Smartphones of this era struggle to capture dark-skinned individuals effectively compared to those with lighter skin, as revealed by DXOMARK’s recent examination.

DXOMARK conducted a test on smartphone cameras to determine if the image quality of portraits on mobile phones today covers a diverse range of skin tones. They used a sample group with 83 individuals of varying skin tones and captured images in different scenarios totaling 405 scenes. The team included 30 professional photographers and 10 photography experts to rate the satisfaction level from 0 to 100. After testing with three phone models, DXOMARK observed that photos from smartphones often struggle with darker skin tones, affecting white balance and overall image lighting. These issues are noticeable compared to images of the same scene with lighter-skinned individuals, which appear brighter.

In the test, a total of 1,620 images were captured, and the average score for portrait photography under varying lighting conditions was only 61/100, falling below the minimum satisfaction level of 70/100. Only one smartphone model achieved an average score of 71/100, with indoor backlit portraits receiving a lower rating of 60/100 despite brighter images being preferred. Nighttime lighting conditions scored 57/100.

DXOMARK concluded that while smartphone camera technology has advanced significantly in recent years, there remains a gap in handling low-light situations and skin tone processing, deviating from the ideal image definition that preserves memories over time.

TLDR: DXOMARK tested smartphone cameras for portrait photography, highlighting issues with dark skin tones and overall image quality under various lighting conditions, emphasizing the advancements and challenges in smartphone photography technology.