There are only a few things in life that are certain. Besides death and taxes, it seemed as though Nexus phones with dismal cameras was a lock every fall. However, Google promises the Nexus 6P has the best camera on a Nexus ever. Unfortunately for Google, that really isn’t saying much when you look at past history. If Apple, LG, and Samsung can deliver top notch smartphone cameras, why can’t Google?
Well it looks like Google might have finally done what appeared to be the impossible, according to leading camera reviewers, DxOMark. Although not a full review since the final version of the phone hasn’t been released, the pre-release samples show an overall score of 84 for the Nexus 6P. That is well above the 78 score given to last year’s Nexus 6. Only the Galaxy S6/S6 Edge performed better with an overall rating of 86.
DxOMark said the Nexus 6P has “impressive detail preservation in low light conditions,” which is “by far the best tested to date.” This is with the absence of optical image stabilization (OIS), which is usually a big factor in determining if a camera has any chance at decent low-light performance. What the Nexus 6P does have going for it is the huge 1.55 micron pixels, which can collect a considerable amount of light even without OIS present.
The review also mentioned the Nexus 6P’s laser autofocus is not only fast, but it’s accurate too. The white balance is good in outdoor conditions, and images are well exposed.
On the downside, the Nexus 6P has “visible irregularities in exposure, color, texture, and noise due to HDR+ mode activation in low light conditions.” It was also noted that shots can be captured before the autofocus has converged.
The overall scores are a combination of photos and video. In this case, the Nexus 6P scored 86 in the photos category and 79 for videos. In looking at just photos, only the Galaxy S6/S6 Edge is higher with a score of 88. The Nexus 6P ties for second place with the LG G4 and Galaxy Note 4. This means the Nexus 6P scored better than the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6, which achieved scores of 84 and 83 respectively. We also need to mention that DxOMark hasn’t released reviews on the newer iPhone 6S and 6S Plus yet.
This is huge news for Google. Nexus smartphones never seemed to compete with other flagships other than on price, but add in a whopping 3,450mAh battery, and the Nexus 6P might finally be the dream Nexus worth buying.
