The Motorola Signature 27 smartphone has achieved second place in the global DXOMARK camera rankings, beating the iPhone 18 Pro with 173 points.
According to the benchmark results, the new flagship finished just two points behind the table-topping Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, which secured first place with 175 points. Apple's iPhone 18 Pro took third position with 172 points. The score also represents a nine-point improvement over the previous Motorola Signature model, which earned 164 points in earlier testing.
DXOMARK is an independent French engineering laboratory that tests smartphone cameras, audio equipment, screens, and batteries. Based in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, the organisation evaluates consumer devices through hundreds of automated laboratory measurements and standardised real-world photographic trials. Mobile manufacturers across the technology sector routinely treat the company's benchmark scores as an objective industry standard for photographic and video performance.
Portrait photography and zoom performance
In its detailed evaluation, DXOMARK assessed the Motorola Signature 27 as a balanced and consistent smartphone across both still photography and video capture. Testers found that the handset was particularly successful in portrait photography. The camera system produced natural skin tones, accurate exposure, and high levels of detail on human faces, while keeping multiple subjects in sharp focus during group shots where people were positioned at different distances from the lens.
The device's telephoto camera was highlighted as another major strength during the assessment. Evaluators noted that the handset's three-times optical zoom delivered good performance in close-up photography, maintaining successful image quality up to approximately six times magnification. Optical zoom relies on physical lens elements to magnify a scene without cropping the image, preserving sensor resolution that digital magnification can degrade.
Video recording quality and stability
Video capture on the Signature 27 also returned strong results, with the benchmark report highlighting accurate exposure and natural colour reproduction. Evaluators noted that visual noise remained well controlled during recording, especially when filming static scenes. Video noise typically appears as unwanted grain or speckling in flat surfaces when sensors struggle to balance light collection with sensor sensitivity.
Low-light limitations and motion blur
Despite the high global ranking, the DXOMARK review identified several shooting conditions where the Motorola Signature 27 showed room for improvement. Evaluators recorded a noticeable loss of fine detail when zooming in to photograph distant objects. In very dark environments, the camera exhibited colour shifts alongside a marked drop in overall detail.
The testing team also encountered motion blur when attempting to photograph fast-moving subjects. Similar limitations appeared during video recording, where visual image noise became considerably more noticeable when filming moving objects or scenes containing intense motion under very low lighting conditions.
Triple camera hardware and sensor technology
The imaging hardware on the rear of the Motorola Signature 27 relies on a triple camera setup led by a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA 910 primary sensor. The main camera features a wide f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilisation to counteract accidental hand movement. Optical image stabilisation uses tiny mechanical gyroscopes to physically shift lens elements during an exposure, preventing hand tremors from blurring photographs.
The primary camera also supports Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor technology, which is designed to provide wider dynamic range, particularly in high-contrast scenes. The architecture works by capturing excess electrical charge that would otherwise overflow when bright light hits a pixel capacitor. By retaining that overflow charge, the sensor prevents bright highlights from washing out into pure white while maintaining shadow detail across challenging lighting conditions.
Periscope telephoto and action sensor
The main camera is accompanied by a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera offering three-times optical magnification. Through a software mode called Super Zoom Pro, the device can extend digital zoom up to 100 times. Periscope camera systems use a folded prism design to direct light sideways through the body of a smartphone, allowing manufacturers to fit longer focal lengths inside slender chassis without creating a protruding lens barrel. The third rear camera is a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor with autofocus support and a 122-degree field of view, designed for capturing sweeping landscape vistas and broad architectural scenes.
Motorola also equipped the handset with a specialised EVS action sensor, which the company described as a world first. The sensor is designed to provide clearer photographs of moving objects and to improve image sharpness during night-time shooting. For video recording, the handset supports 8K resolution at 30 frames per second or 4K capture at up to 120 frames per second, which allows for smooth high-resolution playback and slow-motion recording. The system also includes Dolby Vision support, a high dynamic range standard developed by Dolby Laboratories that optimises colour and contrast frame by frame.
Front camera features and market position
On the front of the handset, Motorola fitted a 50-megapixel selfie camera that features autofocus and supports 4K video recording. Dedicated autofocus mechanisms are relatively rare in front-facing smartphone cameras, where fixed-focus lenses are common, enabling the device to keep subjects sharp whether held close to the face or mounted on an extended tripod.
The strong showing in the DXOMARK rankings places the Signature 27 in direct competition with the highest-rated devices in the global mobile market. Motorola, an operating subsidiary of technology giant Lenovo, has steadily upgraded its flagship hardware to compete against longstanding camera leaders Huawei and Apple. By positioning the Signature 27 within two points of the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra and ahead of Apple's flagship iPhone 18 Pro, the benchmark results highlight the brand's growing competitive weight in premium smartphone photography.
