The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Beats the iPhone 8+ at Still Photos: DxOMark

The iPhone 8 Plus’ reign as the sole top tested camera at DxOMark didn’t last long. The camera testing lab just published its review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which now joins the iPhone 8 Plus with the same highest-ever overall score of 94. The Note 8 also has the highest-ever still photo score of 100, beating the 8 Plus’ 96.

The Galaxy Note 8 is Samsung’s first dual-camera smartphone offering — there are 26mm f/1.7 and 52mm f/2.4 12MP camera modules — and DxOMark says the company passed this initial test with flying colors. The camera was found to have the best zoom capabilities (2x optical) of any smartphone tested thus far.

Other features of the phone/camera include phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, auto HDR, and a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen.

While the Galaxy Note 8 trails the iPhone 8+ in video capabilities (the scores are 84 vs 89, respectively), it trumps the 8+ in shooting still photos (100 vs 96, respectively).

“A phenomenal photo sub-score that breaks new ground as the first smartphone to hit 100 points makes the Note 8 the current class-leader for stills, thanks to excellent zoom quality, good noise reduction and detail preservation, as well as fast and accurate autofocus,” DxoMark writes.

DxOMark praises the Note 8’s zoom performance, low noise in low light, autofocusing abilities, details in a diverse range of lighting conditions, and bright/vivid colors. Negatives noted by DxOMark include a limited dynamic range that often clips highlights, a lack of bokeh even in bokeh mode, and frequent white balance casts.

“The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes out as an outstanding choice for the smartphone photography enthusiast, matching the top overall score of 94 points of the iPhone 8 Plus,” DxOMark concludes.