Samsung's flashiest and most advanced smartphone has 3 camera lenses, but it still can't beat Google's year-old Pixel 3

The Galaxy Note 10 is capable of taking great photos, but even with its three camera lenses, it doesn't give me the same confidence that the Pixel 3 and its single lens gives me.
The extra lenses are for zooming and ultra-wide photos, but those great features don't matter as much if the photos don't turn out well. Photos from the Note 10 often look overly processed.
You can edit the photos to look less processed with pretty good results, but it's still an extra step to improve the photos.
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The Galaxy Note 10 Plus I've been using has been an absolute treat , especially after using the Pixel 3 for several months.

The Note 10 is faster, smoother, and has significantly better battery life than the Pixel 3. By comparison, the Pixel 3's specs are sorely lacking. The 4 GB of RAM in the Pixel 3 just doesn't cut it for speed, and the phone has notoriously poor battery life. Plus, the Pixel 3 started at $800 at launch, which isn't cheap, especially for a smartphone with questionable performance.

And then there's the S Pen I'm a big fan of the S Pen. I don't need it, but it's been incredibly useful to scribble down spur-of-the-moment thoughts and reminders. And the S Pen makes more complex tasks on the Note 10 less daunting by offering more precise taps.

But when it comes to taking photos, I mostly wished I had the Pixel 3 and its single lens instead of the Note 10 Plus and its three camera lenses.

See why I wished I had the Pixel 3 instead of the Note 10 for taking photos:

First off, I want to make clear that the Note 10 can take great photos!

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In fact, I actually prefer the Note 10s photo over the Pixel 3s here. But this is a a rarity.

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I should also mention that the Note 10s ultra-wide camera gives you options that the Pixel 3 doesnt have. Im a huge fan of having the option to seamlessly switch to an ultra-wide lens on the Note 10.

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But there are often things about the Note 10s photos that dont look right. Its like the Note 10 is allergic to shadows, contrast, depth. The lighting is completely flat, and the blue sky and buildings toward the back look fake.

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The Pixel 3s photo, on the other hand, gives you a much better sense of what I was looking at.

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Thankfully, if you dont like the Note 10s photo, you can edit them. This is an edited version of the Note 10s photo where I added a little contrast, toned down the brightness, and de-saturated the colors a little. Now, the photo looks like it has depth, and the buildings at the back dont look as fake.

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This photo from the Note 10 actually looks fine until you see what the Pixel 3s photo below. Youd never know from the Note 10s photo that the trees and the grass are different shades of green.

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The Pixel 3s photo reveals just how much extra processing the Note 10 adds to photos, and theres no option to turn off that extra processing. Ive tried turning off HDR on the Note 10, but it does nothing. I also tried turning off Samsungs Scene Optimizer to no avail.

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Again, you can edit the Note 10s photos if you dont like the way they look. I edited this on my Windows 10 laptop with Samsung Dex.

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For this edit, I hooked up the Note 10 to my Windows 10 laptop and edited the photo through the Samsung Dex software. It basically shows a desktop version of the Note 10's Android operating system where I can use the Note 10's apps.

I simply opened the Gallery app in Dex and edited the photo using my mouse and my laptop's screen. It's easier than editing photos on a smartphone screen, even one as large as the Note 10's 6.8-inch screen.

There are times when the Note 10s extra processing isnt a bad thing. The Note 10s photo below is more appealing than the Pixel 3s.

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Sometimes the Pixel 3s photo can look a little too dark.

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I should also note that the Note 10s Night Mode is better than I initially thought.

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At the end of the day, the Note 10 can still take great shots of things that matter.

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However, I still prefer the Pixel 3s camera. It isnt perfect, and Ive questioned its photos in the past. But it gives me more confidence than any other smartphone that itll take a great shot. When Im testing phones these days, I often wish I was taking photos with the Pixel 3 instead.

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Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

The Note 10's camera doesn't give me as much confidence that the photos will turn out well. Instead, I'm usually fearing that it'll process the photo too much.

Editing is a solution, and the Note 10 is the best phone for things like on-device photo editing. But I'd really rather not have to go back and edit photos, if I can avoid it.

Samsung's flashiest and most advanced smartphone has 3 camera lenses, but it still can't beat Google's year-old Pixel 3

First off, I want to make clear that the Note 10 can take great photos!

In fact, I actually prefer the Note 10s photo over the Pixel 3s here. But this is a a rarity.

I should also mention that the Note 10s ultra-wide camera gives you options that the Pixel 3 doesnt have. Im a huge fan of having the option to seamlessly switch to an ultra-wide lens on the Note 10.

But there are often things about the Note 10s photos that dont look right. Its like the Note 10 is allergic to shadows, contrast, depth. The lighting is completely flat, and the blue sky and buildings toward the back look fake.

The Pixel 3s photo, on the other hand, gives you a much better sense of what I was looking at.

This photo from the Note 10 actually looks fine until you see what the Pixel 3s photo below. Youd never know from the Note 10s photo that the trees and the grass are different shades of green.

The Pixel 3s photo reveals just how much extra processing the Note 10 adds to photos, and theres no option to turn off that extra processing. Ive tried turning off HDR on the Note 10, but it does nothing. I also tried turning off Samsungs Scene Optimizer to no avail.

Again, you can edit the Note 10s photos if you dont like the way they look. I edited this on my Windows 10 laptop with Samsung Dex.

There are times when the Note 10s extra processing isnt a bad thing. The Note 10s photo below is more appealing than the Pixel 3s.

Sometimes the Pixel 3s photo can look a little too dark.

I should also note that the Note 10s Night Mode is better than I initially thought.

At the end of the day, the Note 10 can still take great shots of things that matter.

However, I still prefer the Pixel 3s camera. It isnt perfect, and Ive questioned its photos in the past. But it gives me more confidence than any other smartphone that itll take a great shot. When Im testing phones these days, I often wish I was taking photos with the Pixel 3 instead.

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