Poll results: AndroidPIT readers have decided the best smartphone camera
The first quarter of the year is over and we have already seen top-tier flagships the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Xiaomi Mi 5 pass though our editorial department. Last week, we gathered Android's finest handsets and pitted them against one another in a camera blind test, with you, the readers, deciding the winner. So, without further ado, the winner is...
...Camera B, by a large margin, totaling 41 percent of the votes. In second and third place, camera C and E laid claim to 20 and 19 percent of the votes, respectively. Just missing out on a podium finish, camera D saw 14 percent of the votes come its way, while camera A finished with a lowly 6 percent of the final tally.
So, let's put an end to the suspense and see which camera hides behind these mysterious letters.
First place: camera B - Sony Xperia Z5
Second place: camera C - Apple iPhone 6S
Third place: camera E - Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Fourth place: camera D - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Fifth place: camera A - Xiaomi Mi 5
Incredibly, the Sony Xperia Z5 was again selected as the winner. Late last year, we conducted our first camera blind test, and the Xperia Z5 won there, too.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge performed poorly in our poll – surprising, given its widespread acclaim and recognition as one of, if not the best, smartphone camera in the world.
In a few months we will conduct another blind test, because then the HTC One M10 will be available in our arsenal.
Let us know what you think of the results by leaving us a comment
Not that they have the best camera option available, but I have noticed no reviews for the ZTE Axon Pro (for the price it's going for? I think you will get your money's worth from this No Contract Android Smartphone - which comes with Android OS 6 .01 Marshmallow) - 13 megapixel+2 megapixel Back / 8 megapixel Front - and no I do not work for ZTE (lol) :
https://www.zteusa.com/axon
Is there any reason that you have decided not to include Nokia Lumia 1020.
There are also some older but very good Lumia camera apps.
Apparently all these phones can take excellent photos. The question is, do we know for a fact that the editors of this article used only the first shot taken with each camera or did they pick and choose among several? Also, we don't know how they went about taking photos with each camera. How steady did they have to hold each smartphone meaning did some smartphones require a steadier hand than others? How quickly did each smartphone's camera focus on the subject before they were able to take the shot? Did they have to touch the viewfinder a few times to get the right focus? Was this a test to determine how great a shot each phone could get when the phone is casually taken out of the pocket and used to quickly snap a shot or was this more of a "which camera takes the best photos when given ample time to set up for the shot" type of comparison? With all these questions unanswered we can never be sure if this comparison was one which "all things were equal". Nor does this comparison answer the question "which camera is the best". It only answers the question "which camera took the photos that our readers preferred based on the photos we selected for our readers to view" which really doesn't reveal anything pertinent about these phones' cameras relative to each other.
I can't honestly depend on this comparison or poll results to make a determination of which smartphone I should get if I want the smartphone that has the best camera (if I were choosing among the models depicted here). What I want is a camera that opens quickly, is fast-focusing, quickly processes my shot so that I'm immediately ready to take the next shot, allows for manual control, takes excellent photos in daylight, and takes excellent low-light photos that show detail when used as a simple point-and-shoot (no need for a tripod).
Please do a real comparison that demonstrates which camera delivers on all those fronts using a method that holds "all things being equal". Only then would putting photos up for a vote to determine the best camera make sense.
The idea of blind camera test is awesome.
I just replaced my Samsung Note 4 with the S7 Edge (the Note 4 had serious battery draining issues). I like the image quality of the S7 Edge, however at least once a week I get the dreaded "Camera Failed" message. The phone also seems to freeze quite a bit or restart itself whenever I'm uploading photos to another site...which is annoying as it will load 6 or 7 photos out of a line-up of 12 and them simply power down and restart, so I have to do it all over again.
Its funny how people can be so childish just because their phone brand didn't win. The decision was made my us the readers & to be fair the Xperia Z5 won by a long way, nearly double the points of its nearest rival. Well done Sony you deserve praise instead of all the negativity. I own a Blackberry Priv by the way.
These tests are a guide only, the photos are subject to the conditions and other factors. The actual polling is subjective as to the quality of the devices the pictures were finally viewed on.
It's probably true that the Sony camera unit is good, Sony invests a lot in mobile cameras (as evident by the increasing number of Chinese manufacturers using the Sony units).
Though I suspect that the quality of the camera across all the top devices is very high, with little actual difference between them.
I'm very happy with the camera on my excellent Samsung Galaxy S5, though I was happy with the camera on my old faithful S3.
Peace ✌
Yep it is a great camera.
EXCEPT>>>> All automated absolutely very little manual controls except at 8mp.
Which I have harassed them about and still nobody at Sony will tell me why they aren't letting photographers have control.
You can take amazing pictures. but all you are doing is pointing and shooting and the camera does the rest....
On my Z5 there is a fair few manual options to get the best picture far to many to mention?
I knew it! Sony has got the best camera! But which one to choose? Z3c or Z5c? The cameras on the compacts are the same as on the regular versions, right?
I had a z3c before getting the bigger Z5 and there's not a big difference in performance
Well, this proves that photos are more subjective rather than objective.
I can see camera E got 20% votes and camera C has 19%.But you have given camera C second place.Why such partiality?
Hi Judgement may have been swayed by the report of an IPhone attacking an S6. ; )
https://www.androidpit.com/the-time-an-iphone-killed-my-galaxy-s6
Personal vengeance :-)
Yes seen a lot of camera tests and most are floored by one thing or another?
The wining photo only won, because it is the only pictures of the five taken with the sun fully behind a cloud. While all the others the cameras where adapting to the sun being in frame. A totally unprofessional test with meaningless results.
Careful Mark, you're starting to sound like a Fanboy...
I really don't like any of the phones they tested none of them have removable batteries. I just think if they are going to do an article and test on phone cameras, it should be done correctly. this test was not done correctly or professionally. Camera are far down the list of what I want in a phone. I rarely use them except when I need to document something. If I want to take picture I will use my DSLR.
your right mark