When camera expert DxOMark rated the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's camera lower than its predecessor, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, our response was, "That's weird!" is our reaction.

because in our Galaxy S21 Ultra review, we concluded that the Galaxy S21 Ultra takes mostly great pictures. However, the Galaxy S21 Ultra's DxOMark overall score was 121, compared to 126 for the previous model.

The breakdown of the DxOMark scores shows that the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a photo score of 128, a zoom photo score of 76, and a video capture score of 98. DxOMark concluded that while the S21 Ultra has many good things going for it when it comes to smartphone photography, "the top-end camera specifications," but notes that there is room for improvement.

DxOMark praised the Galaxy S21 Ultra for delivering photos with accurate target exposures and adequate dynamic range, providing "beautiful" colors and "pleasant" skin tones. However, the S21 Ultra was criticized for its slightly erratic HDR and slow autofocusing in low-light and high-contrast photography. He also noted that the S21 Ultra loses detail when shooting indoors or in low light.

Overall, DxOMark noted that the Galaxy S21 Ultra lagged not only the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but also the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and even the iPhone 11 Pro Max in its tests.

"There is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is an exciting device with a powerful chipset and impressive display," DxOMark concluded." If the camera is a priority, there are currently better options to choose from, but Samsung may be able to fix some of the issues identified in this review through firmware updates and close the gap between the S21 Ultra 5G and top-class devices This is the hope of the company."

Now, it is worth noting that, thanks to the software and algorithms behind the smartphone's camera, each shows different results under various conditions; while photos taken with the Google Pixel 5 may beat the Samsung Galaxy S21, other tests both lag behind the iPhone 12 and may beat Apple's device in other tests.

DxOMark corroborates its results with lab tests, but ultimately it is a matter of preference as to which smartphone's camera results you prefer. For example, I really like the contrast of the Pixel 5's main camera, but I also enjoy the vibrant images of the Galaxy S21 and the gorgeous detail of the iPhone 12.

In short, you really can't go wrong with cameras on high-end smartphones these days. The Galaxy S21 Ultra also comes in at #2 on our best camera phones list.