Youtuber Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, recently conducted a blind camera test, revealing a surprise winner. The YouTuber is famous for providing tech reviews on popular products from Apple, Samsung, and other major tech companies.
Marques Brownlee Compared the iPhone 14 Pro to Other Phones After It Received First Place in the Annual 2022 Smartphone Awards
According to the story by Giz China, a comparison was given between the iPhone 14 Pro and other smartphones. Marques Brownlee found that there was another smartphone that was able to beat the iPhone 14 Pro in terms of its camera performance.
Even though the iPhone 14 Pro was given first place in the annual 2022 Smartphone Awards for its camera system, upon investigation, MKBHD found some concerning issues affecting the quality of photos taken with the device.
MKBHD Explained How Smaller Camera Sensors Compared to DSLR Units Make Smartphones Rely More on Software
He noted that the cause of this was likely due to post-processing. Smaller camera sensors than those found in DSLR cameras make it necessary for smartphone manufacturers to use software to manipulate images to improve their quality.
This includes reducing noise, adjusting white balance, and increasing brightness. While this helps to produce higher-quality images, too much post-processing can lead to unnatural-looking results.
Google Pixel 6a Wins in Terms of Post-Processing Compared to the iPhone
The camera test results revealed that Google Pixel smartphones handled this post-processing better than the iPhone, with the Pixel 6a surprisingly taking first place. Meanwhile, the Apple Smart HDR feature, combining multiple images taken in different conditions, is now thought to exacerbate the issue.
Apple's heavy image post-processing has resulted in shadows appearing too light, overly sharpened images, and faces on selfies coming out too white. And developers have also noticed this.
Difference Between a Photo with Smart HDR Compared to One Without
Sebastiaan De-With, the popular camera app Halide developer, identified various issues with Smart HDR in his review of the iPhone 14 Pro. Despite having high-quality camera hardware, Apple isn't doing a great job in the post-processing department.
A tweet was uploaded to show the disparity in the quality of the iPhone 14 Pro's Smart HDR, where its camera's smart technology recognizes segments. Images were uploaded to show the difference between capturing an image in RAW mode.
This effect is part of Apple's Smart HDR, which 'segments' human subjects in photos and boosts their brightness significantly when backlit post-capture.
— Halide (@halidecamera) September 20, 2022
We've illustrated the subject detection and a likely 'how it looked' to the camera:
(This does not occur when capturing RAW) https://t.co/5APCtqKu7t pic.twitter.com/nKjaYQgVnc
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Another User Agreed and Showed Images Taken Without Smart HDR
It remains to be seen if the company will make the necessary improvements to reduce the affected photos' less-than-natural appearance. In the meantime, Google Pixel phones are still the preferred choice for quality images.
MKBHD wasn't the only one that came to this conclusion, as pointed out in an article by 9to5Mac, where it was revealed that other users came to the same or similar results when they tried the Apple iPhone 14 Pro. Felipe Espinosito revealed two photos wherein one used Smart HDR, and one did not use the same process.
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