The ULTIMATE selfie comparison: OnePlus 7 Pro vs Galaxy S10+, iPhone XS Max, and Google Pixel 3
It's that time of the year again: all the essential spring chickens for H1 2019 have hatched and are most likely proudly displayed on the shelves in a phone store near you. The recent intriguing addition to the phone round-up of the year is none other than the OnePlus 7 Pro, which joins throws the gauntlet at the fray of iPhones, Galaxies, and Pixels in terms of imaging technology.
With the real intriguing part of the OnePlus 7 Pro being its pop-up camera, we were quite curios as to how the front-facing shooter performs in comparison with some of the top-performers out there, like the Galaxy S10+, Pixel 3, and iPhone XS Max.
Well, there you have it! The OnePlus 7 Pro surprisingly aces this selfie test with its consistent performance and generally pleasing selfies. However, the Galaxy S10+ and the Google Pixel 3 are so close behind that a single slip-up on OnePlus' part would have easily granted them the pole position. Despite the great selfies the iPhone produces, it falls behind the bunch mainly because of its subpar performance in low-light conditions, which has been a recurring theme for Apple for years.
That's it, it's time for yet another selfie comparison that will show if the OnePlus 7 Pro can walk the walk.
Scene 1
Regular daytime selfie
OnePlus 7 Pro: 7.5
This is an excellent selfie, with the only small issue being the slightly off color science - there's an ever-so-slight purple tint present. Generally, it's nothing to write home about, but can be noticed when you compare this selfie against the competitions.iPhone XS Max: 6.5
The iPhone has produced a pleasingly warm picture, but it comes off a bit too warm to me. The extra contrast in the hair is also a bit too much, as it essentially eliminates some hair-defining highlights.Galaxy S10+: 8
The ultimate selfie - natural colors, lots of details, decent contrast.Pixel 3: 5
This one is too gritty, underexposed, and realistic, drawing too much unnecessary attention to the blemishes and imperfections on the cheeks. Sharp is good, but too sharp is not that good when it comes to selfies.Scene 2
Group selfie
OnePlus 7 Pro: 7
A bit too purplish and soft. Highlight areas on the verge of burning out.iPhone XS Max: 6
The iPhone has done a commendable job in this situation, though the colors are once again skewed towards the yellow-green spectrum and don't look realistic at all. Another good thing is the slightly longer focal length of the selfie camera, which does a good job putting emphasis on the subjects in the selfie.
Galaxy S10+: 8
This selfie is also very good and pretty comparable with the OnePlus 7 Pro, but the overall colors in this particular selfie are both super-realistic and very pleasing to look at. We've deducted a point for the overall softness of the image though.
Pixel 3: 5.5
Another instance where the gritty realism of the Pixel doesn't produce a particulalrly-likable selfie. Sure, if you look at that one in vacuum, it'd likely come off as a great pic, but looking at the other samples, it's easy to find better photos.Scene 3
Portrait mode: ON
OnePlus 7 Pro: 6.5
OnePlus phones have a knack for great portraits, and this one is a real testament to that. Good colors, and bonus points for not messing up the bokeh behind the left spectacle.
iPhone XS Max: 7
Very good portrait. However, it's a bit too gritty and puts too much emphasis on the five-o'clock shadow, which isn't that likable. However, the slightly longer focal length of the iPhone's portrait mode does a great job at accentuating on the subject, which is nice. Point taken for the botched bokeh area behind Victor's left spectacle. The iPhone's also the only phone that hasn't produced any moiré on the jacket.
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 6.5
Looks a bit flat in terms of colors and lacks any real definition in the facial features of my colleague Victor. The overall slightly over-exposed look of the portrait takes away some of the feature-defining features on the face, which is sub-optimal.
Pixel 3: 8.5
The Pixel has produced a great portrait with a slightly more contrast-y, under-exposed look that somehow works great in this particular situation. There's good separation between the subject and background with no eye-gouging botched areas, which is very important when it comes to pleasing portraits. Details are on point, and the colors are lively.
Scene 4
Night Sight vs the others
OnePlus 7 Pro: 5
Good, but not great. The subject is clearly illuminated, but the lack of a night mode for the selfie camera definitely shows. The ambient lighting is captured beautifully though.
iPhone XS Max: 3
Want to see the iPhone fail? Take a selfie in low light.
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 6.5
Despite the slightly desaturated look, the Galaxy has also done a good job at exposing the subject nicely. However, things are looking a bit bleak here, aren't they...
Pixel 3: 8.5
The Pixel 3 is the only phone that comes with a dedicated night mode for the front camera, and it definitely shows - not only is the Pixel 3 picture exposed the best, it also has the most detail of all the phones in this particular scene.
Scene 5
Low-light selfie v2
OnePlus 7 Pro: 7.5
The OnePlus 7 Pro has done the best job here, exposing the scene the best and producing the most usable selfie out of the bunch!
iPhone XS Max: 2
Another failure on the iPhone's part. This selfie is basically unusable without further post-processing, which isn't something you should do with your $999+ phone. Shame, as the background is well-exposed.
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 6
The Galaxy has done a good job here - despite the muddy details, we get a fairly usable photo with a well-exposed face and nice colors.
Pixel 3: 5
Without Night Sight, however, the Pixel 3 is disappointing at best - this selfie is noisy, all too dark, and not appealing at all. Hard pass!
Scene 6
Low-light with flash on
OnePlus 7 Pro: 7
The OnePlus 7 Pro won the cake in our last selfie comparison when it comes to selfies with the flash on, and we're happy to see that the OnePlus 7 Pro continues the strong legacy of the OnePlus 6T/6! Good colors and detail, as well as nice overall exposure in this particular scene.
iPhone XS Max: 7.5
The iPhone has also done a good job, retaining both Victor's natural facial colors and details. There's that yellowish/greenish cast again though, which doesn't look very natural.
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 4
The Galaxy has captured a somewhat bleak image with milky colors that are leaning towards the purple/magenta a bit too much for my liking. Not realistic at all.
Pixel 3: 5.5
Despite the somewhat under-exposed overall image, the Pixel has come up with a very lively and colorful selfie that has retained lots of detail and a pleasing background.Final score:
OnePlus 7 Pro: 40.5Samsung Galaxy S10+: 38Google Pixel 3: 37Apple iPhone XS Max: 32
Conclusion
Well, there you have it! The OnePlus 7 Pro surprisingly aces this selfie test with its consistent performance and generally pleasing selfies. However, the Galaxy S10+ and the Google Pixel 3 are so close behind that a single slip-up on OnePlus' part would have easily granted them the pole position. Despite the great selfies the iPhone produces, it falls behind the bunch mainly because of its subpar performance in low-light conditions, which has been a recurring theme for Apple for years.
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