The holy trinity of smartphones have arrived: the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the Samsung Galaxy S4 are currently the brightest stars in the Android cosmos. In this comparison, we'll take a look at how their cameras sack up against in each other in a range of different environments.
All three manufacturers follow their own path when it comes to the technology inside each camera. The HTC One relies entirely on UltraPixel technology, using just four megapixels that can absorb a lot of light and thus produce images that have less noise when taken in the dark. The maximum aperture is f/2.0 and the lens is 28-millimeters wide. An optical image stabilizer and five-stage flash (called "Smart Flash") round out the package.
Samsung Galaxy S4's camera is capable of taking 13 megapixel shots and has a maximum aperture of f/2.6– a difference that comes into play in bad light. Samsung's software is near-perfect and almost never lags.
The Sony Xperia Z has an Exmos sensor and is capable of taking 13.1 megapixel shots. The benefit of this camera is that it comes from Sony, which is very experienced with creating digital cameras. More on that later…

Low Light, No Flash

 

In low light, the HTC shines. The image the camera produces is color-accurate, if a bit pale. The Galaxy S4 is no match for low-light situations and you can clearly see it struggling with the darkness. The Xperia Z's image looks the brightest and most colorful, but also shows an extreme amount of noise.

Galaxy S4, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z Cameras Compared

by Johannes Wallat

on 5/5/13 3:01 PM

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The holy trinity of smartphones have arrived: the HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and the Samsung Galaxy S4 are currently the brightest stars in the Android cosmos. In this comparison, we'll take a look at how their cameras sack up against in each other in a range of different environments.
All three manufacturers follow their own path when it comes to the technology inside each camera. The HTC One relies entirely on UltraPixel technology, using just four megapixels that can absorb a lot of light and thus produce images that have less noise when taken in the dark. The maximum aperture is f/2.0 and the lens is 28-millimeters wide. An optical image stabilizer and five-stage flash (called "Smart Flash") round out the package.
Samsung Galaxy S4's camera is capable of taking 13 megapixel shots and has a maximum aperture of f/2.6– a difference that comes into play in bad light. Samsung's software is near-perfect and almost never lags.
The Sony Xperia Z has an Exmos sensor and is capable of taking 13.1 megapixel shots. The benefit of this camera is that it comes from Sony, which is very experienced with creating digital cameras. More on that later…

Low Light, No Flash

In low light, the HTC shines. The image the camera produces is color-accurate, if a bit pale. The Galaxy S4 is no match for low-light situations and you can clearly see it struggling with the darkness. The Xperia Z's image looks the brightest and most colorful, but also shows an extreme amount of noise.

Winner: HTC One

Low Light, Flash

 

Macro Mode

 

 Here the HTC One draws the shortest straw; the Macro mode on this phone is generally the least sharp. The Xperia Z and the Galaxy S4 also allow for a closer shot. The Galaxy S4 provides the most details in macro mode.