200MP vs 1-inch - testing the best Android phones for photography

17 March 2023


Sort by:

Anonymous , 21 Mar 2023"The out-of-focus area on the main camera photos looks... moreThe first two photos included in your comment do not include any out-of-focus area - Everything within the frame exists on the same focal plane. What I can indeed spot, however, is the loss of acutance on the right side of the frame on S23U, where X90P captures better-defined details. The rest of your comment seems highly opinion-based as I have a completely opposite observation - I don't see any better shadow details on S23U's shot, and I don't find X90P's photo dull or blurry. Maybe you're getting the other way around? In case you didn't notice, the first photo is from S23U.

The next set of photos, again, are neither portrait shots nor show out-of-focus areas, and I don't understand why you keep bringing up those landscape shots when the section of my comment you quoted is obviously about something else. In terms of exposure, I would like to have something in-between as Vivo's shadows are a touch brighter than I prefer, while Samsung's are a bit too dark.

The next scene is even harder to distinguish (and AGAIN, no out-of-focus area that I was talking about) as there's only a subtle difference in noise level and tone mapping between the two. The dynamic range, the term you seem to use incorrectly here, is essentially identical on both, as neither of these phones shows clipped highlights nor crushed shadows. If anything I prefer the one from Vivo as it's just overall less noisy, especially towards the corners.

"I wonder what you made you believe that vivo was the best for portrait shoots!!! I felt it was rather the worst among the four. Your eyes need serious treatment"
I'll throw that insult straight back at you. If you prefer a red-magenta skin tone then be my guest, but I wouldn't let you edit any of my photos that contain people in their frames lol. The monitors I use to browse photos are both factory-calibrated, FYI.

The following samples do not show any "edge detection" or whatever the heck you're talking about because they both show a natural depth of field, which is inherently shallower on Vivo due to its larger physical aperture. Also, the level of details on the t-shirt is very much comperable between the two, it's just Vivo doesn't go overboard with boosting the microcontrast so it looks slightly hazier (albeit more natural).

Finally the low light photos:
"and the detail of brick was night and day better in s23u as well"
Ahh.. no? Are you sure you're seeing what I'm seeing, or straight up referring to wrong photos?

"The distant signs and letters were nicely visible on s23u as well"
Because those letters and signs are not included in the frame of Vivo's shot???

"other two examples where the vivo image was reddish."
Or you could argue that Samsung's images are greenish🤷

I think the biggest issue with your "analysis" is that your general understanding towards photography is simply all over the place. There's no "wrong" WB when you don't know what the actual scene is supposed to look like. Calling detailed photos "dull" and "blurry". Not understanding the term such as "out-of-focus area", the very term that you quoted from my comment, and heck, you couldn't even distinguish the natural depth of field of the lens from a software-synthesised gaussian blur and said Vivo has a worse edge detection based on a regular wide-angle headshot. I suggest you get an ILC with a nice prime lens, go touch some grass and take nice photos of nature and people, then you'll probably understand what other people and I are talking about in this comment section.

    Depends on what kind of photography, if we talk about auto AR ''enhanced'' one, in the future may be phones taking shots and using like pre saved hi res shots of grass to make it look more like from medium sensor... or your face, sun, clouds,... well, with AI it may be possible to even change clothes to the other, or nothing.
    Wow, I would surely enjoy this, besides the Pro option, AI art is dependent on model anyway, so it would still be quite original.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 3xx
      • 21 Mar 2023

      Very interested in this analysis. I always had doubts whether pixel binning 0.6 micrometers x 3 to 2.4 micrometers really generated better pictures than your standard 1.4 micrometers, because of the noise and the computer processing required. On the face of it, it seems to work.

        Best comparison is Galaxy S23 Ultra, iPhone 14 Pro Max, Xiaomi 13 Pro, Google Pixel 7 Pro :)

          Please do a follow up including the Pixel 7 Pro and latest iPhone

            Anonymous , 21 Mar 2023Vivo seems clearly superior to the S23Ultra Seriously ... morePlease have a look at the low light images: main camera and zoom camera.

            One of the most obvious examples of difference are the low light portrait shots with the zoom camera: here, the image of the Samsung S23 ultra literally falls apart and has substantially less detail and more noise compared with Vivo X90 pro output.

            So, it's not a joke that the vivo does have an advantage in quite a few shooting modes, most notably in low light and in particular with the zoom camera.

            That doesn't mean that the 90pro is overall a better phone. We are talking specifically about camera results. And if one does not need Samsung's 10x optical zoom, the 90pro will provide better imaging results in plenty of shooting scenarios.

              • A
              • Anonymous
              • XSs
              • 21 Mar 2023

              Nick Tegrataker, 20 Mar 2023The out-of-focus area on the main camera photos looks signi... more"The out-of-focus area on the main camera photos looks significantly noisier and busier on S23 Ultra."
              It is the other way around otherwise your eyes got problems. https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_001.jpg
              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_002.jpg
              Out of two samples, the vivo was worse. The photo looks dull, soft, and blurry. The shadow detail was wholly better in s23u so was the dynamic range. Brightness balance was bad in vivo as well.

              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_009.jpg
              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_010.jpg

              Another sample where vivo was just brightened everything up thus the white balance was subpar. Even with it vivo image was blurry in far objects like leaves.

              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_022.jpg
              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_022.jpg

              Here's another sample, where Vivo's i.e. Chinese phone's inconsistency was shown. The image was dull and out of white balance. The dynamic range of s23u isn't even a competition for Chinese counterparts.


              the portrait shot is better exposed on X90 Pro, too. I don't think there's even a comparison here - Vivo wins hands down.

              I wonder what you made you believe that vivo was the best for portrait shoots!!! I felt it was rather the worst among the four. Your eyes need serious treatment.

              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023//camera/gsmarena_300.jpg

              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023//camera/gsmarena_301.jpg

              Just look at these samples, I don't know if you got any good monitors lol. I doubt that very much because your opinion was total bs.
              Everything was grainy and out of white balanced in vivo. The color and detail of the t-shirt were so bad. The sky was blown out. And about edge detection, any chinese toys weren't even a competitor of s23u.
              https://www.gsmarena.com/best_android_phone_for_photography-review-2541p4.php#image48
              https://www.gsmarena.com/best_android_phone_for_photography-review-2541p4.php#image49

              another two samples. Just look at the edge detection hair in vivo. Too bad to even compare.

              "As for the low light scene you mentioned, X90 Pro captures a significantly cleaner image without losing details in the deepest shadows."

              Either you don't know what you're talking about or you're just lying.
              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_110.jpg
              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_109.jpg

              Go check the signboard area, detail in vivo was poor and blurry, and the detail of brick was night and day better in s23u as well, also the white balance in vivo was bad as well. The distant signs and letters were nicely visible on s23u as well.

              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_117.jpg
              https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/the-big-camera-shootout-q1-2023/camera/gsmarena_118.jpg

              other two examples where the vivo image was reddish.

              You are the biggest hypocrite here in the face of a nice guy.

                • A
                • Anonymous
                • XSs
                • 21 Mar 2023

                Ottonis, 20 Mar 2023Your assessment is spot on! Vivo seems clearly superior to... moreVivo seems clearly superior to the S23Ultra


                Seriously jokes can't be better than this

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • SgF
                  • 21 Mar 2023

                  This test is flawed and usless as a hardware comparison as the title suggests when you didn't shoot RAW.
                  You didn't test the hardware but the (cheating) software that especially Samsung uses.

                  Please repeat with RAW.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • gNf
                    • 21 Mar 2023

                    Samsung still excessively over sharpening, it's really stupid

                      It feels like the S23U gets every shot perfect, almost a bit too perfect, and a bit too consistent in quality. Instagramers will welcome this sort of perfection that's for sure.

                      The 1in sensor phones have a certain imperfection to their photos, but it's a kind of natural imperfection that you'd find even on a DSLR/mirrorless. And also, there is a sort of personality to the photos shot with the 1in sensor compared to Samsung's formulaic image processing. This shows up more in the low-light indoor shots.

                      Basically, when I see Samsung photos, I always think of the typical photos shared on social media by your typical socialite: it's always perfect, no flaws. They are the type of photos you'd admire for its superficial quality (e.g. "Your photo looks so clean!").

                      But when I see those photos taken on the Vivo & Xiaomi, it feels more photographic rather than "social media-like", if I could even use such an adjective. They are the type of photos you'd admire for its beauty (e.g. "That photo is such a masterpiece!").

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • ije
                        • 20 Mar 2023

                        Nokia x30 next time please

                          Gnusmas, 18 Mar 2023I prefer Samsung and Xiaomi, VIvo overexposes the image a b... moreMan i'm using X60 for past two years.. Didn't felt any over exposing.. First of all try it then comment ur opinions..

                            • Z
                            • Zakir
                            • vFH
                            • 20 Mar 2023

                            Great reviews. Vivo x90pro seems better camera and price is also low compare to Samsung s23 or iPhone. Thanks

                              Ottonis, 20 Mar 2023Terrific review - well done, gsmarena, well done! It'... moreI agree was very interesting and insightful review.

                              In reality any modern flagship phone camera will give you atleast good quality photos/videos but the imx 989 seems to be the overall top dog as a main sensor.

                              I still say the huawei p40 pro has some of the best sensors all round on a phone even now and its a 2020 device (atleast on par/beat my last phone which was the pixel 6 pro in basically all situations and was far more consistent in difficult situations). I think only the mi 11 ultra and this imx 989 that are larger than its main srnsor.

                              The vivo x90 pro+ seems to be the go to if you want a phone with the most potential from shots (until the likes of oppo releasing the x60 pro atleast and see how that performs) but samsung is just an overall very consistent shooter and easier point and click.

                              Id personally have either the vivo or xiaomi, overall better packages includong phone hardware/features (imo) but I'd honestly snap up the oppo find x6 pro on release (if it was globally available). Oppo and oneplus offer 4 years of updates and 5 yesrs of security patches, my fimd x5 gets monthly updates and was one of the 1st on android 13 so chinese brands are starting to offer longer software support and oppo atleast can be bought at reputable vendors (in the uk atleast).

                              Be nice to have all round competition in all markets and hopefully the industry settles a bit and we start seeing flagships starting with lower price points again, biggest gripe is people will not pay thw same for a not very well known, chinese brand vs well represented, easily available devices from samsung and apple (most of my mates have never heard of oppo before)

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • mj@
                                • 20 Mar 2023

                                Very nice review. Thank you very much for your efforts. Gladly more of it!

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 0@x
                                  • 20 Mar 2023

                                  Anyway, using s23u with gcam is totally another game. Is unbelievable how bad is Samsung stock camera

                                    Nick Tegrataker, 20 Mar 2023The out-of-focus area on the main camera photos looks signi... moreYour assessment is spot on! Vivo seems clearly superior to the S23Ultra, just as you described.
                                    That being said, one of the peculiarities of cameraphone photography (in stark contrast to traditional mirrorless cameras or DSLRS) is a subpar consistency between different shots: A given cameraphone may absolutely nail one scene in terms of exposure, color, texture etc and miserably fail at the next, slightly different shot.
                                    So, there is definitely some inherent inter-shot variability, most probably akin to the high amount of computational photography processing that sometimes "catches" a scene better or worse, depending on a myriad of poorly predictable factors.

                                    Even this review addresses this issue by stating that some of the scenes were captured better than others by the same phone.

                                    I am still using a fairly "old" cameraphone from 2019, but I manage to get best possible shots out from it (during family gatherings or parties, sports events etc), almost always people ask me for my pictures ("your phone makes so nice photos"). However, one of the reasons for this is that I learned, how this cameraphone behaves in different lighting and shooting conditions; I can pretty well predict, when the AF is going to struggle and when not; or when the picture will get blurry or not. You need to know your tools and only then one can make best possible use of them.
                                    So, I guess, that in the hands of someone how got very familiar with the pros and cons of it, might get better or more consistent results from the Sammsung phone than someone unexperienced from the Vivo X90pro.

                                      Terrific review - well done, gsmarena, well done!
                                      It's this kind of reviews that has made and kept GSMarena one of my favourite smartphone (and cameraphones in particular) review site.

                                      Interestingly, over the past half decade Vivo has accumulated a lot of refinement on their camera system; Even dpreview proclaimed the Vivo X60+ their favourite cameraphone a couple of years ago - and this had a much inferior main sensor when compared to their current flagship.

                                      And honestly, if I had to choose between a photographically great 50 mm zoom and a mediocre 75mm or 90 mm zoom, I would prefer the option that allows for higher quality. I only wish vivo had taken this approach one nod further and used an even bigger sensor with their zoom lens. A sensor size of 1/2.4" is still fairly small and limiting, even though it seems to beat the competition in terms of IQ.

                                      After all, the Chinese brands need to take a lesson from Samsung and substantially improve global availabilty (as of now, neither the Xiaomi 13 Pro nor the Vivo X90 pro are available through amazon or in electronic stores in some of the biggest western/central European countries) and sustainability: To my knowledge, Samsung is the vendor to provide the longest update/software support (I think it was 4 or even 5 years) compared with Xiaomi/Vivo.

                                      So, even if I were to purchase a non-Samsung cameraphone right now, I probabily couldn't do that without resorting to grey market or other dubious channels, And I would have to accept fairly limited software support - let alone hardware support in case the phone needs repair.

                                      And that's why I still stick with my venerable P30 pro which still takes great photos, despite being outdated in terms of sheer sensor size and performance. BTW: It still gets regular security updates despite being a phone from 2019.

                                        B52, 20 Mar 2023No way! Just look at the bokeh daytime photos on both. ... moreThe out-of-focus area on the main camera photos looks significantly noisier and busier on S23 Ultra, the portrait shot is better exposed on X90 Pro, too. I don't think there's even a comparison here - Vivo wins hands down.

                                        As for the low light scene you mentioned, X90 Pro captures a significantly cleaner image without losing details in the deepest shadows, which is especially evident towards the corners of the frame. S23 Ultra blows out the highlights and is a lot noisier for no particular reason. The gap widens when they use the night mode on both phones, where S23 Ultra simply oversharpens everything and fails to capture ANY highlights, which in turn results in a worse image quality than when the regular auto mode is being used. I think it's evident in this comparison that there's something seriously wrong with the way Samsung handles details and exposures.