Consumers today are bombarded by smartphones that promise the best in mobile photography; tons of specifications from megapixels, aperture, contrast & shutter speed options flood our timelines which end up confusing us which smartphone to get.
Simply said, all we want to know is which phone will take the best photos, one that can be our story-telling smartphone in our adventures and everyday life. So to ease up your decision making, with our recent battle of the smartphone photography test, we took the photos of the participants to the streets and let the public decide which one is the best.
On the streets of Makati business district, we took 3 sets of photos under the categories of Vivid, Bokeh or Depth of field and Monochrome or Black & White for people to choose which one is the best. We were there from 10:00AM to 5:00PM with a total recipient size of 50 people to choose their ideal photo.
These categories show how well each phone handles the different kinds of shooting style, with three smartphones are capable of all three modes and each has their own implementation in how to shoot photos.
The public’s voice, which smartphone won?
With 50 recipients who participated in our survey, they all had mixed reactions with the results. Some were surprised, confused and even appreciative of how smartphones can shoot today. Will they choose Samsung’s most popular galaxy? Apple’s best iPhone yet? Or the newest contender Huawei P-series?
The contenders of the blind test
To recap, the iPhone 7 Plus, Huawei P9 and Samsung Galaxy S7 were the phones we used. We chose the flagship models of the top 3 brands worldwide and their innovative camera technologies were put to the test to see which one is best for mobile photography.
Here are their camera specifications for better appreciation
| iPhone 7 Plus | Huawei P9 | Samsung Galaxy S7 | |
| Camera | Dual 12 MP, (28mm, f/1.8, OIS & 56mm, f/2.8) | Dual 12 MP, f/2.2, 27 mm with Leica optics | 12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm with Dual Pixel Technology |
| Focus | Phase Detection | Laser Autofocus + Phase Detection | Phase Detection with Dual Pixel Technology |
| LED | Quad LED Flash | Dual LED Tone Flash | Dual LED flash |
| Optical Image Stabilization | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Special Technology | Two Cameras that works independently | Two cameras for RGB and B&W co-engineered with Leica | One of the few smartphone with f/1.7 aperture |
| PRO MODE | Basic Only | Yes | Yes |
What’s your reaction?
Surprised with the results? Tell us why and which do you think is your preferred mobile photography smartphone? Share us your thoughts and even tell it to your friends to know if they agree with you.
You can also take the quiz here to see if you got the same results.