Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra's selfie camera ties for second in DxOMark's tests

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is tied for second in DxOMark’s selfie camera tests. With a score of 100, it is three points behind the Huawei P40 Pro and even with the Huawei nova 6 5G. The Ultra is only a point ahead of the Galaxy Note10+ 5G, despite much improved hardware (which suggests that the software needs tuning).

The Galaxy S20 Ultra has a unique front camera in the line-up with a large 1/2.65” sensor with 40MP resolution (0.7µm pixels) and a Quad Bayer filter. This camera operates in two modes – with 32mm focal length when shooting selfies of just yourself (outputting 6.5MP images) and 25mm for selfies with two or more people or when recording videos (outputting 10MP photos and up to 4K/60fps videos).

The change in focal length is achieved with a simple crop and simulates having two cameras on the front (but without the need for dual punch holes).

The photo score of 104 places the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra in third place in that category, behind the two Huaweis. Detail, noise levels, exposure, dynamic range and bokeh rendering are all excellent.

The Phase Detection autofocus proved reliable at keeping your handsome mug in focus at different distances. The S10+ had a depth sensor, but it’s absence hasn’t affected the phone’s ability to render shallow depths of field.

Where the Ultra falls short from the top is the color balance, with inaccurate skin tones in some scenarios and a tinted white balance. Selfies using the screen flash could have been better too, reports the team at DxOMark.

The selfie camera perform better in the video tests, earning a score of 95 – matching the P40 Pro and a couple of points ahead of the nova 6. The PDAF was found to be sluggish in some cases and the color rendering is again not quite perfect, but for the most part, the phone is produces videos with excellent video quality.

Read the full DxOMark review of Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra’s selfie camera for more details on what it gets right and the areas it needs to improve if it wants to beat the Huawei offerings. The phone’s rear camera was tested as well, but it only landed in 6th place (the video capture let it down).