Who Makes the Best Smartphone Cam? Not Apple

Like most people, I replaced my digital point-and-shoot camera with a smartphone camera a long time ago. So now that the two-year contract on my worn-out Samsung Galaxy S4 is up, I want to make sure that my next phone has the best camera available.

But with every smartphone maker claiming to have the newest, flashiest camera, how can you tell which is actually the best?

To find out, I took to the streets of Manhattan with some of today’s hottest smartphones and shot pictures of everything from statues to flowers to people. Then I compared how each phone’s camera performed. 

Four co-workers and I ranked each photo on a scale from 1 to 6,

awarding 1 point to the worst photo in each category and 6 to the best. Scores are based on how clearly detailed the images were and how closely the colors matched those in real life.

It’s important to note that these rankings are based on each person’s personal preferences. As such, a reasonable person can completely disagree with our ratings. A less reasonable person can scream at us in the comments.

All of the phones’ cameras were set to auto mode, pictures were captured without using a tripod, and none of the images were color-corrected or altered in any way. Changing a camera’s settings can significantly change the way a photo comes out. But that’s more a measurement of your own shooting skills than of how the camera performs.

The contenders

The phones I chose for this matchup were Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 4, the LG G4, and the HTC One M9. Each phone is less than a year old and comes with a seriously powerful camera.

The reason for choosing these phones? Beyond being some of the newest phones you can buy, as well the ones you’ll most likely see in stores, they all claim to be the best smartphone for shutterbugs. 

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus both feature Apple’s new 8-megapixel iSight camera. The iPhone 6 Plus adds optical image stabilization (OIS), which helps ensure that your shots are clear even if your hand shakes while taking them.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 4 come with a 16-megapixel camera as well as OIS, as does the LG G4. HTC’s One M9 gets a large 20-megapixel camera sensor but no OIS.

It’s important to note that just because one camera has more megapixels than another doesn’t necessarily make it a better camera; that merely means it can take a larger photo. 

So if you print a picture taken with an 8-megapixel camera, it will be smaller than a 16-megapixel shot. A higher megapixel count also means you can zoom closer into an image before it starts looking pixelated.

The winner is…

After thoroughly testing each phone’s camera, LG’s G4 came out on top. That was followed closely by Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 4, and a little more distantly by Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6. Bringing up the rear was HTC’s One M9.

The LG G4 captured the most detailed and colorful shots. If you’re looking for a camera that offers slightly less detail but more vibrant colors, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 4 are also fine choices. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, on the other hand, are great if you want to capture colorful photos and don’t think you’ll need to crop or zoom in on your images, due to their lower megapixel count. Don’t even think about getting the HTC One M9 if you want a good smartphone cam