Samsung Galaxy S9 Camera Outperforms Pixel 2, iPhone X [Report]

The Samsung Galaxy S9 camera tops the Google Pixel 2 and Apple iPhone X, according to photo and video analysis by DxOMark.

To rate smartphone cameras, DxOMark engineers capture and evaluate over 1500 test images and more than 2 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings.

With an overall DxOMark score of 99 points, the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus takes the number one spot in our Mobile ranking, edging out the Google Pixel 2 by just one point. The S9 Plus comes with a camera that hasn’t got any obvious weaknesses and performs very well across all photo and video test categories. The Photo score of 104 points is the best we’ve seen so far. At 91 points the video score is a little lower but still among the best, making the new Samsung an ideal choice for any mobile users who want the best possible still image quality without compromising on video.

Photo
Pros:
● Noise is very well-controlled in all conditions
● Fairly good detail in outdoor and indoor shooting conditions
● Quite fast and accurate autofocus
● Bright and vivid colors in most situations
● Excellent resolution when zooming up to 4x magnification

Cons:
● Occasional exposure instabilities
● Noticeable ringing, color fringing, and loss of sharpness in the field
● Slight color casts occasionally noticeable

Video
Pros:
● Brights and vivid colors
● Generally good target exposure and fast exposure transition
● Stable and fast autofocus
● Good noise reduction all conditions
● Good stabilization


Cons:
● Occasional visible stepping during exposure convergence
● Loss of fine details in most conditions
● Visible residual global motion
● Quite strong ringing and moiré



The smartphones overall score of 99 is two points higher than the iPhone X and one point higher than the Pixel 2. The site concludes that, "The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is a smartphone without any real weaknesses in the camera department. In both still and video modes, it performs well across the board, delivering consistently good photo and video image quality in all light and shooting situations, thus earning itself our highest DxOMark Mobile score to date. Add one of the best smartphone zooms and a capable bokeh simulation mode to the mix, and the Galaxy S9 Plus is difficult to ignore for any photo-minded smartphone user."

More details in the full review linked below...

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