Best Camera Comparison: Pixel 5 vs. OnePlus 8T vs. S20 By Android Central

It's no stretch to say that cameras are among the most important part of a modern smartphone. Most flagships have roughly the same specs the same form factor and largely even the same android software. One of the few differentiators left, is how good of a photo a phone can take. So we took a few of the most popular flagship phones of 2020 out for a little photo shoot to see just how well each one performs in different situations. I brought the pixel 5, the OnePlus 8 pro the galaxy s20 Fe and the s20 ultra, all of which have different camera layouts and enough parallels to some other popular phones like the s20 plus. So, let's see how each camera fares and help you decide which phone best suits your photography needs.

Now before you ask why we didn't include more phones from other brands like Huawei. The simple answer is that I just don't have them, but don't worry, we want to start doing photo comparisons more often. So let me know in the comments down below what phones you want to see us compare next, and we'll see what we can do so, starting with the first photo set taken on each phone's main camera, I'm noticing right away that the pixel 5 and OnePlus 8 pro lean, pretty warm tone. While the Samsung shots look a bit cooler, I'm actually pretty surprised by how washed out the shot from the s20 ultra looks, but the s20fe and OnePlus 8 pro are pretty heavily saturated. I think the pixel 5 did the best job at retaining detail in the shadows, an area where the OnePlus 8 pro performed pretty poorly here, but the pixel also has the least highlight detail in the sky switching over to the ultra-wide cameras.

The biggest difference in this set is just how wide each company went with its lens. Google and OnePlus both opt for a 0.6 x field of view, while Samsung goes a bit wider at 0.5 x. Thankfully, none of these phones suffer too badly from barrel distortion. Thanks to perspective correction in post-processing. Again here, I'm not too crazy about the OnePlus 8 pro's shot, which looks super washed out and has noticeably less detail in the street than the same 0.6 x, shot from the pixel 5. On the Samsung side, though, both phones seem to have artificially added some blue to the sky, which in reality was gray and gloomy, and to my eyes the s20 ultra looks a bit sharper than the s20fe, particularly in the hands on the clock.

Now I'm happy that a pixel can finally compete in the ultra-wide space, since that was one of our main complaints with the pixel 4's camera system, but in exchange, Google did away with the telephoto lens on the pixel 5. Instead, you're stuck relying on digital zoom on the main sensor, though at least at 2x, every phone we tested actually digitally zooms on the main sensor, since the real telephoto doesn't kick in until you zoom a bit closer in this example, I actually like the s20fes shot best. It has the most balanced exposure of the bunch with punchy, but not cartoonish colors. I like how warm the pixel's shot is, but it once again blows out the highlights and deepens the shadows. Alright back to the main sensors, you can start to pick up on some patterns here.

Once again, the pixel 5 has the highest contrast with dark shadows and bright highlights, though, interestingly, the s20fe actually took the warmer shot here. I think the Fe took the round for me again here, though your preference in color temperature might sway you towards one of the other shots instead funny enough in this ultra-wide sample, the s20 ultra actually took the warmest photo, while the pixel 5 has inexplicably picked up this sort of purple tone. Smaller details are impressively sharp on all four cameras here, particularly focusing on the Sheraton logo. In the background, and once again, the biggest noticeable difference is really just the wider 0.5 x perspective on the s20 Fe and s20 ultra. So this was a fairly challenging shot for any camera, since pointing straight up at the sky, usually completely blows out your highlights or throws out all shadow detail depending on what the camera exposes for.

Of course, HDR is a standard feature in just about every phone, these days, which definitely helps once again, there's this odd purple tone in the pixels shot, but it does an impressive job at balancing exposure and even at 2x digital zoom, the 1861 text is still easily legible. That's actually the case with every shot here and, to my surprise, I, like the OnePlus 8 pros, photo best here which didn't underexpose the statue quite as much as the other cameras. One thing I'm starting to notice here is that the s20 ultra is exhibiting some traits of the Samsung. Look. I've criticized in some of my reviews.

There's some haloing around the edges of the building, almost like a bright outline. It isn't too crazy yet, but it definitely picks up in some later shots. Now just for fun. I wanted to test the maximum zoom capabilities of each camera. With this statue again, the pixel 5 doesn't have a telephoto lens, but you can zoom up to 7x digitally, of course, having a dedicated lens would have helped, but there's still a decent amount of clarity.

Here the OnePlus 8 pro has a 3x telephoto lens, which is able to reach up to 30x by combining digital zoom up that close, this isn't exactly the kind of photo I'd share on social media, but it's pretty impressive. Either way the galaxy s20 Fe actually has the same.3X telephoto reach with 30x digital zoom, but it's maxed out shot, looks a lot softer and muddier than the sample from the OnePlus 8 pro now long range zoom was one of the s20 ultra's headlining features when it launched, and you can reach all the way up to 100x. With this periscope telephoto sensor, just like on the s20 fem axing out, the telephoto range gives you a pretty soft photo, but with this much headroom you can easily get away with a usable, 30x or even 50x shot. Instead, now, let's switch gears and look at more shots taken with the main sensors. I think every phone generally takes great shots with the primary camera, though this is where I think the pixel 5 sensors is actually starting to show its age a bit.

It's still the same, relatively small sensor used all the way back on the pixel 2, and that means it doesn't get quite the same level of natural depth that the larger sensor on the s20 ultra is able to capture. That being said, depth isn't everything and I think the OnePlus 8 pro actually did the best job at balancing exposure, both and saturation, while the s20fe shows some pretty bad haloing around the buildings. In the background in these shots, I think the s20 Fe regains a bit of its lead. It's warm, but not overly, so like the shot from the OnePlus 8 pro, and it isn't hazy like the photo from the s20 ultra. It is pretty heavily saturated, but that's just a trait of Samsung's image, processing that you'll either love or hate, and I didn't find it to be overdone in this shot.

A bit of Midwestern trivia for this last one this photo set was taken of Anne dancing. It's a fun art piece in downtown Indianapolis, a four-sided pillar of LED screens that each play the same animation of a dancing. Lady, the LEDs don't get brighter or dimmer, which I only bring up because they're significantly brighter in the OnePlus 8 pros beyond that, though, these are all pretty good samples. The s20fes photo leans, the warmest of the bunch, while the pixel 5 is surprisingly underexposed and under saturated this time. Now you might be watching this video hoping to hear some declaration of a one true winner here, but my favorite result of these kinds of tests is when there is no clear winner when left shooting in auto mode.

Every phone has its strong and weak points. The pixel 5 clearly lags behind when it comes to telephoto shots, but many will enjoy its overall high contrast. Look for me personally, the biggest surprise was just how different the image processing can be between Samsung's two phones with the s20 Fe, almost universally shooting warmer than the s20 ultra. Let me know what phone's cameras you liked best and leave a comment with some phones you'd like to see us compare next be sure to subscribe. If you enjoyed this video and as always thanks so much for watching, we'll see you next time.

Source : Android Central