Samsung Galaxy Note 9 features the second best phone camera, according to DxOMark

Even before the Galaxy Note 9 was released, it was widely believed that the smartphone would have one of the best cameras when compared to other handsets currently on the market. This is in part due to Samsung having a history of releasing flagships with best-in-class cameras. But now, according to DxOMark’s camera review, the Galaxy Note 9 only ranks second at 103 points, falling six points below the HUAWEI P20 Pro.

Before we start breaking down the Note 9’s points, keep in mind that DxOMark scores can be influenced and are not necessarily unbiased. While we don’t have any evidence that points to Samsung doing this, companies have paid DxOMark in the past to analyze their smartphone camera systems and suggest changes so that they could receive a higher ranking.

Read next: Best Android smartphone cameras

Starting with photo performance, the Galaxy Note 9 scored 107 points, besting the HTC U12 Plus but still falling short of the HUAWEI P20 Pro by several points. This ranking is based on several subtests that examine details such as exposure, contrast, color accuracy, autofocus, texture, noise, artifacts, and more.

You can see photo samples from DxOMark’s exposure and contrast test below.

Without going into too many details, DxOMark found the Note 9’s camera to feature a fantastic dynamic range under most lighting conditions, the zoom kept imagine quality up to 4x, excellent color accuracy, and bokeh that looked highly realistic. Unfortunately, the organization also notes that the camera occasionally had exposure inaccuracies, images tended to not always look the sharpest, and fine details disappeared when shooting in bright and dark locations.

Lastly, DxOMark also includes the phone’s video performance in its ranking. Coming in at 94 points, most of the organization’s notes are similar to those provided for photo quality. Some of the standout pros include an improved autofocus and tracking, the exposure updates nicely when faced with a change in lighting, and a good amount of image stabilization when moving. Some of the downsides included loss of details, chroma, and luminance in low-light situations.

One thing to note here at the end is that the Galaxy Note 9 might only have the second highest ranking according to DxoMark, but it’s the highest of any smartphone in markets like the U.S. where the HUAWEI P20 Pro isn’t sold. That technicality doesn’t give Samsung the crown for having the best smartphone camera, but, at the end of the day, it just shows that the Note 9 offers a fantastic camera that any smartphone buyer should be happy using.

What do you think about DxOMark scores? Do you ever base your decision to buy a smartphone based on its camera quality? Let us know by voting in this week’s poll.