iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8 photos
The Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X were announced within one month of each other. The specs for the dual-rear cameras on each phone caught my attention because they were so similar. The following are several dozen moments and scenes each photographed by the Note 8 and iPhone X.
iPhone X - Sunrise
The sun rises over the Mission. Notice the saturation the iPhone renders.
Note 8 - Sunrise
Here's the same sunrise taken with the Note 8. This was closer to how it appeared to my eyes.
iPhone X - Butterfly breakfast
This was taken indoors at the rain forest exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences. The iPhone rendered the scene with punchy contrast and saturated colors.
Note 8 - Butterfly breakfast
The Note 8's shot looks a tad overexposed. However, the colors and contrast look how I saw things with my eyes.
iPhone X - Safety pin sculpture
This is a sculpture of a giant safety pin in front of the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
Note 8 - Safety pin sculpture
There is not a huge difference in these photos. To my eye, the Note 8's photo has more contrast and the iPhone X shot more dynamic range.
iPhone X - Stella the cat
The iPhone X photo here is sharper, has more detail and a wider dynamic range of colors.
Note 8 - Stella the cat
This shot on the Note 8 still looks great.
iPhone X - Range Rover
This Series 3 was parked in San Francisco just before Thanksgiving.
Note 8 - Range Rover
The differences between the iPhone's photo and the Note 8's photo are hard to distinguish.
iPhone X - T Rex
This was taken with the iPhone's telephoto camera at 2X optical zoom. Notice the contrast in the shadows and colors of the fossil.
Note 8 - T Rex
This shot was taken with the Note 8's telephoto camera using optical zoom. The image is a tad overexposed, but colors look more true to life.
iPhone X - Earth
The California Academy of Sciences has a large rotating globe of the Earth.
Note 8 - Earth
It's difficult to spot any major differences between this photo and the preceding one.
iPhone X - Living Roof
Atop the Academy of Sciences is a living roof. This shot was taken with the iPhone X.
Note 8 - Living Roof
And here's the living roof as taken with the Note 8.
iPhone X - Aquarium
The iPhone renders the aquarium with more contrast and saturation than the Note 8.
Note 8 - Aquarium
Here's the Note 8 version.
iPhone X - Paradise City
The iPhone X photo of this bus has more dynamic range and colors in the sky.
Note 8 - Paradise City
This shot from the Note 8 has more saturation in the colors of the bus.
iPhone X - Portrait Lighting Mode
Cats named Como make excellent subjects for Portrait Lighting Mode photos on the iPhone X.
Note 8 - Live Focus
The Note 8's portrait mode is called Live Focus.
iPhone X - Portrait Lighting Mode
Portrait Lighting Mode shots typically have sharp focus on the subject's face and even focus fall off from the foreground to the background that's akin to that of a DSLR. Here the iPhone over blurs a chunk of hair on the the left side of the photo.
Note 8 - Live Focus
Live Focus photos from the Note 8 look softer, but sometimes that can be more flattering for people's skin. Focus fall off is almost nonexistent and the subject looks more "cut out" from the background.
iPhone X - Portrait Lighting Mode
This was taken in a dimly lit restaurant. It took a long time for the iPhone to get focus but the resulting portrait is impressive.
Note 8 - Live Focus
Here's a Live Focus shot taken in the same dim restaurant.
iPhone X - Portrait Lighting Mode
The iPhone X handled this portrait of avocado toast like a pro.
Note 8 - Live Focus
The Note 8 rendered the same toast with more contrast and saturation.
iPhone X - Portrait Fish
One thing I discovered was how good the iPhone X took Portrait Lighting Mode photos of fish.
Note 8 - Live Focus Fish
Live Focus on the Note 8 did OK with fish.
iPhone X - Portrait Fish
But here's a rockfish taken with the Studio Light effect.
iPhone X - Portrait Fish
Here's the same rockfish taken with the Stage Light effect.
iPhone X - Portrait Fish
And here's another fish taken with the Natural Light effect.
iPhone X - Portrait Fish
Here's the same fish taken with the Stage Light effect.
iPhone X - Wide angle
This is the jaw of a shark taken with the iPhone X's wide angle camera.
Note 8 - Wide angle
Here's the same jaw taken with the wide angle camera on the Note 8.
iPhone X - Telephoto 2X optical zoom
Here's the same jaw now taken with the iPhone's telephoto camera. Notice the color of the jaw. It looks like there was a filter added to change the colors.
Note 8 - Telephoto 2X optical zoom
And here's a shot of the jaw taken with the Note 8's telephoto camera. It rendered things more true to life than the iPhone's shot.
iPhone X - Wide angle
The de Young Museum in San Francisco has a beautiful metal mesh overhang. This photo was taken with the iPhone X's wide angle camera.
Note 8 - Wide angle
Here's the same overhang taken with the Note 8's wide angle camera.
iPhone X - Telephoto 2X optical zoom
And now let's zoom in a bit. Notice the clouds and the details in the mesh.
Note 8 - Telephoto 2X optical zoom
Here's the Note 8's telephoto shot. Notice there's more blown highlights in the clouds than the iPhone's shot
iPhone X - Selfie Portrait Mode
Yep, the iPhone X allows for Portrait Lighting Mode photos to be taken with its front-facing camera. The results are OK. I often got blurred patches in the background.
Note 8 - Selective Focus
The Note 8's selfie portrait mode is called Selective Focus. It looks more artificial than Live Focus photos taken with its rear cameras.
Note 8 - Beauty Mode
But the Note 8 also has a beauty mode for its selfie camera that can smooth your skin, make your eyes bigger and face thinner -- if you're into that.
Note 8 - Selfie stickers
These stickers have Snapchat written all over them. I'm a reindeer.
Note 8 - Selfie stickers
I'm an old French guy.
Note 8 - Selfie stickers
I have a bad cold.
Note 8 - Butterfly
For more about what I thought of the iPhone X and Note 8's cameras checkout my in-depth comparison.