Samsung Galaxy S6 – Camera

One of the main selling points of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is its main camera. It uses the 16-megapixel Sony Exmor RS IMX240 sensor, which is the same sensor used in the Galaxy Note 4. But Samsung has made some improvements to the camera’s algorithms and lens. The benefits of the tweaks are most notable in low light and in the amount of raw detail the camera can capture.

Launching the camera takes less than a second and its autofocusing speed is impressive in good light, comparable to the iPhone 6, but not as fast as the LG G3. The Galaxy S6’s camera is so easy to use and so consistently good that it encourages you to take pictures of absolutely everything – I’ve taken more pictures in seven days with the Galaxy S6 than I have with the last three phones I’ve reviewed over the past six weeks combined.

The S6 really shines when you look at the detail it can capture


The camera has an f/1.9 lens, which is great for low light and shallow depth of field and it does do a good job of capturing a wide variety of subjects in all lighting conditions. On high contrast sunny days, blue skies are brilliant without being over saturated, with detail still clearly visible in the shadow areas.

Optical image stabilisation (OIS) helps the camera do a superb job of capturing nightscapes and parties, even without the flash. But if you do use the flash indoors when it’s dark, the results are impressive – people’s faces are evenly lit and well exposed.

In the 100% crop above you can see how little noise the S6 camera produces in low light

OIS also makes it easier to take pot shots while walking – I did this whenever I was out and about during the day and didn’t want to stop in my tracks to capture an interesting sight. As long as the phone managed to focus fast enough, I’d get good results. I did get the odd out of focus shot if I pressed the shutter too fast though. Taking pot shots with most other phones would result in regularly crap or blurred images – I had a better success rate with this one.

The Galaxy S6 shows it’s also a perfect phone for taking selfies. Modes like wide selfie, which helps you capture large group shots, and beauty shot that smooths skin, help you take self-portraits. The quality is excellent for a 5-megapixel unit.

If you’re a fan of video, the S6 can capture 2160p at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and 720p in awesome ‘slomo’ at 120fps. The quality is, again, among the best any smartphone can produce at the moment.