Skip to main content

DxOMark tests will now show you just how crappy a smartphone is in low light

DxOMark, the company standardizing image quality tests, wants users to know just how good (or bad) their smartphone is at snapping photos in the dark. On Wednesday, September 18, DxOMark launched new test results for night photography and the wide-angle lens. The updates could help further vet out a new smartphone purchase for users most concerned about the device’s photography abilities.

The new Night score puts smartphone cameras to the test in a handful of the most common low-light shots. The tests use both the smartphone’s default mode as well as the Night mode, if available. The new category also absorbs the previous tests for the smartphone’s flash.

Recommended Videos

The second new category, Wide, looks at indoor and outdoor shots to test the smartphone’s wide-angle lens. Combined, the new test categories include more than 150 test photos to the DxOMark testing process for mobile devices.

DxOMark says the updated tests are designed to mimic the typical everyday use for a smartphone camera. The update expands earlier categories for the tests, including a recent update adding the front-facing camera to the testing process.

Smartphone cameras traditionally lag well behind the stand-alone camera for low-light shots. Because of the smaller camera sensor, smartphone cameras can’t gather as much light in a single shot as a mirrorless or DSLR camera. Smartphone manufacturers, however, are well aware of the low-light deficiency, with many looking to software solutions. The Google Pixel 3’s Night Sight mode uses artificial intelligence and HDR to artificially boost the photos’ brightness and colors. The new iPhone 11 also has a new Night Mode.

New Night and Wide scores for some devices are now live on the platform; the company says previously tested phones will also be re-evaluated in the next few weeks to add the new categories. The update also changes the rear-facing camera tests’ name from Mobile to Camera.

The company says today’s change is the biggest adjustment to the smartphone scoring since adding zoom and bokeh testing for multi-lens smartphones in 2017. Earlier this year, the company added a selfie score for the front camera, which is kept separate from the main score that considers the rear camera(s) only.

The current ranking of smartphone cameras is available directly from DxOMark.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
This is what happens ‘when you get two uber-geeks in space at the same time’
NASA's Don Pettit on the space station.



During NASA’s first-ever Twitch livestream from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, current station inhabitant Don Pettit and recent returnee Matthew Dominick talked about what it’s like to live and work in a satellite 250 miles up.

Read more
The GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition is $100 off, but not for long
A person holding the GoPro HERO13 Creator Edition in front of the ocean.

Outdoor enthusiasts who want to buy a new action camera should go for the brand that popularized the product and look for GoPro deals. Best Buy has an offer that's going to be hard to refuse, as it features the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition. From its original price of $600, it's down to just $500 as part of the retailer's Presidents' Day Sale. There are still a few days remaining before the $100 discount ends on February 17, but we highly recommend completing your purchase as soon as possible because stocks may run out before then.

Why you should buy the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition
The star of the GoPro Hero 13 Creator Edition is the GoPro Hero 13 Black, which is the latest version of the brand's popular line of action cameras. It's capable of recording video at up to 5.3K resolution, and you can grab photos of up to 24.7MP from your footage using the GoPro Quick app. The GoPro Hero 13 Black can also take videos that are slowed down by 13 times the normal speed, and it can last more than 5 hours on a single charge. The front and rear LCD screens will let you frame your shots perfectly, and the built-in buttons enable easy controls for lengthy sessions.

Read more
ISS astronaut shares epic photo of a ‘starry starry night’
Don Pettit's 'starry starry night' image captured from the space station.

 

Don Pettit's been snapping away in orbit again. This time, the NASA astronaut has captured a stunning image of the Milky Way from the International Space Station (ISS) . It also features Earth and city lights some 250 miles below the orbital outpost.

Read more