Testing the Camera
Another area where Apple’s iPhones are general considered the gold standard is with the camera. Even though Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus camera only has an 8 MP sensor for the rear primary camera, the pixel quality of Apple’s devices tends to be nearly unmatched. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a 16 MP sensor but also includes some impressive additional features like optical image stabilization, LED flash and autofocus as well as 4K video recording.
Samsung has included a lot of options and flexibility in its camera application. You can use the volume buttons for zooming, take photos through voice control (for some reason), apply gridlines on the viewfinder and manually control exposure, ISO and white balance if you want more control
To compare the relevant phones we had at the office we took a set of images with each and have compiled some side-by-side comparison for you below. We took a well-lit indoor scene (our studio set), an outdoor scene from our office complex with a lot of trees and branches for complexity and finished up with a low-light indoor scene with a lot of text to judge sensor performance.
Scene 1 – Studio Set
 |
Galaxy Note 4 vs iPhone 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Note 4 vs Droid Turbo | |||||
| iPhone 6 vs Droid Turbo |
Compared to the iPhone 6 camera, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is able to capture an equally high-quality photo. There is little to no noise on black surface of the studio table and in fact I think the background is a bit sharper on the Note 4. Considering that the Note 4 has double the pixel count of the iPhone 6, it seems reasonable that zooming in on a photo with reasonably good lighting would benefit from the additional data. The Droid Turbo, despite its massive pixel count, actually has the lowest quality result of the three flagship phones tested here. There is noticeable noise and blocking on the top of the black table and the lines in the studio background is slightly more blurred.
Scene 2 – Outdoors
 |
Galaxy Note 4 vs iPhone 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Note 4 vs Droid Turbo | |||||
| iPhone 6 vs Droid Turbo |
This very complex scene presents a lot of issues for cameras and was by far our largest images in terms of file size. Both the Galaxy Note 4 and the Motorola Droid Turbo full images were 12MB each while the iPhone 6 resulted in only 5MB. Compression is difficult in these cases. The Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 images differ pretty drastically in terms of color balance with the Note 4 bleeding more into the yellow (and the Droid Turbo even more so). The iPhone 6 image looks best as a whole but again I found that zooming in on the evergreen limbs (where the needle detail can be seen) proved that there is some advantage to having a higher megapixel sensor. The Droid Turbo sees a similar advantage in terms of pixel count as the Note 4 but has more color variance than either other option. Pay attention to the blue in the sky that exists on the iPhone 6 but is washed out in both of our Android phones – that is another instance of the overall quality of the camera rather than a single feature like pixel density.
Scene 3 – Low Light
 |
Galaxy Note 4 vs iPhone 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Note 4 vs Droid Turbo | |||||
| iPhone 6 vs Droid Turbo |
Ah, the all-important low light test to make sure you can get that shot while you are drunkenly taking photos at the bar. The first thing you notice when comparing the Note 4 and the iPhone 6 is that the Galaxy's images is noticeably brighter. Brighter is not always better, and in my view the iPhone 6 images is slightly sharper on the bigger fonts and slightly less so on the smaller text on the Logitech boxes. Color on the iPhone 6 pictures seem more accurate, but in a void, I don't think anyone would complain about the result the Note 4 produces. And again, even though it has a lot more pixels than either the Galaxy Note 4 or the iPhone 6, the Droid Turbo produces an image that just doesn't stack up.
Scene 4 – Low Light (Zoomed in)
 |
Galaxy Note 4 vs iPhone 6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Note 4 vs Droid Turbo | |||||
| iPhone 6 vs Droid Turbo |
Zoomed in on that same low light photograph, the iPhone 6 still looks a bit better than the Note 4, will less noise on the solid black portions of the Logitech G502 box. The small text "tunable gaming mouse" is more readable on the Galaxy, however.
In a market where the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the measure by which all others are judged, the Galaxy Note 4 stands up very well. I don't believe I could claim that Samsung has built a better camera than what Apple has integrated but I think the competition is closer today thant it has been with previous generation iPhones.
Here are just a few samples photos as examples:
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Nice review.
On the first
Nice review.
On the first page there is a mistake: for specs 3GB or RAM instead of 32GB of RAM.
Thanks.
Just predicting the
Thanks.
Just predicting the future. 🙂
What phone has 32GB of RAM
What phone has 32GB of RAM LOL
What phone has 32GB of RAM
What phone has 32GB of RAM LOL
What phone has 32GB of RAM
What phone has 32GB of RAM LOL
I’ve had the Note4 since it
I’ve had the Note4 since it was released and it has become my main device. I rarely use my laptop/desktop and never use my tablet anymore. My day is from 6am to 11pm and it lasts the whole day on a charge as well.
That’s a pretty good
That's a pretty good endorsement. Do you use the split screen stuff at all? What has your experience been like?
I usually keep the split
I usually keep the split screen off because it is super easy to do accidentally. When I do use the split screen I’ll usually have web/email on one side and reddit/twitter on the other, depending if I’m working or wasting time.
I had the Note 2 before this, so the size I am used to, but the ability to draw/take notes is phenomenal even compared to the Note 2.
In the evenings the feature I use the most is the TV controls. I’ve also got a Gear 2 and between them I can control my kid’s TV time never needing a remote.
I have the HTC one max that
I have the HTC one max that is a 5.9″ screen phone and I can never go back to a smaller screen not to mention having that large battery (4500mAh with the power flip case).
I use my Lumia 1520 (6 inch)
I use my Lumia 1520 (6 inch) as a phone and tablet. I have been also paying attenuation to the Note line, including the Note 4. Thanks for the review.
I’m really liking this device
I’m really liking this device as a Camera that makes phone calls and a productivity tool. Its suprising to me that I can use it to surf the Web so efficiently that I find myself relying on the Note 4 rather than my desktop!
I use the split often to drag and drop content from say a webpage to a Gmail note using the Stylus. The Pen writing feature is great, very fast & accurate /w a bit of practice!
Recommended!
Did you forget to switch of
Did you forget to switch of Power Saving mode on the device?
The GPU performance should be way better that is being shown here.
Maybe thermal limits or something, those Midgard Mali GPU’s (Especially the 7 series) should perform exceptionally well on 20nm.
Good review.
After reading
Good review.
After reading this review, I may consider getting this phone when I am eligible with my carrier. It is either this or the new HTC One M9, which isn’t as big as the Note 4.
My only experience with a Samsung Phone is the S4, which is my work phone. The screen is very prone to scratching through normal use. I had it for a week before I got a screen protector and it already had a bunch of scratches on it compared to my personal phone, the HTC One M8.
Also,
You say the front
Also,
You say the front facing camera is 3.7MP but in the spec list you show it is a 2MP…
Which is it?
Hearing the expression ‘hate
Hearing the expression ‘hate on’ in the video was… disturbing.
I get that you go for a more casual tone in the videos when compared to written reviews, but that might be a step too far.
(No subject)
It should be noted that the
It should be noted that the iPhone 6 does not have the best phone camera. This title belongs to the Lumia 930, which is in a different league. Just check out Paul Thurrott’s site (Thurrott.com) for a review.
The Wonderful Science and
The Wonderful Science and Technology is all about the Latest and New Inventions in the Modern Age. Science & Technology is taking Amazing Turns and We shall.
Wonderful Technology