Apple claims the iPhone camera is the world’s most popular camera. It’s hard to argue with that statement when the Instagram hashtag ‘#iphoneonly’ has garnered more than 83 million images uploaded by users and has become a matter of pride among amateur photographers on the platform the world over.

Earlier this year we even saw a feature-length film shot on an iPhone 5s debut at the Sundance Film Festival.

With the release of the iPhone 6s last week, Apple says the world’s most popular camera is now better than ever. Along with a bump up to 12-megapixels and 5-megapixels for the iSight and FaceTime cameras respectively, Apple has added 4K video, a new Retina Flash for selfies, and more.

But how does the iPhone 6s’ camera stack up to the competition? Below we compare the cameras on the iPhone 6s, Galaxy S6, and Xperia Z5 Premium:

Main camera

iPhone 6s: As mentioned, the iPhone 6s has a 12-megapixel iSight camera, up from the 8-megapixel camera on the outgoing iPhone 6. In addition, the iPhone 6s shoots 63-megapixel panoramas, up from 43-megapixel panoramas of which the iPhone 6 is capable.

A bump in megapixels is not the only improvement Apple has made to the iPhone 6s’ camera. Local tone mapping and noise reduction has been enhanced and optical image stabilization has been added to the iPhone 6s Plus. Focus Pixels, first seen on the iPhone 6, has been incorporated in “tap to focus.” If you’re wondering, Focus Pixels is an image sensor technology used for phase detection autofocus and is superior to and faster than contrast detection autofocus.

Galaxy S6: The Galaxy S6 sports a 16-megapixel rear camera with an f1.9 lens and high-resolution sensor. This, claims Samsung, delivers superior image quality, even in the dark. In addition, the Galaxy S6 features auto real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR), smart optical image stabilization (OIS) and IR Detect White Balance for advanced light sensitivity.

Xperia Z5 Premium: Sony developed a new 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS 23-megapixel sensor and f2.0 lens for the Xperia range. The Xperia Z5 Premium boast a hybrid auto-focus capable of focusing in just 0.037 seconds, 5x clear image zoom with up to 8x digital zoom, a wide-angle G Lens (24mm), up to ISO 12800 for still images and a pulse LED flash.

Front camera

iPhone 6s: Apple also bumped up the megapixel count for the FaceTime HD camera on the iPhone 6s. It’s now a 5-megapixel unit, compared to just 1.2-megapixels on the iPhone 6.

Additional improvements include a new Retina Flash that works by lighting up the display 3x brighter to add a soft glow to selfies. Apple says the Retina Flash uses a pre-flash to detect the lighting conditions in order for its True Tone flash to give a burst closely resembling natural light.

For a more in-depth look at how the Retina Flash will improve your selfies, see our article on how to use iPhone 6s for Emergency Selfies.

Galaxy S6: The 5-megapixel front-facing camera on the Galaxy S6 has the same f1.9 lens and high-resolution sensor as the rear camera and boasts a panorama mode for group selfies.

Xperia Z5 Premium: The 5-megapixel front-facing camera on the Xperia Z5 Premium also has Sony’s new Exmor R sensor and a wide-angle (25mm) lens so no one is left out of group selfies.

Video capabilities

iPhone 6s: The iPhone 6s is capable of recording video in 4K, at four times the resolution of 1080p HD video. You can also take 8-megapixel still images while recording 4K video. On the iPhone 6s Plus, optical image stabilization is available for videos, in addition to still images. As with the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6s can also shoot time-lapse and slo-mo video.

A new iMovie for iOS app lets you send movies to YouTube at 4K resolution and you can edit two streams of 4K video to create effects like picture-in-picture and split screen.

Galaxy S6: The Galaxy S6 is capable of shooting Ultra-HD video (2160p@30fps) and features low-light video for the front and rear cameras, slo-mo video as well as fast motion video.

To see the video quality, take a look at 9to5Google’s review of the Galaxy S6’s UHD video capability.

Xperia Z5 Premium: The Xperia Z5 Premium also offers 4K video recording with up to ISO 3200. Sony’s Steady Shot with Intelligent Active Mode provides video stabilization to compensate for your movements, making panning smoother and the image more stable.

Special features

iPhone 6s: With the iPhone 6s, Apple introduced Live Photos. Both the iSight and FaceTime cameras can create Live Photos by capturing the moments just before and immediately after a photo complete with sound. By pressing on a Live Photo, the image comes to life as a ‘mini movie’ with sound. Live Photos can be set as your Lock screen wallpaper.

The addition of 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and iOS 9 also brings Quick Actions for camera functions. A hard press on the camera icon brings up a list of Quick Actions, including Take Selfie, Record Video, Record Slo-mo, and Take Photo.

Galaxy S6: A new “Quick Launch” feature lets you access the camera from any screen in just 0.7 seconds by double clicking the home button. A “Pro” mode lets you manually adjust all the settings you’d normally only be able to access of a DSLR camera.

Xperia Z5 Premium: As if the huge sensor and 23-megapixels were not enough, the Xperia Z5 Premium is water and dustproof so you can put the camera to use in situations where you can’t pull out either of the other two phones. In addition, the onboard storage can be expanded with up to 200GB external microSD card, meaning you’ll have ample space for your 4K videos.

Apple has published an iPhone 6s photo and video gallery to showcase its new camera capabilities.

Screenshot: SiliconANGLE via Apple.com