ANDRIOD AUTHORITY

The OnePlus 5 was officially announced today and bought with it the end of the first season of flagship phones for 2017. One of the biggest features on the OnePlus 5 is the new dual camera, with OnePlus maturing and adopting a dual lens format that most smartphone manufacturers – apart from Samsung – have also implemented.

Did OnePlus need to go down the dual camera route and how does the new camera compare to the competition? This year has already seen some excellent shooters from Samsung and LG, while Google’s Pixel XL reigned supreme in our last camera shootout. How does the OnePlus 5 compare to these and the new cameras on the HTC U11 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium?

All have new features, all have top specs and every manufacturer aims to be the best. All are rated highly by benchmark DxOMark (those that have been tested that is) and the HTC U11 has been awarded their highest score ever. OnePlus even worked with DxO to produce the best camera possible. There’s a lot of tough competition for the OnePlus 5 so has OnePlus done enough for its camera to stand out?

Our testing

We had the OnePlus 5 for a day for this camera shootout so while this test isn’t as in-depth as we’d have liked, it does give us an understanding of how OnePlus’ latest flagship lines up against the competition. Every shot was conducted in full Auto mode with all settings set to their out-of-the-box state, including automatic HDR and exposure. The images uploaded to this comparison have been stripped of their identifying data and shrunk to 1920 pixels wide (or tall for vertical images) – we’ll be uploading the full camera samples as part of the results!

All of these smartphones are technically capable of capturing images in manual mode, which offers the flexibility of DSLR-like controls for photographers to tweak their shot, whether natively or using a third-party app. While this feature does offer a lot of flexibility, most users won’t actually use it so instead, we’re testing the full automatic experience that each of these OEMs has worked so hard to provide.

The differences… on paper

Before we get into the photos themselves, here’s a quick rundown of the specs:

Of course, camera specs on paper are one thing, but how do the algorithms handle everyday life? Let’s find out!

Which camera is the best? The photos themselves

Now you’ve read the mumbo jumbo, it’s time to get into the photos themselves! Below we’ve put six images into each gallery for each of the tests and the order of phones is randomised between galleries (so Phone 1 changes every time). For the color and detail galleries, we’ve included six 100% crops of the focal point, which is followed by a description of the scene.

Beneath that, you’ll find a poll asking which photo you think is the best, so vote away! We’ll run this poll until the end of June and reveal the results on July 3^rd, alongside our thoughts on which smartphone has the best camera! Some of you may work out which phone is which in each gallery and if you do, we ask that you don’t ruin the surprise for everyone else! We’ve split this over a few pages to ensure it’s not too long and is easy to follow!

Here we go!

Color

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For a test of color, this scene provides a range of colors, as well as varying amounts of detail in the leaves, the dome and pillars of the Rotunda and the lagoon. The focal point was the detail around the dome; while all phones managed to capture some detail, some definitely outperformed the rest, with better color reproduction and less noise.

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All smartphones can take a decent picture of a sunny static subject but sometimes, you need the one that’s guaranteed to get as much detail as possible in a snap. Whether it’s at the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas or when swimming with dolphins, which phone can you rely on in a pinch? Take a close look at the detail in the fountain in our 100% crops and vote below!

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One of the most iconic parts of San Francisco and for good reason – whether it’s against a clear sky or when the fog is rolling in, the Golden Gate Bridge stands majestic at all times. On a bright day like this, the red color of the Bridge provides welcome contrast against the greens of the hills behind and the bright blue sky. Which phone captures the intricate strands suspending the bridge as well as the color the best?

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The breakers and cliffs next to the sea can be one of the best places to think and as the water breaks over these boulders, it is also one of nature’s simplest ways to show natural beauty. From the detail in the water sloshing over the rocks to the moss and of course, the color of the water, which phone performed the best?

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Source: ANDRIOD AUTHORITY