iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8: Camera shootout!

By Allyson Kazmucha
last updated

The iPhone 6 features the same 8 megapixel, 1.5 micron, f/2.2 iSight camera as its predecessor, the iPhone 5s. However, both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feature an all new sensor that includes focus pixels, and an all new image signal processor (ISP) thanks to the Apple A8 chipset. So in traditional fashion, I stacked the iPhone 6 camera up against two of the hottest Android phones on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8. From low light to HDR and back again, here's all the samples you need to see before deciding which smartphone camera you want in your pocket next!

iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs M8: Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 Apple iPhone 6Samsung Galaxy S5HTC One M8
Row 0 - Cell 0 Row 0 - Cell 1 Row 0 - Cell 2 Row 0 - Cell 3
Megapixels8MP16MP4MP
Resolution3264 x 22485312 x 29882688 x 1520
Sensor Size1/3-inch1/2.6-inch1/3-inch
Pixel Size1.5µm1.12µm2.0µm
Apertureƒ/2.2ƒ/2.2ƒ/2.0
FlashDual-LEDLEDDual-LED
Front camera1.2MP2.1MP5MP

iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs M8: Consistency

In order to keep these tests consistent across the board, I let all the software behind them do the work whenever possible. That means using only the vendor-provided, default camera app for each phone. If I had to tap to focus, like for macro shots, I tapped in the same area on each phone. Aside from that, I let each phone decide what settings to use.

Note: You can right click on any of the samples in a desktop web browser in order to view a larger side by side comparison of each set. Towards the bottom of the article there are also 100% crop samples for you to view and can be enlarged as well.

Everyday and HDR shots

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

The first thing I noticed when viewing the above samples side by side is that all three devices perceive color differently. The HTC One M8 always seems to oversaturate colors to my eyes, particularly blues. In many photo samples that I took of the sky, the M8 showed it to be a teal color that just wasn't there, and that bothered me. The Samsung Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 6 did a much better job portraying the actual colors that were in front of me. In most of my samples, the S5 produced cooler images while the M8 leaned towards the warmer end of the spectrum. The iPhone 6 always seemed to fall in the middle and balanced whites better.

In very bright light, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 both struggled to not blow out images. You can clearly see this in the photo with sunlight directly in front of me and of the road with trees on both sides. Both the M8 and S5 experienced lens flare to some extent while the iPhone 6 did a great job balancing the entire scene.

Winner: iPhone 6

Macro shots

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

While shooting macros with the iPhone 6, I never felt as if I could crop in as close as I could with the S5 or M8. I always lost focus before I got to that point. I was almost certain that meant they'd produce better macro shots. However, after uploading them to the computer, I found that all three did a decent job but the M8 seemed to focus on smaller areas and blur the rest faster. The Galaxy S5 did a good job and managed to stay sharp 99% of the time. The iPhone 6's lack of letting me move in as close wasn't for no reason. I found that it consistently produced sharper images and has a larger field of view without creating a bokeh effect at the outlying portions of the image. And in case you were wondering, that almond croissant was delicious, thank you for asking.

However, the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5 seem to be able to hold focus over a larger area than the M8 when at close range.

Tie: Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6

Zoom shots

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

I've never been a fan of digital zoom in smartphones because, well because it's not optical and it almost always sucks. Don't expect that to change here. In each of the samples above, I zoomed in as far as each camera let me. And as you can tell, it's very obvious. My solution to digital zoom graininess it just don't use it. Move closer to your subject if at all possible or crop later. And if that's not an option, just set your expectations properly and use the zoom as sparingly as possible.

Winner: None of the above, digital zoom sucks

Low light shots

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

Looking at the samples above, the first thing you should notice is that the Samsung Galaxy S5 quickly drops off in terms of balance. In the photos of the boat dock and lighthouse, you can see the iPhone 6 and HTC One M8 shots are consistently brighter. While the S5 shot isn't terrible, it's definitely darker than the other two. Sometimes I'd get lucky and the S5 was on par with the other 2 but more often than not, it produced much darker and grainier images.

Low light is also where I found the Galaxy S5 camera to be the perfect example of why more megapixels and a higher resolution does not always equal better photos. As you can see from the specification chart above, the M8 and iPhone 6 have larger pixels than the S5, and it really shows in low light scenarios. The M8 has the lowest maximum resolution of the bunch yet still manages to smoke the S5 in terms of low light photography. The iPhone 6 also holds its own and in my experience, may not produce as bright of images as the M8 in low light, but manages to be much more consistent across varying scenarios. For instance, the M8 struggles when any kind of lighting is presented, as evident by the basket on the fence. So for most people, most of the time, the iPhone 6's consistency will serve you better.

Winner: iPhone 6

Flash photography

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

I found the HTC One M8 consistently cast a yellowish hue on subjects when the flash was used, which is odd since it has a dual-LED flash similar to what is found in the iPhone 6. The Galaxy S5 produced much cooler images than both, but I still felt they were more balanced than the M8.

The iPhone 6 did the best job at producing a natural light that wasn't too intense or blown out. And again, it was much more consistent than the other two, which many users will appreciate.

Winner: iPhone 6

Motion shots

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

I had no issue with motion shots in broad daylight. In both of the photos above, it was rather windy. I only gave each camera one shot to capture the flag and grass blades blowing. The iPhone 6 did a better job consistently balancing the scene as a whole, which seemed to be a pattern throughout many of my tests.

In lower light scenarios, your mileage will vary depending on what you're photographing. If the subject is still and the lights are low, you'll most likely be fine. However, if you're combining motion and low light, things could get a little hairy no matter what device you're using since it comes at the price of either leaving the shutter open longer or using an insanely high ISO, which means more noise.

Winner: iPhone 6

Panoramic shots

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

In the above panoramas, I wasn't happy with the way the Galaxy S5 completely blew out the sky in the first photo. The M8 does a sort of live stitching process that allows you to take individual images and then the software stitches them. While it kept things balanced, I again wasn't happy with the hues it settles on when it comes to blues. Again, the sky looks teal and as much as I like the idea of a teal sky, that's not what's in front of me.

The iPhone 6 uses the same panoramic capture method as the S5 and as its predecessors. It's one place you can really tell that Apple blows the competition out of the water when it comes to image signal processing and raw power. Not only are both iPhone 6 panoramas more pleasant, they are the most accurate representation of what was actually in front of me.

Winner: iPhone 6

Selfies!

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

I don't use the front-facing camera on my iPhone very often but when I do, it's for selfies. Yeah, I just went there. As you can tell, all three cameras do an acceptable job but pay attention to the background. In both samples, the iPhone 6 was able to balance the image while the M8 and S5 both wash out everything behind the subjects.

Winner: iPhone 6

100% crop samples

From left to right: Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8

The above samples are pieces of some of the images I used in this comparison, but at 100% resolution. As you can see, the S5 may have a higher megapixel and resolution count but at its max, it isn't anything to brag about. And in most cases, it's actually worse than its competitors. The HTC One M8 has bigger pixels than the iPhone 6 but the same size sensor. So keep in mind that even though some of the M8 samples look better and less grainy, they're also at a much smaller resolution than the iPhone 6. If I were to scale the iPhone 6 samples back, you'd most likely see less grain than the M8.

There's nothing to judge here but it should give you an idea of what you can expect at full resolution for each camera, across the board.

iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs M8: The bottom line

Smartphone cameras are getting better and the software driving them is getting smarter. While the iPhone 6 may not have received a bump in specs, there are definite improvements under the hood that should make a huge difference in how your images turn out, and in meaningful ways.

Apple is currently striking the right balance between megapixels and pixel size, between quality of lens and power of image signal processor. They don't have the biggest glass, but they have the best chipset, and now that they offer manual camera controls for third party apps, I'm running out of reasons not to recommend the iPhone camera to anyone or everyone.

As of today, if you want to take great photos with your phone, the iPhone 6 is your best bet.

Allyson Kazmucha
Allyson Kazmucha

iMore senior editor from 2011 to 2015.

93 Comments
  • Not nearly as magenta as I had been led to believe, except may be the dogs. Unless that is a Welsh Golden Retriever. ;)
  • Thank for this review, I enjoyed it. In most shots I did prefer the iPhone overall and I feel like it gives you the best consistency in the log run. P.S. Your Shiba Inu is the cutest dog!
  • I understand that imore.com is for people who love apple (the reason why I'm here), and as as much as I love my iPhone 6 and agree that overall it's the most consistent camera, it still feels like it would hurt you to even give the other contestants even the smallest praise for areaeas where they where actually better. Macro goes to S5 if you are objective. So does HDR (look at the focus behind the tennis balls). And the one area when where would benefit the most from 16 MP (zoom) you just wrote them off? Yes, digital sucks, we know. But among "the suckers"? iPhone 6 again I guess from your pic analysis. You colclusion is right, but it won't hurt you to give credit where it's due.
  • Also, background behind selfies, iPhone 6 keeps balance whil the others washes out? Are you looking at the trees? Or at the same images? The one in the middle is clearly the best.
  • Aren't the middle ones are iPhone 6 photos?
  • wow, the retard that I am, I didn't see that :P I guess the iPhone 6 is king then, haha
  • To be honest, the iPhone defaults to Auto HDR On, it would be interesting to know which photos the phone opted for HDR while the others didn't. I'm assuming the reviewer did *not* turn the Auto HDR off, since she made no mention of it at all in the comparison. There is no such default on the GS5 or HTC One M8. The shadows in some of those outdoor images taken with the iPhone do look like something I typically get when I use HDR exposures on my other phones (Note 3, One M8). It tends to have a way of brightening up shadows and making them look a bit more "translucent." The iPhone bridge picture sort of stuck out to me, which is why I thought of that.
  • I had HDR mode turned ON with the S5 and M8 in all shots that I felt would benefit from it, aka anything with large contrast ranges, outdoor stuff, etc...
  • I take it you didn't see my Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5s comparison? I preferred the S5.
  • So every 6 months the newer device wins.
    Why not match it against the G3?
  • Butt hurt Sent from the iMore App
  • I think the fact you've replied to about 15 of these comments speaks volumes. You know in your heart this is a farce.
  • Hahahahahaha yep a farce - or it's called reader interaction. lmfao
  • There you go again Allyson, trying too hard. Leave out the childish acronyms please.
  • HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA
  • The iPhone is the newest. So the best. When the Galaxy s5 came out it won against the 5s. And when the galaxy six comes out it'll beat the iPhone 6 again. And I was really impressed by the iPhone selfie camera. I can't wait to get my 6 plus. Sent from the iMore App
  • Sorry, but I disagree with both of you, but many thanks to the author. An excellent piece with incredible shots and 'differentiating factors'. My disagreement precedes this article though, so I'll stick to your point Julian. The 5s trounces the S5. By a decent margin. I own bith the 5a persona and Note 3 to run our business. The Note3 and S5 use damn near the same sensor, ISP, and 'stock settings'. I've also used the S5 extensively for a month before deciding to stick with the Note. So IMHO the evolution isn't always or necessarily going to be a 'leap' in camera abilities. Though it's been the trend for flagships, there's many ways to do it. That said, IMHO again, I bekieve Apple's concentration on this perfect '4k' sensor and the 8 megapixel sweet spot with deeper 'buckets' (pixels) to capture light, their contrast follow focusing with motion and the 240 FPS shooting at 720p is incredible. Their panoramas as you see, as well anything in darker light, the S5 is Crap! As is my Note3. The 5s is still a top five camera in most situations folks are shooting in. As always, YMMV.
  • I completely agree with you on that. Seems to one sided on every test.
  • I agree with above comments, I love my iPhone big time. Give me my iPhone or give me death but I think the Samsung device is really a solid device if I'm being honest. In my opinion the Zoom shots were amazing on the S5 and the Selfie's the S5 was clearly the winner on that one. If my friends ask me I'll say every phone sucks except iPhone but then I'll give them an honest objective opinion and give the Samsung phone the props it does deserve.
  • The HTC lags behind both the S5 and the 6 in quality. The 6 does a much better job in low light than the S5. In daylight Samsung and Apple look pretty even. Nice overview.
  • Do you like the way it makes things look pink? You could just add a filter.
  • I'm not sure if that was just an anomaly on that one picture, because none of the other pictures from the S5 had that hue on them. I did notice it, right away, though. The reviewer only snapped one photo on each phone, so she didn't really give herself any chance to account for any inconsistencies in settings, framing, or anomalies like that.
  • The photos in the middle were taken with the iPhone 6, according to the article.
  • All iPhone really? No way.
  • I would have loved to have seen a Lumia 1520 or Icon, and an LG G3 tossed in for comparison,
  • A DSLR for control. Hard to tell which was more accurate... In any case, they would have given all of the wins to the iPhone. Even though it clearly lost in several categories. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • I linked to those comparisons :)
  • Well in low light my friend was making fun about my 5s because his oneplus beat it all the time. Got my iPhone 6 plus and still he beats me. Wow 350$ vs 1000$ thinking to bring it back
  • iPhone is the best camera (for now, still waiting for Note 4). But in Bulgaria the only carrier Mtel announced today the prices for iPhone 6 - 16 GB - 1700$ off contract. iPhone 6 on contract - 1400$ + 24m x $70.... This is insaneeeeeeeeeeeee! An regular people work for $300 monthly... It's cheaper to go on vacation to London and buy it from there :-)))))
  • Problem with the M8 is the aggressive AE adjustments in the camera. Really, it will make the scene unusably dark if it focuses on something bright (like a light, a bright window in a room, etc.) and noisy and too bright if it focuses on a dark area. It does this in video as well. Also, their camera processing is not great. It's below Samsung (whose bad enough, but not as bad as HTC) and certainly below apple. Samsung should release a phone with a larger sensor and bigger pixels at a lower resolution (something similar to the iPhone camera specs) so they can get better Low Light Capabilities without depending on heavy Processing (Low Light Mode, Smart Stabilization, Ridiculously Aggressive Noise Reduction at very high ISO, etc.) to achieve better low light shots. They simply need to work on their camera software more - including the client software which doenst' have a Native Square Mode for the FFC (at least not on my Note 3) nad has no option to do Burst Shots by Long-Pressing the Shutter (should be there, seriously Samsung?). Probably should develop their own custom ISPs (or partner with someone like Fujitsu to create a *better* one). Some obvious deficits with going with very high resolution cameras is capture and shot to shot speeds, burst shot speeds, and the battery implications of using the phone as a camera. A lot more processing has to be done with 16MP vs. 8 and especially 4. Samsung should have stepped back to a larger 8MP (9.6 if they wanted a 16:9 Native Resolution) Sensor with a Better Lens and Larger Pixels (1.3um would be noticeably better than the 1.12 in the S5). Phase Detect Auto Focus doesn't make up for the fact that their camera has the highest power/processing requirements, is the slowest among those reviewed here, and performs the worst in low light. I'd still take the iPhone 6 >> Galaxy S5 >>>>>>>> HTC One M8 if Camera was the one and only consideration taken into account. The iPhone's consistency is a huge win for it, and the Samsung device simply curb stomp's HTC's camera phone.
  • Lastly, the Selfies seemed framed differently. Even with the resolution difference, the iPhone seems to have been held at an "advantageous" angle and position compared to the M8 and S5, which were held similarly. Less light is in the picture and definitely less is abusing the sensor in the iPhone Pictures, which gives that phone an advantage in properly exposing the image. The M8, from my use of it, is extremly subsceptible to light, so it would have produced a better selfie had it been held similar to the iPhone (taken at a similar angle with the bodies blocking more of the incoming like, as they are in the iPhone picture). That's a pretty obvious inconsistency. I still think the M8's camera is crap, and that the iPhone is more consistent than both of those devices for camera quality. However, you should try to be a bit less inconsistent with the framing of shots, especially those types of shots. I can take two pictures from teh same position on the M8 in a similar scene and cause one to blow out and one to be properly exposed just by adjusting the amount of tilt I hold the device at. It can (and often does, especially with that device) make a huge difference.
  • Great article. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • Nice comparison. All verdicts seem right, except motion and selfie capture. In both, the Galaxy performed better than iPhone. motion shot had better colors on the Galaxy and selfie had more detail and more real-looking colors. Also, all of iPhone's images look a little zoomed by default. I guess that's a result of the digital stabilization.
    That said, the iPhone 6 does have a great camera. Loved most of the pics.
    Although it would have been better to see a Lumia 930 or 1020 included in the comparison as Nokia is known for making amazing cameras.
  • DXO Mark, the professional lens and camera testing site, has already written an article declaring the iPhone 6 the winner. Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus review: Bigger and better. Apple set gold standard for smartphone image quality... http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Apple-iPhone-6-and-6-Plus-review-Bigger-a...
  • All iPhone? Talk about bias. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • Except in my last roundup with the S5 and iPhone 5s, I favorited the Android device, so there goes your iSheep theory...
  • Lol Bias Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • This is the worst smartphone camera review I've seen yet. It should be titled Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 6. The M8 is a popular phone but the one thing every review says is holding it back is the camera. If you wanted to do a comparison of camera's, put it up against smartphones that have a quality camera. Yes, the S5 should be there but you should also include the LG G3, One Plus One, or any of the top Lumia phones (930, 1520, 1080). Also, there is nothing subjective about this review. I'm really getting sick of so many websites being blindly devoted to one thing or another and never acknowledging problems or diminished experiences. If you want to be a reviewer then be fair and thoughtful about how you will approach it. If you just want to be a fan of a device or company then stop reviewing things. BTW, I do believe iPhones have great camera's but this "shootout" needs to be shot...
  • Did you see the camera comparisons I linked to? It covers the 1520 against the 6 plus. Also, i said in the intro why I did NOT include the 1520 - it is a much larger device, more of the range of the 6 Plus - which I will put it against. But if people care about a device as a whole, this is more meaningful in my opinion. Size matters to most people and if you want a smaller device, the 1520 probably isn't your best bet.
  • First off, I don't know why your making an issue of the 1520. It has essentially the same camera as the Lumia 930 or Icon which are essentially the same size as the iPhone 6. Use one of them in your comparison or the Lumia 1020 or the Sony Xperia Z3 all of which are known to have decent cameras. As for the other camera comparisons you linked to, those are a perfect example of the problem I have with your article. You start your article off with the statement, "here's all the samples you need to see before deciding which smartphone camera you want in your pocket next!" Then you compare it to only two android phones, one of which is known to have a poor camera in most situations. Then when you compare it to the S5 you largely dismiss it even in areas it holds up well. The articles you linked to took a much more even handed approach and listed pros and cons across the board for each device. The reason I'm making this an issue is that I am in the market for a new phone and the camera is important to me. I get frustrated when I take the time to read a comparison and find it completely one sided. I also just realized that this is the fourth time I've come across your articles and found them far less than subjective. It's fine that you love apple products but you should not be doing reviews because, despite what I imagine are your best efforts, your articles do not come across as being even handed at all. Your How To articles on the other hand are great... :)
  • Part of this you need to understand is what people search for. Search terms are important and phones are expensive. So it doesn't make sense for us to roundup thousands of dollars of phones people aren't searching for. These are the emails I got asking for comparisons. I knew the 930 has the same camera but the 1520 was already compared to the 6 plus, which I linked to, so why buy one? I don't have unlimited funds to buy thousands of dollars in phones. Do you? I do the best within reason and with what I have to work with. We pooled our resources and did comparisons cross site to compensate though, but I'm sorry you don't feel that satisfies your needs. We can agree to disagree on me being completely partial to Apple products as I really am not. I prefer them for my use case but if the day arises they don't suit me anymore, I'll switch. I actually enjoy the Galaxy S5 but I just don't agree the samples look better. What part of those photos looks more balanced? Motion captures show dull tones to me. And this is honestly where I feel you are splitting hairs on what people consider to "look better". None of our eyes are the same - so we will never always agree. I could put two decent photos side by side and ask 10 people to point to the one they think looks best. And what do you think would happen? So saying I'm subjective is fair but it should also be expected. Life is subjective, and I would be doing a disservice to you by using lab settings and going out of my way to show things that are or aren't there. Life happens, we grab a camera and photograph it. And for most people, the best all around camera will be the winner. And this time, in MY comparison, that was the iPhone 6. Last time it was the S5 over the 5s. This is a comparison people continuously asked for. I am always willing to take suggestions, as I did when someone asked for crop samples in my last roundup. But again, if you find a more "objective real word test" of these cameras plus all the others you named, please point me in that direction. Sent from the iMore App
  • The interesting part of that is people search based on reviews they hear from other sources. It seems like a chicken or the egg problem. How can a good device get attention if reviewers don't review it? Why would people search for a device if it doesn't get coverage from the media? I love the photos my 1020 takes or my wife's 1520 but many people I have spoken to have never heard of them because they haven't seen reviews. My experience has been iPhones rarely take the best shot but take very consistent shots and quite decent. Android phones vary wildly based on device but rarely impress. The Lumia phones aren't as consistent as iPhones shot to shot but easily outperform an iPhone when you do get a good one. Maybe someday media will give Windows Phones more attention, but until that day I'll add my vote to see more Windows Phones included in the mix. Thanks for the interesting read. I was actually surprised that the M8 did as well as it did in some shots. I was also surprised that the S5 didn't take many overly cool shots as so many S5 shots I see are normally far too blue, particularly in low light.
  • I do like how people down vote pretty reasonable and reasonably delivered responses to some of the inconsistencies in how the images were taken in this shootout. I mean, really, you aren't even going to reply and say why you down voted the "offending" comments? Or are they just down voting them because the commenter disagreed with the iPhone being given a category (as if anyone came to iMore expecting a decently objective and properly staged comparison)? I stand by my word. The selfie comparison is terrible, especially, since the photos are framed differently (really, only the iPhone photo is an anomoly here, and it's not just the resolution difference, the bodies in the image are positioned differently and the phone is positioned such that it is getting abused by a lot less light than the M8 and S5). And there is no excuse for not mentioning whether the Auto HDR was on or off on the iPhone, and hosting the pictures at least on Flickr...
  • I explained the HDR issue in a previous comment. As for framing the selfies, my arm is not 10 feet long. They all have different resolutions. I took a selfie in a real word situation, not a staged one that I tried 15 times or composed, because that does a disservice to you, our reader, as that isn't real life and how you use your devices. The environment was the only unchanged variable, for a reason
  • Somehow you always manage to not include the best Camera in the Android world. Why didn't you include the G3?????
  • The G3 is hardly the best camera in the Android world, and with battery life as bad as that phone it's not like many people in the know (i.e. on this tech blog) are going to want it, anyways.
  • I don't know what you mean by bad battery life on the G3........My G3 (Verizon) outlasts my iPhone 6 (Verizon), by a few hours, with very similar usage patterns. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • I didn't have one available to me :( Working on it though!
  • I don't doubt my iPhone 6 has a good camera. But I take these tests with a grain of salt, when the photographer frames shots differently between the phones. If camera is the #1 priority when picking a phone, most users will be fine with either of these phones. I actually would like to have seen a Sony Xperia in the mix, but then, this is an Apple blog.
  • Did you notice any over-aggressive noise reduction in your iPhone 6 shots? I didn't notice it in the photos you posted, but it's a pretty well documented issue in this thread: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1790221 I'm hoping there is a software fix for this issue.
  • Yeah I saw that thread too and tried my hardest to duplicate the issue on both my 6 and 6 plus and couldn't. I'm thinking it's software though.
  • of course... iphone is always the best here... =/
  • Not really considering the S5 won my last shootout.
  • I think other aspects could have been mentioned like the filed of view. The iPhone fov is much smaller which means from the same distance you actually see less. Camera comparisons are hard to judge unless you do it yourself, I have seen other comparisons where s5 wins easily in hdr and macro shots and cropping too and is equal in other areas, I guess it comes down to who does it and who's use to using what. I agree zoom is bad but then so again so is low light shots on cameras so you should have said which is better in zoom even if your just picking the best of the worst. Selfie seems off, I know it's different fov etc but it does make a different, I don't think it's fair to compare as they are totally different picture's, not even close/m8 and s5 are similar) as we know with cameras even just moving back a bit to show more can completely change the exposure. With the iPhone shots your faces are covering more so there less background light where as the S5 and m8 your more further and more of the background is in the picture which is why it's more blown out. After all these complaints lol I do think though these comparisons are pointless unless there's something to compare too. Imo a dslr should also be thrown into these comparisons so we can judge which device actually comes closer to the dslr quality. Posted via the Android iMore App!
  • Nice comparison. Don't listen to the haters.
  • I'd rather see moto X, icon, Z2, and G3 rather than M8. I didn't need this article to tell me what I already know. M8 wins in low light and is not at all impressive anywhere else. With 4 MP I'm surprised it wins at anything at all. HTC needs at least a 8 MP ultra pixel camera.
  • Nice review - our family is hardcore Apple ...two mac minis and iphones and ipads.. with that said, I now use an m8 One and wouldn't / couldn't go back to iPhones. The camera is underrated but not as good as the other two phones here when talking CAMERAS. I'm glad Apple is still relevant with the iPhone. It truly makes every other manufacturer stay on their game. I still think the iPhone is overpriced but glad they are still hanging in there...competition is a good thing.
  • Take a few more and put them up without labelling which phone they came from, let the people decide!
  • Nitpick: Title of the post is "iPhone 6 vs. Galaxy S5 vs. M8" but the order of the photos from left-to-right is Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, HTC One M8. I had to keep scrolling up to the first section to make sure I was looking at it correctly… Otherwise, an interesting post!
  • Damnit forgot to label each section. I'll add it in, thanks!
  • These wasn't only extremely biased since most ties where still awarded to the iPhone and clear wins from other phones were declared ties. But you also didn't include the best camera phone (the Lumia 1020) and the Lumia 930 (or Icon or 1520) which are known for having awesome cameras. I have a 1520 and let me tell you, digital zooming does not sucks. And a lowlight photo should have better colors and less white tint. I have been able to get beautiful photos with my phone.
  • Apple does it again!!! Sent from the iMore App
  • Don't personally know what all the fuss is about as none of us are exactly David Bailey & all we do is shove our devices into other people's faces showing them our happy snaps ect As a fan of Apple & photography I believe in the proper device for the job like a real Pentax or cannon ect ;) Sent from the iMore App
  • I'm happy with my iPhone 5s camera for now.
  • Nice to know I'll have a decent camera when I get my iPhone, but I rarely use the cameras on my phones. I prefer my DSLR for pictures, and it's always in my truck. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • Nice test. Why did you take portrait pictures for the review ? That's so weird
  • Because they're easy to put side by side. That's the only reason ;) Sent from the iMore App
  • WOW Imore saying the Iphone 6 is the best camera ever in every situation... Unfortunately anyone who visits this site knew exactly how this was going to turn out. They will play some lip service to the competition say a few things nice and then tell how Apple and Iphone is so much better in everything in all regards. Posted via the Android iMore App!
  • Instead of bitching Imore you should re read the article and pay close attention to the results. You'll see clearly which one takes over the others in each test.
  • not really - the S5 won my last comparison, as already stated several times.
  • Samsung may have beat the iPhone in the selfie challenge but to be honest as far as I can see in the other shots iPhone took over with its sharpness and colors.
  • The iPhone 6 shots are the pink ones in the middle!
  • Exactly how did you take the photos of the dogs?
    The dog is in the exact same position, how is that possible, unless the dog is dead ? This smells fake paid by Apple review.
  • What? The iPhone 6 won almost every category? Reviewed by iMore? I am in total shock. Really though.. Look through the images and tell me the M8 didn't take the best shots in the first category and you'd be lying. EDIT: Not the mention how the M8 panoramic photos look.
  • I'll just leave this here...
    http://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-6-ios8-camera-problems,news-19585.html
  • Allyson is giving her opinion and her best advice but in the end she won't buy your phone so I guess those with nasty comments should buy the phone they like the most.. If you don't like the article then why read it? I enjoyed it! Congrats Allyson.
  • So I think there's some confusion here about what photos are what - and that is my fault for making the headers in a different order from the actual sample order. From left to right is the Galaxy S5, iPhone 6, and then M8. So the iPhone 6 samples are in the middle. I fixed the headers to cause less confusion and added left to right indicators to each section. Just reading the comments, it appears a lot of folks thought the iPhone 6 sample was the first one, it is not. It is in the middle.
  • This is a very unfair comparison. All the iPhone photos are much more tightly cropped and closer in the image, than the other two phones. The other phones therefore have a huge area of backlight through the window or background that confuse the sensor. Of course the iPhone photo will then look better and be more correctly balanced but it has nothing to do with the capabilities of the camera.
  • Something that I would have liked to see on the comparison is information on what different things were going on behind the scenes of each phone while they were on 'auto'. I'm not just talking shutter speed and such but what image processing is happening with each image. Without knowing some of that information it is almost like looking at a RAW image and a jpeg and saying "the JEPG image had richer colors and is a better image than the RAW image" without then explaining that the camera does processing on the jepg image and leaves the RAW untouched in every way. I'm sure each of the phones didn't treat the capture and jpeg processing the same way, so some of those differences should be at least mentioned. As some others have pointed out, there would have been noticeable differences in the photos had the hand been shifted just half an inch in any direction for either of these phones resulting in any combination of quality for either of the devices. And really, can they be called selfies if there aren't the requisite instagram filters on them rendering the camera quality completely pointless? Ok, I kid on that last part. ;) And I do understand that this is a general shoot-out of the cameras but who doesn't edit their photos before showing to others. Some very quick and slight adjustments would level the playing field. Yeah, I get it, which phone means you don't have to do as much, but I personally don't want to give up that control, since you won't let me dial in my focus manually (and I don't mean touched an area of the screen and waiting for a lock. Don't get me wrong, as an android user, I think the quality of the iPhone camera is not something to taken lightly, it is really good phone camera.
  • Could you provide full resolution images for comparison?
  • Ha! Let's be honest, you were biased towards the iPhone from the start. Why else would you frame the iPhone pics larger than the other two? The eye naturally prefers the larger image
  • I think it would be also interesting to show how fast each of these phone take pictures since one of the advantages of using smartphone's camera is the ability to snap unpredictable interesting moments, in addition, this often includes moving objects.
  • Wow, thank you for doing this article. Very enlightening. I had no idea how superior the iphone camera was. Thanks again!
  • Can't really complain about a persons opinion on cell phone cameras but when iPhone won the selfie category it discredited this whole "review".
  • Don't know about others but iPhone 6 camera is way more better than my 5s.
  • This is a one sided review. I own the HTC one m8 and my gf has the Samsung s5, and I previously owned the iPhone 6 and I have to say the m8 takes the best pictures. . I Realized this when it got to the selfies, the HTC one m8 has the best front facing camera and takes selfie pictures that the iPhone could never be capable of producing. The low light pictures again were far from the truth. The HTC one m8 has one weakness and that is zooming in. the s5 takes great pictures outside during the day and zooms in further then the iPhone but in low light and selfie the HTC one m8 tops them all. Either this guy doesn't know how to operate the camera or these pictures are mixed up lol. Not to mention the HTC one m8 has more camera features then any other phone out there and can easily manipulate and change images after being taken due to its depth sensor lens along with its ultra pixel camera. I've compared the iPhone 6 to the HTC one m8 and the iPhone just cannot compete so I guess we know what phone this guy owns huh..... for one thing in the zoomed images it shows the iPhone with a clearer picture and zoomed in further then the Samsung and that just isn't accurate, the Samsung zooms in further than the iPhone by a long shot. This just isn't at all an accurate comparison. The iPhone takes mediocre pictures and has had the same camera for the past 5 years or more. The HTC as long as you aren't zooming in far takes some of the most accurate and clear pictures I've seen. There are just a lot of pictures comparisons here show the iPhone coming out on top such as with the selfie and low light images, where the HTC m8 would have demolished the iPhone and the zoomed in images where Samsung clearly zooms in further and takes clearer images but yet it shows the iPhone zoomed in further with a clearer image, so I can't help but to think these pictures have either been mixed up or doctored to favor this persons preference.
  • Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking regarding his use of the M8 camera. It requires you to balance the light manually, but it can have a much better outcome.
  • The 5s has the same camera as the iPhone 6 so how can one be better then the other. IPhone sucks in low light the pictures look yellow and pixelated
  • This Is a craps comparison !! I owned the iPhone 6 and I switched to the htc one m8. The m8 takes way better pictures then you are showing here. You list the iPhone's specs but not the htc one m8 or Samsung s5 hmmm.... The iPhone's pictures are not that good , and you are showing the iPhone as the winner where it really shows how bias this review is. The Samsung has much better zoom and accuracy of the iPhone and the m8 takes wayyyy better low light pictures, the iPhone's images always look a little yellowish. I would post images I have taken with my HTC one m8 to show just how bias this review is , if I was able to. Not to mention the iPhone's images are larger then the other 2, hmmmm..... The iPhone has had the same craps camera For years , and the HTC one m8 has a depth sensor that created images with detail the iPhone isn't capable of . Also megapixels have about as much to do with image quality as wattage does with sound quality, unless your blowing an image up to the size of a poster your not going to see a difference.but while we are on the subject let's talk about the iPhone's front camera, oh wow same as the last 2 versions.... 1.2 mp camera makes it the lowest pixel selfie camera of My phone. The HTC one m8 also has a ton more camera options and capabilities and the HTC m8 also can quickly access it camera by turning it sideways and hitting the volume button , with the iPhone you have to go in and click on the app. And as far as the rest of the phone goes , the htc one m8 is twice the phone the iPhone 6 is , the iPhone 6 is a bigger flatter version of the iPhone 5s. Look at the specs, the iPhone 6 has least amount of battery life and talk time, worst display screen, worst cpu and slowest processing speed, least amount of ram, the htc one m8 almost has 3 times the speed and ram of the iPhone , twice the battery and talk time, twice the pixels in its display screen, the iPhone has the specs of a 4 year old android phone. And the finger print scanner might I add that everyone praises was an android idea stolen from Motorola and adopted into the iPhone, just to let iPhone users know, iPhone is mostly made of androids second hand ideas and technology. How can you compare the iPhone and praise The way you do and make it out to be something we all know it's not. I challenge anyone to compare their iPhone 6's pictureses to my HTC one m8 , and they will see just how how misled they are.
  • There is no way in hell the iPhone has more zoom then the Samsung s5. Also the selfie camera of the iPhone 6 is the worst of any phone out their. The HTC one m8 Had and amazing front and back camera, the front facing selfie camera on the m8 is a 5mp camera with a great lens, the iPhone 6 has had the same shitty 1.2 mp front facing camera for years just as it has had the same mediocre 8mp rear camera for years, the iPhone 6 is the same as the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5 was just like the iPhone 4, let me ask you why would htc put a shitty camera on the back of the phone but put the best front facing camera to date on the front of the phone ? They didn't people see the 4 mp rare camera and automatically think its crap when really there isn't a camera out there capable of producing images like the htc m8. The m8 has a sensor that makes its images look better then the iPhone could produce. The HTC one m8 also takes wider images, the depth and realistic look of the HTC can't be found in an iPhone. The HTC one m8's images really look almost 3 dimensional, and it's images more natural looking , now I will say the m8 cannot zoom in as far as the samsung s5, but s5as far as the camera letting into much light due to it ultra pixel camera this can be fixed by adjusting the brightness on the camera, simple fix. And I don't know how you got the other 2 phones images to look so bad but there is no way they looked like that unless you internationally tryed to take horrible photos on them and really tried to take perfect ones on the Iphone, there is just no way, your showing the iPhone winning in every catgegory when that's just not possible, anyone familiar with these phones would know that.
  • I have owned both the iPhone 6 and the HTC one m8 and my gf owns the Samsung s5 and I have to tell you the iPhone is far from winning any of These categories, it takes OK pictures but that's the extent of it, you have iPhone winning in the areas it's weakest of the three phones. I suggest ignoring this review because it's a BOGUS comparison. Either your a horrible photographer with every phone unless your holding an Iphone or your intentionally made the other phones images look horrible because I gotta tell you that's not at all an accurate comparison lol. I think it's funny because your making the iPhone stand out and look better then it is lol. Tell you what you take a picture with you iPhone 6 and I'll take a picture with my HTC one m8 and we will compare them, the only way your phone will takes better images is if you using a camera rather then your iPhone , all my friend with na iPhone 6 always tell me they are jealous of my phone and it's camera. I guess this review is more like a if only this were true .... If only my iPhone really looked this good in comparison lol.... So let's see a fair and accurate comparison next time !!
  • This is a bias review, the HTC one m8 takes better pictures then both the s5 and iPhone 6 !! This is extremely obvious in the selfie comparison, because the HTC one m8 has a WAY better front facing camera !! Also you either don't know how to use the m8 camera or this was done purposely, because the m8 takes FAR better low light images then both the iPhone and s5 !! I'll be the first to admit mp's have nothing to do with image quality, but this is An extremely bias review !! I have a picture on my Google page, of both the iPhone 6 and my HTC one m8 side by side with the same image take on both phones, and I took the picture with them side by side to show the picture was not doctored up in any way and to show what the image looks like on both phones and you can see just how much better the m8's camera Is then the iPhone 6 !! Other then the camera every upgrade and change found on the iPhone 6 and 6s was copied off HTC !! The iPhone copied HTC's all metal design, antenna bands, and long slender body for easier one handed use, the iPhone also copied HTC's ZOE camera which Apple markets as "live photos" when really it's just a copy off htc's doe camera, and the iphone copied the HTC one m7's 5mp front facing camera !! If I can find a way to post the picture from my Google page on here I will, to show a side by side comparison of the iPhone 6 and HTC one m8 and you can see for your self !! Not to mention you have the iPhones images larger then the other phones images !!! Smite so funny how hard Apple users have to try to make their mediocre phone with outdated specs and stolen technology, seen like a premium device lol !!
  • Awful comparison. You didn't focus on the dark part of the photos with the m8 so it wasn't a fair battle here. Plus you favored the iPhone in EVERY other situation because you're a bunch of bias tards. Don't do a comparison unless you're going to be fair about it.