Contents
- 1 What is a camera blind test anyway? And how does it work?
- 2 Scene 1: artificial light, main camera (1x)
- 3 Which picture do you like best?
- 4 Scene 2: Tungsten light, 2x zoom
- 5 Which picture do you like best?
- 6 Scene 3: Portrait in daylight, 3x zoom
- 7 Which picture do you like best?
- 8 Scene 4: Portrait at twilight, 3x zoom
- 9 Which picture do you like best?
- 10 Scene 5: Night, ultra-wide angle
- 11 Which picture do you like best?
- 12 Scene 6: Night, main camera (1x)
- 13 Which picture do you like best?
- 14 Scene 7: Night, 2x zoom
- 15 Which picture do you like best?
- 16 Scene 8: Night, 5x zoom
- 17 Which picture do you like best?
- 18 Scene 9: Daylight, ultra-wide angle
- 19 Which picture do you like best?
- 20 Scene 10: Daylight, 1x zoom
- 21 Which picture do you like best?
- 22 Scene 11: Daylight, 3x zoom
- 23 Which picture do you like best?
- 24 Scene 12: Daylight, 5x zoom
- 25 Which picture do you like best?
- 26 Scene 13: Daylight, 10x zoom
- 27 Which picture do you like best?
Update note: Check out the results of this camera blind test. We received a total of 44,000 votes and saw some unexpected new rankings.
What is a camera blind test anyway? And how does it work?
In order for you to really choose the smartphone with the best picture quality without bias, you do not know which photo comes from which smartphone in our blind test. Instead, you have to choose between four letters, behind which a different phone is hidden in each picture. Picture 1A and picture 2A do not necessarily come from the same camera.
Here are the four smartphones we photographed with:
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| Telephoto camera |
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| Price Comparison |
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- Also interesting: These are the best smartphones in 2023
Another important thing to know: Unless otherwise stated, we always use the default camera settings. After all, this is how the vast majority of users take pictures. We also take three photos of each subject with each smartphone and select the best picture. This prevents isolated outliers from influencing the overall result.
Scene 1: artificial light, main camera (1x)
We’ll start with a challenging motif this time. This doesn’t (only) mean our office and Luke, who had to hold still for 30 seconds for this series of pictures. The smartphones also have to show whether they can keep the white balance neutral in the mixed light conditions of daylight and artificial light.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 1A: 8%
- Image 1B: 35%
- Image 1C: 9%
- Image 1D: 48%
Votes: 693
Scene 2: Tungsten light, 2x zoom
It gets a bit more difficult with our second motif. With 2x zoom, there is less space available on the sensor, and in addition, the light from the bulbs here is significantly warmer and darker at the same time. Which smartphone delivers the most atmospheric image here?
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 2A: 31%
- Image 2B: 40%
- Image 2C: 19%
- Image 2D: 9%
Votes: 651
Scene 3: Portrait in daylight, 3x zoom
The third motif is about skin tones. Which smartphone delivers the most beautiful portrait photo with the best colors here? Also, notice how cleanly the smartphones crop my head from the background.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 3A: 23%
- Image 3B: 22%
- Image 3C: 5%
- Image 3D: 50%
Votes: 621
Scene 4: Portrait at twilight, 3x zoom
Here we repeat the portrait motif, but this time in much worse lighting conditions (and lower temperatures, brr). The only zoom level available on all smartphones in portrait mode is 3x zoom.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 4A: 2%
- Image 4B: 55%
- Image 4C: 27%
- Image 4D: 16%
Votes: 575
Scene 5: Night, ultra-wide angle
Now it’s getting really dark: Our fifth motif takes us to the former Berlin Wall, which split the capital into two parts like a cut in the flesh. The smartphones clearly diverge here – from strongly brightened to relatively dark. The color reproduction also differs significantly.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 5A: 44%
- Image 5B: 33%
- Image 5C: 17%
- Image 5D: 5%
Votes: 530
Scene 6: Night, main camera (1x)
The sixth motif shows the inner courtyard of the nextpit office. All nextpit editors enjoy this atmospheric view when they go home in fall and winter and the sun has already set. Which smartphone shoots the best picture here with its main camera?
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 6A: 20%
- Image 6B: 23%
- Image 6C: 27%
- Image 6D: 31%
Votes: 483
Scene 7: Night, 2x zoom
Along the former border in Berlin, there are numerous panels telling the story of the inner-German separation. The high brightness differences of the illuminated panels pose a great challenge for smartphones—especially since there is already less sensor area available at 2x zoom.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 7A: 20%
- Image 7B: 49%
- Image 7C: 16%
- Image 7D: 15%
Votes: 443
Scene 8: Night, 5x zoom
The Berlin TV tower at night in 5x zoom: Which smartphone does best in this street scene? At least on paper, the Galaxy S23 should do worse here, since it has to digitally zoom in on the 3x camera image.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 8A: 44%
- Image 8B: 7%
- Image 8C: 11%
- Image 8D: 38%
Votes: 433
Scene 9: Daylight, ultra-wide angle
Yes, the sun shines in Berlin, too—and gave us this dramatic cloudy sky on Tuesday, October 17. There are sometimes enormous differences between the smartphones in terms of contrast and color reproduction.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 9A: 16%
- Image 9B: 42%
- Image 9C: 19%
- Image 9D: 24%
Votes: 410
Scene 10: Daylight, 1x zoom
With motif number 10, all smartphones are allowed to take a quick breath: daylight and the main camera make a simple combination. Nevertheless, the photos differ in color reproduction, sometimes significantly.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 10A: 17%
- Image 10B: 31%
- Image 10C: 34%
- Image 10D: 18%
Votes: 371
Scene 11: Daylight, 3x zoom
Here again the same motif, only zoomed in three times. Theoretically, the smartphones with real 3x zoom should have an advantage here, i.e. the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 11A: 20%
- Image 11B: 35%
- Image 11C: 20%
- Image 11D: 25%
Votes: 346
Scene 12: Daylight, 5x zoom
For the penultimate motif, we chose a really detailed scene that puts the zoom performance of smartphones to the test. Which phone manages the best detail reproduction here? And how can the Samsung Galaxy S23 hold its own against the other models?
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 12A: 23%
- Image 12B: 31%
- Image 12C: 27%
- Image 12D: 20%
Votes: 350
Scene 13: Daylight, 10x zoom
The last motif might be the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s parade discipline. After all, it is the only device in this comparison with a real 10x zoom. But does the Samsung smartphone really deliver the best pictures? Vote!
Which picture do you like best?
- Image 13A: 13%
- Image 13B: 18%
- Image 13C: 35%
- Image 13D: 34%
Votes: 367
Could you identify the different models? Which smartphone do you think will win this time in our camera blind test? I’m looking forward to your comments—and to the result, which we will publish next Wednesday. If you don’t want to miss it, then subscribe to our newsletter!
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