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iPhone X will up the ante against Note 8's dual rear camera

Apple's highest-end iPhone will match the Galaxy Note 8's cameras, spec for spec.

Patrick Holland Managing Editor
Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
Expertise Apple, iPhone, iOS, Android, Samsung, Sony, Google, Motorola, interviews, coffee equipment, cats Credentials
  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Patrick Holland

Samsung broke new ground with the Galaxy Note 8 . It's the first phone with optical image stabilization (OIS) in both its dual cameras, which minimizes the amount of visible shake while taking photos and recording videos. It also shoots better low-light photos, no matter which rear camera is used.

Other dual rear camera phones with OIS, like the iPhone 7 Plus , only use it on the wide-angle lens, leaving the telephoto lens at a disadvantage.

But on November 3, Apple will release the iPhone X, which also has dual OIS. The X combines this stabilization with machine learning to process movements and textures to improve focus, colors and overall image quality.

We won't be able to determine which one has the superior camera until we can test both phones and cameras fully. But on paper, we can see that the cameras on the iPhone X and the Note 8 are nearly identical -- having similar focal lengths, similar apertures and similar sensor resolution.

At this time, only three phone companies make dual rear camera phones using a standard wide angle lens and a telephoto lens: Apple, Samsung and OnePlus .

For more information, see below for a camera spec comparison between the iPhone X,  8 Plus , 7 Plus, Galaxy Note 8 and  OnePlus 5 .

Camera specs for the iPhone X, 8 Plus, 7 Plus, Galaxy Note 8, and OnePlus 5


iPhone XSamsung Galaxy Note 8OnePlus 5iPhone 8 PlusiPhone 7 Plus
Standard angle resolution 12 megapixels12 megapixels16 megapixels12 megapixels12 megapixels
Telephoto resolution 12 megapixels12 megapixels20 megapixels12 megapixels12 megapixels
Standard angle aperture f/1.8f/1.7f/1.7f/1.8f/1.8
Telephoto aperture f/2.4f/2.4f/2.6f/2.8f/2.8
Optical image stabilization Both wide-angle and telephotoBoth wide-angle and telephotoNoWide-angle onlyWide-angle only
Optical zoom 2x2x1.6x2x2x
Digital zoom 10x10x8x10x10x
Video 4K and HD4K and HD4K and HD4K and HD4K and HD
Slow motion 240fps at 1080p, 60fps at 4K240fps at 720p, 60fps at 1080p120fps at 720p, 60fps at 1080p240fps at 1080p, 60fps at 4K240fps at 720p, 120fps at 1080p
Front camera resolution 7 megapixels8 megapixels16 megapixels7 megapixels7 megapixels
Front camera aperture f/2.2f/1.7f/2.0f/2.2f/2.2

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