Fantastic dynamic range, clarity, and color define the iPhone XS. via DxO Mark
The iPhone XS dethroned the HTC U12+ in terms of “dual camera smartphones you’d actually want to buy” in DxO Mark’s rankings. However, it still sits behind Huawei’s triple lens camera. The Huawei camera, however, seemed custom designed for DxO Mark’s rankings. It features blurry faces as well, part of an automatic skin smoothing “feature,” popular out of phones targeting an Eastern market, though less popular in the Western markets that favor details at the cost of imperfections. We tend to favor realism, despite flaws. Furthermore, the U.S. government has warned against the use of Huawei phones for their spying purposes.
Sharper at a distance, but not quite at the same level as the triple lens Huawei P20 Pro
DxO Mark gave the iPhone XS a rating of 105, a drastic improvement over the 97 they gave last years model, but 4 points shy of the current champion. They praised its detail in all conditions, dynamic range, and even the slow sync flash, which allows photographers to use flash to capture the subject as well as the background. They noted its improved bokeh subject isolation as well. However, they pointed out the lack of detail in zoom photos, like the one above. This is because, for cost saving purposes, Apple’s zoom lens is a far worse sensor than the one they use for their wide angle lens. Apple could easily improve their cameras simply by making the zoom lens sensor as good as the wide angle sensor. As you can see above, details with the zoom lens is not a strong suit of the iPhone XS.
Even in this extreme cropping, the iPhone XS clarity and detail shines through
The iPhone XS captures fantastic dynamic range, color, and details. Bokeh is decent, though could still use improvements. Video is fantastic as well. Apple could still improve zoom, and their noise reduction is a bit overzealous, often over-softening faces and other details. Apple, like other smartphone manufacturers, would benefit from longer exposures to reduce noise, rather than post processing.
DxO Mark loved the iPhone XS, but it’s not #1.
You can read DxO Mark’s full review here. It’s their highest rated dual camera setup ever, and they rated it considerably higher than the Google Pixel 2 as well. However, Google’s latest Pixel is out now, and we’re still waiting for DxO Mark’s review. Will Apple keep their second place lead, or will Google once again leapfrog Apple’s latest and greatest?