True, the LG G7 has a secondary wide angle lens, but it's a special case and doesn't have OIS or even autofocus, so I've not tested this here. What I am testing is the main f/1.6 16MP camera, directly against the 16MP mode of the Lumia 950 XL. True, the G7's images are then at 4:3, equating to around 12MP at 16:9, but allowing for the fields of view the images are still very comparable and worthy of our comparator below.
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Test 1: Sunny landscape
An easy shot for both camera phones, here's the scene from the LG G7 (its colour renditions seem closest to what my eyes saw):
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and LG G7, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Great results from both, though the Lumia injects its trademark golden cast when the sun's out, making things seem 'warmer' than they were. While the intricate texturing on the church does fall foul of the G7's noise reduction . So neither shot is perfect, but I'm also not prepared to call a winner.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; LG G7: 9 pts
Test 2: Sunny detail
Another easy scene, though I was shooting up into the sunny sky, here's the scene from the LG G7:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and LG G7, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Again I can't split the two phones. The G7 again gets the colours right but again the Lumia's detail seems more natural and a little less processed. Still, I'd understand if the 'golden' view of the world that the Lumia 950 XL tends to present annoys some people. Or maybe I've got used to it!!
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; LG G7: 9 pts
Test 3: Overcast scene
Still an easy shot, but I'm looking in particular at detail in two cars parked beyond the gate subject, here's the scene from the LG G7:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and LG G7, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Looking at the number plates of the two cars at last splits the two phone cameras, with the superior optics and algorithms in the Lumia 950 XL letting you see at least some of the letters and numerals, while the G7's routines blur most of these out. Also, look at the bush just above the left hand car to see a difference in how greenery is handled - the 950 XL's attempt is blocky, but the G7's is much more so.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; LG G7: 8 pts
Test 4: HDR challenge
Shooting into the sun, I wondered how much detail the HDR routines could pick up on the shady side of a gravestone. Here's the scene from the LG G7:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and LG G7, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Again the Lumia comes across as having the superior image processing, with cleaner lettering. While the LG G7's result has a little too much sharpening, trying to create edges out of faded gravestone writing and with the result being more artefacts. Also, unusually, it's the G7 that presents the 'yellower' image, showing that image processing and white balance can often vary significantly, even between the same two phones!
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; LG G7: 8 pts
Test 5: Low light chapel
Inside in the church, with fairly dim lighting that's 99% just from just the outside windows. Here's the scene from the LG G7:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and LG G7, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
What's interesting here is that the same image processing algorithms that make such a mess of greenery and distant detail fare far better on this medium distance subject with clean lines, made cleaner (and more colourful) by the LG G7's camera. Undoubtedly the Lumia's detail is more accurate and not so 'enhanced', but most people would prefer the accentuated detail from the LG device, so it gets a slight win here.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; LG G7: 9 pts
Test 6: Evening lighting drama
A typical test of artificial lighting at night. Here's the scene from the LG G7:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and LG G7, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Although the G7 is doing very well to keep everything crisp under such challenging light, it tries a bit too hard in terms of sharpening and edge enhancement, with the result that almost every detail here looks 'artificial'. In contrast, the Lumia 950 Xl works its usual magic, with clean and natural detail - and this is without any help from Pureview oversampling, remember.
As many have said, the way competing phones over-do sharpening is because they want images to look as good as possible on the phone screen, and never mind absolute image purity. But I disagree - what matters (to me) is a high quality and accurate final image. What about you?
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; LG G7: 8 pts
Test 7: Night time
My standard night test, though here there's some early morning light just starting to appear, it was snapped about half an hour before sunrise. Here's the scene from the LG G7:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and LG G7, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Though both phone camera results are good considering the light levels, the Lumia gathers more light and slightly more detail, so gets the win here by a nose. Note that it would win by two points, but I had focussing issues, as usual with the 950 XL in low light, and this was my second attempt, so I've docked it a point for the issue. The G7 focusses faster and more accurately.
[Note that the G7 also has a 'Super Bright Camera' mode, which combines many images into one much brighter image - but this is done at much reduced resolution (4MP), so you lose a lot of pixel detail.]
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; LG G7: 8 pts
Verdict
- Lumia 950 XL: 62/70 pts
- LG G7: 59/70 pts
A small win for the Lumia 950 XL overall then. For single lens (no zoom) imaging, the Lumia remains king of the world, even three years after release. What a shame that Microsoft abandoned these crown jewels... Of course, the G7's camera is much faster in every regard, plus it has that wide angle option, Google Lens and many other arty modes and functions, but for sheer, unadulterated image quality the 2015 Lumia 950 XL wins out, and hopefully your eyes agree?
Is the G7 close enough to warrant consideration for your main phone in late 2018 though? See also my blow by blow general feature comparison here.