Roger Fingas
DxO on Thursday announced that the new Samsung Galaxy S9+ has achieved its best-ever DxOMark score, 99, toppling the Google Pixel 2's 98 and the Apple iPhone X's 97.
The S9+ is a smartphone "without any real weaknesses in the camera department," performing well in both photo and video regardless of the tested situation, DxO said. "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."
The phone's signature feature is dual aperture support, allowing it to switch from f/2.4 to f/1.5 for more light, or simply for shallower depth-of-field. Most smartphones — iPhones included — can only ever shoot with a fixed aperture.
The S9+ still has some minor issues, among them the chance of halos, purple fringing, and/or blue or pink color casts.
While DxO's testing is thorough and uses a mix of lab and field testing, the company has admitted that its evaluations can be subjective, such that people will likely be well-off with any of the top-ranking smartphones.
Apple and Samsung regularly vie for the top spot in photography, which they see as an important bulletpoint for their phones. The iPhone X is equipped with dual-lens rear camera, allowing it to shoot in wide-angle at f/1.8 and 2x at f/2.4. It also employs technologies like optical image stabilization and a special Portrait mode, simulating DSLR-style bokeh.
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
Charles Martin
Marko Zivkovic
Wesley Hilliard
27 Comments
So it gets 99, the Pixel 98 and the iPhone 97.
I think “trump” is a poor choice of words.
”Barely beats” or “very slightly exceeds” would be more appropriate.
Woah. They are setting fire to the smartphone market!
97, 98, 99? And this warrants the kind of headline we get for this report? I’m really pissed at how these tech blogs like AI keep the flame wars going with incendiary headlines. Does anyone really think anybody could tell the difference between a 97 and a 99 score outside of lab conditions? I think not. How would you react if some sales clerk at a T-mobile store told you about this test? If you were an iOS user would this make you switch? A difference of 2 points?
And as for the pictures supplied it looks to me like the iPhone X and Pixel 2 photos are better than the S9 Plus. Good grief, why the constant oneupmanship game? Couldn’t the headline have been that the S9 Plus, Pixel 2, and iPhone X are very close in quality and all take great pictures?
“Portrait mode” :D