Can the OnePlus 6’s camera hold up against the top flagship cameras?

We pitted the OnePlus 6 camera against the Pixel 2 XL, iPhone X, and Galaxy S9+

By Kailla Coomes Published April 25, 2023

The OnePlus 6 is fast performing, has a massive screen with a compact body, and is affordable, but how does its camera perform compared to flagship phones? We decided to put its camera to the test against the Pixel 2 XL, iPhone X, and Galaxy S9+. All the photos were taken on auto and were as close to the same photo as we could get.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The first photo is of a metal sculpture and all of the pictures look fairly similar. When we zoomed in, the OnePlus 6 is just a hair worse in its dynamic range, which is simply how bright the brightest parts of the photo are and how dark the darkest parts are, but it’s barely noticeable. It’s important to note that the OnePlus 6 is the cheaper of the phones by far.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Next, we took a photo of a woman painting her school bus. The photos are very similar, but when we zoomed in you can tell that the Pixel 2 XL and the iPhone X have the better dynamic range. The Galaxy S9+ and the OnePlus 6 are almost too similar to tell a difference.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Our next photo is in a dark, poorly lit bar. On first glance, the iPhone X and S9+ went cooler for the color temperature, meaning they lean more toward the blues then the reds on the spectrum of colors. Meanwhile the Pixel 2 XL and the OnePlus 6 both went warmer. When we zoomed in on the cheese, we could see the OnePlus 6 faltered a bit, not being as clear as the others. The Galaxy S9+ seems to have the clearest close-up.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This next photo was taken at night. The iPhone X stuck to its cool colors, while the S9+ went the opposite route. Zooming in, each photo did a good job of keeping the feathers sharp, though the OnePlus6 may have surprisingly taken the best photo.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The last photo was also taken at night. The Pixel 2 XL’s HDR created the best photo by far, lighting up the building and trees in the back. Other than that, the OnePlus 6 kept up with the others.

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Overall the OnePlus 6 is almost at par with a lot of these flagship phones, especially in daylight. The Pixel 2 XL and the iPhone X were probably the best in the low light photos, but the Galaxy S9+ still did a very good job. The best of the best would have to be the Pixel 2 XL because of its HDR power. If you are still searching for the phone with the best camera, check out the list we put together.

David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him on Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.

Former Staff Writer

Kailla is a staff writer from Portland, Ore. She studied Journalism at the University of Oregon and graduated in 2014. In her…

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