New Motorola reportedly takes better photos than iPhone 18 Pro. It also impresses with the rest of its features

Back in September, we wrote that the iPhone 18 Pro has the best night camera on the market. It didn’t hold that title for long. The Motorola Signature 27, which the brand just introduced, scored 173 points in a test conducted by the renowned DXOMARK laboratory, placing it second overall in camera rankings, just one point ahead of the iPhone. So, anyone looking for an Android phone primarily for photography has a new strong contender since November.

Motorola takes the best photos in low light among all tested phones

Motorola scored the most points where Apple had previously reigned supreme. In the low-light photography and video recording evaluation, DXOMARK testers gave it 151 points, which is the highest in the entire ranking. iPhone 18 Pro has one point less. According to them, the images maintain accurate exposure, natural colors, and very little noise. The main 50Mpx Sony LYTIA L910 camera relies on a large 1/1.28″ sensor.

Motorola also performs better than the iPhone in portraits (160 vs. 157 points) and especially in zoom. The periscopic telephoto lens with 200 Mpx resolution and 3x optical zoom scored 157 points for photos, while the iPhone only got 143. Between 3x and 6x zoom, Motorola delivers sharp images with fine details, according to testers.

Only Huawei Pura 80 Ultra with 175 points remains ahead of Motorola. However, due to US sanctions, it does not offer Google services, so among phones with Google Play, the Signature 27 is the highest in the DXOMARK ranking.

Others handle video and long-range zoom better

Apple continues to dominate video (176 vs. 173 points) and also takes slightly better photos with its main camera. DXOMARK also states that the Signature 27 handles motion in the dark less effectively: moving objects tend to be blurry in low light, and more noise is visible in videos. Yet, it is the first smartphone to feature a special EVS action sensor, which Motorola claims captures fast motion more sharply.

The promised 100x Super Zoom also has its limits. The phone relies on a single telephoto lens, and therefore loses details at long distances compared to models with an additional telephoto lens. In the zoom category, Vivo X300 Ultra leads.

12,000 nits brightness, 7,000 mAh battery, and GrapheneOS support

The rest of the features match a flagship device. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, the more powerful of Qualcomm’s two chips this year. The Extreme AMOLED Duo display with 1.5K resolution, according to the manufacturer, can reach up to 12,000 nits, but this value is measured only on one percent of the surface area. The battery has a capacity of 7,000 mAh, 35% more than its predecessor, and charges at 90 W wired or 50 W wirelessly.

Motorola further promises seven major system updates, IP68 and IP69 resistance, and sound tuned in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen. The phone also meets the high hardware requirements of Gemini Intelligence. Privacy enthusiasts will be pleased that Signature 27 will be the first Motorola with GrapheneOS support, about whose arrival on the brand’s phones we have already written. The company promises details in the coming months.

Pre-sale in Europe starts in November

Pre-sales in Europe will start this month, but Motorola will announce the price only at the beginning of sales. DXOMARK lists it at 1,599 dollars in its ranking, which is 400 dollars more than the iPhone 18 Pro, which received an official recommended price of 34,990 CZK in the Czech Republic.

Would you prefer Motorola over iPhone for better night photography?

Sources: Motorola, DXOMARK