Samsung has consistently released some of the most impressive smartphones on the market, and the new Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus continue the legacy despite their iterative nature. Of course, with our smartphones doubling as cameras for most of us, it should come as no surprise Samsung held nothing back with its premium Galaxy S9 Plus. The result is the best smartphone camera to date.
DxOMark tests cameras thoroughly and rates them for their photo and video performance, then gives them a combined score. Previously, the top spot was held by the Google Pixel 2 with a combined score of 98. But, the Galaxy S9 Plus has inched ahead with superior camera performance, earning it a combined score of 99.
Digging into the record score
DxOMark credits this impressive score to two features enabled by the Galaxy S9 Plus camera: Dual Aperture and a Super Speed Dual Pixel Sensor. The former enables better performance in a wide variety of lighting scenarios (important because smartphones have been notoriously bad at taking photos in dark settings). The Super Speed Dual Pixel Sensor is responsible for snapping a burst of up to 12 photos and combining them into one stunning image.
DxOMark's rating for the camera performance taking still images is a staggering 104 points, its highest smartphone camera rating. The Galaxy S9 Plus's video performance earned a more modest but passable 91 rating, which seats it slightly above the iPhone X and below the Google Pixel 2 for shooting video.
Still, Samsung's serious lead in still photography has earned the Galaxy S9 Plus the crown for best camera, and the upgrades over the last generation of Galaxy smartphones will surely earn the Galaxy S9 phones plenty of other accolades, such as best display.