Galaxy Note 10+ barely snags victory against iPhone XS Max and Pixel 3 in camera comparison

The Galaxy Note 10+, being the central figure in this comparison, makes a strong debut by taking the first round! It offers the best definition, richest colors and most pleasurable exposure of the three participating phones. The iPhone XS Max is a close second, being pretty solid itself, but it's photo is just a little bit muted, compared to that of the Note 10+. A very close third is the Pixel 3, which delivers almost identical result to the XS Max, but ever so slightly duller.

Pretty much the same observations as in Scene 1 are valid here. The Note 10+ keeps the lead with rich colors and spot-on exposure. Then comes the iPhone XS Max, and then the Pixel 3, each of which toning things down somewhat (for no apparent reason). All three phones have done a good job with the HDR processing, but the Note 10+ excels.

This turns out to be a relatively easy win for the iPhone XS Max – it has captured the most balanced and in-your-face portrait shot of the three. The Note 10+ comes close in terms of color reproduction, but is just too hazy. Meanwhile, the Pixel 3 has come up with artificial-looking colors and bokeh that is just too fake to take seriously. No to mention that its lack of a telephoto camera is evident in the proportions, which are decent, but not entirely correct.

Scene 4 is the first scene where the Pixel managed to edge out the competition by delivering the most well-rounded picture. The dreamy, slightly overemphasized flowers actually work to the benefit of the whole composition. The Note 10+ is not bad as well, although we aren't necessarily fans of the colder profile it's preferred here. The iPhone XS Max decided to hurl itself to the opposite spectrum, churning out an overly warm picture. Deceivingly warm.

Ladies and gents, it's a scientifically proven fact that selfie cameras on smartphones suck. They are too wide, distort your perfectly shaped head and make you look like a banana. True, we may be sharing 60% of our genes with the yellow fella, but still! That's why we'd congratulate the Pixel 3 for having a working portrait mode for selfies. Take a look at the three photos and you'll find dramatic differences between the proportions. Initially,  the pics from the Note 10+ and XS Max may look alright. But then you look at the Pixel's photo and tears begin to flow, as you realize that all this time, we've been doing selfies wrong.

We can't really pick a winner between the Galaxy Note 10+ and the iPhone XS Max here – there doesn't seem to be any meaningful differences in this scene. The Pixel 3, however, has botched things by underexposing and making everything more yellow than it needs to be.

Both the Galaxy Note 10+ and Apple iPhone XS Max performed respectably in these less than ideal conditions, with the iPhone bringing in the faster and cleaner results. The photo from the Pixel 3, on the other hand, is too lo-fi. It's needlessly yellow and noisy.

The Galaxy Note 10+ is killing it here with well-balanced colors and decent, realistic exposure of the scene. The iPhone XS Max has managed to keep up with the colors part, but its photo has turned out a bit darker. The Pixel 3? Well, you can see the orange results for yourselves.

The Pixel 3 has solidified itself as the ultimate selfie machine. Here again, it's made the most with what little light was available on the spot. It's produced a perfectly usable selfie with pleasant color and exposure. The iPhone XS Max is not bad at all, but it's obviously darker than ideal. Finally, the Note 10+ is brightly lit, but there's a bit of a watercolor vibe to it that fails to present the subject in the best possible light. Think of the hundreds of likes you're going to miss out on because of this.