The iPhone XS camera beats the iPhone X, but not the Pixel 2

Apple's new iPhone XS and XS Max have arrived and, as with any new flagship phone, a key question was: "How's the camera going?" the camera remains the only technical aspect where a modern phone can really stand out. Apple has fallen behind on this point in the last two years, which is an unusual place for the leader in smartphone design and engineering.

The camera issue around the iPhone XS is of a deceptive complexity. There are at least two distinct answers, depending on the ecosystem you came from and your photographic preferences. I've collected photos and impressions from my colleagues from our full review of the iPhone XS to try to explain in more detail all the factors that lead to the conclusion of these new cameras.

Compared to the iPhone X

Although our instinct is always to compare the latest iPhone to the best of available technology, we can say that Apple operates in its own bubble rather huge and is not too affected by what is happening outside . That's how Apple can introduce features we've seen on Android phones for years – like the depth-of-field adjustment slider for the new iPhone XS and XR camera system, already available for a year on the Samsung Galaxy Note. . from its user base react as if they were an entirely new invention. If Apple has significantly improved the performance and image quality of the iPhone X to iPhone XS, that's all that matters for the majority of its users.

Upgrading from X to XS is important. My main complaint about the iPhone X camera was that, when you zoomed in close, the fine detail and sharp contours would be lost in a blend of smoothing and noise-reducing dithering. Under a difficult lighting, people's faces looked like wax figurines at the beginning of their disintegration after Thanos snapped their fingers. Equipped with a 32% larger sensor, the iPhone XS poses a lot of these problems. This camera is much better than that of the iPhone X.

In addition to the size of each pixel in the main camera, Apple's iPhone XS also brings a new level of sophistication to Apple's image processing pipeline. A new Smart HDR feature takes a series of shows and combines them into one, producing images with more detail and less noise than would be possible with a single click. This is the new addition that brings Apple's camera system closer to Google's.

Compared to Pixel 2

The Google Pixel, released in October 2016, has the title of best smartphone camera since his arrival. The only devices that have improved are the Pixel 2, who is the reigning champion, and the Huawei P20 Pro, which takes the best night shots. The Google system works by taking a set of half a dozen or more belowexpose photos and then stack them using AI to create a properly exposed photo with unparalleled image fidelity. Apple's iPhone XS cameras fill the gaps, but they can not overshadow the success of Google Pixel 2.

With its new 1.4 μm pixels, 12 megapixel resolution and f / 1.8 lens, the XS main camera is directly compatible with Google's Pixel 2. strengths and weaknesses of both systems. More than one of our comparative pictures presents distinctions that seem more a matter of aesthetic preference than difficult and objective photographic facts.

The iPhone XS tends to produce warmer, softer and flatter images. These are a better base for anyone who wants to tinker with filters and process their images to get a certain atmosphere. These images are also more flattering when shooting people, as warmer hues and indulgent precision are like an integrated embellishment mode.

The Pixel 2, meanwhile, makes all the treatment decisions for you and has no qualms about exposing every furrow and imperfection of your selfies. Google images offer a lot of contrast, sharpness and dynamic punch, which can sometimes sacrifice a bit of detail, but usually makes the photos as beautiful as possible without requiring additional work from the user. Pixel photos have virtually no noise-reducing blur, which means that the worst you can get from this camera is a noisy image, but never an image whose details have been toned down by too much image noise control . The iPhone XS is still occasionally susceptible to this latter problem.

My colleagues Nilay Patel, James Bareham, Dan Seifert and I are in favor of Google's HDR processing and its performance compared to Apple, with the exception of the portrait photo, where the pixel may be a bit also edged. But the distance between the flagship product of Apple 2018 and that of Google 2017 is much smaller now. I've been using the Pixel 2 XL for a good part of the year as its camera was way better than that of the iPhone X, but the XS is close enough to make this choice even more difficult.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S9

As impressive as Google's Pixel phones are, talking about it in a comparison, it's a bit like talking about a fallen tree somewhere in the Amazon. Many people are still unaware of their existence and most can not even buy one. The other main weakness of Pixel compared to the iPhone is its lack of telephoto, which expands the scope of your photographic capabilities. The Samsung Galaxy S9 corrects these two major problems. It is ubiquitous and equipped with a dual camera system at the back.

The overwhelming impression you get from looking side by side at Apple and Samsung is that Apple has adapted to almost all of Samsung's image processing choices. This could be a deliberate move by Apple, seeking to appease the various photographic preferences of the Asian market, or simply a side effect of the enhanced imaging sensor of the new iPhone. Looking at the specifications of the camera that Apple has unveiled, it is possible that Apple has moved from a Sony to a Samsung sensor in its iPhone XS generation, in which case the similarities with Samsung's camera output are the logical result of Samsung and Apple making the most of the same hardware.

Anyway, I'm not a fan of Samsung's images, which tend to make artificial photos. Real life is full of flaws and imperfections, and the beauty of the photos of Samsung phones and new iPhones that I do not find attractive is forced. With the noiseless smoothing that both companies do, there is sometimes a lack of words. crisp on some edges, which, again, contributes to this inorganic environment.

Compared to itself

The most fascinating comparison that the iPhone XS can be submitted to is probably the one against itself. What do I mean by that? Well, I found that my photos of the iPhone X had improved dramatically when I started filming them in RAW in Halide and then processing them through the iPhone. Lightroom mobile app. It was too much work to continue on a daily basis, but the next step in our exploration of the iPhone XS camera should probably be to see how it goes in RAW, without any Apple post-processing. I think the pictures will be louder but much more detailed.

We are now about three weeks away from the release of Google Pixel 3, and as soon as this phone is available, we plan to make a ridiculous comparison between Google, Apple and Samsung. We could even pitch other contenders or a digital SLR just for fun. This story is far from over.