Honestly, I DXOMark lost my confidence when they reviewed the iPhone 8 BEFORE the Note 8 which came out first, it told me all I needed to know about their biases, basically they will give whoever pays them enough money good marks.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Ties iPhone 8 Plus in DxO Labs Camera Test
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They have given pixel 2 rating of 98!
It’s all a moot point now isn’t it. Google’s event (still in progress) states DXO gave them a score of 98.
Liking the phone and liked the camera in the original pixel, but found it amusing that DXO missed the HUGE lens flare issue on that device. Was one of the many reason’s I thought their tests were more objective, than factual.
Still, the Pixel 2 is one of the few phones that interest me in this current market.
Liking the phone and liked the camera in the original pixel, but found it amusing that DXO missed the HUGE lens flare issue on that device. Was one of the many reason’s I thought their tests were more objective, than factual.
Still, the Pixel 2 is one of the few phones that interest me in this current market.
Having handled and used the Note 8, it's awkward, feels fragile, and from the pics I've seen it shoot, I continue to not be impressed by Samsung's photo processing.
Bash the (mostly) non-changing design of the 6-8 series iPhones all you want, but I can walk into a store or browse a website and find hundreds of case, screen protector, and accessory options all because the design and dimensions didn't change (much). You can't do that with any other device. Hell, I've got cases from my 5S that I'm using on my SE because the design didn't change.
Great specs all around, but when DPAF comes to smartphones I'll be excited --as well as truly amazed!
Edit: oops, Samsung already has that since the S7.
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My gf has the Pixel XL and frankly, the low light shots are awful. She's a bit of a photography buff, so it's not her.
This is such a falsified score. Google paid for these results. We all know DXOmark prefers to take the money over true reviews. Next Apple will pay DXOmark to give them a 99 score with the iPhone X.
Like clockwork. Samsung obviously lowest on the totem pole, since their score lasted only a day (and reviewed over a month after it came out, unlike the iPhone, Pixel, Pixel 2 or HTC U11) before the Pixel 2's got released. As I said earlier, expect IPhoneX to tie or be very close to the Pixel 2 in three weeks. Will see where V30 slides in; LG hurriedly trying to scrape some more cash together for DxoMark.
Scoring is highly suspicious since iPhone 8 Plus has slower autofocus, worse low light, significant lens flare at night and in daytime, half implemented OIS, low quality mono audio recording, worse selfie cam, hepatitis yellow skin tone, artificial sky color, etc.
Don't trust the Pixel 2 scores either until I see samples and other reviews.
Don't trust the Pixel 2 scores either until I see samples and other reviews.
WTF. Who is making these tests? The S8's bokeh simulation is clearly wrong and I wonder why I'm the only one seeing this?
I came here to say exactly that. I mean, even just on the screen without looking closely you can see that the Samsung severely screwed the pooch with the depth of the tree (specifically the trunk behind her and sloping away, when it comes behind her shoulder is suddenly back in the focal plane again?), and the way over-the-top single-level gaussian blur over the whole picture makes for a just plain fugly photo. Not just in the sample they gave of course - I see people "loving" these crap fake pictures on social media as well. But the errors and plain ugliness is readily apparent in DxO's test picture that they published, yet they don't mention this as a useless gimmick on Samsung's camera?
Ugh. Bokeh is for subject separation. In the sample iPhone 8+ image, it does that magnificently. It doesn't try to look like an f/1.2 $2000 super-sharp lens, but it replicates an f/2.8 or so aperture quite well, including having more of an out-of-focus effect the further out of the focal plane a particular item lies. If you are looking at this as a replication of an effect you are highly familiar with, an effect many seek out, you should see the flaws shown in your own samples as utterly disqualifying. Instead, DxO calls the effect "excellent" and "pleasant". ********. It is atrocious.
Meh. I expect more from a company which caters to "real" photographers (meaning, those who know how to manipulate cameras and lenses, regardless of what equipment they use). DxO has long since fallen from being a company with legitimate standards. As John Gruber said when the iPhone best-results-ever release went out several weeks back: DxO's ratings were crap yesterday, and they are still crap today, regardless of if they appear to favor my "horse" or the other.
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The iPhone doesn't have optical zoom - the Plus has two lenses, one with a "wide angle" (28mm equivalent) and one with a moderate "telephoto" (56mm equivalent) and chooses the closest one then does digital zoom in from there. This is the same approach Samsung is using. I am not 100% sure, but I don't believe there are any current mass-market phones out there with actual optical zoom (there were a few camera-first phones a few years back which might have used optical zoom mechanisms, but I don't think those are on sale anymore).
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Yes on the first perhaps, but no on the second. Phones are rapidly becoming another tool in the pro photographer's arsenal. They are not something a pro photographer will use instead of the Canon/Nikon/Sony attached to his sling, but many pro photographers are publishing photos taken with their phones when they did not have their "professional" gear with them or accessible.
Even on the first, though, bad faux-bokeh is a blight on humanity, and the faster we can get rid of it the better. Granted it is also a mostly new thing phone cameras are trying to do, but I would not want to be seeing Galaxy 8 style blurry photos still being taken three years from now.
I'm talking about the other picture...
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Agreed. I'd take the Note 8 camera over the iPhone 8 Plus, and it's not even close if that video is anything to go by. Overexposed video, terrible low-light noise, slow autofocus etc. Apple has significantly (and I mean significantly) lagged behind other phones in the camera department for a good number of years now. I'll never forget being with my iPhone 6s Plus at a lowly-lit restaurant, and the same pictures I took and my neighbor took with his Google Nexus couldn't have been more different. The amount of noise and smear on the 6s Plus was insane.
Still, the camera is "good enough" and since I prefer iOS to Android, I stick with Apple. But let's face it, their camera/software needs work.
DxO is bullcrap
DxO is bullcrap
DxO is bullcrap
DxO is bullcrap
Thank you for your time.
DxO is bullcrap
DxO is bullcrap
DxO is bullcrap
Thank you for your time.
I see it tooWTF. Who is making these tests? The S8's bokeh simulation is clearly wrong and I wonder why I'm the only one seeing this?
And iPhone X still has low res display and can't do multi-tasking in year 2018.
What?? You can/could do animation and video editing with sub $1k PC.
OK, what exactly is awkward and fragile about the Note 8? The iPhone 8+ is made of glass, just like the Note 8. Having handled them both, they are equally scary to be walking around with outside their case. In a case, they are nearly the same size. If anything the fact that the Note 8 is a slightly narrower makes it easier to fit in the hand. The finger print sensor on them both are not perfect... on the front with the iPhone its very hard to unlock one handed because you have a huge amount of weight pinching between thumb and fingers on the back. With the Note 8, they put it a little two high, but you can open one handed... or just use face. So awkward and fragile I would say is more muscle memory than anything else. Making phones of glass is just silly for both companies... they should be able to find a material that isn't fragile that works with wireless charging. Case makers seem to have figured it out!
On picture quality, I find it hard to compare easily just looking at pictures on the phones because the screens are so different in look. I honestly think the picture quality is probably much of a wash with some pros and cons back and forth, but in day to day operation no one is going to care. In the software, there are some interesting features and an advanced editor you may not have seen if you just played. For example, you can do the fake bokeh with selfies ... works on both cameras. And you can adjust it after the picture is taken. Also, you can move the button for the camera to anywhere on the screen, so that awkward finger reach needed to hit the button taking a group selfie where you are almost dropping the camera (experienced this many times with 6s+) goes away allowing you to move the photo button to where you finger naturally ends up when holding the camera. There are probably apps that allow this, but the native camera on the Note 8 does it. And this kind of stuff does also impact photo quality. So again... I don't accept the "awkward" argument you've made. I think its lack of familiarity and muscle memory.
The 8 Plus is a sturdier feeling device (likely due to it's increase in mass over the 7 Plus) than the Note 8. I've handled both devices naked, and never once feared dropping my 7 Plus. I've only handled an 8 Plus in a store, and honestly the glass had more "traction" than the smooth aluminum back of previous Plus phones. The Note has a much thinner aluminum band around the edges and with both sheets of glass curving into it, a much small side to grip. And maybe you have small, grubby fingers but unlocking via Touch ID, one handed, on a Plus phone has never been an issue for me.
The issue is somewhat muted since I always use a case, but I'd still fear that Samsung's glass would shatter in a drop in a case, even in a Spigen Tough Armor.
Samsung's face/eye unlock? Yeah, have fun with that. It's already been proven to be horribly insecure.
As for photos, I'm looking at them objectively: On a monitor attached to a computer. I don't like Samsung's saccharine approach to sharpening and saturation. I want accurate photos, not pleasing photos. As you said, I can edit them after the fact if I want to blow out my contrast and colors.
For selfies, while they're a rarity, I still use the rear camera 9 times out of 10 for them. Never had an issue depressing the volume shutter button. I'd rather have a tap to focus/expose than an entire screen that is a shutter button, leaving the device to guess what I'm pointing at (that goes for Motorola as well).
No disagreement with any of this. I too would never use a glass phone without a case, so that whole thing is kind of moot. I have here an iPhone 6s+ and Note 8, both in minimalist Spigen cases and in the dark I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. I actually prefer the narrower taller Note 8 because I can use it one handed easier.
Agree face is not ready for prime time, which is why I would never by an iPhone X. I could be completely wrong, but I think its going to cause a lot of frustration with some users. We'll see. Apple has certainly put a lot of energy and innovation into making it work, but don't care for the Texas Hold 'Em "all in" approach they've taken with it, on something I use all day every day.
Its a great time to have such good choices that we are down to personal preference on things like photos and able to pick what we want!
Every year the technology gets better, so eventually it will just come down to which OS do you prefer.
It's great that almost everyone in Apple and Android can have the same great camera if that is what they need regardless of operating system.
And since Pixel 2 just rendered this moot...it's just an endless cycle.
It's great that almost everyone in Apple and Android can have the same great camera if that is what they need regardless of operating system.
And since Pixel 2 just rendered this moot...it's just an endless cycle.