HTC U11 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8+: Pixel Duel

24 May 2017
In this follow-up to the pick-a-flagship shootout from the weekend we take a close look at how the prominent absentee in that three-way contest - the HTC U11 - stacks up to the Galaxy S8+ camera.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • NHr
  • 24 May 2017

LG superfan, 24 May 2017Look at xzp tropid sample they are beautiful better than s8... moreNot having OIS is not an excuse. Sony thought it was wise to remove it so the fanboys will just have to suck it up. What if we mount the S8 on a tripod hey??? Shots from a tripod mounted S8 will easily beat a tripod mounted XZP (again), haha.

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    • AnonD-186803
    • 3ad
    • 24 May 2017

    ithehappy, 24 May 2017Agreed, in producing the worst images possibly could come o... moreNot that you're correct (clearly you aren't, as we've discussed many times before) but why the hell do you care? You own a Pixel, right? Enjoy your own damn phone.

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      • AnonD-186803
      • 3ad
      • 24 May 2017

      AnonD-523334, 24 May 2017XZ Premium cant even beat original XZ. Lol. the new sensor ... moreBy whom? Take at a look at GSM Arena's own head to head: the Xperia clearly wins daytime shots (the S8 obliterates correct fine detail, over exposes and over saturates, creating a plastic approximation of the scene but nothing close to realistic). It also has the better video and stabilised lowlight.

      Hop onto the charts that GSMA uploaded and flick the bar to 12mp to level the playing field for all three and then look at the Tenner on the colour graph. The S8 completely screws it up and the XZP recreates the finest detail perfectly. There are half a dozen places on the chart where this is true. The colours are also wrong on the Samsung.

      The XZP is very clearly the better cameraphone in decent light. And if this is the best the U11 can manage then it will remain so.

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        • Ben
        • Iv}
        • 24 May 2017

        Finally! Eventually HTC! You are my next phone.

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          • AnonD-523334
          • 7k7
          • 24 May 2017

          Anonymous, 24 May 2017Nice bezels. Two words I never thought to see together a... moreI also never thought to see a person Soooo much forward thinking can't read the next comment also.
          Hint : I posted two successive comments.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • f}x
            • 24 May 2017

            Umbrella, 24 May 2017GSMArena Low Light Tripod examination: "Winner: Sony Xpe... moreIf I were to carry a tripod everywhere at night I'd be better off with my canon EOS. Plus manual mode when many shots are blink and you Miss it type ones?

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              • AnonD-186803
              • 3ad
              • 24 May 2017

              ithehappy, 24 May 2017Agreed, in producing the worst images possibly could come o... moreOh do go away, you're tiresome. In GSM's own 3way head to head the Xperia was clearly winning against the S8 in good light, video, stabilisation and lowlight when stabilised. The only time the S8 beat the Premium in camera quality was handheld lowlight and there are ways around that (drop the XZP to 12mp and leave it in Manual).

              The shots with the U11,... it disappoints me in good light, if I'm honest. Nighttime is brilliant but daylight,... too much highlight clipping, detail levels not as high as expected. It's good but I'd take the XZP in daylight.

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                • AnonD-661543
                • auB
                • 24 May 2017

                AnonD-523334, 24 May 2017XZ Premium cant even beat original XZ. Lol. the new sensor ... moreIn low light and night xzp is much better than S8 and U11.
                plus xzp has better vedio record quality.

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                  • AnonD-523334
                  • 7k7
                  • 24 May 2017

                  AnonD-251354, 24 May 2017XZ Premium beat them allXZ Premium cant even beat original XZ. Lol. the new sensor is crap. though specs more suitable for low light photography compared to older 23mp sensor, practically its worse, and already proven.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • MvM
                    • 24 May 2017

                    Anonymous, 24 May 2017Nice bezels. Two words I never thought to see together a... moreSaphire glass is more shatter prone than regular glass the more scratch resistant something is the more brittle it is

                      ithehappy, 24 May 2017Agreed, in producing the worst images possibly could come o... moreGSMArena Low Light Tripod examination:

                      "Winner: Sony Xperia XZ Premium. When properly supported on a tripod and in Manual mode (it's basically shutter priority, but still), the Xperia is capable of producing excellent low-light shots with total detail levels unmatched by the other two. The G6 may resolve a tiny bit more on a per-pixel level when shot from the same spot, but walk a few steps to frame the same composition on the Xperia, and the G6's longer lens advantage disappears. The Galaxy S8 can't compete for detail, but it's also got the lowest noise. Just make sure you don't go slower than 1/4s because the heavier noise reduction eradicates all intricate detail."

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                        • AnonD-39937
                        • nD5
                        • 24 May 2017

                        S8 and U11 have 99% the same camera(same resolution, sensor size, aperture, pixel size, even same "Dual Pixel"/full sensor phase detection autofocus), the algorithm are a bit different.

                          AnonD-660652, 24 May 2017Eventually something is able to compete with Samsung in low... moreLook at xzp tropid sample they are beautiful better than s8, but handheld is sh*t because xzp does not have ois

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                            • AnonD-660652
                            • gK2
                            • 24 May 2017

                            SH.T, 24 May 2017Hey man, there were HTC 10 and pixel for that matter ... at leastThey weren't quite there. The closest competitors were lg V20, lg g6.

                              AnonD-251354, 24 May 2017XZ Premium beat them allAgreed, in producing the worst images possibly could come out from a mobile phone in 2017, in that price bracket, and much lower too. So keep that trolling of yours in Sony section only, where other premium trolls will be there to assist you, like one tried here too.

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                                • LLL
                                • PA7
                                • 24 May 2017

                                AnonD-152638, 24 May 2017That is the problem. GSMarena need to get a reference came... moreThanks a lot for your input :)

                                By the way, GSM Arena please test the HDR Boost too, that HTC's version of Google's HDR+, for the U11's full review.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • pVN
                                  • 24 May 2017

                                  AnonD-523334, 24 May 2017U11 wins, by a hair. BTW, I'm getting U11. firstly was un... moreNice bezels.

                                  Two words I never thought to see together again, especially in a tech site that people are supposed to be forward thinking.

                                  Basically implying that making a device bigger by adding useless space is a virtue.
                                  Much better virtue than merely fixing the broken aspect ratio of S8
                                  Or fixing palm rejection
                                  Or fixing the durability of the phone by using sth similar to sapphire glass
                                  (All very doable)

                                  No the solution is returning to fing bezels from the deep past.

                                  I'll never understand anti progress.

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                                    • Cod3rror
                                    • JbS
                                    • 24 May 2017

                                    I really don't like GSMArena's new image viewer. It's terrible.

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                                      • AnonD-600084
                                      • KZK
                                      • 24 May 2017

                                      Anonymous, 24 May 2017So I tested the XZ Premium against the U11, U11 had so much... moreIn slow motion ,you should make it in well light condition or outdoor,because it frame rate is too fast to expose on light,not only on xzp but for all device that have slow mo ability,

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • NHr
                                        • 24 May 2017

                                        AnonD-251354, 24 May 2017XZ Premium beat them allUnfortunately, the head to head tests and the polls here on gsma disagree with that statement...fight it as much as you want... majority rules. Well done Samsung and HTC.