Camera Comparison: iPhone XS Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S10+

[MacRumors]

Earlier this week, we asked our readers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to look at some photos taken with the iPhone XS Max and the Samsung Galaxy S10+, Samsung's new flagship device, and tell us which photos they liked best.

There was a catch, though. We didn't tell them which smartphone took which photo, allowing us to aggregate some unbiased opinions on the quality of the images from each device. Today, we're revealing which photos came from which phone and sharing the results we gathered.

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All of the photos that we shared came straight from the camera and were not edited or otherwise manipulated. We'll go through each image and give a brief overview of what people thought before unveiling which camera was used for these images.

View this post on Instagram #SamsungGalaxyS10Plus vs #iPhoneXSMax photos. Can you tell which is which? Results in our YouTube video on Friday. A post shared by MacRumors (@macrumorscom) on Mar 6, 2019 at 4:58pm PST​

The first photo, of a cup, shows off the iPhone's Portrait Mode and Samsung's Live Focus mode, which is basically the same thing. Photo A has more natural colors because Photo B is too warm, but B wins when it comes to depth. Photo A cut off part of the cup, while Photo B did not, though Photo A offered better blurring of background images. Most people actually preferred Photo A, but we think Photo B is the winner because it didn't cut off any of the cup.

The second photo, featuring a person, was also captured with portrait mode. Compared to Photo B, Photo A seems a bit washed out, but A did a better job isolating the subject from the background. MacRumors readers preferred Photo A, and so do we.

The third photo, of a street sign, is a portrait mode photo taken in lower lighting conditions. It was gray and snowy outside, and Camera A took an image that was too cool. Photo A doesn't have any of the sign cut off, but the blueness of the image skewed this heavily in favor of Photo B.

In our fourth image set, of a skyline, Photo B is brighter, but a bit overexposed and washed out. Photo A is darker, but the dynamic range and contrast are more accurate, especially when looking at the clouds. Most people liked Photo B better, but we prefer A because it's not washed out.

Our last images, shared solely on Instagram due to Twitter limitations, demonstrate how well Camera A is able to handle shots of the sky. Photo B's highlights are blown out and Camera B didn't do a great job of capturing the sun. We didn't get a lot of feedback on this image, but we preferred Photo A.

If you guessed that all of the Photo A images came from the iPhone XS Max, you guessed right. Photo A is the iPhone and the Photo B images came from the Galaxy S10+.

Results we received from readers on preference were ultimately mixed, with some of the photos captured by the Galaxy S10+ coming out on top, and some photos captured by the iPhone winning out. That's no surprise, though, as both of these smartphones have great camera systems that can capture some fantastic images.

Apple's iPhone XS Max uses a dual-lens camera system with a 12-megapixel f/1.8 wide-angle lens paired with a 12-megapixel f/2.4 lens, while Samsung uses a more advanced triple-lens camera system (which is, incidentally, rumored to be coming to 2019 iPhones). The Galaxy S10+ has a 12-megapixel f/1.5 wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens, and an additional 16-megapixel f/2.2 ultra wide-angle lens that can capture more of a scene at once, great for landscapes and group shots.

Both are also great at video and can record in 4K with optical image stabilization offered, though we thought the Galaxy S10+ outperformed the iPhone XS Max because its stabilization was just a bit better.

Overall, we preferred the images from the iPhone XS Max over the images from the Galaxy S10 because the iPhone offered more true-to-life colors, better dynamic range, and superior contrast, but the Galaxy S10+ still took fantastic shots.

Which photos did you prefer? iPhone XS Max or Galaxy S10+? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Camera Comparison: iPhone XS Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S10+

 

[calzon65]

I tend to agree, the iPhone photos look better … but I'm still pissed we lost the fingerprint sensor.

 

[mdatwood]

At this point all the flagship phone cameras are great. The differences are mostly subjective.

It's pretty amazing what all these cameras can do.

 

[KGBguy]

Good job Samsung! Your newest flagship phone has almost caught up to the last year iPhone. I’m so happy for them...

 

[CarpalMac]

Night Sight or bust. I'll not consider a phone unless it has the same or better.

 

[Classie]

I’m actually surprised that Samsung’s new phone isn’t on par with the iPhone XS - it’s newer and has 3 cameras.
It really shows how great Apples software is.

I would like to see a comparison between Pixel and iPhone. I bet it’s much harder to choose a consistent winner/picture in that match.

 

[realtuner]

Hopefully DPReview does a few more camera shootouts on the S10 and other flagships.

No offence to anyone here, but I'd trust their opinion more than the countless sites and YouTube channels that do these comparisons. At least I hope they're better - I've spent far too much money over the years on DSLR equipment based on their recommendations.

 

[AngerDanger]

Photo A cut off part of the cup, while Photo B did not, though Photo A offered better blurring of background images. Most people actually preferred Photo A, but we think Photo B is the winner because it didn't cut off any of the cup.

Meanwhile, the undisputed champ of blurry imagery, my Nokia 8210, gets no comparison videos…

 

[StellarVixen]

The Smart HDR of the XS Max really show itself obvious here. Samsung photos look nice, too, especially ultrawide, which iPhone doesn't have (yet).

Meanwhile, the undisputed champ of blurry imagery, the Nokia 8210, gets no love these days…

No GIF? Come on, why?

 

[44267547]

At this point all the flagship phone cameras are great. The differences are mostly subjective.

Indeed. All these competitors are putting out impressive tech with the camera hardware. But one critical area of improvement for the iPhone would be low light, it’s not very good at all. I _really_ want to see this area more improved, as think it’s one of the biggest downfalls for the iPhone camera currently. Google Night Sight is fairly impressive what they were able to introduce.

 

[lordofthereef]

No low light examples. Is that because neither is great or...?

 

[JPack]

I’m actually surprised that Samsung’s new phone isn’t on par with the iPhone XS - it’s newer and has 3 cameras.
It really shows how great Apples software is.

I would like to see a comparison between Pixel and iPhone. I bet it’s much harder to choose a consistent winner/picture in that match.

S10 is better overall vs. XS if you trust the detailed reviews from DxOMark. In particular, it wins in exposure, color, and zoom.

 

[indychris]

I like all of the pictures from the iPhone better with the exception of the caution sign. The detail and color rendering seems to be better on the XS. Unfortunately, we don't have anything else to compare the picture of the caution sign to. Depending on the lighting conditions, the iPhone picture may actually be a better rendering for that as well, but visually, I think the "B" picture appeals more.

 

[Freida]

I prefer A too except the one of the street.
However, this test is nonsense - do a test in challenging light conditions because that is where we will see something.
This is almost like Apple ad - useless.

 

[BigBoy2018]

What struck me about the 3rd and 4th images was how much blue was in the apple photos. The white balance on the Samsung seems a good bit better to me.

 

[DNichter]

Just proves how little difference there is in phone hardware today. The choice comes down to OS platform preference and most on this site have already made their choice. The constant back and forth on this site is a waste of energy. Enjoy what we all have in tech today and put more energy into your friends, family, and surroundings.

 

[btrach144]

Seems like a toss up in terms of photos. We’re only 6 months away from new iPhones though so I bet it’ll shift again come September.

 

[341328]

The best option has nothing to do with hardware. It comes down to how Google vs Apple treats developers... so Google wins.

 

[44267547]

Just proves how little difference there is in phone hardware today. The choice comes down to OS platform preference and most on this site have already made their choice. The constant back and forth on this site is a waste of energy. Enjoy what we all have in tech today and put more energy into your friends, family, and surroundings.

These are all great points DNichter. I do think some constructive criticism for Apple would be improved low light photography. It’s evident that’s an area for improvement, the iPhone camera and competitors alike have really put out some nice hardware, it’s just one crucial area that needs addressing is low light from my perspective. Let’s see what the triple lens camera has to offer this fall.

 

[harriska2]

The blue tint on the iPhone is definitely a let down. That said, the iPhone did better with evening out shadows. Need low light comparisons...

 

[Niko Todd]

All of the photos that we shared came straight from the camera and were not edited or otherwise manipulated.

If this is a SoC JPG, it's already been 'edited and manipulated'. The JPGs only show how good(or bad) the post processing algorithm is. The modern day phone cameras are good enough to be put to a real test - shoot in RAW if you want to find out the real dynamic range of the sensors in post(and also the quality of the optics).

 

[Classie]

S10 is better overall vs. XS if you trust the detailed reviews from DxOMark. In particular, it wins in exposure, color, and zoom.

Usually you could say that it’s a close case and that it doesn’t matter; all phones are good and your just nitpicking. But there is such a clear winner in these pictures - it surprised my.

 

[Lankyman]

What an utterly pointless exercise. They ask people what they think of the photos doing a blind test, but then disagreed with the results telling the readers of this piece what they preferred instead?????

 

[5105973]

The real test will be when your subject is Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster or a UFO. Then all photos will look like they were shot on a potato and we need to choose the one with the best obnoxious noise and suppression of detail as the winner.

Now back on subject, I don’t consider any of the sample photos “washed out.” The Samsung camera in the skyline photo didn’t handle the roiling ball of sun as well but all other aspects of the photo were clear and pleasant. Samsung photos can indeed look washed out at times, but these were not remotely deserving of that description.

 

[GuruZac]

Both are really good. I'm impressed with both and would be happy to carry either camera. iOS is a much better platform for me so I would always pick the iPhone since hardware is a wash these days.