DxOMark, currently the industry standard in testing smartphone cameras, has named the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge as the smartphone with the best camera.
With an average score of 86 out of 100, Samsung's curved display flagship handset beat out the iPhone 6 Plus, previously hailed by DxOMark as the king of smartphone cameras.
The S6 Edge topped the charts in both the photo and video tests, scoring 88 in the photo test and edging out the iPhone 6 Plus' 84, and garnering 84 points in the video test compared to the Apple device's 79.
The iPhone 6 Plus is actually the third-best smartphone camera, according to DxOMark's tests. Another much less hyped Samsung smartphone, the massive Galaxy Note 4 takes the No. 2 spot with an average score of 83. This is followed close behind by the iPhone 6, with a score of 82. And rounding out the top five is the Samsung Galaxy S5.
The S6 Edge performed particularly well in its photo test, where the 16-megapixel camera sensor with its f/1.9 aperture showed good exposure, fast autofocus, and very fine detail with not much noise when shooting in bright light. The camera also has an ability to retain a good level of detail even in low-light conditions while maintaining "nice" white balance and colors outdoors. DxOMark also commends the S6 Edge's shooter's flash-only photos, which have good detail, low noise levels, accurate white balance, and good color.
The video test also showed impressive results. DxOMark commends the phone's ability to produce fine detail while reducing noise in both low-light and bright-light conditions. The S6 Edge's camera is also touted for its good exposure, white balance, and color.
However, the camera is still 14 points far from perfect, and DxOMark notes that the S6 Edge could be improved by minimizing the noise in low-light shots and the slight color fringing. Mixing flash and tungsten light also results in slightly yellow/green white balance. In the video test, the camera produced slight flare in bright light and slight color shading in low light.
The biggest flaw is found in optical image stabilization, where DxOMark says there's a strong Jell-o effect, or a noticeable shaking, when shooting videos while moving. The S6 Edge scored a very low 56 in optical image stabilization, well below the 90s and 80s it scored in other categories.
DxOMark has yet to put the Galaxy S6 to the test, but since sports a similar camera as the S6 Edge, it is likely that the S6 will get similar results.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
