iPhone XS Max vs Galaxy Note 9 Camera Test Comparison! By Danny Winget

What's up everybody. This is Danny, and today I'm doing the camera comparison that a lot of you been asking me about, and that is the Galaxy Note 9 versus the brand new iPhone 10s max. So what should make this camera comparison? Interesting is the fact that the 10s Max and the new iPhones now have stabilization in the front-facing camera. So, let's see if that makes a difference, and I'm also curious to buy dynamic range. So let me know which video looks best and the new iPhones has stereo pickup. Finally, so we're going to see if it can actually beat Samsung at the audio game, since Samsung has some of the best audio pickup out there on the smartphone market, and then I'm going to go out there and test out all the conditions.

Low-Light good light, all that good stuff and see which camera comes out on top, because the specs are very similar, but the Samsung should be better at low-light because it has that lower F 1.5 aperture, but the iPhone does have a new sensor this year, so we'll see how that comes out and all the HDR algorithms and all that mess. So I'm going to go out there test this. Let me know which video looks better and sounds better and let's go before we get started. I want to talk about how the tests were conducted, just like all of my camera comparisons. These are all taken in Auto mode, because I feel like this best represents the average consumer, and it also makes it completely fair on the iPhone smart HDR was left on since it's on by default and auto HDR with scene detection was also left enabled on the Galaxy Note 9, none of these images are edited in any way.

They are straight out of the camera. We will start with the daytime pictures and just like any other flagship phone. These cameras both do a fantastic job. There are tons of dynamic range, great colors and sharpness I, don't think you'll be disappointed with either of these. But after looking at almost a hundred and fifty images side-by-side, there are some differences here that I noticed generally when it comes to dynamic range.

I feel like the smart HDR on the iPhone Menace max is a little better. You can see more details in the clouds with less clipping and in harsher lighting conditions on both the primary and secondary telephoto lens. You can see some overexposure on the Galaxy Note 9. If you look at the images the note 9 tends to overexpose slightly across all the images and that's not always a bad thing, because sometimes it does improve the picture, but overall I feel like the iPhone has a more balanced picture when it comes to exposure and dynamic range, where I feel like the note 9 does do better, is the balance between contrast and saturation I feel like the iPhone has an uncharacteristically aggressive HDR this year, where the shadow detail is overly done, and in some cases this actually gives the iPhone a major advantage, but in some pictures it can make the image just look washed out. I also noticed that the note 9 tends to land a lot warmer when it comes to the white balance where the iPhone tends to land cooler.

So this will be for sure a preference thing, and all of this also carries across to the front-facing camera and fun fact. If you do selfie focus on a note 9, unless it detects a face, it won't blur the background where the iPhone had no problem with the side profile. I feel like during the day the iPhone does have the better front-facing portraits and photos is sharper with better colors and edge detection and overall exposure. When it comes to the rear portrait mode, they both failed in certain shots, but when they hit they both look great I feel like edge detection, got worse on the iPhone this year, because they must have changed the way that the portrait mode works. It even missed some easy stuff like between this parking meter, which the note nailed right off the bat.

But if you look at the overall image, the iPhones is more evenly balanced, with better exposure and dynamic range I, like the skin tone, better on the iPhone and also the overall color. So let me know which one day you like better, but they both have the ability to change the background blur after the shot is taken. But the note also has dual capture where you can take the portrait shot and the wide-angle shot at the same time, and then you can just choose later, which one you want to use here are some more shots around downtown Orlando I feel like the daytime. Shots are really going to come down to preference. I do prefer the blue sky replication of the iPhones better, but in a lot of these images, I feel like the note.

Nines image is more ready to share right out of the camera, with more contrast and poppy colors, so I'm curious to see which one day you prefer, but if I had to pick one I'm going to have to give the slight edge to the iPhone here for better dynamic range and overall processing, but don't get me wrong, they do go back and forth. So I, don't blame you if you like the notes images better, but here is where things start to really change that weird time of day when dusk is setting. This is where I feel like smartphone cameras struggle the most, and here is where you can really see how smart HDR on the iPhone side has an advantage, creating the brighter and more detailed image, and this is an example of how aggressively bringing up the shadow detail, can really balance out the image and also for exposure of bright neon signs and lights. So this is why I'm giving the edge to the iPhone here when it comes to 4k video. They can both shoot up to 4k 60 frames per second, and both cameras are full of dynamic range in sharpness.

But overall the note does have more contrast and saturated colors, where I feel like that. This look is for sharing right out of the box, where I think the iPhone will be better for post-production and editing and both can shoot slow-motion at 240 frames per second at 1080p. But the note 9 has at insane 960 frames per second slow motion. So that's a cool feature to have, even though it's 720p and looks more like 480p. Both cameras are optically stabilized.

So that's fantastic. This is a walking shot handheld in 4k 30 frames per second. So the note is using electronic stabilization tied to the gyroscope, which I think is doing a much better job here where the iPhone is using the IS, but when you flip that to 4k 60 frames per second, the note goes back to IS and the iPhone stabilization gets crazy good. Somehow so it looks like they kind of swapped roles here, so it depends on what frame rate that you shoot at. Let's get to everyone's favorite part, and that is the low-light performance and just like the daytime.

This is a very preference oriented call the same characteristics come over to the nighttime shots. The iPhone is boosting up shadow detail and I feel like the note.9 is all exposing to give you a more pleasing shot where the iPhone is trying to give you the most balanced image because of the nose faster eff, 1.5 aperture, compared to the iPhones, f 1.8 and the notes more aggressive noise reduction. You do get less noise on the notes. Nice images I am punching in here 400%, so you can see this, but when you're looking at the image, this is not as drastic so keep that in mind. I, don't think anyone is cropping this heavy with a phone image, but it is there.

So I didn't want to leave that if you edit the iPhone pictures, you can get rid of that noise, but this is pure auto to auto. So we have to keep it 100 here. The video is pretty much showing the exact same trade, both look very good, but when it comes to dynamic range, the iPhone pulls ahead. Here when it comes to 4k video. Just look at those windows, the detail is pretty insane on the iPhone.

The note 9 is landing very warm again with heavy saturation, so I think some people will either really love this or they're really going to hate this once again, the heavier contrasted and warmer image of the note 9 is more ready to share out of the camera directly to social media, but I think the people that prefer the more balanced and more accurate, color and flatter image will prefer the iPhone. The front-facing camera in low-light both aren't very great, and sometimes the Samsung does give you a brighter picture, but I do feel like it softens the skin and image too much where the iPhone gives you a more balanced skin tone and color. The iPhones images also soften though, so it doesn't get a pass, the two really processed low-light differently, and it honestly goes back and forth and in some images, I really just preferred the way that note kicks out the image straight out of the camera, but when it comes to color accuracy, I'm going to have to give it to the iPhone, and this image really sums it up well with the coca-cola building. The Reds are processed better here and overall exposure and foreground detail is better on the iPhone, and the cooler tone is something that I prefer. The iPhone is nowhere near perfect in low-light, especially mixed shots like this, where the shadow detail is brighter and better, but the string lights are overexposed and this low-light portrait shot.

I think the note just did a better job and sometimes that saturation and dramatic contrast works in the notes. Favor, like this balloon shot, it just looks so great, and the noise reduction is better on the note, but I'm giving the slight edge here to the iPhone 10s max I feel like the low-light is more balanced, with better dynamic range and overall exposure. So let me know what you think: I'm sure, there's going to be tons of disagreements, but keep it Pleasant and let the images speak for themselves. These tests are always dependent on personal preference, and it's just my job to give you the images and also give you an opinion on which device that I thought did a better job. Both of these cameras are great, and you won't be disappointed in either.

In the end, the consumers win so subscribe for more content like this. Let me know what comparison that you want to see. Next and I will see you guys in the next one. I can't wait to see the comment section in this one.

Source : Danny Winget