Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra didn't beat the iPhone 13 Pro in camera test

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra camera is nice, but DXOMARK testing proves it to be close to but not quite equal to the iPhone 13 Pro.

Samsung released the flagship Galaxy S23 lineup in early February. They brought several upgrades, and improvements over the 2022 Galaxy line, including a new chip that Qualcomm says offers photography features powered by artificial intelligence.

However, DXOMARK places the Galaxy S23 Ultra in tenth place for worldwide results with a score of 140. Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro has a score of 141 while the iPhone 14 Pro score is higher at 146 in fourth place.

Accuracy — or lack thereof — in skin tones

Some of the issues with the Galaxy S23 Ultra involved low contrast in backlit scenes, occasional local loss of detail on faces, and fusion artifacts in all conditions. It also had instability in exposures.

For instance, DXOMARK noted that the Galaxy S23 Ultra had "noticeable exposure differences between consecutive shots of the same scene." In contrast, the iPhone 14 Pro had more consistent exposure and better tone compression on faces.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra did score well in video thanks to its effective stabilization and fast, accurate autofocus. However, in low-light situations, the testers noticed a slight delay between the moment the shutter was triggered and the actual capture.

The device also gave faces an "unnatural appearance" in photos with bright backgrounds, with inaccurate skin tones. And it also created a slight halo effect around subjects under these conditions, making them appear to glow.

Overall, DXOMARK found the Galaxy S23 Ultra was a good all-rounder camera without significant drawbacks. However, Samsung still hasn't managed to best Apple in photography.

17 Comments

saarek 1575 comments · 16 Years

About 1 year ago

One of my friends, who happens to be black, was showing off his S23 Ultra to me today. He bought it for one simple reason, the iPhone takes pictures of him that are about on par with most other smartphones whereas the S23 Ultra takes pictures that really capture his skin tone and features.

I have to admit, eye balling pictures he'd taken on his Samsung vs a recent picture I had taken on my iPhone that he did look better on the Samsung Pictures.

Mishu 1 comment · 1 Year

Honestly, I'm thinking about switching to the s23 Ultra, it's just perfect for night photos and landscapes. And I just love the natural color It keeps on your photos. Apple's algorithm tends to saturate the colors giving it a fake glow-up. The new iPhone 14 just sucks at taking night photos.

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

saarek said:

One of my friends, who happens to be black, was showing off his S23 Ultra to me today. He bought it for one simple reason, the iPhone takes pictures of him that are about on par with most other smartphones whereas the S23 Ultra takes pictures that really capture his skin tone and features.

I have to admit, eye balling pictures he'd taken on his Samsung vs a recent picture I had taken on my iPhone that he did look better on the Samsung Pictures.

Well, you make the point. I submit that there is NO objective way to compare cameras. People are people and we all have built in personal biases and preferences when it comes to color, focus, composition, etc. I sincerely don’t think it’s possible to quantify the quality of a picture, much like audiophiles arguing which speaker reproduces the sizzle of the hi-hat cymbal more clearly.

entropys 4292 comments · 13 Years

Mishu said:

Honestly, I'm thinking about switching to the s23 Ultra, it's just perfect for night photos and landscapes. And I just love the natural color It keeps on your photos. Apple's algorithm tends to saturate the colors giving it a fake glow-up. The new iPhone 14 just sucks at taking night photos.

Ironically, five years ago the situation was the reverse with the Samsung model the over saturated one. Although both iPhones and galaxys sucked at night then.

avon b7 8001 comments · 20 Years

lkrupp said:

saarek said:

One of my friends, who happens to be black, was showing off his S23 Ultra to me today. He bought it for one simple reason, the iPhone takes pictures of him that are about on par with most other smartphones whereas the S23 Ultra takes pictures that really capture his skin tone and features.

I have to admit, eye balling pictures he'd taken on his Samsung vs a recent picture I had taken on my iPhone that he did look better on the Samsung Pictures.

Well, you make the point. I submit that there is NO objective way to compare cameras. People are people and we all have built in personal biases and preferences when it comes to color, focus, composition, etc. I sincerely don’t think it’s possible to quantify the quality of a picture, much like audiophiles arguing which speaker reproduces the sizzle of the hi-hat cymbal more clearly.

There are plenty of ways to objectively compare cameras.

You can start with the obvious of what cameras can, and cannot do. This was a massive failing on iPhones until they got multiple sensors/lenses.

What about autofocus speed and accuracy?

Then there was the low light/noise issue that left Apple behind rivals for a few years.

Then there was long exposure, hand held scenarios using AI assisted image stabilisation.

When you actually manage to take the photo you want, you can also objectively assess many areas of performance such as detail, exposure, distortion etc.

Yes, there is also a very subjective part to image evaluation, too.

Is the grass green enough for you? Do you like punchy HDR styling or do you prefer everything to be as close to natural as possible.

Do you want AI making your teeth whiter, eliminating reflections, compensating for optical limitations etc.

Not everybody likes DX0 as a reference site but they do use a suite of objective test evaluations as part of the review process.

The iPhone has recently started to climb the rankings in overall performance but it's largely been absent from the best of the bunch for years now and the iPhone 14 will probably be nudged down a slot or two once the P60 series is released (rumoured for next week).