On paper, the cameras of the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8 Plus are practically the same, but Apple assures that it has managed to include improvements in the latest model that make our photos look even better. We've put both models through their paces to see if the camera improvements on the latest model are really noticeable.
Apple has included a faster and larger sensor in the iPhone 8 Plus, a new color filter and deeper pixels, as well as improvements to the flash and HDR shooting. In this article you will be able to see what is the result that is obtained by taking photos with one model or another in the exact same conditions.
iPhone 8 Plus Vs iPhone 7 Plus, which one has the best camera?
The truth is that the iPhone 7 Plus has an excellent camera, it is by far the best iPhone I have ever had to take photos and one of my first actions when I received my iPhone 8 Plus was to test this aspect on my new terminal.
One of the biggest novelties of the iPhone 8 Plus is the new portrait lighting mode, something that we have also thoroughly tested and of which you have an extensive article with our opinions in the previous link.
To make the comparison we have taken photos in an environment with controlled light, always the same distance and with the same objects.
Indoor photo test with good lighting
The best lighting is outside, if we are indoors the light decreases and, therefore, the photo taken may lose some quality depending on the camera used. All the tests have been done by shooting the photos with the iPhone's camera application in automatic mode.
These are the results of photos with good interior lighting in both models.
7 iPhone Plus
8 iPhone Plus
Even with the same lighting, the iPhone 8 Plus photo throws the photo at a higher sensitivity and that is why the shot with the most modern iPhone appears with a little more grain. The colors are more vivid in the photo taken with the iPhone 8 Plus.
Indoor photo test with very low lighting
This is one of the best tests to see the performance of a camera, although both phones have lenses of exactly the same brightness. Apple ensures that the new ISP is capable of optimizing the photo in any lighting condition, these are the results.
7 iPhone Plus
8 iPhone Plus
This time the difference is very clear, the iPhone 8 Plus beats the iPhone 7 Plus by a landslide in photos with low lighting.
flash test
This is another of the things that Apple claims to have improved on the iPhone 8 Plus, according to the apple brand, the iPhone 8 Plus's four-LED True Tone flash achieves up to 40% more uniform lighting, to reduce areas with too much glow.
7 iPhone Plus
8 iPhone Plus
Again, the iPhone 8 plus wins, better lighting achieved and more filling with more vivid colors.
Indoor photo test with artificial lighting
As with the shots with very low light, in this comparison we can see how, although the iPhone 7 Plus achieves very good results, the iPhone 8 plus obtains a photo with more light and more vivid colors.
iPhone 7 more
8 iPhone Plus
Photo test with 2X telephoto lens
The results with the second lens of both phones are very similar, both the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8 plus achieve excellent results, although we can see better color treatment on the iPhone 8 Plus.
7 iPhone Plus
8 iPhone Plus
Outdoor photo tests
The photos that you see below were taken outdoors with very good lighting. The two iPhones obtained very good results, how could it be otherwise. However, the iPhone 8 Plus wins again. Colors are more vivid and even focus looks better on the new iPhone as well than on the 7 Plus.
7 iPhone Plus
8 iPhone Plus
Photo tests with HDR
This is, without a doubt, the section in which we have found the greatest difference between the cameras of the iPhone 7 plus and the iPhone 8 plus.
To test the HDR of both models we took one of the most difficult photos for a camera, a portrait with the sun directly in front of the lens. In this case there is no doubt, the way in which the iPhone 8 Plus solves this difficult situation with HDR enabled is infinitely superior to what is achieved with the iPhone 7 Plus, also with HDR.
7 iPhone Plus
8 iPhone Plus
Conclusions
Apple is not lying, the improvements that it has included in the cameras of the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are real.
In shots with good lighting, the differences are not exaggerated, although they are all better on the iPhone 8 plus, with more vivid colors and more precise focus.
In low light photos the difference increases and the improvement of the iPhone 8 Plus camera is very palpable, with less noise and better results in general. We see that the flash has also been improved and fills the photos better and more uniformly.
But what the iPhone 8 Plus wins by a landslide is in photos with HDR, the way to resolve these shots of the iPhone 8 plus is simply spectacular and far exceeds the iPhone 7 Plus.
In short, this is one of the best mobile cameras on the market, we can only wait to see what the iPhone X is capable of with its greater brightness of the telephoto lens and its double optical stabilizer, I can't wait to try it...