OnePlus
Apple, Samsung, Huawei and OnePlus have all launched phones with extremely capable cameras in the past six months. But which one really takes the best photos? Looking at the differences helps make the decision to buy a bit more easily. Each costs around $1,000, so you want to make the right choice for you.
Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends.com
We put the
Apple iPhone 11 Pro
, the
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
, the
Huawei P40 Pro
, and the
OnePlus 8 Pro
against each other in a series of camera tests. It's a serious and uphill battle, but there is a winner.
iPhone 11 Pro vs P40 Pro vs S20 Plus vs OnePlus 8 Pro
Camera specifications
Before we get to testing, here's a quick rundown of the camera specs for each phone.
Apple iPhone 11 Pro
: standard 12 megapixel f/1.8, wide-angle 12 megapixel f/2.4 and telephoto 12 megapixel f/2.0 sensors. 2x optical zoom, portrait mode, night mode.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
: 12 megapixel f/1.8 standard, 12 megapixel f/2.2 wide angle, 64 megapixel f/2.0 telephoto, plus a VGA depth sensor. 3x hybrid zoom, Live Focus mode, night mode.
Huawei P40 Pro
: 40 megapixel f1.8 ultra-wide, 50 megapixel f/1.9 wide angle, 12 megapixel f/3.4 telephoto and 3D depth sensor. 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, portrait mode, night mode.
OnePlus 8 Pro
: 48 megapixel f/1.78 standard, 48 megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide, 8 megapixel f/2.44 telephoto and 5 megapixel color filter sensor. 3x optical zoom, macro mode, portrait mode, night mode.
Shaded portal
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
Shooting into the sunlight, hidden behind the treetops to the left of the image, presented a challenge for all four phones, and all returned very different images.
The
iPhone 11 Pro
is the winner here, taking a colorful but still realistic photo, with just the right amount of shadow to give the shot some atmosphere. The Huawei P40 Pro comes in close behind, but I wish the sky was a bit more blue.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Pro casts too much shadow at the edge of the photo, while the OnePlus 8 Pro goes in the opposite direction, amplifying the colors and completely eliminating the atmosphere of the photo.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11 Pro
wide angle scene
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
This photo was taken with the sun in the top left of the photo. It highlights not only the HDR capability, but also the different field of view provided by all of these wide-angle cameras. Most notably, the wide-angle lens of the Huawei P40 Pro does not show as much scene as its competitors. However, there is less distortion and fish-eye effect.
The P40 Pro's photo is also a bit blurry when zoomed in, which may be an error on my part, or a software issue. Still, I only took one photo, and that's the one that will be judged here. OnePlus 8 Pro also suffers from a lack of background detail, noticeable when zooming in on the white van.
Between the Galaxy S20 Plus and the iPhone 11 Pro, Apple's camera wins out thanks to its superb Smart HDR technology balancing blue skies, green foliage and shadows. The S20 Plus shades a little too much water and has too much shade at the edge of the photos.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11 Pro
windmill
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
It's a close battle between the iPhone 11 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus here, with the Samsung showing its usual high levels of saturation, while the iPhone tones it down ever so slightly. Both look excellent. The P40 Pro's blue sky isn't quite as vibrant, but there's no denying the level of detail in the windmill itself. It surpasses the Galaxy S20 Plus' efforts and also brings out more natural tones than the iPhone.
The big loser is the OnePlus 8 Pro. The photo is blurry and lacking in detail. It's unclear if this was an error on my part or the camera, but these tests are done to reflect real life - a photo is taken, and that's what the phone is judged on.
Conclusion? While I prefer the way the windmill is captured in the P40 Pro's shot, the iPhone 11 Pro gets all the elements just right, without too much saturation.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11 Pro
Mailbox Bokeh
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
This photo was taken in portrait mode on the iPhone 11 Pro and OnePlus 8 Pro, live focus on the Galaxy S20 Plus, and aperture mode on the Huawei P40 Pro. They all do the same thing: blur the image. background around a central subject. Neither camera separated the flags at the top left of the photo, although they are not part of the letterbox and instead hang behind it.
Look at the flag on the front of the letterbox to see the difference in how the iPhone and P40 Pro captured creases, light and texture compared to the OnePlus 8 Pro and Galaxy S20 Plus. look inside the opening. A letter is stuck just inside, but it's only easy to see on the iPhone and the P40 Pro photo. The Galaxy S20 Plus and OnePlus 8 Pro don't didn't handle shadows around the letterbox well, losing a lot of edge detail.
Remains the Huawei and Apple phone. The iPhone 11 Pro squeaks with a win here, although I don't like the unnatural bokeh effect, which aggressively isolates the letterbox. Shadow, color and detail are more attractive than Huawei's image.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11 Pro
Lego
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
This was taken indoors in moderate daylight. The Huawei P40 Pro's massive sensor emphasizes natural bokeh and focuses rigidly on the center of the image, but colors are a bit The OnePlus 8 Pro balances blacks and table well, but reds are too bright and detail is lost.
The iPhone 11 Pro has better focus and detail, and deep blacks, while keeping reds under control. It's close between it and the S20 Plus here, with the Galaxy phone losing out just blowing out the gray parts background.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11 Pro
Zoom on the tree
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
The four phones have different zoom capabilities, which makes direct comparison quite difficult. To best assess them, I took photos with the standard zoom recommendation on each - 2x on the iPhone, 5x on the P40 Pro and 3x on the Galaxy S20 Plus and OnePlus 8 Pro. This is how most people will use the cameras, in my opinion.
There's a clear winner right off the bat. Not only can the Huawei P40 Pro get close to the point, it also has by far the best color balance of the four, with a brown tree trunk rather than the gray of the S20 Plus, and natural but still vibrant green leaves. The S20 Plus is oversaturated and the OnePlus 8 Pro lacks detail. The iPhone 11 Pro takes a great shot, but it can't match the Huawei here.
Winner: Huawei P40 Pro
Alloy rim, full zoom
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
All four phones have zoom features, and this was taken using the maximum on each. Zoom times vary and the results are very different. Still, it's important to see what each phone can do.
The iPhone 11 Pro handles 10x digital zoom, and although the intended subject is the wheel, you see the side of the car. It's all obvious, though you can't make out the words on the brake caliper or identify the logo on the wheel very easily.
The OnePlus 8 Pro and Galaxy S20 Plus both shoot with 30x digital zoom. The Galaxy S20 Plus's photo is superior, with better color balance, deeper blacks, and less pixelation. The Huawei P40 Pro achieves a 50x digital zoom, and although there is some pixelation, you can see the letters on the brake caliper, recognize the logo, and even see the ground behind the steering wheel through the spokes. It's very close between the S20 Plus and the P40 Pro here, but the greatest detail at an even closer zoom borders it for the Huawei phone.
Winner: Huawei P40 Pro
Biscuits
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
Another photo taken indoors, this time of dark chocolate cookies on a blue plate, and that's a key part of judging the images here. The only cameras to take a photo with a real blue plate were the P40 Pro and OnePlus 8 Pro, while the Galaxy S20 Plus and iPhone 11 Pro really show off a gray plaque.
The iPhone and S20 Plus have a high level of detail, while the P40 Pro suffers a bit by popping the edge of the cookie in a way the others haven't. The OnePlus 8 Pro falls somewhere in between, with a bluish patch and a decent level of detail.
None of the cameras are successful in this shot, so I went with the photo I would share unretouched, and that would be the Huawei P40 Pro.
Winner: Huawei P40 Pro
night mode
1.
iPhone 11 Pro
2.
Huawei P40 Pro
3.
Galaxy S20 Plus
4.
OnePlus 8 Pro
Taken at 9:15 p.m., 30 minutes after sunset and in dim light, the shooting criteria was based on whether or not the iPhone 11 Pro's automatic Night mode was activated. For this photo, he did and selected an exposure time of 2 seconds. On all other cameras, Night mode must be selected manually.
The Galaxy S20 Plus falls, lacking detail in the fence, railings and floor. The OnePlus 8 Pro is held back by a blue tint in the scene, but is otherwise a nice level of detail and balance.
The iPhone 11 Pro's golden glow from the recent sunset is very attractive and gives the photo a lot of atmosphere, but it highlights a glow that wasn't really there. The P40 Pro is considerably more realistic, with a good color balance on the ground and revealing more detail in the trees. Interestingly, there wasn't much difference between the P40 Pro's normal shot and its night mode image.
Winner: Huawei P40 Pro
The iPhone 11 Pro and the Huawei P40 Pro are neck and neck
There are nine different photo comparisons in the test, and the iPhone 11 Pro won five. The Huawei P40 Pro won four. Neither the OnePlus 8 Pro nor the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus managed to win one. single category.
None of the cameras took a bad shot, and everything could be shared happily with minimal editing. However, the iPhone 11 Pro produced the most consistent results, coming close to winning even in the categories it eventually lost. The combination of stunning color, delicate balance and HDR, along with super dynamic range and detail, makes it a fantastic camera in almost any situation.
What about the others? The P40 Pro came in second and its camera may still have to be done entirely via software updates.
In our review
, it impressed hugely, and my recommendation over the Android competition remains. The OnePlus 8 Pro performed well, but couldn't keep up in most shots, often misinterpreted the color. And although the Galaxy S20 Plus has good specs and takes attractive photos, when placed alongside the P40 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro, it couldn't stand out enough to win.
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro is our winner, and its reliability makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who wants to take great photos without any hassle.
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