14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung’s recently-launched Galaxy S9 comes with a welcome camera upgrade over its predecessor, and as it turns out, all these refinements make it the best mobile phone camera ever released.
This is the conclusion of DxO, who tested the camera of the Galaxy S9 Plus against the current leaders iPhone X and Google Pixel 2.
On the Galaxy S9 Plus, the 12-megapixel main camera with 1/2.55″ sensor and f/1.5 / f/2.4 variable aperture lens is paired with a 12-megapixel secondary camera with 1/3.6″ sensor, 2x telephoto, and f/2.4 aperture lens, both of them featuring OIS, but only the first boasting dual-pixel PDAF.
DxO says this is enough for the Galaxy S9 Plus to outclass the Google Pixel 2 by just one month with a total score of 104 points in the Photo test. When it comes to video, the 4K video support at 60 fps and 720p super-slow-motion support at 960 fps contributed to the final score of 91 points.
The testing shows that Samsung spent more time optimizing the software for photo processing, so noise is well-controlled no matter the conditions, though the S9 Plus suffers from occasional exposure instabilities, and slight color casts.
Well-controlled noise
But on the other hand, the testers praised the device for photo details in outdoor and indoor conditions, the fast and accurate autofocus, as well as the resolution up to 4x zoom.
“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,” DxO says in the test results.
“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.”
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus scored the best for exposure and contrast, autofocus, and flash performance, but on the other hand got the lowest score for the bokeh effect, artifacts, and zoom. In the video test, it received more points for color and stabilization, but disappointed when it comes to texture.
