Which of these non-Pro model has the best camera? We pit the Galaxy S23 vs the iPhone 14 vs the Pixel 7 against each other. Any bets?
Nowadays, it’s typical that phone manufacturers will launch their latest flagships in at least two flavors — or four, if you look at the iPhone, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max.
In any case, even the « cheapest » of these flagships should be good enough — not for the unsatiable tech enthusiast or camera aficionado, but good enough for any user that just wants a good new phone with their cellular contract.
What’s one of the most important things when looking at a new smartphone? Correct — battery life. But, that aside, cameras are also pretty important in today’s social-media-entangled world.
So, when we strip the « Pro », « Plus », and « Ultra » monikers from them — how do the base Galaxy S23, iPhone 14, and Pixel 7 cameras fare against each other?
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Less talking, more cameras, here we go!
Samsung is probably the only manufacturer who still puts a full-functioning triple camera module on its « non-Pro » flagship. That’s wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto. Apple and Google will only give you dual lens setups on the back — wide and ultra-wide.
Galaxy S23
iPhone 14
Pixel 7
The Galaxy S23 loves to amp up colors and we can see quite a bit of saturation. Not overly aggressive or unpleasant, but definitely beyond what we would call « realistic » for that scenario.
The Pixel 7, on the other hand, struck a bit of a dull note, as if it was too scared to actually throw a splash of coloring in there. On the good end, its sky color looks the most realisting. The iPhone 14 came in the middle, and also offered the brightest exposure, which is cool.
In terms of details, it’s pleasant to see that none of these phones oversharpened them excessively. That does happen later on, but they look good in all three samples here.
Galaxy S23
iPhone 14
Pixel 7
This tricky scene managed to get the Galaxy S23 to boost its exposure a bit too much, losing some details and intricacies around the building there. Both the iPhone 14 and Pixel 7 did a much better job here. The Pixel did cast a purple-ish shade, but on the other hand — its details look much more natural, where the iPhone 14 seems to be doing a bit too much sharpening.
Galaxy S23
iPhone 14
Pixel 7
Another tricky shot with a very bright item in the foreground. The Galaxy S23 is, again, a bit too bright, maybe even blowing out some highlights. The iPhone held it together better, minus the oversharpening (most visible on the tree branches). The Pixel did a great job with colors and details and its exposure can be your favorite if you don’t mind the slightly crushed shadows.
Galaxy S23
iPhone 14
Pixel 7
This selection of delicate flowers did throw our phones off — too much exposure or too much sharpening will make them appear unnatural, with their colors washed out or mixed up in a mess. Of the three devices, the Pixel 7 did the best job of keeping it all together.
Galaxy S23
iPhone 14
Pixel 7
A very challenging scene, with the setting sun casting bright spots and dark shadows all around. All three phones did quite well here — a show of power. The Galaxy S23 gave us the most exposure, the iPhone 14 — the darkest picture. The Pixel 7 sits somewhere in the middle. The grass and sky look pretty good on all three photos, save for the iPhone 14 where the sky is a bit too neon blue.
Galaxy S23
iPhone 14
Pixel 7
In this scene, we see very clearly how the different phones treat strong light sources. The Galaxy S23 looks to flatten dynamics out, so it can give you the most detail around light sources and avoid burnouts. However, it’s not entirely accurate in this specific scene since, in real life, the glowing cores in the big red lamps really were a warm white light (as in the other phone photos).
The Pixel kind of lost the plot, making everything appear too blue — those purple lights above the bar are supposed to be actually purple. The iPhone did the best with this photo, striking a balance between dynamics, colors, and sharpness.
Galaxy S23
iPhone 14
Pixel 7
A very challenging shot and we did expect the phones to drop the ball a bit, but they did keep it together surprisingly well. The scene you are looking at was definitely darker in real life, and the phones were hold close to the ground with some flowers in the foreground for additional depth effect. Yet, they pulled through by focusing on what they had to and by enhancing the exposure of the shot.
In this sample, the Galaxy S23’s colors went a bit overboard, though that could certainly be an aesthetic that one is after. The Pixel 7 tried to expose the shot a bit too much, we feel, which caused it to overshoot the colors. The iPhone 14 got natural colors, but a bit too much of a yellow hue overall and its details are quite soft by comparison.
