Best phone camera 2016: iPhone 6S Plus vs Nexus 6P vs Galaxy S6 vs LG G4 vs OnePlus 2 and more

By Jim Martin | 25 Jan 16

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Earlier this year we tested the cameras of 9 flagship phones including the iPhone 6, LG G4, Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9. If you're looking for that article, we've moved it here to Best phone cameras of 2015.  Now it's time to find out which of the latest crop performs best for photos, videos and selfies.

So, we gathered together the new iPhone 6s Plus, the new Nexus phones, Sony's Xperia Z5, the OnePlus 2, Moto X Force and brought back the Galaxy S6 (in Edge+ guise), One M9 and G4 (still HTC and LG's flagships) to battle it out again. (Also see: Best sounding phone 2016 & Fastest phone 2016.)

Update 25 January: We've added a reference photo from a Canon 60D so you can see the difference in quality, although you'd never expect DLSR-level quality from even the best phone cameras. We also added 100 percent crops of the St Pancras photos so you can see the actual details captured.

This isn't meant as an exhaustive test of every last camera feature on each phone. We didn't test slo-mo, time-lapse and burst modes. You can read more about those in our individual phone reviews. Instead, this was intended to be a useful comparison for anyone looking to choose a phone based on the quality of its standard photos and videos.

And if you're wondering why the Lumia 950 or 950 XL isn't here it's because Microsoft wasn't able to get us a test phone in time. We'll be testing and reviewing both phones shortly.

Best phone camera 2016: the contenders

Below is a brief comparison table showing the main specs of each phone’s cameras:

	Main camera resolution	Front camera resolution	Video (max. resolution)	Optical stabilisation (OIS)	Flash	Dedicated camera button
iPhone 6S	12Mp	5Mp	4K2160p@30fps	No	Dual-tone LED	No
iPhone 6S Plus	12Mp	5Mp	4K2160p@30fps	Yes	Dual-tone LED	No
Google Nexus 5X	12.3Mp	8Mp	4K2160p@30fps	No	Dual-tone LED	No
Google Nexus 6P	12.3Mp	8Mp	4K2160p@30fps	No	Dual-tone LED	No
HTC One M9	20Mp	4Mp	4K2160p@30fps	No	Dual-tone LED	No
Motorola Moto X Force*	21Mp	5Mp	4K2160p@30fps	No	Dual-tone LED	No
LG G4	16Mp	8Mp	4K2160p@30fps	Yes	LED	No
OnePlus 2	13Mp	5Mp	4K2160p@30fps	Yes	Dual-LED	No
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+**	16Mp	5Mp	4K2160p@30fps	Yes	LED	No
Sony Xperia Z5***	23Mp	5Mp	4K2160p@30fps	No	LED	Yes

* The Moto X Force uses the same cameras as the Play and Style, so you can use the samples below as if they were from those phones.

** The Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ use the same cameras, so the photos and videos are representative of all three phones.

*** The Xperia Z5, Z5 Premium and Z5 Compact also share the same front and rear cameras.

Best phone camera 2016: The tests

We set up each phone to the highest resolution available for photos and videos. That meant switching aspect ratio from the default if necessary for the front and back camera. We didn't use any RAW modes, just the standard JPEG mode. The only exception was the Xperia Z5, because Sony recommends shooting in the default super-sampling 8Mp mode.

For each test, we took photos within minutes of each other to ensure conditions were as similar as possible.

We didn't use any tripods, since virtually all photos are taken handheld with a phone. This meant stabilisation systems - whether optical or electronic - could prove their worth.

Again, opting for real-world shooting, we selected automatic modes and didn’t tap the screen to choose focus or exposure points. Few people do this and it allowed us to assess the cameras' automatic exposure systems. The tests are not scientific: we haven't used test images to check for focus, distortion and other technical characteristics. These are real-world photos, so they give the same results you can expect when you use the phone yourself.

All photos were taken from the same spot, which is why the field of view changes from phone to phone. Different cameras have different lenses: some more wide-angle than others. Also playing a major part is the sensor format. Some are 16:9 while others have 4:3 sensors. In each case, we made sure we used the highest resolution available – many Android phones default to 16:9 which chops the top and bottom off the photo for phones with 4:3 sensors.

The photos below were all taken in November 2015 on an overcast day, including the selfies which were taken indoors, facing a window. They are unedited. All we did was to resize them to 1600 pixels wide and display them at 750 pixels wide. You can click on them to expand them to 1600 pixels.

Here's a reference photo of St Pancras, shot in similar (but not identical) conditions to those in the photos below:

And here's a 100 percent crop so can you see the detail it can capture:

Best phone camera 2016: St Pancras hotel

iPhone 6S Plus

100 percent crop:

It's a murky-looking shot from the iPhone 6S Plus. However, the HDR mode - triggered automatically - means the sky hasn't been blown out. Detail and sharpness is good, but there's not all that much more detail compared to the 8Mp iPhones from last year. It may look murky, but it's close to what the scene actually looked like. Some of the phones managed to brighten it up more using HDR (such as the Nexus 5X and 6P) but in reality, St Pancras was fairly dark.

Google Nexus 5X

100 percent crop:

The 5X has chosen a slightly cooler white balance than other phones but the HDR+ mode (which we recommend using in the full 5X review) has brought out shadow detail and prevented the sky from turning white. It's a sharp photo with plenty of detail.

Google Nexus 6P

100 percent crop:

It's hardly suprising that the 6P's photo is virtually identical to the 5X: they use the same camera. The only minor difference is that the 5X doesn't have electronic image stabilisation. The 6P has brightened up the scene even more though.

HTC One M9

100 percent crop:

We weren't overly impressed with the M9's main camera when we tested it against its rivals and it doesn't fare too well now, either. The HDR mode is hidden away as a shooting mode in its own right and isn't something that will turn on automatically so we left it disabled here. The overall exposure is a bit dark, but more disappointing is the heavy-handed noise reduction (and / or compression) which leaves the hotel's brickwork smudgy. The 16:9 sensor means you don't see as much of the scene as phones with 4:3 sensors.

Motorola Moto X Force

100 percent crop:

It's a decent effort from the Moto X Force, although the highlights are blown out. It makes for a better looking photo overall, but there's less potential to get a better image in Photoshop due to the clipping. Focus, sharpness and detail levels are all good, but compression artefacts are visible in the brickwork and - to a lesser extent - tiles.

LG G4

100 percent crop:

An appalling misfire from the G4 here. It's hard to see without looking up close, but the whole image is fuzzy and smudgy with low detail levels. It wasn't caused by shaky hands, since both test shots came out the same and used a 1/364sec shutter speed and ISO-50. Checking the same photo shot back in May on a different sample supplied by LG, there's evidence of the same fuzziness and lack of sharpening around the pillars and balcony. The G4 is capable of better quality than this, but clearly not in these conditions. It's even blown the sky out. (It's worth pointing out that other people have got better results from their G4s than we have, and we know it's capable of great quality. But we can only report on the photos and video shot with the press review phones we were given.)

See also: LG G5 release date, price and specs rumours.

OnePlus 2

100 percent crop:

Aside from the over-saturated colours which have turned the brickword to orange, this is a good shot from the OnePlus. Focus and exposure are respectable, and although there's some evidence of noise, detail is retained and there are minimal compression artefacts.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

100 percent crop:

One of the best, if not the best, photos in these conditions. We already knew the S6 had a great camera and it proves it with this well-exposed shot that exhibits great detail levels. There's quite a lot of sharpening going on, but the result is a usable photo that doesn't require much editing at all. The only criticism is the 16:9 sensor which means you lose the top and bottom - just compare this with the much taller image from the Sony below:

See also: Samsung Galaxy S7 release date, price and specs rumours.

Sony Xperia Z5

100 percent crop (this was in 8Mp mode - the default mode Sony recommends you use):

As we've seen from Sony before, the Z5 delivers a strangely ghostly image that's artificially bright. The wide-angle lens introduces some distortion and focus is a little soft. At least colours are natural. In better conditions, the Z5 is capable of better quality than this effort.

Best phone camera of 2015: Outdoor photo – Brunswick Square Gardens

iPhone 6S Plus

Here the iPhone 6S demonstrates why it's one of the best phones for photography. The exposure is excellent, as is focus and white balance. There's just the right amount of sharpening and no noise. There's purple fringing on the tree branches which is a little more pronounced than other phones, except the OnePlus 2.

Google Nexus 5X

 

The HDR+ mode ensures another great photo from the Nexus 5X. There's lots of sharp detail, and the sky isn't blown out. It isn't identical to the 6P's photo, though. The framing is slightly different and the leaves on the trees look washed out. This could be due to the metering system choosing a different exposure to the 6P's, and this is inevitable if you leave any phone using entirely automatic setttings. Sometimes it will be perfect, other times not.

Google Nexus 6P

 

The 6P is capable of great photos with HDR+ turned off, but in scenes like this it helps to retain highlights. And as you can see, there's blue rather than white sky in this example. It has also exposed the image slightly better than the Nexus 5X, but that's most likely down to marginally different framing.

HTC One M9

 

When we tried the HDR mode on the One M9, we were rewarded with a blurry, out of focus photo. The image above was shot without HDR, and is much better for it. It's sharp and fairly detailed, but the limited range means the sky and tree branches are over-exposed.

Motorola Moto X Force

 

The Moto X Force has also over-exposed this shot. Although colours are good, detail is a bit soft in places, especially near edges. It's a respectable photo, but not quite in the same league as the new Nexus phones.

LG G4

 

At this reduced size the LG G4's photo looks ok. But zoom in and the same fuzziness seen in the St Pancras photo is evident. It doesn't suffer from the same chromatic aberrations (purple fringing) as the iPhone or OnePlus 2, below, though.

OnePlus 2

 

A great shot from the OnePlus 2. Colours are natural, focus is sharp and detail levels are excellent.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

 

The ever-consistent Galaxy S6 delivers another great photo. Exposure, focus, white balance are all great. The image isn't quite as sharp as the OnePlus 2's, though!

Sony Xperia Z5

Again, the Z5's tendency to overexpose is demonstrated here. The metering hasn't compensated adequately for the bright sky which affects the phone box, which appears faded compared to other phones. Details are sharp, though.

Best phone camera 2016: low-light photo

iPhone 6S Plus

The iPhone 6S Plus isn't as competent in low light as Apple would have you believe. The white balance is off, and there's noticeable amounts of noise. No doubt the smaller pixels have had in impact here: the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus may have fewer pixels to play with, but the fact that they're larger means they can receive more light. It's not bad, but it's certainly not the best.

Google Nexus 5X

Whether the difference between the 5X and 6P's low light photos is down to shaky hands or the lack of electronic stabilisation we can't say for sure. But the 6P's effort is noticeably sharper which suggests the EIS is doing its job on the more expensive phone. Both are good photos, though, with negligible colour noise. Colours are impressive, as is the amount of detail retained even with the noise reduction.

Google Nexus 6P

Proving itself a good all-rounder even if it does lack optical stabilisation, the 6P manages a sharp photo in very little light. If you have particularly shaky hands you might not get results as good as this, mind.

HTC One M9

As well as lacking in shadow detail, HTC's photo shows heavy-handed noise reduction which eliminates detail and leaves everything very smudgy-looking. Of course, looking at the whole photo on screen and avoiding zooming in 1:1, you won't really notice. But even so, the One M9 isn't a great low-light performer.

Motorola Moto X Force

It's a similar story for the Moto X Force. It's a gloomy, dingy-looking scene, with compression artefacts easily visible when you zoom in to check the detail. But even without looking at the actual pixels, it's fairly obvious to see where noise has been removed: look at the wall behind the Vegemite jar.

LG G4

The LG G4 excels in low light. In fact, it's almost as if we lit up the room compared to, say, the One M9 and Moto X Force. (We didn't - the exposure was 1/9 sec) There's quite a lot of noise, but we're happy to live with that given the quality of the image as a whole: details are still sharp and haven't been obliterated by noise reduction.

OnePlus 2

Not a bad effort from the OnePlus 2. Focus is a little soft, and there's a fair amount of noise, but more expensive phones faired worse in this test.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Like the OnePlus 2, the Galaxy S6 Edge+'s photo is a little soft, but the exposure is better and there's far less colour noise. In fact, this is one of the best low-light photos of the group.

Sony Xperia Z5

The Z5 does an admirable job in limited light with a good exposure, good detail and limited noise. The soft focus on the left side of the image - noticeable on the memo pad - is disappointing though.

Best phone camera 2016: 4K video

Note that the videos below were uploaded to YouTube as our usual video player doesn't yet support 4K playback. Also note that you won't be able to select the 4K quality option on most mobile devices including iPads. You should really use a PC or laptop with a 4K screen to judge the quality.

iPhone 6S Plus

The new iPhones differ slightly in their video capabilities, with the 6S Plus having the benefit of optical stabilisation. It makes a big difference, offering smooth and generally shake-free fotage with a much more cinematic feel. Focusing is generally excellent thanks to those special focus pixels, and it only struggles to focus in very low light.

With the benefit of 4K, images have great levels of detail and there's the expected great colour reproduction. Only the audio recording lets the side down a little, but you can always connect a better-quality microphone.

Google Nexus 5X

The Nexus 5X delivers excellent quality video. Colour, exposure and white balance are good, and focus is fast, too. The lack of optical stabilisation is the big disadvantage, so you really need to keep the phone as still as possible. In terms of audio, the microphones aren't directional, so a lot of ambient noise is recorded.

Google Nexus 6P

No surprises with the 6P, and our comments for the 5X apply here too.

HTC One M9

It may shoot in 4K, but the lack of any stabilisation at all means the One M9's video footage is some of the worst here and the difference is plain to see. Images also lack detail. The only plus is good stereo audio, but it's hardly a consolation.

Motorola Moto X Force

With good stabilisation, loads of detail and natural colours, the Moto X Force's videos are a pleasure to watch. This is bolstered by good audio, too. The camera is quick to adjust exposure when moving from light to dark or vice versa.

LG G4

If held relatively still, the G4 is capable of great video. But as good as the optical stabilisation is, footage suffers from the dreaded 'jello' effect when you move around too much. Colours and detail are generally good, but highlights can be blown out. Audio is pretty good, too.

OnePlus 2

OnePlus didn't skimp on the camera in the 2: it has optical stabilisation. This, along with 4K recording, means it delivers video on a par with phones costing more than twice as much. While image quality is generally great, audio quality is not. There's strange clipping, as if the ambient noise was too loud. This may be fixable with a software update, but as it stands, the sound lets the OP2 down.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

As we saw back when we tested the Galax6 S6, the Edge+ - with the same camera - offers the same excellent detail levels, good colour and exposure. Stabilisation is effective if you really hold the phone still, but there's noticeable wobble or  'jello' when you're walking with it. Audio isn't perfect either. Overall, video quality is good, but other phones offer better stabilisation.

Sony Xperia Z5

For some reason, YouTube refuses to process the Xperia Z5's video after uploading it. So we're working on a way to post the clip here so you can watch it.

So you'll have to take it from us that the quality is generally excellent. Footage is packed with detail and stabilisation is also brilliant. Colours and exposure are good, and focus is fast. It only struggles - as most do - in low light.

Best phone camera 2016: selfie

This is a test of each phone's front camera. We disable any beauty modes so that we can more accurately judge the detail captured by each camera. On phones such as the Samsung S6 the mode is enabled by default and while it does improve selfies for the ladies (there are also options to enlarge the eyes), men will want to turn it off immediately.

iPhone 6S Plus

Apple may have upgraded from the 1.2Mp camera in the iPhone 6 to 5Mp, but there's still a lack of detail in selfies. Skin tones are realistic and not oversaturated, but the highlights are blown out and focus is soft.  

Google Nexus 5X

Well exposed, with good skin tones and lots of detail, the 5X is a great phone for those who love to take selfies. No skin smoothing is going on, something that won't please those who'd prefer their pores and blemishes to be hidden, but from a detail perspective, it's great.

Google Nexus 6P

As with the 5X, the 6P's identical camera does a superb job of capturing detail and textures. It's also perfectly exposed and sharp. If anything, the skin tones are a bit too saturated, but it's one of the best here.

HTC One M9

The One M9's front camera is arguably better than its rear. This example is well exposed, detailed and fairly sharp. Colours are a bit washed out, but arguably more natural than some here.

Motorola Moto X Force

Slightly underexposed, the Moto X Force's shot isn't overly flattering, and appears to be applying some skin smoothing which we couldn't turn off. If there's an option, we failed to find it. As a consequence, detail is limited and a bit smudgy.

LG G4

The G4 defaults to a mirrored selfie mode, which is why the image is flipped. It's a good photo, though, with realistic colours. Detail is lacking, though, with what appears to be smoothing despite us turning off the beauty mode.

OnePlus 2

We're not that impressed with the OnePlus 2's effort here. Skin tones are a bit off and there's similar smoothing going on like the LG G4. Overall, a lack of detail.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

There's too much processing going on in the S6 Edge+'s selfie. And that's despite turning off the beauty mode. Smoothing and sharpening are too evident for our liking. Some will appreciate it, but we prefer the detail you get from the Nexus 5X and 6P.

Sony Xperia Z5

The Z5's photo has some posterisation - blocks of colour instead of smooth continous tones - from the smoothing, which shouldn't have been present with any beauty mode disabled. The overhead light has thrown white balance off a bit giving whites a green tint.

See also: the best phones of 2016/16

Best phone camera 2016: Verdict

So which is the best phone camera from the current crop in 2016? The short answer is that Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Google Nexus 6P have two of the best cameras going, and that the iPhone 6S isn’t too far behind.

Others have rated Sony’s Xperia Z5 camera even higher, but in our experience it wasn’t nearly as impressive, and we can only go by the photos we took on our sample phones in real-world conditions.

The longer answer is that there are many more considerations than simply evaluating a few test photos and videos to determine which is the best phone camera for you. With this number of phones, we could easily have spent weeks testing every last feature, but as we said right at the start, our aim was to find out which camera took the best pictures in a few different real-world scenarios in auto mode.

With that being the remit, the S6 Edge and 6P are pretty much tied for first place, even when you factor in the quality of their front cameras. Add video to the mix and the Samsung edges ahead thanks to optical stabilisation which the Google phone lacks.

However, while it can’t compete on outright quality we still highly rate the iPhone’s camera. Other phones may have technically ‘better’ cameras, but this doesn’t always translate to better photos: they can be hit and miss as conditions change.

The iPhone, on the other hand, delivers consistently good photos – and video - in just about any conditions with no need to adjust any settings. This reliability is exactly what you need in a phone camera that you depend on to capture the moment.

It’s also important to look at the other camera features a phone offers, too. If you like to shoot in slo-mo, you’re more likely to pick a phone that has the fastest frame rate at the highest resolution. Most are capable of only 120fps at 720p, but the iPhone 6S and Plus can both capture 240fps at this resolution, a significant difference.

Currently, all these flagships record 4K video at a maximum of 30fps, but many can shoot 1080p at 60fps, including the iPhones, Xperia Z5 and Galaxy S6 Edge. However, the Nexus 6P does not natively support 1080p60 which will be a dealbreaker for some.

For others, the front camera is just as important, and beauty modes can improve a quick selfie. The Nexus 6P and 5X have fantastic front cameras which deliver sharp, detail-filled photos. The S6 Edge and LG G4 have good beauty modes, but the Samsung has the better camera here.

If you’re after a good camera but can’t afford one of these phones, the OnePlus 2 comes to the rescue. The 64GB version costs £289 yet the camera stands up well against phones costing more that twice the price. It shoots in 4K, has OIS and delivers great quality in most situations. It can also capture slo-mo at 120fps in 720p, and the camera app offers time-lapse and panorama modes, just as you’d expect. The bad news is that OnePlus’ camera app doesn’t let you record video at 1080p60.

It’s no secret that the HTC One M9 has mediocre cameras, so we’re hoping for good things from its successor, rumoured to launch in just a few weeks. The Moto X Force was a bit of a disappointment, too. Like previous Motorola phones before it, the Force looks fine on paper, but the reality is that photos just aren’t in the same league as the Galaxy S6 Edge, Nexus 6P or iPhone 6S.

Videos, though, were surprisingly good considering the lack of optical stabilisation, but this isn’t enough to persuade many people to choose the Moto X over phones which take better photos.

Finally, the LG G4 has a pretty great camera but our sample made a few mistakes that blotted its results sheet. Like the HTC, it’s about to be superseded but while its replacement may have better cameras, it could still be a great phone to buy if prices drop even further: let’s not forget that you can pick one up for a similar price to the OnePlus 2.

Price, of course, is only one of the other factors you’ll be juggling when trying to pick the best phone. Battery life, screen size (and quality) and performance are probably all on your list. But if you’re choosing purely on the basis of the camera, it’s hard to beat the Galaxy S6 Edge, Nexus 6P and the iPhone 6S Plus.