Camera Shootout: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 v Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Camera Shootout: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 v Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Though Apple's iPhone has long been known for having one of the best cameras among smartphone devices, the truth is that the company has been using pretty much the same 8MP camera sensor on its last three iPhones.

While Samsung has done all it can to improve camera performance on its smartphones, from dialing up the megapixel count to adding a slew of enhancements features, most of these features have been dubbed as gimmicky and serve no real world purpose.

But with the cameras on the new flagship devices from both companies, Samsung has shown that it can do more. Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Apple iPhone 6 Plus are the best devices that both companies have to offer, and share many similarities. Both are phablets with metallic frames, and offer the best processor in the market.

The 16MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has been stripped of most of its extras, and comes with optical image stabalization (OIS). The 8MP camera on Apple's iPhone 6 Plus comes with OIS and phase detection autofocus, to speed up camera focus.

In a shootout, the results were surprising. Software improvements that enhance the performance of the hardware can only do so much and with the latest 16MP on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the Korean tech giant is showing that it is capable of matching Apple on the camera software front, while offering better quality hardware to consumers.

While it might seem unfair to compare an 8MP camera and a 16MP one, both theses lenses represent the very best that each company has deemed worthy for their respective flagship devices. The following shots were taken concurrently where possible, or directly one after another.

Both cameras were placed on their default automatic settings, with the flash turned off. The HDR modes on both devices were also turned off.

Photos were also taken from the same position. Due to the wider lens on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, more objects can fit into the frame. In all comparison shots, the photos taken with the Samsung galaxy Note 4 are placed on the left, while shots by the iPhone 6 Plus are placed on the right.

Camera Specifications:

Apple iPhone 6 Plus:
8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash Focal Length: 29mm equivalent

Samsung Galaxy Note 4:
16 MP, 3456 x 4608 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash Focal lenth: 31mm equivalent

PHOTO 1

This was taken at about noon in New York City. Both shots provide a great image of the building across the road.

Both images have the wrong tone for the sky though. It is not as pale as shown on the Note 4, but it is not as blue looking as on the 6 Plus. On the photo taken by the 6 Plus, the brown building on the left hand side looks more pale, compared to the rich brown on the photo taken by the Note 4. When it comes to the details of the building, and of the ground and all around, the shot taken by the Note 4 is the better one.

PHOTO 2

In both shots, the colours are almost identical, due to the dim yellow lighting in the room. In the shot taken by the Note 4, details on the lettuce are more obvious. The green of the lettuce is also more vibrant and the texture on the burger bun is also more realistic looking, as opposed to the one on the 6 Plus.

Greater detail can also been seen on the oily reflection on the slice of cheese on the burger taken by the Note 4. Due to the shorter focal length 6 Plus, the fries in the background are in greater focus on the right.

PHOTO 3

Both photos look excellent here, with a closer depiction of the colour of the sky that afternoon. The devil is in the details and if you zoom in, you can see more details on the photo taken by the Galaxy Note 4.

If you zoom in on the street sign, you can tell that it is the junction of Columbus and 64th Street. On the photo taken by the iPhone 6 Plus, the names are not as clear.

Photo 4

This is not a photo one would usually attempt to take with any camera. The sun is directly overhead and there is sunlight bearing down on both cameras. Objects in the foreground look the same, with dark shadows cast upon them. In the background, the towering One57 building stands out and on the photo taken with the Galaxy Note 4, there seems to be a blue hue that stretches across the top of the buildings, giving the final image a much paler tone.

With the iPhone 6 Plus, the blue hue is there, but only on the upper floors of the One57 building. However, the parts of the sky not blocked by clouds look much darker, as if a storm is coming.

Photo 5

In this night shot, the billboards on Times Square are more detailed in the photo taken by the Galaxy Note 4. The yellow colour on signboard for The Lion King is deeper in intensity, although there is a reddish hue that envelops a wider area of the shot. With the 6 Plus, the colours are warmer.

Photo 6

Both these shots were taken in burst mode and the photo on the Note 4 is more akin to the scene in the actual room that afternoon. Sunlight was streaming in from the large windows to the left and the camera even picked up the outline of the window pane on the corner of the floor and wall.

On the photo by the 6 Plus, that same spot of light looks more like a burst of sunlight shining on a spot, as opposed to being a well-defined spot on the wall. The tweaks to the photo by Apple's software produced a warmer looking photo.

Photo 7

Both these shots were taken in burst mode. The dancer is moving slowly, with yellow smoke billowing from the bottom right corner. Details in both photos are amazing, especially with the shadows made by the railings on the white wall in the background.

Depending on how much enhancements you prefer, the red bodysuit on the dancer pops out more on the image taken by the Note 4.

The camera is also able to better distinguish the white wall and the yellow smoke that is floating in front of it. On the other hand, the wall and the red leggings on the dancer seem to have taken a yellow hue with the image taken by the 6 Plus.

Photo 8

In this indoor shot, the shot by the iPhone 6 Plus offers a more realistic image, due to the proper white balance in the shot. The wrapper used to hold the fries and buffalo wings is actually white, and not yellow in colour. While this shot in taken indoors with fluorescent lighting, there was natural light flowing in from several large windows about three meters to my left, which the 6 Plus was capable of catching.

That said, the wings are actually a darker shade of brown and the photo on the Note 4 produced a closer match than that of the 6 Plus, which made the wings look more yellow. Both companies are known to have camera software that tweak images and in this case, the iPhone 6 Plus offers a more balanced image.

Photo 9

In this final image, the red from the strawberries and grapes just pop out from the photo taken by the Note 4. With the photo taken by the 6 Plus, the fruits look a tad darker than normal.

The strawberry achenes (yellow seed-like objects on the skin) also stand out more in the photo on the left. On the photo on the 6 Plus, the fruits look like they are overripe and about to turn bad.

Closing thoughts:

While the iPhone 6 Plus has an amazing camera, its performance is now closely matched, if not surpassed by the Galaxy Note 4. And when it comes to the finer details, the Galaxy Note 4 trumps the 6 Plus.

That said, the camera on the iPhone has a better burst mode. With the Note 4, users can only snap 30 shots in burst mode. With the 6 Plus, there is no upper limit with regards to the number of shots it is capable of shooting in burst mode and a user can theoretically fill the iPhone's memory with one long continuous burst shot.

The Galaxy Note 4 offers 4K video recording through, which is sharper than the Full HD recording on the iPhone 6 Plus. Even if you are not convinced by this round of comparison shots, there is no denying that Apple has done all it can with an 8MP sensor. Samsung will definitely improve image quality with its next phone, and Apple will have to junk its 8MP sensor if it hopes to compete.

sherwinl@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on Oct 16, 2014.
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