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Can you tell the difference between these photos?

We tested four phones -- the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, the iPhone 7, the Google Pixel XL and the Motorola Moto G5 Plus -- to see what a dirty lens did to photos.

Patrick Holland
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.
Patrick Holland
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1 of 8 Patrick Holland/CNET

How do fingerprints affect your pictures?

We took two pictures with four phones. One picture had a clean lens and the other had a fingerprint smudge on the lens. Check out the results.

This is a picture taken with the Google Pixel XL and a clean lens.

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2 of 8 Patrick Holland/CNET

And here's a picture from the Google Pixel XL with a dirty lens. Not much of a difference.

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3 of 8 Patrick Holland/CNET

Here's the photo from the iPhone 7 with a clean lens.

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4 of 8 Patrick Holland/CNET

And here's the photo from the iPhone 7 with a dirty lens. There's a very obvious blurry haze.

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This is a photo taken with the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus with a clean lens.

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6 of 8 Patrick Holland/CNET

And here is the photo taken with the Galaxy S8 Plus with a dirty lens. There is a very subtle haze and softness.

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7 of 8 Patrick Holland/CNET

Here is a photo with the Motorola Moto G5 Plus with a clean lens.

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And here is the Moto G5 Plus with a dirty lens. Notice there is some haze, but also the camera missed the focus.

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