Apple iPhone 6s Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+: Blind camera test

Blind test: the reveal

Time to tally the votes - you have had 24 hours to pick your favorite cameraphone based on a few sample photos plus one video screencap.

PHONE A is the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+.

PHONE B is the Apple iPhone 6s Plus.

Both phones offer different field of view, but we tried our best to make this blind test as fair as possible.

The results are roughly what we expected them - the Galaxy S6 edge+ won in all but the most demanding daylight and low-light scenes. The iPhone 6s Plus seems better suited to handle sunsets and dusk scenery.

Here is a short summary of the votes.

Crop	A) Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+	B) Apple iPhone 6s Plus
Crop #1 (daylight)	10,726 (57%)	8,027 (43%)
Crop #2 (daylight)	3,276 (18%)	14,646 (82%)
Crop #3 (indoors)	12,701 (73%)	4,614 (27%)
Crop #4 (dusk)	9,319 (54%)	8,046 (46%)
Crop #5 (night)	4,538 (26%)	12,722 (74%)
Crop #6 (flash on)	16,287 (93%)	1,280 (7%)
Crop #7 (4K video)	13,773 (81%)	3,300 (19%)
TOTAL	70,620 (57.3%)	52,635 (42.7%)

Our first scene explored the capabilities of both cameras in broad daylight. The Galaxy S6 edge+ image is sharper, with more resolved detail and punchy colors. The iPhone's on the other hand offers more realistic color rendering, better exposure and while it lacks the sharpness of the Galaxy, it's still a good one. About 57% of the votes went for the Galaxy S6 edge+, which means our readers prefer more detail and punchier colors than soft images with a more realistic look. on the other hand, 57% is not a surefire win.

Here are the full resolution samples.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ • Apple iPhone 6s Plus

The second daylight scene was specifically chosen to strain the dynamic range of the camera sensors. The iPhone 6s Plus did noticeably better here revealing a lot more detail in the shadows. Both cameras had their HDR options turned off for this test.

About 82% of the voters chose the iPhone's higher dynamic range sample before the Galaxy's so it looks like a sure victory.

Here are the full resolution samples.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ • Apple iPhone 6s Plus

The indoors scene was shot in a shopping mall and while both devices did very well, the Galaxy S6 edge+ is less noisy and captured more detail. About 73% of the votes are indeed in favor of the Galaxy smartphone.

Here are the full resolution samples.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ • Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Dusk sceneries have always looked gorgeous and are often captured with various devices, including smartphones. We tried one with our rivals here, too, and the results and the votes are a mixed bag.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ sample is brighter than it should be and while it may look better downsized, the iPhone's image is much closer to reality. It has more detail, less smudged detail by noise and due to lack of overexposure you can notice more clouds in the sky.

The voting here was tougher apparently, partially because of the Android/iOS bias and partially because of the demanding scene. Oddly, the Galaxy S6 edge+ won, but just by a whisker at 54% vs 46% for the iPhone 6s Plus.

These are the full resolution samples.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ • Apple iPhone 6s Plus

The night shots are an absolute nightmare for the mobile cameras. While the Galaxy and the iPhone shots look horrible in 1:1 magnification, the iPhone still did better overall - it used a lower shutter speed and lower ISO and thus retained more detail. The white balance and the exposure are better on the iPhone as well.

About 74% of the votes went for the iPhone 6s Plus. Check out the full resolution samples.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ • Apple iPhone 6s Plus

We'd expected the iPhone's dual-tone dual-LED flash to do better than the single-LED flash on the Galaxy S6 edge+, but we were wrong. The only thing the iPhone did better is to keep some of the detail in the background. The Galaxy's processing is much better, as is the resolved detail, white balance and color rendering. About 93% of our readers thought the same.

Those are the full-res samples.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ • Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Finally, on the 4K video test the iPhone 6s Plus is in disadvantage as it has a forced software stabilization all the time and thus it has a narrower field of view. The Galaxy's video has more detail while still capturing more objects in the frame, which made if a favorite among 81% of our readers.

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ • Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Our complete comparison review of both devices is due later today, so stay tuned!