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Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus scores 99 on DxOMark, for what it's worth
The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus photo and video capabilities have been awarded a score of 99 by DxOMark, making it the best smartphone camera the website has reviewed.
The Galaxy S9 Plus takes the top spot from the Google Pixel 2, which has a score of 98, while the iPhone X is pushed to third with a score of 97 (note DxOMark’s scoring system is not on a 100-point scale).
The S9 Plus features a dual-12 MP + 12 MP rear camera: one with a 1/2.55″ sensor and f/1.5 / f/2.4 variable aperture lens and one with a 1/3.6″ sensor and f/2.4 aperture lens. The front camera comes in at 8 MP and includes a 1/3.6″ sensor and f/1.7 aperture lens.
The S9 Plus’ photos scored particularly well in the areas of “exposure and contrast” and “autofocus” – the latter of which is apparently the best DxOMark has ever tested, alongside other ‘best ever’ results in the “zoom” and “texture” categories. It was, however, let down by its “artifacts” “flash” and “Bokeh” effect, by comparison to its competitors.
While not quite as strong, its video performance was still considerably high, with vivid colors, good noise reduction and effective stabilization being named as highlights.
Note that, while the Galaxy S9 hasn’t yet been reviewed by the site, its results won’t be the same as the S9 Plus’ because it has a different camera setup (it has only a single 12 MP rear camera—which may mean it performs worse in some scenarios).
As we’ve talked about before, DxOMark scores shouldn’t be taken as the last word on smartphone photography. Manufacturers are able to purposefully engineer their camera technology to perform stronger in DxOMark’s tests for a higher score ranking, and the company itself offers paid-for consultancy on smartphone camera tech.
None of that is to say that manufacturers or DxOMark do anything untoward, and the tests are nothing if not exhaustive. The relationship between DxOMark and OEMs should be noted, though.
What are your thoughts on the results? Let me know in the comments.