A Tom's Guide test of 200-plus photos found that the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Oppo Find X10 Pro Max each win in different spots, and bigger specs do not decide it.
Tom's Guide shot more than 200 photos with Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max and the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max. The reviewer's verdict: despite Apple's new camera hardware, the company still has catching up to do. But the result was not one-sided. The iPhone won some scenes, and the Oppo won others.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a variable aperture on its main camera, ranging from f/1.48 to f/4.0. The aperture is the opening that lets light reach the sensor, and here it changes size. The phone also has a 48MP ultrawide camera and a 48MP telephoto camera with up to 4x optical zoom.
The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max is described as the first phone with three 200MP cameras. They are a main camera, an ultrawide and a periscope telephoto with up to 3x optical zoom. Oppo also uses Hasselblad color tuning and a new image processing system called LUMO True Image Engine.
Backlit people were the iPhone's best case. With a bright light behind the subject, it exposed the face more evenly. The Oppo made a bright image but slightly overexposed the subject, especially around a T-shirt.
The iPhone also won on ultrawide color. Its photos looked warmer and, to the reviewer, more pleasing. In one daylight scene with colorful buildings, its calmer colors looked more natural than the Oppo's punchier look.
Portraits went to the Oppo. It gave a creamier blurred background and a warmer, softer look to skin. The iPhone was brighter and more contrast-heavy, with sharper detail that some people may like. The reviewer also said the Oppo has a clear edge in selfies.
In another daylight scene, the Oppo handled exposure better. The iPhone slightly underexposed trees, leaving them too shadowy. The Oppo's ultrawide also kept a bit more detail when zoomed in on stone carvings, though the gap was hard to see at normal size.
The test shows that more megapixels did not mean better photos in every scene. If you are choosing between phones, look at real sample photos of the things you shoot most, such as faces, buildings or selfies, before you decide.
Do not buy a phone for its camera specs alone; compare real photos of the scenes you shoot most.
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