Now that smartphone’s are becoming more and more used for photography, even toughted as semi-professional quality by some (billboards printed from phone images, along with videos produced), the term phoneography has developed and camera quality is quickly becoming part of any smartphone purchase. Arguably, anyone supposed can become a semi-professional photography using just their phone. So, just how do the latest smartphones stack up against each other?
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 was released over the summer, and Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus was just released in September. Using DxOMark as a method of comparison, Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus topped the DxOMark charts for smartphone cameras once released, but it was quickly tied by Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8. In terms of photos, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 beat Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus, but the iPhone 8 Plus beat the Galaxy Note 8 in video, with both finishing with the same “94” final DxOMark scores. The full breakdown of the iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8 camera’s scores can be found on DxOMark.
Not to be outdone, and to show it as a true competitor in smartphones, at least in terms of their cameras, along comes Google’s introduction of their latest release, the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL. In fact, the Google Pixel 2’s smartphone camera set a new record of “98” in DxOMark scoring, making it the best smartphone camera available based on DxOMark’s scoring system. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 still tops the photo quality scoring, but Google’s Pixel 2 was just 1 point behind, however the Pixel 2 was behind in video scores. For a more detailed review of the Google Pixel 2, check out DxOMark’s review.
The bottom line is that all smartphone cameras are getting better and better. If the only thing that drives your purchase of a smartphone is its camera, then Google’s Pixel 2 appears to be the choice, at least based on DxOMark’s scoring system. However, choosing the right smartphone for you is likely based on much more than just its camera, so for Android users, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 works and for those Apple fans, the iPhone 8 Plus works. Next question: Will be can the Apple iPhone X do any better when it becomes available later this month, with deliveries starting early November?
