iPhone SE vs iPhone 6S vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge vs Xperia Z5 Premium: Which Phone Has the Best Camera?

In this test, we pitted five phones against each other. The iPhone SE's camera is up there with the iPhone 6S. For Android, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge was flying the flag for the South Korean firm, while the Xperia Z5 Premium is still the best of the bunch for Sony - the X series has yet to be released here.

The Huawei P9 comes with the weight of the Leica brand and a dual 12-megapixel camera, while HTC has been working hard to make sure its HTC 10 camera is up to scratch after the less-than-stellar reception of the M9. In fact, with the exception of the Z5, all the cameras tested have 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras.

We put them through their paces on the standard out-of-the-box settings, allowing the cameras to take charge of the white balance, ISO, shutter speed and so on.The average person doesn't want to have to mess about with 10 different settings before they can take a photograph. So for this test, no manual settings were allowed. No post-shot editing was allowed, so what we saw immediately after we snapped the photo was exactly what the phone was judged on. Which is where things get a bit less well-defined. Photographs and their quality can come down to very personal preferences. Some people prefer vibrant colours, others prefer something more true to life. So this test is purely our opinion.

Most people use their phone to capture photos on the spur of the moment. It goes without saying then that the automatic settings on the phone should be capable of handling different conditions and still deliver decent images.The Xperia Z5 gets points for having a dedicated camera button. It feels most like a camera of old, and the intelligent auto mode adapts to almost any setting. But the images fell short of those delivered by its competitors; it's worth bearing in mind here that the Z5 was released last year, and the rest of the cameras are newer models. The leap in innovation in the intervening months is apparent.The HTC 10 claims to be the fastest for opening the camera app, and it is quite speedy. The photographs - one a sunny exterior and a second indoors - were detailed and bright, and the wide-angle lens means you get more shot for your trouble. Zooming in, though, revealed a bit of softness around the edges.