Vic Gundotra, ex-SVP of Social at Google, and the person responsible for creating Google+ says that he would never use an Android phone for photos and praises what Apple has managed to achieve with the iPhone 7 using computational photography.

The former Googler in a Facebook post first said that the end of the DSLR is already here. He made the statement after looking at the portrait shots of his two children taken by the iPhone 7 Plus in a restaurant. In the comments section, when someone pointed out that the Samsung Galaxy S8 takes even better photos than the iPhone 7, Vic Gundotra replied that he “would never use an Android phone for photos!”

After a few other people commented saying the Galaxy S8’s camera was superior to that of the iPhone, Vic wrote a detailed reply saying the problem was not with the hardware but with Android itself.

Here is the problem: It’s Android. Android is an open source (mostly) operating system that has to be neutral to all parties. This sounds good until you get into the details. Ever wonder why a Samsung phone has a confused and bewildering array of photo options? Should I use the Samsung Camera? Or the Android Camera? Samsung gallery or Google Photos?

It’s because when Samsung innovates with the underlying hardware (like a better camera) they have to convince Google to allow that innovation to be surfaced to other applications via the appropriate API. That can take YEARS.

Also the greatest innovation isn’t even happening at the hardware level – it’s happening at the computational photography level. (Google was crushing this 5 years ago – they had had “auto awesome” that used AI techniques to automatically remove wrinkles, whiten teeth, add vignetting, etc… but recently Google has fallen back).

Apple doesn’t have all these constraints. They innovate in the underlying hardware, and just simply update the software with their latest innovations (like portrait mode) and ship it.

Bottom line: If you truly care about great photography, you own an iPhone. If you don’t mind being a few years behind, buy an Android.

Now, let’s even forget the fact that the Galaxy S8 has a better camera than the iPhone 7 for a minute here. Even the Google Pixel, which is now fast approaching its one-year anniversary, has a better camera than the iPhone 7 and that is it despite not featuring a spec’d out camera hardware like the former. Instead, Google makes use of computational photography to ensure the Pixel delivers outstanding image quality — something which even the Samsung Galaxy S8 with its far superior camera specs is not able to match. So, it is surprising to see Vic believe that Google has fallen back in the computational photography level.

Unlike previous years, the camera experience offered by flagship Android handsets has improved by leaps and bounds and they now offer the same or even better image quality and capturing experience than the iPhone.

Vic, if you are reading this, you probably need to give the Galaxy S8 or Google Pixel a shot before outright dismissing the handsets. Android has changed a lot since you last used it and the camera experience offered by them is now even better than that of the iPhone in many aspects.