Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone 7 Plus, Galaxy S8+ cameras compared
But does the Galaxy Note 8 take good photos? That's one of the questions we aim to answer here. And we'll compare it against the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S8+ while we're at it.
Scene 1
When we asked Samsung about the camera hardware inside the Galaxy Note 8, we were told that the main camera is identical to the one on the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The software part, however, appears to have been tweaked. Taking a closer look at the Note 8's photo reveals that image sharpening is less aggressive.
Sharpening is applied to accentuate details in an image. Its use in moderation is perfectly acceptable, but too much of it spoils fine details and produces an unnatural look. Samsung's image processing algorithms are known for excessive sharpening, so seeing less of it in the Note 8's photo is a sign of things turning for the better.
In this scene, the iPhone 7 Plus can't quite match the clarity or the lively colors presented by the Note 8, so we're giving it a slightly lower score.
Scene 2
Here's how much of an impact software processing can have on a photo's appearance. The images out of the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 might look impressive and eye-catching, but they're also unrealistic with their oversaturated colors, as if they've gone through an Instagram filter. By comparison, the iPhone 7 Plus delivers a more faithful look.
Again, the Note 8 goes easier on the sharpening compared to the S8+, most noticeable in the upper left corner of the images. But at the same time, details in the garden are softer, most likely due to camera software approaching the shots differently.
Scene 3
This is a dynamic scene were all three phones switched on their HDR mode, just as we expected them to. As a result, all managed to deliver a proper exposure, without "burning" the clouds in the sky. Yet some differences are easily noticeable. For example, the images from the Galaxy Note 8 and the S8+ are more saturated – not as much as in the previous set of photos, but still quite colorful than the iPhone's view of the scene. Also, shadows are brighter and more detailed compared to what Apple's handset delivers. All of this makes it tricky to pick between the rather natural look of the iPhone's image or the spiced-up presentation from the two Galaxies. We lean towards the latter, as we trust many would.
Scene 4
We took these three photos at around 8:30PM. Even though sunlight was quickly fading out, all three photos turned out clear, with a good amount of detail, especially in the Note 8's image – the clearest and most detailed of all three. But when it comes to overall appearance, we have to give this one to the Galaxy S8+, quite surprisingly. It has the most convincing color tone – a color tone hinting that, indeed, this is a photo shot in the evening.
Scene 5
Later that night, we shot this set of images. The Galaxy Note 8 is once again the best when it comes to detail, with plenty of it to observe when we take a 100% zoom look at the three side by side. When it comes to colors and overall look, however, we're torn between the Note 8 and the iPhone. Both have managed to capture the clouds against the moonlit sky rather well, but the shade of blue in the iPhone's image appears more natural. On the other hand, the Note 8 does a better job at handling the highlights, especially in the tree on the right.
Scene 6
This one's a close win for the Galaxy Note 8. Samsung's phablet has once again captured better highlights, with more detail and less of that fuzziness going on, but at the end of the day, all three photos look fine overall.
Conclusion
We wish we had more time to spend with the Galaxy Note 8. This would have let us take many more photos with it for the purpose of this comparison. But even the few shots that we went over clearly show that Samsung's latest high-end phone packs one powerful camera – one that isn't perfect, but still potent enough to meet the needs of the great majority of people who would be interested in the device. If we could change it in any way, perhaps we'd tone down its tendency to oversaturate certain scenes. Sure, some situations may benefit from the extra spice sprinkled, but other scenes could end up spoiled by it.
Compared to the iPhone 7 Plus, the Note 8 is slightly ahead in the camera game, although let us not forget that Apple's handset is a year old now and due for a refresh later this month. So while the Galaxy Note 8 wins this race, it will surely have a harder time going head to head with Apple's next Plus-sized iPhone.
And no less importantly, our comparison shows that even though the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8+ use identical camera hardware, the camera software driving them differs. To no surprise, the Note 8 is superior overall thanks to its clearer details and less aggressive sharpening. We wouldn't mind if the next Galaxy S8+ software update shares some of the Note 8's camera mojo with it.
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