Night Photography Comparison: 6 Premium Smartphones Tested

Build and design

OPPO is a camera flagship at 6.78 inches, with a triple 200MP camera system and IP66/IP68/IP69 ratings. vivo is a camera flagship at 6.85 inches, with a 2K ZEISS display at 1–144Hz and an optional 400mm ZEISS extender. Xiaomi is a larger flagship at 6.9 inches, with a 2.9-inch rear display and a dual-200MP Leica camera island. HONOR is a camera flagship at 6.8 inches, with ARRI branding and a dual 200MP camera system. iPhone is a slab at 6.9 inches, with a Super Retina XDR display at 1320 x 2868 and iOS 27. Samsung is a larger slab at 6.9 inches, with a built-in S Pen, Galaxy AI and DeX, and IP68 rating.

If you want the largest main sensor, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi and HONOR win on paper. If you want variable aperture, iPhone wins. For most buyers, iPhone and Samsung are the safer choices in the US and Europe, unless camera is a priority.

Display and benchmarks

OPPO offers a 6.78-inch AMOLED at 2772 x 1272, with 1–120Hz and up to 3,600 nits. vivo offers a 6.85-inch 2K ZEISS display at 1–144Hz. Xiaomi offers a 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED at 120Hz, plus a 2.9-inch rear display. HONOR offers a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED at 1320 x 2868, with 1–120Hz and a claimed 10,000 nits peak, which is a brand claim, not a measured figure. iPhone offers a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display at 1320 x 2868, with ProMotion 120Hz and Always-On. Samsung offers a 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X at 120Hz, with up to 2,600 nits and a Privacy Display. For night preview, all six are flagship-grade, with iPhone's display the most colour-accurate in reviews.

On benchmarks, OPPO and vivo use Dimensity 9600 Pro, Xiaomi and HONOR use Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, iPhone uses A20 Pro, and Samsung uses Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. No controlled side-by-side benchmark between all six phones was reviewed, so no speed winner is claimed beyond the chip generation. For night processing, all six should handle multi-frame night shots without throttling in normal use.

Cameras and video

OPPO offers triple 200MP cameras — a main at Type 1/1.3 f/1.5, an ultrawide at 1/1.56 and a telephoto at 1/1.56, 70mm, 3x with telemacro — plus a 50MP front camera, with 8K30 and 4K120 on all rear cameras. vivo offers a 50MP main at 1/1.28-inch with gimbal OIS, a 50MP ultrawide and a 200MP ZEISS APO telephoto at 1/1.4-inch, 85mm, plus an optional 400mm ZEISS extender, with 8K30 and 4K120 Pro AF Tracking. Xiaomi offers dual 200MP Leica cameras — a main at 1/1.28-inch and a periscope at 1/1.56-inch, 75mm, 3.2x with 12cm macro — plus a 50MP ultrawide and a 50MP front camera. HONOR offers dual 200MP cameras — a main at 1/1.28-inch with CIPA 8.0 gimbal OIS and a telephoto at 1/1.4-inch, 85mm, 3.7x — plus a 50MP ultrawide and a 55MP front camera, with ARRI CINEMA mode. iPhone offers triple 48MP cameras — a Fusion main with variable aperture, an ultrawide and a telephoto — plus an 18MP front camera. Samsung offers a quad camera: 200MP main at f/1.4 and 1/1.3-inch, a 50MP ultrawide, a 50MP 5x telephoto and a 10MP 3x telephoto, plus a 12MP front camera.

No controlled side-by-side night test between all six phones was reviewed, so no night winner is claimed beyond the hardware gap. If you shoot night zoom often, vivo and HONOR win on telephoto stabilisation on paper. If you shoot night at 1x often, OPPO, Xiaomi and Samsung win on main megapixels on paper. If you shoot night video often, HONOR's ARRI mode and OPPO's 8K are stronger on paper. For everyday night photos at 1x, all six should be close, despite the megapixel gap.

Battery, software and price

Battery is where HONOR wins on paper in China, with 8,800mAh typical and 100W wired and 80W wireless charging, though its global battery may differ. Xiaomi is second on paper in China, with 8,500mAh and 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, though its Europe battery is reported at 7,050mAh. OPPO is third on paper globally, with 8,000mAh typical and 80W wired and 50W wireless charging, though its Europe battery is 7,150mAh. vivo is fourth on paper in Singapore/Malaysia, with 7,800mAh and 90W wired and 40W wireless charging, though its Europe battery is 6,750mAh. Samsung is fifth on paper, with 5,000mAh and 60W wired charging. iPhone is sixth on paper, with Apple not disclosing mAh.

Software is ColorOS 17 for OPPO, OriginOS 7 on Android 17 for vivo, HyperOS 4 for Xiaomi, MagicOS 11 on Android 17 for HONOR, iOS 27 for iPhone, and One UI 8.5 on Android 16 for Samsung. In the US and Europe, iPhone and Samsung are on sale today from $1,299 and $1,399.99 in the US, while OPPO is €1,799 in Europe and vivo is from €1,599 in Europe — Xiaomi and HONOR are China-only or expected later.

Verdict

Buy the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you want variable aperture and the simplest night workflow in the US from $1,299 or in Europe from €1,599 today. Buy the Galaxy S26 Ultra if you want dual telephoto and Privacy Display in the US from $1,399.99 or in Europe from €1,550 today. Buy the OPPO Find X10 Pro Max if you want triple 200MP in Europe from €1,799. Buy the vivo X500 Pro Max if you want gimbal OIS in Europe from €1,599. Buy the Xiaomi or HONOR if you want their larger batteries in China, from CNY 6,999 and CNY 6,499. For most US and Europe buyers, iPhone and Samsung are the only choices today — the other four are Europe-only or wait-and-see.