DxOMark is out today with a brand new camera ranking just for selfie cameras. The new test was designed with the same protocol as the company’s tests for rear shooters and looks to offer “neutral and reliable test data about smartphone front camera performance and image quality to consumers and other interested parties.”
DxO has initially tested the front facing cameras of 12 popular smartphones. As for how the iPhone XS Max and X performed in the DxO selfie camera ranking, let’s say they have some room for improvement.
Along with the new selfie rankings, DxO has updated the layout of how it presents smartphone camera rankings, with the overall score and the selfie score showing up side by side for each smartphone.
The overall selfie scores are made up of a photo score and a video score. Both include rankings for exposure, color, focus, texture, noise, artifacts, and more. Keep in mind, these scores are not out of a maximum of 100.
Google’s Pixel 3 and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 tied for 1st place with an overall score of 92. iPhone XS Max came in 4th with a notably lower 84. Meanwhile, the X scored considerably lower with 71, putting it in the 10th spot. DxO hasn’t shared test results for the iPhone XR yet.
For the Pixel 3 and Galaxy Note 9, DxO details that even though they tied for 1st place, they offer notably different selfie camera experiences.
As for the iPhone XS Max, it earned some of the highest marks for stills in bright-light conditions, but had trouble in low-light.
The XS Max selfie camera scored particularly low for texture and noise on the photo side and color and texture for video.
Even though Apple’s flagship was beat out by Google and Samsung, it did earn some positive feedback along with the criticism about white balance and lighting conditions.
DxOMark says it will continue testing the selfie cameras for more smartphones, so we should see how the XR performs with the company’s criteria soon.
