When YouTuber Marcus Brownie looked at the photos taken from the cameras of 16 major phones that hit the market in 2022 and gave people from all over the world the opportunity to mark, he got some interesting results. The participants in the poll decided which of the pictures taken using the phones available for purchase was the best. According to Brownie, up to 33,000 people voted per minute.
∙ What is blind smart phone camera test?
In the poll called Blind Smart Phone Camera Test, 21.5 lakh people voted in the first three days. Each one is marked only for the excellence of the photo. It was called a blind test because the test was done without telling which phone the photo was from. Is the iPhone the best phone of the year, or the Pixel? Or is it some other model, asked Marcus. From flagship phones to mid-range handsets, the competition is lined up.
∙ Vote for three photos
Marcus was taking the same photo with the camera of all the phones. There were three types of photos for the competition. They were asked to mark the best of a photo in daylight, a photo taken in low light and a portrait photo. The photos were uploaded for voting after exfiltrating the data. The poll was conducted using the Elo (ELO) algorithm used in chess, table tennis and some video games. Photos from 16 models were used, from the iPhone 14 Pro to the Nothing Phone (1). (Full list of phones is displayed in the video.)
∙ The Pixel 6A is the winner in the hunt for millions of people
The Pixel 6A phone was ranked first among the phones that got the best Elo rating in all three categories. The second spot was taken by the Pixel 7 Pro, while the Asus ZenFone 9 took the third spot. Oppo Find X5 Pro is in the fourth position, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is in the fifth position, Realme 10 Pro is in the sixth position, iPhone 14 Pro is in the seventh position, and Huawei Mate 50 Pro is in the eighth position.
∙ Other interesting information
As Marcus says, the data he got from his tests about this year’s phones may not be available anywhere else on the Internet. Let’s check some. One of Marcus’ observations is that just because a phone excels in one category doesn’t mean it excels in others. Pixel 7 Pro received votes in all three categories: 2nd place, 4th place and 1st place. Meanwhile, the ranking of Pixel 6A is as follows: 3rd place, 2nd place, 2nd place.
Oppo Find X5: 1st place, 3rd place, 15th place. Where the Oppo Find X5 lags is in portrait mode. For most people, a photo taken in daylight is the most important. If so, the winner of this poll is probably the Oppo Find X5.
One result that everyone wants to know is where the iPhone 14 Pro delivers. It settled for 6th place, 10th place and 5th place.
∙ Who are the failed giants?
Marcus says the Sony Xperia 1 Mark 4 and Moto Edge 30 Ultra were the most disappointing. No one would have expected that Sony, the company that excels in making sensors for cameras and smart phone cameras, would get the worst Elo rating. It performed poorly in all three categories.
∙ Value for money phones
The Pixel 6A was also the best performing phone for the money. It received more than 4600 votes per dollar. The second place was Realme 10 Pro Plus. It was also the only phone besides the Pixel 6A to get more than 4,000 votes per dollar. The Sony Xperia 1 Mark 4 and the Moto Edge 30 Ultra were the ones that fell apart in this category as well.
∙ Less marks for dark photos
Dark photos received the worst marks. After these, the most over-lit photos also get less marks. Photos in between received the best marks. That means the phones with the best exposure won. The best performer in night mode was the Vivo X80 Pro. Marcus observes that this is the king of low light. The Pixel 6A is at the second position and the Oppo Find X5 Pro is at the third position. Marcus also says that the iPhone 14 Pro that used HDR in this section cast an unnecessary green tint on his face and made him look like a zombie. The iPhone 14 Pro slipped to 11th place in the low light test.
∙ Should such a test be taken seriously?
The vast majority of people who take photos with their smart phones don’t know much about photography. The photos used for Marcus’ test were all taken in full auto mode. That is the only mode most people are going to use. Photography connoisseurs can definitely take great photos from retro phones. But for average users, there is nothing wrong with taking the results of this test seriously.
∙ To get the best results, you need to know some photography
Many people spend money on smart phones thinking that the camera of the phone in their hand should be very good. Many phones are great, if you know a little photography. Otherwise it would be better to buy the phone after considering the results of such tests.