The three premium phablets on the market are unquestionably the iPhone 6 Plus, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 fans of the Google Nexus 6. Each manufacturer has particularly attempted to produce a high-quality photo taking device with this latest generation of phablets. So how do the three market leading tablets match up against one another in this department? Here is a rundown of their picture taking capabilities.
Galaxy Note 4 Camera
When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 4, the corporation made particular reference to the quality of its camera. And not without good reason. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes equipped with a 16MP lens equipped with a dual-LED flash along with auto and touch-to-focus. It also comes armed with optical image stabilization, making this a very nifty device for taking photographs.
The optical image stabilization system ensures that camera shake should not be an issue with this handset, and the ability of this device to take pictures in low-light conditions has been enhanced by this technology. Nonetheless, the Galaxy Note 4 lens has still been criticized for the quality of pictures that it produces in these conditions, and this is something that Samsung may wish to upgrade in future releases.
Aside from this, the Galaxy Note 4 camera does produce outstanding image quality. There are also a variety of options included in the camera, and the ability to download further modes from Samsung’s App Store including Animated Photo, Sports Shot, Sound & Shot and Sequence Shot. Couple this with the Quad HD display, which makes assessing the quality of pictures captured that bit easier, and you have a very powerful device for taking photographs.
Nexus 6
The Nexus 5 snapper was not hugely praised by reviewers, but the Nexus 6 is a significant improvement over Google’s previous iteration of the series. Development comes in the shape of an MX214 CMOS sensor, a wider f/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization. The lens itself is of the 13-megapixel variety, and while this isn’t the highest figure in the smartphone marketplace, it benefits from excellent shot-for-shot color accuracy.
Realism of color has been particularly praised in the Nexus 6’s photographic capabilities, although like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, it doesn’t always perform at its best in low-light conditions. It must also be said that the Samsung snapper does outperform the Nexus 6 in a variety of camera-related fields, most notably the sheer detail achieved in image quality.
However, there are some excellent features included in the Nexus 6 camera as well. The autofocus function is particularly effective, and it does a decent job of shooting 4K video. The Nexus 6 camera is a step in the right direction, but it certainly couldn’t be considered the best of the three compared here.
iPhone 6 Plus
In pure statistical terms, it looks as if the iPhone 6 Plus camera will be a relatively poor device. If one looks at the megapixel rating attributed to the iPhone 6 Plus, it does not impress when compared to other similar devices. The iPhone 6 Plus sports a new 8MP iSight camera on its rear, but the performance of the iPhone 6 Plus lens outstrips what this raw data suggests.
The larger display included in the iPhone 6 Plus provides an outstanding viewfinder to frame shots, and there are some other nifty features built into the iPhone 6 Plus’ portfolio of features. HDR and timer controls are neatly arranged along the top of the screen, and you can switch between front and rear cameras with ease.
The introduction of ‘Focus Pixels’ has improved the quality of the iPhone 6 Plus camera, by providing the sensor with increased levels of information which enables faster autofocus. Face, blink and smile detection have all been improved as well, which means that the iPhone 6 Plus recognizes faces more quickly than from a further distance.
The optical image stabilization feature in the iPhone 6 Plus has also been particularly praised, and it also is an outstanding video camera. It also does pretty well in lower-light conditions, but there are question marks as to whether the iPhone 6 Plus produces the same image detail quality as the Galaxy Note 4. But overall, the iPhone 6 Plus provides a more than decent camera package.
Conclusion
Google has upgraded the Nexus 6 over previous handsets in the series, but it lags behind in third place in this comparison. Both Apple and Samsung have produced outstanding devices that take excellent pictures, and both camps have their devotees who strongly advocate one camera’s quality over another.
In truth, both devices have their strengths and weaknesses, but it could be reasonably summarized that the Galaxy Note 4 probably produces images with the greatest detail, while the optical image stabilization and low-light functionality in the iPhone 6 Plus make it a strong performer as well.
