[Reading Science] Smartphone Star Photography Competition... Samsung vs Apple, Who Wins?

Performance Comparison Among Market Products
iPhone 14 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Ultra Take 1st and 2nd Place
Older Model S21 Ultra Highly Rated, Ranked 7th
"Still Can't Match Astronomical Telescopes but Enables Stunning Photos"
Professional Astrophotographers Examine from Various Angles

Recently, smartphone cameras have advanced to the point where they boast performance capable of capturing constellations. Global smartphone makers like Samsung Electronics openly use the capability of 'astrophotography' cameras as a key element in marketing their new products. But is the performance of smartphone cameras really threatening that of astronomical telescopes? And among the smartphones available on the market, which product excels the most in capturing celestial images? An evaluation by 'experts' that can answer these questions has been released. To give the conclusion first, Apple’s latest flagship model, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and Samsung’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, took first and second place respectively. Both models received five stars, boasting the best performance for star photography. Unexpectedly, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra also received high evaluation scores, drawing attention.

On the 2nd (local time), space-specialized media Space.com reported these evaluation results through an article titled “Best Camera Phones 2023: Smartphones Observing the Constellations,” written after an external expert evaluation process.

The moon photographed with Samsung Electronics' latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It boasts high resolution detailed enough to clearly see the surface. Stock photo.

The article assessed that although the best camera phones have become increasingly sophisticated and technologically advanced, their size is limited because they must be installed in smartphones, so they cannot compete with the best DSLR or mirrorless cameras. Especially for astrophotography, the highest sensitivity night mode is required, but they still cannot match the top-tier astronomical observation cameras.

However, recently, camera phones have shown remarkable performance by increasing the size of aperture lenses and improving sensor quality and sensitivity, allowing the highest-spec models to capture fantastic images even at night. In particular, some smartphones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra have the capability to zoom in on the lunar surface and capture detailed appearances, surprising both consumers and experts.

The media then evaluated and disclosed the camera performance of smartphones available on the market. The first place went to Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max. It was described as the “overall best camera phone,” with the reason for selection being that it is the best iPhone ever for photographers in terms of technical aspects. Its strengths include excellent night mode sensitivity and superb image stabilization for video shooting, while its drawbacks are the high price and not much difference from the previous version, the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra was chosen as second place. It was praised as the best camera for Android and described as a “photographer’s dream.” Its strengths include ultra-high resolution of 200 million pixels and high-performance zoom functions (10x optical, 100x digital), while its drawbacks are large photo file sizes, high price, and size.

Astronomical Telescope Observation

The third place went to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. It was evaluated as easy to use and highly useful for photographers. It has a long battery life, improved camera functions, and night portrait mode. On the downside, it is expensive, has a protruding camera array, and only offers 3x optical zoom.

Following these, Huawei’s P50 Pro, Google’s Pixel 7 Pro, and OnePlus’s 10 Pro ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Notably, the older model Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ranked seventh and was specially mentioned as an Honourable Mention, receiving high praise. The media described it as “the best Android smartphone camera favored by photographers.” Its strengths include 108 million pixels and high-performance zoom functions (10x optical, 100x digital), while its drawbacks are large photo file sizes, lack of a micro SD card slot, and phone size. Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Plus ranked ninth after Huawei’s P40 Pro Plus at eighth, also earning recognition for its performance. It was praised for “the best cost-effectiveness with 30x zoom, 8K video capture, and clean night mode.” The tenth place went to Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro.

The media stated that, for objective evaluation, they purchased each smartphone and examined various aspects on-site, from whether the device performs well as an optical tool to its structure and design. Experts evaluated based on how easily the camera can be operated, whether the latest imaging technologies are used, whether high-quality, high-resolution photos and videos can be taken, and whether the user is provided with the best quality experience when reviewing captured images.