Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 3 was recently put through DxOMark’s comprehensive camera performance tests and, surprisingly, it managed to narrowly beat the camera-centric Galaxy S21 Ultra that's touted as one of the best performers in the camera domain. To provide an idea of what is happening here, the two phones come equipped with vastly different camera hardware, especially when comparing their long-range photography chops. In fact, the only shared ground is that both ultrawide cameras rely on a 12-megapixel sensor.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra has an 108-megapixel primary snapper, while the Galaxy Z Fold 3 features a much lighter 12-megapixel sensor. The flagship foldable from Samsung also packs a single 12-megapixel telephoto lens. On the other hand, the Galaxy S21 Ultra comes armed with two zoom cameras — a regular 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a periscope-style 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 10x optical and 100x space zoom range. Given the differences, one would assume that the Galaxy S21 Ultra would be miles ahead, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Related: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Gets New, More Powerful Camera App

DxOMark Image Labs, which describes its eponymous camera analysis as “an independent benchmark that scientifically assesses smartphones, lenses and cameras,” recently put the Galaxy Z Fold 3’s camera hardware to the test and awarded it a net score of 124 points. That means Samsung’s foldable edged past the Galaxy S21 Ultra (123 points), which happens to be the company's camera-centric flagship with brawny hardware and imaging tricks. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 besting the Galaxy S21 Ultra is quite interesting in itself, but the breakdown of camera performance across various aspects is even more fascinating.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 Does More Than Just Fold

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

DxOMark awarded a score of 134 points to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 for photography, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s tally stands at 129 points. When it comes to video capture, the foldable device once again came out on top with a score of 103, compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra's 102. DxOMark’s review notes that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is better at handling noise in photos than the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Going over the foldable’s strong areas, the review mentions accurate target exposure, neutral white balance, good noise control, vivid colors in videos, and reliable autofocus. Some of the areas where the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is said to falter are clipped highlights in HDR scenes, sub-par details in low-light photos, color fringing and artifacts in still shots, and slow auto-focus while shooting videos in low-light surroundings.

However, neither phone comes even close to Apple’s best. The iPhone 13 Pro Max scored 144 for its photography skills and an impressive 119 points for video capture. Overall, the Huawei P50 Pro sits in the no. 1 spot with a net score of 144 points, followed by the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra at 143 points, and Huawei Mate 40 Pro+ at 139 points. The iPhone 13 Pro Max grabs the fourth rank with a total tally of 137 points, while the Google Pixel 6 Pro scored just shy of Apple's flagship at 135 points. It should be noted that these are synthetic camera benchmarks and, irrespective of how comprehensive they are, users may or may not find they align with their own experiences and preferences, Samsung or otherwise.

Next: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review: Too Much Of A Good Thing

Source: DxOMark