Galaxy S9 vs. Xperia XZ2 shootout

02 April 2018
Samsung has the Plus, Sony has the Compact, but the two companies see the base size differently. It's these regular versions that we'll now be taking a closer look at - this is the Galaxy S9 versus Xperia XZ2 camera comparison.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • LQv
  • 03 Apr 2018

Bokeh of s9 is ridiculous. Looks like cam was on the move.
His face has more blur than background.

    Anonymous, 02 Apr 2018I hope GSMArena performs a super shootout before Xmas. ... morePlease include upcoming Mate 20 (or whatever name it ends up with) as well

      Slayer, 02 Apr 2018Neither phone is particularly impressive but Sony is a mess!Sony wins without a doubt because:

      1. It was not a fair setting to use XZ2 at 19mp while S9 at 12mp.
      2. Sony uses different camera processing (and lenses) for non-zoomed/zoomed shots and other different situations as the mp rates and/or manual iso. The auto scene selection is not a big deal.
      3. Sony have better results at higher iso with EIS than S9 with higher aperture and OIS.
      4. Front camera has options in Api2 mode that can change its sharpness, contrast and colors. Some third party apps have the option to switch between the Api2 On/Off and Forced modes that can substantially change quality of results of stock camera shown in this review.
      5. Sony did it best regarding overall quality and settings and the secret is to use always the second highest mp rate for best results.
      6. Sony videos came out better with HDR compared to S9.
      7. Surely in the nearest future the camera module will be upgraded. Sony did the same from Z1/Z2 flagships.
      8. XZ2 comes with almost 100$ cheaper than S9 - at least in my country.

        Ellio74, 02 Apr 2018I guess the focus was made on the plant. So the fridge hand... moreDear Community, I rest my case.
        Ciao

          Panino Manino, 02 Apr 2018I'll ask you a question, please be honest with me. Look th... moreI guess the focus was made on the plant. So the fridge handle, the corners of the wall, the coffee machine and the floor are a little out of focus to begin with. This and the noise makes it looking quite strange on the XZ2. And don't forget that in this scenario, the S9 has a wider depth of field with its narrower aperture, leading to less blur.
          But if you're talking about details I can see some little things on the leaves that aren't even on the S9 shot.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • LQv
            • 02 Apr 2018

            LG Superfan, 02 Apr 2018Can you please explain it againDepth of Field is notion you have that how far the background is from main subject.

            Example : you are in front of your house and ask someone to take a pic of you. If cam has f2.0, your house seems to be closer to you compared to f1.7.

            All this is not just how much light goes inside the sensor. It is the reason the bokeh effect is used by narrower lenses and smaller aperture like f2.4 or f2.8.

            A bigger sensor with f2.0 can catch more light than a smaller sensor with larger aperture. It is amout of light per unit of area.

            F1.5 , f1.6 for small sensors are useless.



              • S
              • Slayer
              • nFL
              • 02 Apr 2018

              Neither phone is particularly impressive but Sony is a mess!

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • LQv
                • 02 Apr 2018

                I hope GSMArena performs a super shootout before Xmas.

                Pixel 3 XL, U12, XZ2 Premium and Note 9

                Iphone 9 and v40 dont deserve to be included. They are not good, just ugly

                  Lol, Sony camera is so bad both at day and at night. If I had to pick one of these two, I'd pick the Galaxy.

                    Ellio74, 02 Apr 2018You find it oversharpened, but I just see noise and not a l... moreI'll ask you a question, please be honest with me.
                    Look the very first photo, use that tool to see them side by side.
                    Look at the fridge's handle.
                    Look at the flood on the right and the corners of the walls.
                    Look at that escher doll.
                    Look at the coffee machine on the left corner.
                    Now tell me sincerely, do you really like the way the Xperia process the details?
                    Do you really believe that all that dithering artifacts and the inability to show a smooth contour and represent shadows makes the photos better?

                      Anonymous, 02 Apr 2018Because the aperture f is not only about light that goes in... moreCan you please explain it again

                        If only sony use brighter lens (f1.8 should be pretty good) and OIS

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • LQv
                          • 02 Apr 2018

                          vrvly, 02 Apr 2018True, samsung uses f2.4 and still less noise than sony with... moreOf course photos of higher res will always have more noise.
                          No matter brand.

                            Ellio74, 02 Apr 2018Some say the XZ2 uses stacking. AIS from Huawei is somethi... moreTrue, samsung uses f2.4 and still less noise than sony with f2, and sony works with better and larger sensor.

                              • A
                              • Aim
                              • mkc
                              • 02 Apr 2018

                              IQLogic, 02 Apr 2018Lol Sony :D These pics are terrible, amount of noise is rid... moreIt doesn't matter how good is the UI camera when the sensors in those phones are 1-1.12 µm crap.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 0CX
                                • 02 Apr 2018

                                DroidBoye, 02 Apr 2018We could say that Sony would be good when you have a tripod... moreHow exactly do you think that Samsung wins overall as a phone? The XZ2 has a better battery life, closer to stock Android software, better update policy, integrated digital noise cancellation, the interesting haptic audio enhancer, battery care for battery longevity... And I may be forgetting a few things. All that Samsung has is a bit better hardware design (like smaller bezels and thinner body). I cannot even give to Samsung plus points for the AMOLED screen because it doesn't do much more (it has deeper blacks, but it has stronger white balance shift on angle and it doesn't look all that black when switched off).
                                I think there is a general perception that Samsung must be better than Sony, but objectively I can't see how, now that the cameras seem to be on par.

                                  Lol Sony :D These pics are terrible, amount of noise is ridiculous ...
                                  And manual mode in Samsung is complete joke. LG G6 or V30 have way better UI of camera app

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • vjw
                                    • 02 Apr 2018

                                    Anonymous, 02 Apr 2018I don't believe that without OIS, you can consistently get ... more*slow shutter speeds

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • vjw
                                      • 02 Apr 2018

                                      Tann Hauser, 02 Apr 2018Nope, you can easily shoot at 1/8 s shutter on Xperia by ha... moreI don't believe that without OIS, you can consistently get sharp images at such low shutter speeds. The safe cutoff is 1/25 s (25mm being the focal length). Anything slower than that, you risk the effect of camera shake.

                                        Panino Manino, 02 Apr 2018"Take a look at the clock in the daylight shots and it is c... moreYou find it oversharpened, but I just see noise and not a lot of it on the clock, it is also darker.
                                        Camera processing is all about compromises: noise helps for details, noise reduction leads to less details. These two cases are shown here.

                                        Ok, I understood, it is possible to add sharpening, contrast, and everything you want in a photo. Here we're talking about what the phones are capable of, not hypothetical added post processing.

                                        I also understood that the Xperia processing isn't the right one for you, but saying it is "a waste of hardware" isn't the true story.
                                        I don't like how the S9 images are softer and how sometimes it is possible to notice the multi-staking traces but it is still a great snapper for example.

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