Surprise Blind Camera Test Winner: Two Underdogs Defeat Apple & Samsung!
Which smartphone has the best camera? That's exactly what we wanted to find out in our camera blind test and went on a photo tour with four of the newest flagship smartphones, namely the iPhone 16 Pro, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Following that, you were able to vote for a week over 14 scenes as to which of the four smartphones took the best photos. The highlight of the camera blind test? You don't know which smartphone captured each photo.
On the afternoon of October 1, the time had come for us to evaluate your votes. We awarded points for each scene. First place snagged three points, second two, third just a measly single point, and the last place yields no points. Once we added up all points across the 14 scenes, the winner is crystal clear: the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL!
Of course, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is not an actual underdog among smartphone fans, but in terms of market share, Google really is a small player in the smartphone market. Even Xiaomi in second place (or are they in first?), normally lags behind Samsung and Apple in terms of market share.
Here are the complete results of nextpit's smartphone camera blind test by points:
- 27 points: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (review)
- 24 points: Xiaomi 14 Ultra (review)
- 19 points: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (review)
- 14 points: Apple iPhone 16 Pro (review)
In fact, there is another way to evaluate the votes: by adding up the total votes cast for each smartphone. By using that metric, a different winner emerges. We'll explain who and why at the end of this article.
Scene 1: Portrait mode, main camera 2x (daylight)
The first scene went to the iPhone 16 Pro. The Apple smartphone was able to collect 31 percent of the votes here. Second and third place went to Google and Samsung, with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra coming in last with its portrait mode.
Scene 2: Ultra wide-angle (daylight)
In the ultra wide-angle daylight shot, the tables have turned: Xiaomi took first place by capturing almost half of the votes cast. Google and Samsung came a close second, with the iPhone 16 Pro in last place with just 9 percent of the votes.
Scene 3: 3x zoom (daylight)
On paper, the iPhone 16 Pro XL and the Google Pixel 9 XL have a disadvantage in this scene: they still have to use the main sensor for 3x zoom. Google, at least, seemed unperturbed by this limitation The Pixel 9 Pro XL's shot came in first place with 42 percent of the votes. Xiaomi and Samsung with dedicated 3x zoom cameras collected 26 and 25 percent of the votes respectively, while Apple received a mere 8 percent.
Scene 4: 5x zoom (daylight)
With 5x zoom, all four smartphones have a dedicated lens that captures shots at this focal length. It is here, too, that the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL was ahead with 50 percent of the votes. The other places went to Samsung, Xiaomi, and finally, Apple. Would you have expected the result to be like this?
Scene 5: 10x zoom (daylight)
On to the next zoom photo, and Google remained on top. The fact that the Pixel 9 Pro XL once again collected the most votes here speaks for the smartphone and its zoom capability, but also for the fact that the result of the blind test is no coincidence. Samsung is again in second place, but this time you voted Apple in third and Xiaomi in fourth.
Scene 6: Main camera 1x (daylight)
The result for our sixth scene was extremely close—all four smartphones scored between 21 and 28 percent of the votes. The winning order for this scene is Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, and finally Apple.
Scene 7: Main camera 2x (daylight)
In the seventh scene, the iPhone 16 Pro took first place with 31 percent of the votes cast. Google was close behind with 29 percent, followed by Xiaomi, and finally Samsung with 21 and 18 percent, respectively. The close result of the votes showed that we should probably choose more challenging scenes, but we'll get to that, don't worry.
Scene 8: Ultra wide-angle (daylight)
This ultra wide-angle photo was once again a close call, even if the differences in color reproduction were clear. All four smartphones scored between 20 and 30 percent, with first place going to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Scene 9: 5x zoom (daylight)
In this 5x zoom sunset scene, Google actually only managed to capture the second spot. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra secured the most votes here, with bronze going to Samsung and Apple taking the wooden spoon.
Scene 10: Main camera 2x zoom (artificial light)
Even with artificial light, differences between the individual smartphones were small. It was almost impossible to get any narrower. The iPhone 16 Pro and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra each collected 27 percent of the votes, with the iPhone leading by a wafer-thin margin of five more votes. There were just seven votes separating Xiaomi and Samsung. The Pixel 9 Pro was well behind in fourth place.
Scene 11: Ultra wide-angle (artificial light)
This scene makes the picture clearer once more: The Pixel 9 Pro XL took first place with 42 percent, followed by the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro with 27 and 24 percent, respectively. Samsung came in last with a meager six percent.
Scene 12: 15x zoom (artificial light)
A lot of zoom and very little light — is this Google's time to shine again? No way! 35 percent of you voted for the photo taken by the Galaxy S24 Ultra and 33 percent for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Google and the iPhone came in third and fourth.
Scene 13: Main camera (night)
In the dark, the results are very different, and there is a clear winner: A full 60 percent voted for picture 13D from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The iPhone 16 Pro collected 34 percent of the votes, leaving just six and three percent for Samsung and Google.
Scene 14: 5x zoom (night)
Xiaomi improved further with the final night scene. The 14 Ultra took first place again with 53 percent of the votes. Google also scored well here, by collecting 40 percent of the votes. The iPhone 16 Pro and the Galaxy S24 Ultra were at the bottom of the list with five and four percent of the votes, respectively.
As promised at the beginning, there is a second way to determine the winner: Instead of awarding points per scene won, we add up all the votes each of the four smartphones collected. By doing so, thanks to the strong performance in the night scenes, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra actually made it to first place. The alternative results then look like this:
- Xiaomi 14 Ultra (4,476 votes)
- Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (4,469 votes)
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (3,362 votes)
- iPhone 16 Pro (2,793 votes)
- The nextpit editorial team's has chosen: These are the best camera smartphones of 2024
Now that you know the result for each scene, which was your personal favorite? Based on such results, which smartphone would you choose, or have you already decided? Let us know in the comments!
