People’s choice smartphone cameras of 2019
YouTuber Marques Brownlee's 2019 blind smartphone camera test gave results quite similar to last year's one. Sharpness, details, textures and even contrast in a photo apparently matter a lot less now. The brighter the photo and the more in-focus you are, the more people are pleased. The following are the smartphones of choice according to the people.
OnePlus 7T Pro
The OnePlus 7T Pro was the competitor that eliminated the iPhone 11 Pro from the bracket, that too in the very first round. The iPhone 11 Pro, without a doubt, has a stellar camera capable of capturing great details with better dynamic range. However, whenever the iPhone 11 Pro misses the focus it messes up the white balance in the photo, making the photo's tone a lot cooler. This seems to happen a lot with the iPhone 11 Pro and because of that the OnePlus 7T Pro, which took a warmer and more accurate photo, won the lion's share of votes. Now the OnePlus 7T Pro does take photos with good sharpness and dynamic range, but is easily overshadowed by the iPhone 11 Pro's hardware and software when it comes to computational photography. Nevertheless, it's what the people have chosen, that too by a huge margin. If you want good photos without breaking your bank, then the $600 OnePlus is a decent choice when faced with the $1000 iPhone 11 Pro.
Google Pixel 4/Huawei Mate 30
The Google Pixel 4 and Huawei Mate 30 are both at the top of their game when it comes to computational photography. There is very little separating the two, with both of the cameras capturing accurate colours, dynamic range, no blown highlights, more accurate skin tones and softer depth of field. Both cameras have pretty big sensors which induces a bokeh effect even outside of portrait mode. Perhaps the only differentiating factors are Google's superior software and the added ultra-wide camera lens in the Mate 30. Google's digital processing is still one of the best in smartphones but the lack of a wide-angle camera is quite a bummer, especially since the phone costs $800. Nevertheless, both cameras lost to what is essentially the same Samsung camera sensor in the blind smartphone camera test.
Samsung Note 10+/Samsung S10E
The winner of the 2019 blind smartphone camera test was the Samsung Note 10+. In the finals, the same camera was pitted against itself as it was the Note 10+ against the S10E, both having the same exact sensor. It is surprising that both these cameras made it to the finale since their smaller sensors technically signify lesser depth of field in photos compared to the Pixel 4 and the Mate 30. In 2019, people seem to value pictures with more in-focus compared to the bokeh effect, which was a must have for everyone in even 2018. Both these smartphones take warmer and brighter photos but with overblown highlights. The photos vary greatly from the natural, more real-life captures by the Mate 30 and Pixel 4. But that is what people seem to prefer, that is, the brighter the better.
People's choice aside, the iPhone 11 Pro clearly has the best camera in 2019 and only one photo doesn't do it justice. But there are some other smartphone cameras that deserve a special mention and have won people's hearts. These are the Pixel 3a and the Redmi K20 Pro which come in at $300 and $400 respectively.
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