Samsung Galaxy Note9 camera gets higher DxOMark score than S9+, ties with HTC U12+

10 September 2018
Samsung has improved the camera's autofocus and other things compared to the S-series flagship.

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Foundation, 11 Sep 2018Pixel 2 also applies a lot of sharpening as well as Note 9,... moreNo. My old Pixel doesn't. My Note 9 has, but I will disagree that it is a bit harsher. The photos on my cousin's P20 Pro looks shit when zoomed in. And he always complains about it and said he regrets buying it over Samsung. He do street photography, and most of the time, he has to take photo far from the subject. The hybrid zoom seems to work, but sometimes he forgets using it (because street photography, everything moves fast), and so he has to take advantage of the full sensor. But when he started cropping in, that's when the problems start to appear. You don't get the freedom to do what you want to do with the photos. The sharpness is just a total mess. He now takes photos with his old S8. At least the cropped photos don't look too weird.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • IHx
    • 11 Sep 2018

    Looks like Sammy is a year or two behind Huawei in the camera department. And 2 or 3 years in the battery department if the tests are right. You did buy the best Sammy has to offer, it just ain't the best in the world. That N9 is really going to feel old when the Mate 20 gets here.

      Trollhammeren, 11 Sep 20184k is overrated Are you saying that because P20 Pro doesn't do well for 4K? I'm confident you would change your opinion if Mate 20 would support EIS in higher resolutions settings. Decent 4K footage is a must for all flagship phones costing over $500.

        S Yu, 11 Sep 2018Back it up with samples. The P20 series sharpen so much the... moreYou can go check Android Headline's camera review on Note 9 and jump to 4:21 - 4:24, or 4:31 - 4:37. White sharpening halo is a lot more evident in mountain ridge and around the frames of radio towers respectively on Note 9's sample. That's not to say P20 Pro doesn't show any sign of sharpening, but it is still less noticeable in many cases.

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          • Rex.T
          • U@E
          • 11 Sep 2018

          Yes DXOrating is biased ... but some YouTubers did it.. great camera comparison .. galaxy note 9 cameras better than note 8..

            Alien , 11 Sep 2018If you don't care about the processing power why are you on... moreClearly you have different usage pattern than him. You now have a flagship device, but you don't use the camera, which pays a big part in the flagship pricing. If all you needed was high end processor and GPU and not camera, then you might as well just have gotten the Pocofone F1, assuming it covers the rest of your smartphone need as well.

            The pursuit for a better camera in his smartphone could very well be for content creation for others to consume.

            Flagship internals such as 8-series snapdragon is also for those who consume, such as gamers.

            I have no use for an 8-series snapdragon, but I do very much want the best possible camera in my phone none the less. Otherwise it won't be used and I always have to carry a mirrorless with me.

            Essentially it seems both myself and this anonymous person both desire an equivalent to the Pocofone F1, only instead of flagship CPU/GPU, and fairly decent camera at a very competitive price, we want a flagship camera and fairly decent CPU/GPU (SD660/670/710) at a very competitive price.

            No reason to pay for something you don't really get any benefit of using.

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              • skyfly
              • 6XT
              • 11 Sep 2018

              dxo paid scores

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                • S Yu
                • tLa
                • 11 Sep 2018

                Sergyu, 10 Sep 2018DxOmark give high rating to those who pay them. even if nok... moreExactly, typical example, the fact that Pureview 808's stills score isn't above 100.
                Next step for DxO they'll probably remove that model outright because it's too much of a giveaway that even laymen see the problem with their scoring.

                  • S
                  • S Yu
                  • tLa
                  • 11 Sep 2018

                  Foundation, 11 Sep 2018Pixel 2 also applies a lot of sharpening as well as Note 9,... moreBack it up with samples. The P20 series sharpen so much they introduce aliasing to straight lines, I've never seen that behavior on any other phone.

                    • S
                    • S Yu
                    • tLa
                    • 11 Sep 2018

                    Inox, 11 Sep 2018I care, since they really do deliver. No they don't, don't be ridiculous. Their scoring system is far too inconsistent that only pay to play could explain it. Actually pay attention to the samples instead of their nonsense.

                      Ali, 11 Sep 2018So they give P20 Pro with the non-existent awful 4K recordi... moreNot sure about how bad is video(though looks not great here in test shots), but everyone can envy their hdr and hi iso, big sensor and ability to make 40mp raws. If its best 4K search for sony, nobody is better. So in sharp pictures with vivid colors. Only thing I would miss is raws from that big sensor on p20pro from which you can get the best B&W shots.

                        Anonymous, 11 Sep 2018DxOMark? Nobody believes DxOMark's phone manufacturer spons... moreThe difference between various cameras on flagship smart phones is very small. That's why with improved processing, top phones best the past winner.

                        This will be the case. The innovation in DSLRs and Point and Shoot is way slower and their improvements are way smaller. While smartphones may not be able to beat DSLRs anytime soon, with more dedicated ISPs and NP engines, and better algorithms (along with 14-bit RAW and 10-bit HEIF) the gap could get considerably smaller within a few more generations.

                        This is when smartphone Sensors get within DSLR Territory:
                        1. About 1/2 size at 12-20MP;
                        2. 60-120fps at Full Res with DRAM;
                        3. Preferably add a mechanical shutter, like on some previous Nokia phones, to get rid of blurry photos due to fast moving subjects. Or super fast electronic shutter, like on the Sony A9.
                        3. New Computational Photography algorithms that start shooting well before the button is pressed (when shooters start framing, to have more frames for stacking and saving information from). This will help with way better processing.
                        4. A separate processor or set of ISP (image sensor processors) for HDR, Low Light, correct exposure, colour accuracy and stacking.
                        5. 14bit ISPs for atleast 3 cameras (12 + 12 + 48MP).
                        6. Higher bit depth in photos with 14-bit RAW and 14-stop Dynamic Range 10-bit HDR HEIF.

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                          • Alien
                          • 3RM
                          • 11 Sep 2018

                          [deleted post]If you don't care about the processing power why are you on the high-end flagship articles instead of the mid-range section?
                          You're a default user which only consumes content, I on the other hand make content for others to use.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • sxr
                            • 11 Sep 2018

                            Alien , 11 Sep 2018Who cares about photo quality that much except for professi... moreThey can still spy on you through the mics and your usage of the phone. Pointless.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 3Z%
                              • 11 Sep 2018

                              This is what i'v found in dxomark:

                              109: Huawei P20 Pro
                              103: HTC U12+
                              103: Samsung Galaxy Note 9
                              102: Huawei P20
                              99: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
                              Stop promoting samsung products by faking and lying gsmareana!

                                Ali, 11 Sep 2018So they give P20 Pro with the non-existent awful 4K recordi... more4k is overrated

                                  samsung, 11 Sep 2018everybody knows Huawei paid DXO to rate them higherYes, and no, everyone did that.

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                                    • Alien
                                    • 3RM
                                    • 11 Sep 2018

                                    Who cares about photo quality that much except for professional photographers?
                                    I've been using the S8+ for almost 3 weeks now and I don't know if I took 10 photos or opened the camera app more than 5 times.
                                    I'm more interested in the processor power or how easy it is to root the phone.
                                    The cameras, the iris scanner and the fingerprint sensor are perfect with a sticker over them :)

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                                      • samsung
                                      • xtS
                                      • 11 Sep 2018

                                      everybody knows Huawei paid DXO to rate them higher

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                                        • Inox
                                        • S27
                                        • 11 Sep 2018

                                        Anonymous, 10 Sep 2018Who cares about Dxomark? Their rating system is complete ma... moreI care, since they really do deliver.

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