DxOMark has become a name to reckon with when it comes to independent camera reviews, and their ‘independent review’ of the just recently released Samsung Galaxy S9+ has just been released.
According to DxOMark, the Galaxy S9+ is currently the best camera phone on the market. The new phone ousted Google Pixel 2, which was previously the best camera phone in the market since October 2017.
There is little doubt the DxOMark ratings of the Google Pixel 2 gave the phone a much needed boost following a troubled launch. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ has now dethroned it as it has received the highest ratings yet by DxOMark.
The Galaxy S9+ has an overall score of 99 points, one point higher than the Google Pixel 2, and two points more than Apple’s iPhone X. DxOMark awards a cumulative score made up of a variety of subscores, but just to be clear, the scores are not out of 100. It is not like DxOMark is saying the Galaxy S9+ has a near-perfect camera; which is just one point less of being perfect.
“The overall score is not a weighted sum of the sub-scores. It is a proprietary and confidential mapping of sub-scores into a combined score. The overall score is also not capped at 100. That just happens to be where some of the best devices are currently,” says DxOMark.
According to DxOMark, the Galaxy S9+ scores highly under the following subscores:
Noise is very well-controlled in all conditions
Fairly good detail in outdoor and indoor shooting conditions
Quite fast and accurate autofocus
Bright and vivid colors in most situations
Excellent resolution when zooming up to 4x magnification
While it is a fact that according to DxOMark, the Galaxy 9+ has a better camera than the Pixel 2. That in itself does not mean it is bad news for Google and good news to Samsung, the difference between the two is just one point, which may not be so compelling make consumers switch sides.
The Galaxy S9+ camera is not flawless
DxOMark says that the phone has some few shortcomings. For one, the video quality is said to be wanting, especially when you compare the footage to its photo capabilities. DxOMark says the phone struggles with shooting fine video details.
Nonetheless, DxOMark says the phone is still among the best camera phones they have had the pleasure of testing. Although the Pixel 2 performs better in this score than the Galaxy S9+.
What about the Samsung Galaxy S9?
You must be wondering about the smaller brother, the Galaxy S9. Well, DxOMark gives it good ratings as well, just not as good as its bigger brother. That means you should be more than okay taking the S9 out on a ride on your shooting spree (no drive-by of course).
The biggest difference between the S9 and S9+ is their rear camera. While the S9+ has a telephoto secondary lens attributed to its optical zoom and bokeh scores. However, those features are too impressive even though they beat Pixel 2’s zoom and bokeh scores, and only beats in iPhone X only in the zoom score.
That is not to say the Samsung Galaxy S9+ is the king of camera phones; we will still need more third party reviewers (who are independent) and perhaps calculate the average and then issue a verdict.