Which phone takes the best portrait photos: iPhone X, Pixel 2, or Note 8?

You no longer need to buy a big and expensive DSLR with a insanely large lens to get "professional-quality" photos with shallow depth of field.

If you have an iPhone (7 Plus, 8 Plus, or X), Google Pixel 2 or 2 XL, or Samsung Galaxy Note 8, you can already get great pro-level shots with minimal effort thanks to their "portrait modes" ("Live focus" on the Samsung). 

Made popular by the iPhone Plus models in recent years, portrait mode is what's responsible for those pics where the the foreground (usually a person) is super-sharp, but the background is blurred out, giving that dramatic effect you usually only get from pros with seriously good camera gear. Smartphones have been doing the trick since at least the HTC One M8, and it's almost a standard feature now on flagships. Read more...