HTC One M8 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 vs LG G Pro 2 vs Sony Xperia Z2 [CAMERA FACE OFF]
The HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5, LG G Pro 2, and Sony Xperia Z2. What do these devices have in common? Well, they all tout new, cutting edge cameras tech as their claim to fame. We’ve gotten our hands on many of these devices during our time at Mobile World Congress. It’s true, in well lit or daytime environments, most smartphone cameras will perform about the same. But some would say the real test lays in how well these cameras perform in less ideal conditions. They’re the biggest heavy weights of the year, and they’re about to go head-to-head in a low-light camera battle royale.
In one corner we have the HTC One M8. HTC claims the 4MP UltraPixel camera captures more light, helping the phone shoot better in dimly lit situations. Of course, this comes at the cost of having a higher MP count, something that could give its competitors an edge.
In the other corner lays the Samsung Galaxy S5. This phone features Samsung’s own in-house 16MP ISOCELL camera that is capable of lightning quick auto focus, and higher dynamic range. We got a chance to see it first hand during MWC, and can vouch for the optics in brightly lit scenes, but what about during night time shots?
Across is the LG G Pro 2. LG’s latest phablet, the G Pro 2 features a 13MP camera with optical image stabilization, as well as a fancy new LED flash for more accurate color rendition. But how well is the image quality when the flash is off? We’ll soon find out.
Finally, there’s the Sony Xperia Z2. Featuring Sony’s 20MP camera, the Xperia Z2 has the highest resolution shooter of the bunch, and comes with Sony’s camera expertise to back it up. This might just give the phone the advantage it needs to come out on top.
The folks at ePrice were nice enough to put together this camera comparison, snapping photos with all 4 smartphones under a variety of night time, and dimly lit scenes. All cameras featured their default/auto settings for shooting, so your results may vary. Cool? Let’s get ready to rumble!
HTC One M8 top left, Samsung Galaxy S5 top right, LG G Pro 2 bottom left, Sony Xperia Z2 bottom right (click for full size images)
Having looked over all the images, it’s interesting to see there aren’t really any clear winners here. Each camera behaves differently, but none are really consistent. That being said, which camera out of all these devices do you think performed the best? If anyone is looking for the non-collaged full versions of these images, you can grab them in our Google Drive folder here.