 2x telephoto lens (e.g. on many other contenders), but they're good enough for most purposes and you have to look at 1:1 to see the defects, as here.

Microsoft Lumia 950: 9 pts; Google Pixel 4a (2020): 9 pts

Test 4: Macro time

A quick snap of some close-up nature detail, in each case I tried three times and picked the best result. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Pixel 4a (2020), for your own analysis.

Here are scaled versions for the web, from the Lumia 950 and then Pixel 4a, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

I prefer the Lumia's more saturated colours and general 'lushness', while the Pixel presents a cooler (and probably more realistic) view of the world. Both pretty good though, and only 1 point between them.

Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Google Pixel 4a (2020): 9 pts

Test 5: Low light

Illuminated detail at night and presenting challenges managing exposure. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Pixel 4a (2020), for your own analysis.

Here are scaled versions for the web, from the Lumia 950 and then Pixel 4a, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Now this is interesting - the Lumia 950's shot is beautifully clean and relatively noise-free (PureView oversampling at work) but the Pixel 4a's multiple exposure HDR system manages to bring out detail and colours that were hard to see with the naked eye. At the expense of noise and grain, but overall I have to give the win to the Google device.

Microsoft Lumia 950: 8 pts; Google Pixel 4a (2020): 9 pts

Test 6: Night pub

Another challenging night shot, with both dark and some neon highlights. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Pixel 4a (2020), for your own analysis.

Here are scaled versions for the web, from the Lumia 950 and then Pixel 4a, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Both cracking shots, phone cameras have got so good nowadays that the once champion Lumia is just in the middle of the pack! I do like the Pixel's slightly punchier colours, but the Lumia's shot is probably slightly more accurate, so let's just give them both full marks.

Microsoft Lumia 950: 10 pts; Google Pixel 4a (2020): 10 pts

Verdict

For the record, the scores add up as:

• Lumia 950 (late 2015): 56 pts (/60)
• Google Pixel 4a (2020): 54 pts 

So, not for the first time, a Google Pixel device proves that it's up there overall with the best of Lumia imaging. That the Lumia won by a nose isn't significant, if my subjects had been more about lines and edges and man made structures then the Pixel would probably have edged it.

What's interesting is that both of these excellent camera phones are still a notch behind the very best in the phone world, not on image quality on unzoomed shots, but in terms of flexibility. Ultra-wide cameras are proving fun and interesting and have to be worth a few extra points, then 2x, 3x and periscope 5x telephoto lenses are all becoming more common, and these usually easily win out in the zoom tests, of course. I've included some other recent camera head to heads on AAWP for your interest - have you seen them all?

• Camera head to head: Lumia 950 XL vs POCO X3
• Camera head to head: Lumia 950 XL vs Sony Xperia 1 mk II
• Camera head to head: Lumia 1020 vs OPPO Find X2 Pro vs iPhone 11 Pro
• Camera head to head: Lumia 950 vs iPhone SE (2020)