Following my initial imaging battle between the PureView champion and the new iPhone 12 Pro Max, in which the latter triumphed by a small margin, I promised a 'part 2', this time using the iPhone in its new ProRAW mode, in which you get the best of both worlds - modern multi-frame HDR and yet perfect pixel purity, with no populist enhancements. This should present the toughest challenge yet for the venerable 1020...
Last week I looked at how Microsoft's Your Phone system had been evolving over the last 12 months, but I did tease that I wanted to compare it to Samsung's DeX for Windows (or Mac) - both seem to offer functions that have overlap, to say the least. Having established that Your Phone's core features can be helpful but that the concept isn't exactly foolproof or mainstream, is DeX for Windows (or Mac) any better?
I've done a number of Lumia vs iPhone imaging battles in recent years, but one that keeps getting requested is the classic 2013 Lumia 1020 (running the original Windows Phone 8.1) against the new top end imaging monster, the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Original PureView against seven years of sensor, stabilisation, and processor development. I've a feeling the 1020 might not pull this one back, despite this Flow recently. But let's see the margin, shall we...
Microsoft's 'Your Phone' software, now effectively built into Windows (in that you're prompted to 'link your phone' when first signing into Windows on a PC), has been evolving nicely through 2019 and 2020, see the linked stories below. But it's not quite a 'slam dunk' yet, partly due to mobile platform limitations, partly because it still feels a little like a solution to a problem that few people have in the real world...
Having already discussed the benefits of Apple's game-changing adoption of a new image capture format and workflow with the iPhone 12 Pro series and iOS 14.3, it's time to put it to the test. In theory, ProRAW means trivial output of photos which are as pure as the purest images coming out of the Lumia 950/XL. So let's hit the phones with a variety of challenging subjects and see how they do. I'm also throwing in 'default' iPhone 12 Pro capture as well, so that's clear whether it's worth hitting the toggle in the iPhone's UI. Is the newcomer the obvious replacement for a classic 'PureView' device?
In the latest in our occasional series on smartphone photography, I may have moved on from a Lumia as a day to day phone, but the ideas and ambitions are still there. In this example, I return to the graveyard featured in #17, but this time with oodles of December fog to add atmosphere. The result? One of the favourite photos I think I've ever taken with a phone.
A few weeks ago, as the latest benefit from its ever closer integration with Microsoft products, Samsung flipped a switch in their 'Reminder' application on their Android 10 (and upwards) smartphones, enabling full sync with Microsoft's To-Do system (Windows 10 Mobile, Desktop, Cloud, inside Outlook, etc.) And it all works, in fact it does so as well as anyone might hope for, and (for AAWP readers) this includes compatibility with 'ye olde' Windows 10 Mobile. Screenshot proof and a walk-through below!
A couple of days ago I compared the new Galaxy S20 FE (5G) with the classic Lumia 950 XL, this being cross-posted on AAWP. There's an awful lot to like, from the flat screen to rugged plastic back to optical FPS, from the loud stereo speakers to the well thought out triple camera system. But it's the latter that's under scrutiny here, or at least the main and telephoto cameras. Has Samsung's image processing improved from the first S20 attempts (e.g. here)?
'FE' in the name here refers to 'Fan Edition' and, although Samsung didn't bring back the 3.5mm audio jack, they certainly stepped up their game in terms of appealing characteristics at a sensible price. The S20 FE is new in for review and a detailed comparison with the Lumia 950 XL is here below - I'll do an imaging shoot out too, don't worry!