Budget phone camera comparison: can the Nord 2 beat the best?

The iPhone SE here is the most humble of the bunch with just a single rear camera, no ultra-wide lens, nothing. It’s a capable shooter, but it lacks in versatility compared to the other two. The Nord 2 and the Galaxy A52 both come with a main and ultra-wide cameras, but they also add a bit of extra spice: the Nord has a black-and-white camera, while the A52 features a macro and depth sensing cameras. Those are quite gimmicky, so we have left them off the scope of this comparison, and we’ll focus on just the main shooters.

OnePlus Nord 2 vs Nord 1: what has changed?

In this first shot, the OnePlus Nord 2 really impressed us: it stands out with great dynamic range, as it gets both the beautiful sunset gradient in the sky and properly exposes the ground, while the Galaxy gets a darker and moodier shot, and the iPhone also kind of disappoints us with the skies completely blown out.

Scene 2: Almost evening

The next photo once again showcases the great dynamic range of the Nord 2, but it also makes it abundantly clear that there is some heavy processing going on, notice the halos around the tree branches. Still, this is a good-looking photo. The Galaxy captures colder-looking colors, while the iPhone once again has trouble conveying the color of the sky in this photo as it is way blown out. We like the detail and overall look of the iPhone photo a bit better than the rest, the colors on the Nord are just a bit too muted and darker, but it’s a very decent image.

Scene 3: A Walk in the park

This next shot on the Nord 2 again is characterized with somewhat muted, bleaker colors, while the Galaxy looks a bit washed out, and we’d have to give our preference to the iPhone that captures the most engaging, vibrant colors that make this photo so likable.

It’s really hard to pick a favorite in this scenario as all photos look quite similar with only tiny differences between them. Which one is your favorite? 

Low-light photo 1: Architecture

In this low light shot, the Nord 2 shines: it has captured a ton of light, the white balance is correct, and the only issue with the photo is that it has a bit too much sharpness. The Galaxy is a bit too dark and lacking in vibrancy, while the iPhone has captured a great-looking photo but the white balance is too warm and we’d have to give this one to the Nord 2.

Low-light photo 2: Lights on

While the Nord 2 captures more light in this shot than the Galaxy, we notice one of the weak points of this phone and that is the orange cast when you have incandescent lights. We’d still say that this is a more usable photo than the darker shot you get from the Galaxy, but if we had to pick a winner, it’s the iPhone that strikes the best balance here.

Low-light photo 3: Night falls

Low-light photo 4: Sun dial at night

Let’s be honest, for most people the first picture captured by the Nord 2 here will be the winner, simply because you get a lot more color and ambiance, while the other two look a bit dull and not quite as engaging. Detail in the grass is also very clear on the Nord compared to the other two phones, so this round has got to go the OnePlus phone.

Low-light photo 5: Happy bar

Finally, one of the scenes we typical capture with the red neon lights. Yes, they are red in real life and not green or yellow, so the OnePlus definitely feels this “neon light test”, and so does the Galaxy for that matter, while the iPhone is able to capture the lights in all of their glory. We’d say that the OnePlus goes a bit overboard with the processing here, it shoves up a bit too much sharpness in the photo and it looks overdone. The Galaxy and the iPhone look quite comparable, but it’s the iPhone that has the cleaner detail and that gets those neons right, so it’s our winner this round.

Low-light photo 5: Studio photo

A picture of yours truly in our studio in very dim light, reveals some interesting details: the photo from the iPhone, while exposed brightest, has almost no detail and looks blurry, so it has to go. The Galaxy and the OnePlus are pretty close, but it’s the OnePlus that captures richer detail and does better with the skin tone, so it wins this one.

Selfies

Finally, a few selfies for those of you who care. The Galaxy really stands out here with all good things: proper white balance, dynamic range, detail, it’s captured a great shot. The OnePlus is a bit overexposed and what’s up with the colors on the iPhone? Selfie round 1: goes to the Samsung.

All similar issue in the second shot above, but this time the iPhone has done a better job. We’d still prefer the image from the Galaxy a bit better, but that is a quite subjective judgment in this case, and the OnePlus… a bit overexposed and a bit worse than the other two.

But my oh my, do we come impressed with the low light selfie from the OnePlus here: crisp detail at night, great looking colors, it’s our favorite picture. The Galaxy is a close runner-up, and the iPhone, well… just look yourselves, not a great shot.

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