Now that the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus are upon us, it was automatically assumed that Apple would one-up everyone again, but that doesn’t appear to be the case — at least, according to some DxOMark camera tests. It’s important to note that in our own testing, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus‘ new cameras produced attractive, high-quality images with more detail than last year’s iPhone. Overall, we found the new iPhones’ camera experience to be slightly better than Samsung’s Galaxy S6 lineup.
However, leading camera reviewer DxOMark finally reviewed the iPhone 6S, and concluded that, although the megapixels have increased from 8 to 12, the quality is about the same as last year’s iPhone 6. The site gave the
Apple was able to offer “slightly” better detail in bright light and the autofocus continues to be fast and accurate, but DxOMark says the noise levels on the
As of right now, DxOMark has ranked the Sony Xperia Z5 the best smartphone camera with an overall score of 87. The original leader, the Galaxy S6 / Galaxy S6 Edge drops to second with a score of 86. It’s followed by the surprising Google Nexus 6P (84), LG G4 (83), Galaxy Note 4 (83), Moto X Style (83), and Xperia Z3 (82). The first Apple phone doesn’t make an appearance until the eighth spot, which is the iPhone 6 Plus with a score of 82. The iPhone 6 (82) and
You may have noticed the absence of the
Of course, there are a number of tests made on smartphone cameras each year, and not all of them agree with DxOMark’s findings. The good news is that the fierce competition between Apple and other manufacturers is pushing camera quality to levels we only imagined a few years ago, and the battle for best camera is only going to heat up next year.
Apple won’t sit lightly on the news that its camera didn’t earn top marks, and it’s almost a lock that the iPhone 7 will once again change the game. Apple is already rumored (as is Samsung) to be working on dual-lens technology that could rival the quality experienced from DSLR cameras.
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