Blind camera comparison results: Apple takes the cake

Flagship smartphone cameras are all so good these days and the differences between the different phones are so minor, that it's getting harder and harder to pinpoint a clear winner.

This applies with full force to today's top phones. Of course, we're talking about the usual suspects, the popular top offerings of Apple, Samsung, Google, and OnePlus, which are usually among the best cameraphones around, combining versatile cameras with intriguing software features.

But which one does the best job, or put another way, which one takes the top vote when it comes to image quality? We've taken some pictures with the Galaxy S22 Ultra, iPhone 13 Pro, Pixel 6 Pro, and the fresh OnePlus 10 Pro, and it's now your job to untangle the mystery and find out which one's which. As we usually do, we've purged the EXIF data present, so trying to pull a "sneaky" wouldn't work here.

Of course, we have reviews of each phone live. You can check them all right below:

• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review
• Apple iPhone 13 Pro review
• Google Pixel 6 Pro review
• OnePlus 10 Pro review

Without any further ado, let's go!

Scene 1

This one is a regular daytime scene taken at a local children playground. The image was taken in the late afternoon, and the sun shining on this castle slide really made the colors pop, and I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures.

In this scene, the OnePlus 10 Pro takes the cake, closely followed by the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The iPhone 13 Pro and the Pixel share the third and fourth places, respectively.

Scene 2

Here's a chance to test out the ultra-wide capabilities of each phone. I tried capturing as much of the clouds alongside with this smaller kids' slide, and as you can see, some phones have done an objectively better job at that.

That one's pretty contested, with the S22 Ultra scoring a narrow victory over both the iPhone 13 Pro and the OnePlus 10 Pro, with the Pixel 6 Pro trailing behind.

Scene 3

Despite the hardware differences of all four phones, detail is nearly impeccable in all photos. Just look how 'sharp' those spruce leaves are, both literally and figuratively!

The iPhone has scored an astonishing lead against its rivals in this scene, even though the minuscule differences between all four photos.

Macro photography has gradually become an important aspect of today's top phones, as each and every one is more than capable of snapping an awe-inspiring close-up shot of a plant or an insect. Some of the phones in this comparison employ different tricks to achieve better focus at close distances. For example, both the iPhone and the Galaxy intelligently switch to their ultra-wide cameras because they focus at closer distances at the cost of a background that has less bokeh and is not as creamy.

Finally, an opportunity for the Pixel 6 Pro to shine, followed closely by both the iPhone 13 Pro and the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Scene 5

Now, using each phone's dedicated telephoto lens will quickly reveal who's who in our blind camera comparison, especially to the keener eye. That's why I've used a 3.5X zoom on all phones to capture this sample image, as it's not native on any of the telephoto lenses: the iPhone 13 Pro and the Galaxy S22 Ultra have 3X telephoto lenses, the OnePlus uses a 3.3X one, and the Pixel 6 Pro uses a 4X telephoto lens. A compromise that had to be made.

Another major lead for the iPhone in this scene, where it scores a crushing lead over the Pixel 6 Pro and the S22 Ultra.

When the light goes down, especially with a sunset that paints the sky in the most beautiful of hues, all phones have the knack to capture an awe-inspiring photo. Although the lights weren't that low (the photos were all taken around 8:20pm), I opted for night mode on all four phones to capture that extra oomph.

Galaxy S22 Ultra with another solid win in the bag, while the Pixel 6 Pro scores an important second place. Meanwhile, the iPhone gets a narrow lead on the OnePlus 10 Pro.

Another dusk scene with no night mode enabled. Again, some phones have arguably one a better job here, but overall, delightful results in all scenarios.

The iPhone 13 Pro with yet another major victory against the Android competition.

The polls will be live for another couple of days and the results will be revealed in a separate post.

So, which phone takes the cake in this blind comparison? After crunching the numbers, it actually turns out that the iPhone is winning by a large margin, with the Galaxy S22 Ultra getting the second place and the Pixel 6 Pro slightly behind it. The OnePlus 10 Pro has to remain satisfied with the fourth place.

1. iPhone 13 Pro - 39.09%
2. Galaxy S22 Ultra - 23.1%
3. Pixel 6 Pro - 21.43%
4. OnePlus 10 Pro - 16.36%