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The iPhone 10s is here, but is the camera that much better than the iPhone 10?
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On paper, the hardware actually looks pretty similar between the two phones, both have 12 mega pixel cameras with a wide angle lens at f/1.8 and a telephoto f/2.4.
But here's a trick on how to tell them apart without tearing them apart.
If you download the Haylight app, you'll see that the ten S actually has a 26 millimeter wide angle lens.
While the ten has a 28 millimeter wide angle lens.
If you want to see the full technical breakdown, I'll put the chart on the article on CNet.
Apple said there were plenty of software performance tweaks to improve HDR images, video, and portraits on the iPhone ten S.
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So let's test it out.
All photos in this comparison were taken on the default camera app, and HDR was turned on unless otherwise stated.
While both phones have portrait mode, only the 10S has the option to adjust the blur or [UNKNOWN] after the photo's been taken.
The depth control slider shows you just how much you're simulating stopping down the lens.
The wider the aperture, or lower the F number, the greater the blur.
You can do this on photos from the front and rear cameras, but don't expect this to have the same quantities as bokeh from a DSLR lens.
It just increases the blur effect around your subject.
If you virtually stopped down all the way to f1.4, it's almost like a blurry halo effect around your subject.
For some photos when your subject is far enough away from the background, it looks great.
But on others, it can be a little too over the top.
If you don't make any adjustment to the [UNKNOWN] render the blur in a similar way.
Photos from iPhone X do have a bit more contrast.
The XS does tend to capture a little more detail in portrait mode overall, as you can see in this image on her hair.
But the biggest difference is how each phone deals with HDR.
There's a new setting on the XS called Smart HDR, and Apple says the combination of sensors and image signal processing helps keep more shadow and highlight detail in shots compared to the iPhone 10, having smart HDR on does make a big difference.
In this photo you can see much more detail in the window.
And here on the portrait, the 10S gives a much more pleasing effect on the face, without the glowing highlights from the 10.
Here's an identical shot from the 10S with smart HDR on and off.
There's more detail retained in highlights with HDR turned on, and here, with the light coming in from the window.
But even without smart HDR, the 10s still appears to capture slightly more dynamic range and usable detail than the iPhone 10 with its regular HDR mode active.
Back with Sophie dive Into the marshmallows here we go.
Aah!
[LAUGH] For selfies both have the same true depth camera on the front, but each phone processes photos in a different way.
Photos from the 10 S are more even with Smart HDR turned on.
The 10 on the other hand blows out the background completely.
The general photos, in good lighting conditions, you won't notice a huge difference between the two.
Colors are nicely saturated on both but to my eye they are slightly more saturated on the iPhone 10.
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Overall, I found when looking at photos on the phone screens with True Tone turned on, images do look a little more true to life on the 10S than they do on the 10.
Of course, the screen you're viewing this video on will also make a difference to how these shots look.
When you're taking photos indoors, Smart HDR on the 10S helps keep highlights and shadows more balanced.
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According to Apple, the 10S has an extended dynamic range in videos up to 30 frames a second.
On this 4k clip, keep an eye on the light sources from the windows to the lights and you can see the detail retained in the highlights.
On the same video from the iPhone 10, highlights do blow out a bit more.
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When it comes to audio, the 10S can record stereo sound.
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And with headphones on audio definitely sounds richer and more spatial compared to the same mono clip on the iPhone 10.
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The larger pixel size on the iPhone XS means it also has an advantage in low light, at least on paper.
In real world situations, the XS does produce more even shots with less blown out highlights, but you might prefer more contrasty, saturated look from the iPhone X. Overall, there's slightly less noise on images from the XS.
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For me, the biggest change in the camera on the iPhone 10s is the improved dynamic range, wether or not you turn on smart HDR.
That being said, while smart HDR does look great most of the time, some people I showed images to prefered the photos from the iPhone 10 because they had more contrast.
So image processing has definitely improved on the 10 S.
But if you already have an iPhone 10, it's unlikely you'll want to upgrade for that alone.
