Samsung Galaxy S7 takes on the iPhone 6s in a camera shoot-out (Video)

Samsung has been keen to point out that its Galaxy S7 flagship features an all new image sensor, boasting superior low light shots and super-fast auto focusing. But there’s already quite a bit of choice when it comes to smartphone cameras and the real test is to see how they perform head to head. YouTuber SuperSaf has managed to grab the handset a little early and has taken the phone out alongside the Apple iPhone 6S and the 6S Plus for a quick camera shootout.

For a quick recap of the specs, the Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a 12 megapixel rear camera with Phase Detection autofocus (PDAF), OIS, an f/1.7 aperture, and 1.4 µm pixels. The iPhone 6s features a 12 megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF autofocus, and 1.22µm sized pixels. The iPhone 6s Plus uses the same camera but with optical image stabilization added in, to keep a fair comparison with the Galaxy S7’s capabilities. All of the phones feature 5 megapixel front cameras, but there’s an f/1.7 aperture with the Galaxy S7 against an f/2.2 aperture with the iPhone.

I highly recommend checking out the video to take a look at the snaps yourself, but here’s the summary. Despite lowering the rear sensor’s resolution, the Galaxy S7 manages to capture some great details when looking at 100% crops, and those larger sensor pixels really help the colors pop out compared to the iPhone 6s. These pixels again come into play in lower lighting situations, with the Galaxy S7 displaying notably less noise and producing much brighter images with more detail. There is also greater contrast, dynamic range, and much more crisp looking images produced by the Galaxy S7’s front facing camera.

The video also shows off just how impressively fast the Galaxy S7’s dual-pixel autofocus technology, which makes use of every pixel in the image sensor, really is. It looks to be pretty much instantaneous, even in indoor lighting conditions. There’s also another look at the handset’s 720p 240fps slow motion video capture, this time with a nice looking water splash.

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We will certainly be taking our own look at the Galaxy S7’s camera performance in due course, but the initial impressions are certainly positive. Especially when it comes to low light performance, a typical weak spot for smartphones. What do you think about the comparison?