Intergalactic camera shootout: Galaxy S6 vs. Galaxy S5 vs. Note 4 vs. iPhone 6

19 March 2015
A quality camera has always been a big part of Galaxy flagships and Samsung is pushing new improvements every six months. The two-step cadence goes Galaxy S then Note then S again – we're at the Galaxy S6 step of this cycle and...

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • q8Q
  • 19 Mar 2015

[deleted post]How is the S6 a cheap clone when the iphone copied Samsung and the S6 more expensive and advanced parts?

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • T6F
    • 19 Mar 2015

    great write up, agreed with your summaries and conclusions

      • W
      • Werner
      • 3%V
      • 19 Mar 2015

      Would like to see a comparison with a DSLR Camera for comparison in the next shootouts to see how good smartphone cameras got.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • TXn
        • 19 Mar 2015

        Dododo, 19 Mar 2015Yep, the Galaxy S6 is really good, with the iPhone running ... moreLOL Are you blind?
        Close second is not iPhone 6 , but Note 4.
        By the way , Note 4 beats iPhone 6 Plus too. Just check it out.

          • D
          • Dododo
          • 0cJ
          • 19 Mar 2015

          Anonymous, 19 Mar 2015S6 competes with the iPhone 6 so that's why the iPhone 6 Pl... moreYep, the Galaxy S6 is really good, with the iPhone running a close second, which is impressive without IOS.

          The Note 4 is a bit better than the S5, but it still blasts out detail, while at the same time missing it in the dark areas.

          I'd be curious to see iPhone 6+ compared to the S6, as these seem to be the best phone cameras currently.

          The resolution is a non-issues, unless you pixel-peep or need to crop. On a 70" UHD TV, both 8mps and 20mpx look the same.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • vau
            • 19 Mar 2015

            Note 4 and S5 are the winners.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • 0cZ
              • 19 Mar 2015

              S6 competes with the iPhone 6 so that's why the iPhone 6 Plus wasn't included. Wait for the upcoming Note 5. Note 4 was added because it uses the same sensor for comparison with other changes in S6 like F stop.

                • D
                • AnonD-376882
                • je7
                • 19 Mar 2015

                AnonD-245620, 19 Mar 2015100% same hardware , only different screen and body size .Not the same, the iPhone 6 Plus has OIS and it makes a pretty big difference in the overall picture quality from what I've seen. I've read articles on this and have tested this out myself as a few of my family members have the 6 while I have the 6 Plus.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • Lpj
                  • 19 Mar 2015

                  Câmera Shootout without Nokia 1020 or Lumia 930,HTC or Sony?

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • 2Au
                    • 19 Mar 2015

                    AnonD-150607, 19 Mar 2015Dear gsmarena, i simply can't understand, why in this camer... moreon my personal use of my note4( hand down from my grandson) and ip6 plus , note 4 is better though

                    but hey! im not a pro in using camera on my phones, i just wanna capture important things in my life :)

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                      • AnonD-376923
                      • LFe
                      • 19 Mar 2015

                      incomplete test without xperia Z series

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • q8Q
                        • 19 Mar 2015

                        AnonD-133243, 19 Mar 2015Good article, can't deny that, but sth i don't like here is... moreThe Note 3 performed better than the 1520 in daylight. So no. Plus the z3 has a better sensor than the iphone. So doesthe zoom.
                        And the 1020 and 808 are better than all of them.
                        Plus the panasonic c1 leaves then all behind in photography. Even the Lumias

                          • D
                          • AnonD-133243
                          • 0ZJ
                          • 19 Mar 2015

                          Good article, can't deny that, but sth i don't like here is the way of talking like these four are the best camera smartphones around, hey, lumia 1520 kills em all, i wouldn't dare then mention lumia 1020, maybe people are sceptic toward Windows phone, but camerawise lumias are definitely top notch

                            • D
                            • AnonD-367948
                            • LeP
                            • 19 Mar 2015

                            Should have included a Lumia 1520 with Denim update into the mix. Should have seen how a 2 year old phone would have manhandled the rest of the intergalactic bunch!

                              • D
                              • AnonD-272813
                              • XMc
                              • 19 Mar 2015

                              I've choose S6 before, but after found the comparison between s6, note 4, ip6 and s5. Somehow I'll think I will go for Note 4

                                • A
                                • Akira
                                • Anw
                                • 19 Mar 2015

                                Great comparison, even if the low light pictures of the 6 Plus would have put up a slightly better fight.

                                I also appreciate your comments about sharpening and tge clear tradeoffs in terms of artifacts. A subject that is often neglected or misunderstood.

                                I'd like to add that the lower noise in most S6 pictures is also a direct result of more sophisticated noise reduction. The only tradeoff there is really visible in the red channel (slight loss of texture).

                                Personally I prefer the much cleaner and natural approach. If I occasionally require that marginal extra detail, I can still add sharpening to my taste.

                                  • S
                                  • Sid
                                  • 2F6
                                  • 19 Mar 2015

                                  and till not anywhere Near the Lumia 930 camera~!

                                    • r
                                    • regs
                                    • JHW
                                    • 19 Mar 2015

                                    Inter galactic camera shootout? And where are HTC, Lumia, Meizu, Sony, LG, Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, Moto, Lenovo, Sharp, Asus, Acer and other top flagship cameraphones?

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 3N9
                                      • 19 Mar 2015

                                      AnonD-314503, 19 Mar 2015It doesnt make sense, having an "intergalactic camera ... moreYeah sure and the fact that I learned more english reading your response doesn't mean I wanted to. Though I could agree with you in the first paragraph, you totally lost it in the second one. You have to distinguish between what you want and what it makes sense no matter you may have a point. That doesn't make the best site for reviewing phones inelegible for credibility. Come on dude.

                                        • X
                                        • Xvasek
                                        • Ldx
                                        • 19 Mar 2015

                                        Thanks for perfekt camera comparison !
                                        Would be possible to compare the Galaxy S6 and S5 with S4??? Thenk you