The Battle of the Cameras: Samsung Galaxy S10+ vs iPhone 10S Max

In this article, we'll delve into the world of smartphone cameras and pit two of the latest flagships against each other: the Samsung Galaxy S10+, armed with a triple-camera setup, and the Apple iPhone 10S Max, boasting a dual-camera system. Our goal is to determine which camera reigns supreme in terms of image quality, features, and overall performance.

The Main Wide-Angle and Telephoto Lenses on the S10+

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ boasts two main lenses: the wide-angle lens with a variable aperture, similar to its predecessors, and a telephoto lens. The wide-angle lens is capable of adjusting its aperture to adapt to different lighting conditions, which helps ensure stunning general shots. However, it's worth noting that the image quality can vary slightly depending on the aperture used at the time of shooting, as well as whether or not some of the new software features are employed.

The 10S Max, on the other hand, has a dual-camera setup with a telephoto and wide-angle lens. While both cameras produce high-quality images, there's a noticeable difference in color temperature, contrast, and brightness depending on which aperture is used. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ seems to have an edge over its rival when it comes to overall image quality, thanks to the improved variable aperture.

Front-Facing Camera: A New Breed of Selfies

One feature that sets the Samsung Galaxy S10+ apart from the iPhone 10S Max is its front-facing camera. The S10+ boasts two cameras on the front, an 8-megapixel depth camera and a 10-megapixel selfie camera, both with slightly different angles. This allows for more flexibility when taking selfies, as you can choose between these two lenses to achieve the desired effect.

In contrast, the iPhone 10S Max has only one front-facing camera, which relies on its single depth-sensing camera to create a blurred background effect. While this works reasonably well, it's not as sophisticated as the S10+'s dual-camera setup. The Samsung Galaxy S10+ also has a more advanced lighting system for selfies, resulting in brighter and more true-to-life colors.

Low-Light Night Shots: A Tale of Two Phones

In low-light conditions, both phones can struggle to produce images that rival their daytime capabilities. However, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ seems to have an edge over its rival when it comes to capturing more detail in these situations. The iPhone 10S Max tends to suffer from a yellowish afterglow effect, which can detract from the overall image quality.

Night Mode: A Game-Changer

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ has its own night mode feature that helps to enhance low-light images by introducing noise reduction and other advanced techniques. This results in images that are more vibrant and engaging than those produced by the iPhone 10S Max's night mode.

Portraits: The Verdict

When it comes to portraits, both phones have their strengths and weaknesses. However, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ seems to have an edge over its rival when it comes to cinematic video. Its ability to capture more detailed images in low-light conditions makes it a top contender for those seeking high-quality video footage.

In contrast, the iPhone 10S Max is more focused on delivering a flattering portrait, with better lighting and more accurate subject separation. However, if you're dealing with pets or children, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ may be a better choice due to its adjustable blur feature and more advanced camera capabilities.

Conclusion

While both phones have their strengths and weaknesses, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ seems to take the cake when it comes to overall image quality, features, and performance. With its triple-camera setup, improved low-light capabilities, and advanced software features, it's clear that this phone is designed with photographers in mind. However, if you're looking for a more straightforward portrait photography experience, the iPhone 10S Max may be the better choice.

Ultimately, the decision between these two phones comes down to personal preference and your specific needs as a photographer. If you want a solid camera out of the box, the iPhone 10S Max is certainly worth considering. However, if you're looking for more advanced features and capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ is the clear winner in this battle of the cameras.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enSamson's new s10 plus has added a third ultra wide-angle lens to its rear camera another lens to its front camera and better software features that could give it an extra edge over the competition so can the dual camera on the iPhone 10s max compete against the triple threat on the galaxy s 10 plus that's why we're here on this beautiful San Francisco day to put these two phones to the test the main wide-angle and telephoto lenses on the s10 plus are similar to its predecessors with the same variable aperture that helps it adjust to different lighting conditions the 10s max has a dual camera setup with a telephoto and wide angle lens as well but with the fixed aperture general shots look stunning on both phones with just slight variations in color temperature contrast and brightness depending on what aperture the s10 plus was using at the time it also depends on whether or not you take advantage of some of the new software features the galaxies scene optimizer that you can toggle on from the settings and then just activate from the main screen gives your photo a little added boost it can detect what type of shot it's looking at to adjust things like saturation contrast based on what it thinks would best suit the scene you can also get shot suggestions to improve framing and flaw detection which will alert you of things like Glens smudges for the sake of this comparison I took most of the shots without any added features to keep things consistent so unless I say otherwise you're looking at it straight from the camera for most shots the better of the two really came down to personal preference take for example this one of Mount Tamalpais I like the cooler richer tones on the iPhone but for this shot of the mountains in the desert I prefer the warmer tones of the galaxy but the s10 plus has a third vantage point to choose from that the 10s max just doesn't thanks to that super wide angle lens which I didn't think I needed until I tried it and wow I definitely changed my tune now this is the type of scene where you would really benefit from that super wide angle lens you get a lot more in your shot than just the wide-angle and a lot more than what the iPhone 10's max can get here's a sunset shot of a pool with the regular wide-angle lens from the 10s max and here it is with the ultra wide angle lens on the s10 plus you just get so much more drama in the sky same goes for video I didn't know what I was missing you can switch between lenses while you're shooting so you can go from this close-up of the desert rocks to this general shot to this one which almost looks like it was taken from a drone obviously it works especially well when you're shooting landscapes but there are other instances where you may just want to fit more into each shot the one downside is that the ultra wide-angle lens doesn't have optical image stabilization so you won't want to do a lot of tracking shots or night shots with this lens that said the mainland's on both these cameras takes great quality video they both look relatively smooth an this tracking shot even though I was walking on very uneven ground the iPhone though had some issues locking in the exposure which makes the s tense look slightly more stable but the 10 s max has a softer slightly more cinematic feel with warmer tones that looks especially good when recording video of people which I personally preferred but video on the s10 plus definitely holds its own the s 10 also has an option to record in HDR 10 plus for even better quality video on your phone but this feature is still in beta and not a lot of players support it yet so you probably won't even notice a difference unless you're playing it on an s10 both have a slow motion option of 240 frames per second at Full HD but the Galaxy has the super slow motion mode that allows you to shoot video at 960 frames per second so way slower but at 720 pixels which is testy at best because it only records a few seconds and you can't edit that later so you literally have to catch the action right as it's happening and that's nearly impossible unless you have a staged stunt or something like that but when it does get it it is dramatic both fonts can also produced that blurred background effect in portraits the iPhone calls it portrait mode the galaxy calls it live focused both of which have been available in previous models but unlike its predecessors and the 10s max for that matter which use the telephoto lens for these types of photos the s10 plus now uses the regular wide-angle lens for this effect the upside is you're getting more range and flexibility you can just fit more in each shot and then just crop it later if you really want that more intimate shot the downside is that it doesn't work as well as it did with the telephoto lens at least in my experience I had to readjust it a few times to get the alert to pop up and it wasn't as accurate at discerning what to blur out in each shot like this one of my pup and sure the ones on the galaxy looks stunning at first glance because you do get more of that scenery but the iPhone is more flattering for portraits because it hones in and brightens up the subject and it's less of a struggle to get the effect to actually work and if you're dealing with pets and children time is of the essence both let you adjust the blur before or after you take the shot and have different effects the iPhone is all about changing up the lighting while the galaxy has these interesting distortions and black and white background options which I really liked and both use that telephoto lens for optical zoom which I have to say looks relatively similar on both and then past two acts they switch to digital zoom and can get up to 10x but it looks kind of grainy on both especially on this shot of the bridge maybe slightly less so on the galaxy s 10 for actual close-ups I would also go with the galaxy because it was able to capture a bit more details in the flowers and you also have a pro mode option that lets you adjust the focus manually the s 10 plus also has the edge when it comes to the front-facing camera the s 10 plus is the only galaxy s 10 with two cameras on the front now you'll know when you hit the selfie camera because it has this cool little light of animation and you get two lenses one is an 8 megapixels depth camera and the other one is a 10 megapixel selfie camera and both of them have slightly different angles as you can see but they're both used on the live focus feature to achieve this same effect that you can on the rear camera but for video selfies you only have the option of using one of those lenses the 10s max can only do one angle for your selfie and relies on that one depth sensing camera to create the blurred background effect so it's not as good at figuring out what to blur as seen in this shot of my hair although I think the colors who are more true to life than on the galaxy phone same goes for low-light in night shots the s10 just shines a little bit brighter which means you get more detail that the iPhone just can't pick up on the colors don't seem as true to life and have this sort of yellowish afterglow to them but for portraits especially I would probably take the better lighting over the true to life tones and that's not even using the extra help the galaxy also has its own night mode that can help liven up a dimly lit scene even more the iPhone tennis max puts up a pretty good fight considering it's last year's model if you want a solid camera out of the box this one may be your best bet it gets my prize for portraits cinematic video and great shots overall but the galaxy s 10 plus just has more to offer right now in terms of features an extra lens on the back which gives you more shooting options for photos and videos an extra lens on the front for better selfies and brighter night shots so you get more tools to play around with if you're looking to take your phone photography to the next level but obviously as with all our camera comparisons it's highly subjective and that was just my opinion and I want to hear what you guys think so hit me up on the comments section below and also let me know what you want to see us hit the s 10 plus against next\n"