Smartphone cameras have quickly become many people's primary cameras, and for good reason.
Camera sensor tech and image processing is continually improving
But sometimes we assume that one brand is just better than another brand in all aspects.
I'm here to help you decide for yourself.
Hi guys, it's KJ the MiTechGuy here, and in this video I'll be comparing the cameras found
on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and the iPhone XS Max.
These are two of the best smartphone camera systems out right now, so let's see how they
compare.
We'll take a look at images shot in various lighting conditions, both indoors and outdoors,
and we'll also take a look at the video and audio qualities of both phones.
The cameras have specifications that we have come
to expect from each manufacturer with the dual-aperture, triple camera setup on the
Note 10+ and the dual camera setup on the iPhone XS Max.
With the next iteration of the iPhone, we will most likely see Apple shifting to the
triple camera setup as well.
In terms of the selfie cameras, a key difference is that the Note 10+'s front camera is able
to record in 4K while the iPhone's can only shoot 1080p.
Now I'm going to get into the side-by-sides.
We're going to start off with images shot in close to ideal lighting scenarios, and
then we're going to let the lighting get progressively worse to see how the two camera systems stack
up in all cases.
We can already see that the quality of both cameras is fantastic.
It's actually really difficult for me to find clear differences in this image.
The ground does seem to be a bit more defined on the Note 10's image, while the iPhone's
image seems to have a bit of a warmer color temperature.
Both great pictures.
Again, we see that both phones take some very detailed images.
Here, I can see that the Note 10 did the better job of exposing the leaves in the foreground
and brightening the shadows.
However, the iPhone XS Max did the much better job of exposing the background of the image
where we see that the colors of the building and the sky are better preserved in the iPhone's
image.
Here we can see the same trends from the previous images in that the building itself appears
to be better exposed in the Note 10's image, but the sky and all of the blue in it gets
washed out.
Different people will prefer each image, but it comes down to personal preference.
The image processing appears to be universal across the different cameras.
When I used the telephoto, the same trends were there.
But until the next iPhone is released, the Note 10 has a third, ultrawide perspective
that I think looks great.
Shifting to portrait photos, the iPhones have been able to take great portrait shots for
years, while Samsung has tried to improve with each phone iteration.
Here' both phones showed to have great edge detection, but the colors just seem to be
more flattering in the iPhone's shot.
In this shot with the sun setting behind me, the Note 10 really struggled to properly expose
the different aspects of the image while the iPhone made me look a little pink, but did
a great job in terms of exposure across the image.
In this last portrait shot, the Note 10 actually took the overall better picture in my opinion.
Details in Sam's hair are better preserved on the Note 10, but again the sky is more
washed out as well.
In terms of the selfies taken by both phones in good lighting, there isn't really much
to say.
They both take solid selfies, and can also both blur the background of their selfies.
I'd say that the Note 10+ did the better job not blurring my hair than the iPhone did.
Before I get into lowlight, let's take a look at the video and audio qualities of both cameras.
In terms of the rear 4K video, Samsung has done a great job of closing the gap between
it and what I think is the best smartphone video camera right now in the XS Max.
Both are incredibly detailed, and the Note 10 also appears to be the most stable between
the two.
However, the iPhone still exposes different sources of lights better and more quickly,
whether it is a lamp or the sky.
Nonetheless, both phones take great video that I'm impressed with.
In terms of the front video qualities of both phones, again they are both great, but I do
notice some key differences.
The Note 10 seems to have the more stable video between the two and more vibrant colors
throughout the video.
It also is more detailed with its 4K quality vs the iPhone's 1080p.
That being said, the iPhone XS Max was able to keep my face better exposed throughout
the video and different lighting scenarios, and was also able to have my voice sound a
bit more natural than on the Note 10.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
The Note 10+ can utilize its live focus mode even in video, which is also pretty cool,
but only works with people.
It wasn't shocking at all to find out that both phones performed great in great lighting
conditions, so for the rest of this video, I'll be focusing on how the phones performed
in less than ideal lighting scenarios to see how the two stack up.
This is a challenging lighting scenario because of all of the exposed lighting fixtures, but
I'll say that both phones did a great job.
The Note 10+ did seem to keep everything in the scene a bit brighter and more detailed,
whereas the iPhone XS Max did seem to produce the more true to life colors in this case.
In this image of the sun setting, the Note 10 simply took the much better picture.
It was still in its f/2.4 mode and managed to preserve all of the colors in the sky while
also keeping the foreground bright.
I cannot say the same for the iPhone at all in this case.
In this image as well, the Note 10 is just able to take in more light than the iPhone,
which in turn makes the image look more detailed with more color accuracy.
Needless to say, the iPhone's picture still looks great.
This image inside of the Apple Store shows a very complicating shooting scenario with
the windows, reflections off the glass, and lit signs.
But once again, both phones did a great job.
This time, other than the differences in color reproduction on both phones, I can't really
notice any differences that stand out between the phones.
All of the images you've seen from the Note 10 so far were taken in its f/2.4 aperture
mode, so I waited until it got dark enough for it to automatically switch to its f/1.5
mode to see how the night photography differed between the two phones.
The iPhone XS never really did a bad job with night shots.
Even though the Note 10 was able to take in noticeably more light, the iPhone has the
more balanced, and better exposed picture in my opinion.
But as soon as we turn on the Note 10's night mode, the Note 10 then has the brighter and
more balanced image.
In auto, the iPhone XS does a great job of competing with the Note 10 despite the Note
10's main camera having that dual aperture.
Both do decent jobs with the different light sources in the scene and keeping things looking
natural.
But simply put, when I turned on the Note 10's night mode, there was no contest anymore.
With night mode turned on, the Note 10 can better expose light fixtures, bring out the
colors in the shadows, and overall just take phenomenal night photos in just 2 to 3 seconds.
The night mode is incredible and I hope Apple implements a night mode in its next iteration
of the iPhone.
Night mode even worked for selfie pictures on the Note 10, which was a pleasant surprise
as well because selfie cameras are so small that they cannot let in too much light typically.
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As you can see, both smartphones have absolutely incredible camera systems considering that
these are phones.
They both took great pictures in all types of lighting conditions, and also took some
very impressive video.
Personally, I like the versatility that an ultrawide camera brings, and also like the
fact that the front camera is in 4K.
I still feel more inclined to use my iPhone to shoot 4K video because it can shoot in
24 frames per second and always does great with exposure.
I'm really excited to see what Apple has in store for their next phone, and you know that
I'll be putting it right back up against the Note 10+ for sure.
I have more camera comparisons in the works, so make sure to subscribe and have that notification
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And always, thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next video.