The Galaxy S10 is the better smartphone for taking photos compared to the iPhone XS, and it's clear what Apple needs to add to its next iPhone

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The Galaxy S10 is the better smartphone for taking photos compared to the iPhone XS, and it's clear what Apple needs to add to its next iPhone

galaxy s10 camera

Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

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  • The Samsung Galaxy S10 and Apple iPhone XS take nearly identical photos, so there's no specific winner for camera quality.
  • But Galaxy S10 users have an option that iPhone users don't: an ultrawide camera that captures a much wider field of view than a smartphone's regular camera.
  • That option alone make the Galaxy S10 a better smartphone for taking photos.
  • It's pretty clear that if other phones are going to have an ultrawide camera, the next iPhone is going to need one.

I've finally had a chance to test the camera on Apple's iPhone XS against Samsung's Galaxy S10, and they take incredibly similar photos.

Sure, there are some differences here and there, but iPhone users and Galaxy S10 users will be equally happy with the photos their phones take.

With that said, Galaxy S10 users have the option to take photos with the phone's ultrawide camera. That option alone seals the Galaxy S10 as the better smartphone for taking photos.

Check it out:

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The iPhone XS and Galaxy S10 take pretty similar photos. Here's a photo taken with the Galaxy S10.

The iPhone XS and Galaxy S10 take pretty similar photos. Here's a photo taken with the Galaxy S10.

And here's the same photo taken with the iPhone XS. There's little difference between the two in terms of quality.

And here's the same photo taken with the iPhone XS. There's little difference between the two in terms of quality.
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Both phones have a dedicated 2x zoomed lens. Here's the Galaxy S10's 2x zoomed lens in action, which is slightly sharper than the iPhone XS's 2x zoomed photo.

Both phones have a dedicated 2x zoomed lens. Here's the Galaxy S10's 2x zoomed lens in action, which is slightly sharper than the iPhone XS's 2x zoomed photo.

And here's the iPhone XS's 2x zoomed lens, which isn't quite as sharp as the Galaxy S10's, but it's nothing to complain about.

And here's the iPhone XS's 2x zoomed lens, which isn't quite as sharp as the Galaxy S10's, but it's nothing to complain about.
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Both phones can zoom in to 10x with digital zooming. Here's the Galaxy S10's 10x zoom.

Both phones can zoom in to 10x with digital zooming. Here's the Galaxy S10's 10x zoom.

And here's the iPhone XS's 10x zoom.

And here's the iPhone XS's 10x zoom.

Compared to the iPhone XS's photo, the Galaxy S10's photo is brighter. That can be good for capturing as much detail as possible, but it does result in a flatter photo than the iPhone XS's darker photo, which has more depth and contrast to it.

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The majority of photos I took with the Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS looked very similar. Here's the S10 again.

The majority of photos I took with the Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS looked very similar. Here's the S10 again.

It should be noted that the Galaxy S10 tends to oversaturate the color blue at times. I found the same when comparing the cameras on the Galaxy S10 with the Pixel 3's.

And here's the iPhone XS's version. Anyone would be happy with either.

And here's the iPhone XS's version. Anyone would be happy with either.
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But the real difference between the Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS becomes obvious with the S10's ultrawide camera.

But the real difference between the Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS becomes obvious with the S10's ultrawide camera.

Here's another example, starting with a photo from the iPhone XS.

Here's another example, starting with a photo from the iPhone XS.

As a sidenote, there's a strange dark shadow around the Freedom Tower in NYC.

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And here's what the Galaxy S10 can capture with its ultrawide camera.

And here's what the Galaxy S10 can capture with its ultrawide camera.

Both the iPhone XS and Galaxy S10 take similar quality photos, and it's pretty clear that the Galaxy S10 differentiates itself from Apple's latest iPhones with its ultrawide camera.

Both the iPhone XS and Galaxy S10 take similar quality photos, and it's pretty clear that the Galaxy S10 differentiates itself from Apple's latest iPhones with its ultrawide camera.

Admittedly, I wasn't a fan of ultrawide cameras when I first saw them on LG's G5 smartphone from 2016. It was only when the LG V40 came out in 2018 that I started to appreciate ultrawide photos.

Now, it's pretty clear that ultrawide cameras aren't a gimmick. They help you capture a lot more of your surrounding, especially of nearby larger objects.

It's also pretty clear that Apple should add an ultrawide camera to its next iPhone if it wants to compete against Samsung and LG in the camera department.

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