Published by Steve Litchfield at 6:31 UTC, October 11th 2019

The Samsung flagship for 2019, the Galaxy Note 10+, was launched a month or so ago, but I'm just catching up with it now. I'm expecting similar results to those from the Galaxy S10 series earlier in the year , but I know how much you like my Lumia 950 shootouts - can the triple-camera-ed Note 10+ surprise us by keeping the edge enhancement dialled back?

The 2x telephoto in the Note 10+ and the main dual aperture camera are also the same, ostensibly, as in last year's S9+ that I've done shootouts with here many times, in various ways, against various Lumias. So there should be nothing too shocking in terms of hardware - though software improvements can make a big difference, especially in low light, as we may see below. There's a wide angle lens too, but there's nothing comparable on the Lumia so it's hard to test - suffice it to say that the wide angle lens is excellent, should you want to shoot landscapes that way...

As before, I've deliberately thrown in some tricky shots and zoom 'asks' in the scene selection, to test the USPs here, all photos were taken on full auto and handheld, as a regular user would do. No tripods or RAW editing sessions needed!

Notes:

I've also shot at the default output resolutions on each, leaving headroom for lossless PureView zoom on the Lumia and also getting the advantages of oversampling and noise reduction, in an attempt to match the extra lenses on the Note 10+



The 8MP shot from the Lumia 950 (at 16:9) and the 12MP shot (at 4:3) from the Note 10+, added to field of view differences, especially when I start throwing in zoom tests, do mean slightly different crops below, but you'll still be able to compare what each phone camera has achieved.

Let's pit the results against each other, using our Famed Interactive Comparator (FIC). All 1:1 crops are at 900x500 for comparison, though I've put up the originals on my own server, for you to download if you want to do your own analysis.

Note that the interactive comparator below uses javascript and does need to load each pair of images. Please be patient while this page loads, if you see a pair of images above each other than you've either not waited long enough or your browser isn't capable enough! You ideally need a powerful, large-screened tablet or a proper laptop or desktop. This comparator may not work in some browsers. Sorry about that.



On Windows 10 Mobile, use the 'AAWP Universal' UWP app, which handles the comparator very competently (see the tips in the app's help screens)

Test 1: Sunny detail

Some flats nearby, with oodles of detail. Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

I'm afraid that one look at the brickwork or at the plant in the window confirms that Samsung's gone all out on the edge enhancement again. At the pixel level here it's quite ugly. You can argue that 'it doesn't look that bad', but compare it with your own eyes against the Lumia's WAY more natural-looking detail. Samsung, I'm disappointed.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 8 pts

Test 2: Lake side greenery

Natural detail is hardest for camera phones, of course, so let's try that, here in early morning sunshine. Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Edge enhancement is again an issue, though less pronounced, though the ripples on the water end up far too err... watery, on the Note 10+ shot. While the Lumia has its own issue, the well known golden colour cast. Still, I prefer the Lumia's more exact detail overall, so a small win again.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 8 pts

Test 3: Now zoomed

Let's try a 2x zoom, using the optical zoom on the Note 10+ and the PureView (plus some digital) zoom on the Lumia. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Success for the Note 10+ at last, with its telephoto lens unsurprisingly defeating the part lossy zoom on the Lumia. Clearer details, less artefacts, etc.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 6 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 8 pts

Test 4: Sunny macro

A gorgeous red flower in a tub in the garden. Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central scaled (because 1:1 makes no sense at this distance, you'd only get one petal in!) crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

A score draw here, both flower renditions are pretty good, though (interestingly) I was also shooting these scenes with the new iPhone 11 Pro and it pulled out significantly more contrast - I'll come back to the iPhone in a future article because it's about to get a huge imaging update ('Deep Fusion').

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 9 pts

Test 5: Low light, indoors

A real test of what can be captured in low light, testing OIS in particular - this was an unlit corner of a gloomy living room. Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

A dramatic victory for the Lumia, as your own eyes can verify above. The Lumia keeps things amazingly 'clean', with almost zero noise or artefacts, while the Note 10+ produces an image with appalling errors at the pixel level. My understanding was that the Galaxy shoots multiple images and then merges them, for better quality, plus it also has OIS, but it's all for naught when the software can produce inferior results like the crop above.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 7 pts

Test 6: Dusk house

Domestic detail in daylight, but overcast and very late in the day - again an exercise in pulling out detail from gloom. Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Although the OIS in both shots makes sure that roughly the same amount of light is gathered, I'd invite you to look at the blue pot and brickwork beside it in the Note 10+ crop - the artefacts are out of control in the Samsung software. Again very disappointing and I'd point out that the Note 10+ has been out now for a couple of months, so image processing really should be a lot better than this. In contrast, the PureView algorithms in the Lumia produce something that's super-clear and super-natural.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 7 pts

Test 7: All the fun of the fair

Shot, obviusly, in very low light and with huge neon challenges! Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

This is turning into a bit of a whitewash... or rather pink wash, with the Note 10+ producing a horrible pink-tinged image full of pixel-level noise, artefacts, and edge-enhanced faux-detail. The Lumia 950 gets the colours right, and has far, far lower levels of artefacts, despite the challenging conditions.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 6 pts

Test 8: Super low light colours

An attractive gate at night. Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

This ones closer to call - the Lumia produces a natural image which looks stunning as a whole but a bit 'soft' when viewed in crop form. While the Note 10+ applies its usual edge enhancement and this works better here, to sharpen up details. It goes a bit too far, as you can see from the gate pillars on the right of the crop, with artefacts very visible. But I'm going to call a draw overall.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 8 pts

Test 9: Dead of night

Shooting down an alley in a churchyard, with minimal lighting. Here is the scene, from the Note 10+ (because I was shooting it at 4:3, this give more of an impression of more of the set-up):





You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Yes, yes, very spooky, graveyards at night.... Both phone cameras do pretty well, with the Lumia doing all the hard work in its initial PureView computations, while the Note 10+ relies on multiple captures and a pass of both noise reduction and sharpening. I think the Lumia edges it to my eyes - artistically, anyway.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 8 pts

Test 10: and now.... in Night mode!

The same scene, but manually turning on 'Night mode' on the Note 10+. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 and Galaxy Note 10+, for your own analysis.

To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 (top) and then Note 10+ (bottom), just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

I think the Note 10+'s Night mode gets an extra point here for effort, but the shot looks artificial and what details that are brought out end up 'enhanced' to the point of losing what detail was being surfaced. Needless to say, the Lumia 950 shot looks accurate to what my eyes saw!

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 10+: 9 pts

Verdict

For the record, the scores add up as:

Lumia 950 (2015): 90 pts (/100) Galaxy Note 10+ (2019): 78 pts

As someone who's been using the Galaxy S9+ for much of the last year, I have to say that the Note 10+'s camera system disappointed me. No doubt the physical hardware is very capable, but the output is ruined by over-zealous edge enhancement and (in low light) noise reduction. I guess I should test the 'old' S9+ against the Note 10+, but that's outside the scope of AAWP!

It should be pointed out that I didn't test the wide angle camera on the Note 10+, for the reasons stated above, and that this works pretty well. But it's all a bit pointless given the issues with the image processing software generally.

The quest goes on for Lumia owners who want to move to a smartphone on a future-proof OS that also has a camera that's not a downgrade from the 950. Right now, the only device I can recommend is the iPhone 11 Pro range. And that's mightily expensive.

Watch this space for more features.... I'm not giving up in my quest to find a range of upgrade options for you all!!