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Samsung Galaxy S5 has the best smartphone camera, according to DxOMark
We were quite impressed with Samsung’s new Isocell image sensor found the Galaxy S5, and DxOMark seems to agree. After finally finishing its comprehensive evaluation of the Galaxy S5’s camera, DxOMark has awarded the smartphone the highest score that it has awarded to any smartphone to date.
DxOMark’s score is calculated from a rather extensive list of tests, including, noise, exposure, artifacts, color, and autofocus, for both photography and video capabilities. According to the results, the Galaxy S5’s camera scored 80/100, and was praised for its great exposure, white balance, and color rendering in good lighting conditions. As is typical with smartphone cameras, the Galaxy S5 suffers from higher noise and a loss of detail in low-light conditions. Overall, the tests suggest that the Galaxy S5 is a decent improvement over the Galaxy S4, and a score of 80 means that Samsung’s flagship shares the top spot for photography with the Sony Xperia Z2.
When it comes to video, the Galaxy S5 offers up by far the best in its class, with a score of 79/100, compared with the Xperia Z2’s second highest score of 73. Quick and accurate autofocus and detailed textures helps the Galaxy S5 to excel in the video category, although low lighting conditions can again cause a little bit of trouble when it comes to color reproduction.
For the sake of interest, here’s a list of DxOMark scores for the current top 10 highest performing flagship smartphones. Interestingly in these tests, the very best Android flagship handsets even manage to surpass the praised Nokia Lumia range.
| Handset | DxOMark Score | Image Quality | Video Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handset Samsung Galaxy S5 | DxOMark Score 79 | Image Quality 80 | Video Quality 79 |
| Handset Sony Xperia Z2 | DxOMark Score 79 | Image Quality 80 | Video Quality 73 |
| Handset Nokia 808 Pureview | DxOMark Score 77 | Image Quality 81 | Video Quality 68 |
| Handset iPhone 5S | DxOMark Score 76 | Image Quality 78 | Video Quality 72 |
| Handset Sony Xperia Z1 | DxOMark Score 76 | Image Quality 77 | Video Quality 74 |
| Handset Samsung Galaxy S4 | DxOMark Score 75 | Image Quality 79 | Video Quality 68 |
| Handset Nokia Lumia 1020 | DxOMark Score 74 | Image Quality 79 | Video Quality 64 |
| Handset LG G2 | DxOMark Score 73 | Image Quality 77 | Video Quality 64 |
| Handset Nokia Lumia 925 | DxOMark Score 73 | Image Quality 75 | Video Quality 69 |
| Handset iPhone 5 | DxOMark Score 72 | Image Quality 74 | Video Quality 70 |
If you would like a more detailed look at how DxOMark comes up with its scores, and how the handsets performed in each of the test, you can find the Galaxy S5 test here, and a list of results for mobile devices here.
DXOMark hasn’t yet put together its tests for the new LG G3, which is also sporting an improved camera, and there’s no mention of the HTCOne M8 yet either, although the ultrapixel camera doesn’t appear to have improved much from the so-so original HTCOne.
What do you make of these results? Are you impressed by the Galaxy S5’s performance?