Tech

Samsung Galaxy S9+ beats iPhone X and Pixel 2 to claim top smartphone camera DxOMark Mobile score

According to DxO, the Galaxy S9+ camera "hasn't got any obvious weaknesses and performs very well across all photo and video test categories."

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor March 1, 2018 at 7:50 a.m. PT

Want the best camera that a smartphone can offer? The DxOMark Mobile test says that you should bin your iPhone X or Google Pixel 2 and get yourself a Samsung Galaxy S9+.

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The Samsung Galaxy S9+ scored 99, highest-ever combined photo and video rating for a smartphone camera, and a photo score of 104 points, again, the highest ever photo score awared to a smartphone.

DxO's review of the camera built into the Galaxy S9+ is very glowing:

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is a smartphone without any real weaknesses in the camera department. In both still and video modes, it performs well across the board, delivering consistently good photo and video image quality in all light and shooting situations, thus earning itself our highest DxOMark Mobile score to date. Add one of the best smartphone zooms and a capable bokeh simulation mode to the mix, and the Galaxy S9 Plus is difficult to ignore for any photo-minded smartphone user. With the Galaxy S9 Plus, Samsung is setting the pace for 2018. We'll see if the competition can follow suit.

Also noteworthy is the ability of the S9+ to handle low-light conditions, thanks to its new variable aperture, which allows the lens to adjust to let in more or less light depending on the conditions.

In dim conditions the rear camera uses a fast f/1.5 aperture, while in bright conditions the aperture closes to f/2.4 aperture, which improves sharpness and detail.

About the only criticism that DxO had of the Galaxy S9+ camera was the autofocus:

The Galaxy S9 Plus autofocus system is not the very fastest we have tested, but close to the best, and also produces very repeatable results. That said, we did find the occasional out-of-focus image in our samples in all light conditions.

However, DxO thinks that this is a non-issue:

The autofocus isn't the very fastest we have tested, but it's more than fast enough not to be an issue for any user.

Is the DxOMark Mobile benchmark the be-all and end-all of camera quality? No. There's plenty of valid criticisms that can be levels at the test, and a couple of points either way is neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things.

But, if you're the sort of person who lives and dies by these sorts of tests, and you absolutely must have the best smartphone camera, then the Galaxy S9+ is the handset for you.