S10(+) vs iPhone XS (Max): In-Depth Camera Test Comparison By KJ Hardrict

Hi guys, it's KJ the MiTechGuy here, and I have another highly requested camera comparison for you guys. This time between the Samsung Galaxy S10+ and the iPhone XS Max. These are truly two of the best smartphone camera systems out right now, so I wanted to see how they compared head to head. I will be comparing them in various lighting conditions, and I'll also look at the video and audio capabilities of both phones. Make sure to stick around to the end of the video to see how the S10's dual aperture performs in low light against the XS. In this video, everything was set to automatic.

Huge shout out to Rhinoshield for sponsoring this video. Let's get right into it. Both of these rear camera systems are very similar on paper. They both have 12 megapixel main and telephoto cameras, and they both can capture 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. The difference comes in the S10's third, wide-angle camera, and it just enables the user to capture a new perspective that the other cameras simply cannot capture.

The S10 also has an extra camera on the front. This time it’s an 8 megapixel camera to gather more depth information for front portrait shots. The main, 10 megapixel selfie camera on the S10+ actually picks up more details than the 7 megapixel selfie camera on the iPhone for a change. They both also have front portrait modes, but even with the help of extra sensors, both still struggle with my hair, with the edge advantage actually going to the XS in my opinion. If you have watched my other camera comparisons, you'll know that I like to start with images shot in great lighting conditions and then will let the lighting get progressively worse.

This first image is a good one because of all of the different colors. We can already see that both phones process their colors differently, so you should start keeping a mental note as to what colors you prefer. I also notice that the sky is much less blown out on the S10's image. If we look at the telephoto camera's image, again the S10 does not blow out the sky, whereas the iPhone does. Both are still very detailed.

The S10 can then get a third angle with its wide-angle camera, and I just think it just captures a cool new perspective that we used to only get with GoPros and LG phones. This next image shows that the S10 can sometimes randomly just overexpose an image. Both photos are very detailed, but the S10 makes some of the colors look more washed out than they actually are. It's strange because this only happens in some pictures. This next image is a really high quality one from both cameras that I really have nothing to say about.

The S10 picks up a bit more of the orange hues from the sunset that was happening behind me, but overall, both phones captured the images almost identically. Again, you can just capture so much more with the wide-angle camera that you just could not on the iPhone from the same vantage point. Both phones have really impressive portrait modes as well. Both cameras let you change the blur after the fact and also apply effects, but both take significantly different pictures. The iPhone keeps everything very warm-toned, whereas the S10 keeps colors cooler-toned.

Also, the S10 takes the much wider-angled portrait shots because it uses its ultrawide for the depth information as opposed to how the iPhone uses its telephoto camera. These are two, thousand dollar phones. So it's really no surprise that they performed great in great lighting. Because of this, I wanted to really dive deeper into images shot in less than ideal lighting scenarios to really see the differences in these two camera systems. This image was taken close to sunset and has some complex lighting going on.

It seems as if the XS was working too hard to artificially brighten the image, creating this more washed out look, whereas the S10 seemed to expose everything perfectly and just capture the overall better picture in my opinion. This next image is one that is very challenging to capture because of the direct sunlight coming in through the background of the image. In this instance, I think the XS did the better job of preserving more of the details in the foreground, while I also think the S10 kept the lighting closer to what it actually looked outside. In this picture, we can see how sometimes the XS oversaturates an image. The green street sign is just looking off in terms of color.

On the other hand, the XS does do the better job of not blowing out the bright spot on the building in the background. This next image just shows how high quality each of the two camera systems are. The sun is setting, and both phones really captured some incredible photos in auto. Outside, of differences in color processing as always, there really isn't too much difference between the two photos. I'd say the S10 does the slightly better job of properly exposing the street lamp and also the sunset in the background.

In this next picture, the results actually really surprised me. Again, these pictures were taken in auto, and the S10 was just somehow able to pull in much more light. The XS does pick up more of the blues in the sky, but overall, I think the S10 was the clear winner in this shot. Before I get into lowlight, I am going to shift into video. Know that both phones are capable of shooting 4K at up to 60 frames per second, but I set both to 4K at 30 because that is what this video is uploaded at.

So when I looked at the video of these two phones side-by-side, I was actually surprised at how similar in quality the two phones were. It became very obvious very quickly that they both take extremely high quality 4K video. I would say that it seems like the stabilization of the S10 barely edges out the XS's stabilization, while I think the XS does the better job of maintaining the correct exposure levels as I pan around. The colors are also slightly different on both phones as both Apple and Samsung tend to produce more saturated 4K video. In terms of the front video qualities of both phones, it is clear that the S10 has the higher resolution video because of the details it is able to capture on my face.

The XS's video is still high quality, it just isn't as crisp. I will say that the S10 keeps me slightly over exposed the entire time whereas the XS keeps me slightly under exposed the entire time. I would actually prefer some exposure level in between the two phones. Both cameras also seem to be pretty stable. The S10 will allow you to capture the slightly wider frame, whereas the XS was able to capture the fuller sounding audio in my opinion.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. All of the images so far were taken while the S10 was in its f/2.4 aperture mode. So I wanted to really test out both phones when the lighting became low as to automatically activate the S10's f/1.5 aperture mode. Without a full on dedicated night mode on either phone, both phones rely heavily on their image processing, while the S10 gets a little help from its larger f/1.5 aperture. I'd say the iPhone actually looks like the more natural picture of the two because it seems like the red lights are really taking over the S10's image.

Both did okay given how dark it was and how many direct light sources their were. With this picture of the foosball table, we can see just how much that larger aperture helps. The S10's image is simply brighter, more color accurate, and more detailed. The XS Max produced an image that has surprisingly low amounts of noise, but the whole image is still just very dark when compared with the S10's. Here is another image from LAX, and this time, without all of the red lights, the S10's dual aperture actually shines.

The S10 produces the more naturally looking image, preserves more detail, and has less noise in the sky. All in all, both phones can't produce images that the P30 Pro or Pixel 3 can with their night modes, but for almost instant pictures, both the XS Max and S10 don't do too bad of a job, the S10 actually producing some solid images. Before I give my final thoughts on these two camera systems, I just wanted to quickly talk about by far my favorite case company right now, Rhinoshield. They make videos like this possible. I've used a lot of cases in the past, but honestly they have never been as well rounded as Rhinoshield's.

They're all light and slim, as to not add bulk to the slim S10 or S10 + bodies. They all feel really great in the hand and slide smoothly out of my pocket. The buttons are also still very clicky, which is rarer than you might expect with cases. What surprised me most was how much they actually protect my phone. The cases are rated for drops of at least 11 feet, which is insane for cases this thin.

All I have to say is that they definitely saved my phones a couple of times. I have used the bumper case on my S10+ since I've had it, and it has held up perfectly. If you use the promo code mitechguy using the links down below, you can receive 10% off your order. So yeah this camera comparison was actually a lot closer that I had expected. Camera qualities on smartphones are reaching an incredibly high level right now, and that's honestly really cool.

I also like how different manufacturers are experimenting with how they process different colors so they are able to start developing a look that people can match to their cameras instead of having one generic look across all cameras. I still actually like the more zoomed in look for portrait pictures and I also prefer warmer skin tones, so for portraits I will still go with the XS. But for just about everything else, I think Samsung is really starting to figure out the image processing game with their phones. The pictures from the S10 have great dynamic range, and when you throw in that extra ultra wide camera, you're just able to gain another perspective that you wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. But of course, these are just my opinions.

I put these side-by-sides up so you can all see what the differences are. Let me know what you think in the comment section down below. If you haven't already, make sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter and DM me there and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. As for this channel, I have a lot of cool videos in the works, so make sure you are subscribed and have the notification bell clicked to stay up to date on my latest videos. As always, thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next video.

Source : KJ Hardrict