Canon SX740 HS has a 21.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 8 processor. On the other hand, Olympus XZ-2 iHS has a 12.0MP 1/1.7-inch (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Canon SX740 HS's sensor provides 9MP more than Olympus XZ-2 iHS's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the SX740 HS and XZ-2 iHS sensor size comparison.
![Canon SX740 HS vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SX740 HS and Olympus XZ-2 iHS Cameras
As seen above, Olympus XZ-2 iHS has a 1.5x Larger sensor area than Canon SX740 HS. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.