iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The iPhone 12 Pro Max has Apple’s best camera system ever. But how does the device compare to the competition? In this camera shootout, two giants compete against each other: the iPhone 12 Pro Max vs the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Camera: iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

For many people, the cameras are very important when buying a new smartphone. Apple has therefore given the iPhone 12 Pro Max significant upgrades in this area. The primary sensor is a lot bigger, which should provide more detailed photos. The stabilization of this lens has also been improved. But can the best iPhone compete with the top device of the main competitor? In this camera shootout we look at the photos of the iPhone 12 Pro Max vs the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra!

Primary camera

The iPhone 12 Pro Max uses – like its predecessor – a primary lens of 12 megapixels. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a resolution of no less than 108 megapixels, but normally also reduces it to 12 megapixels. Let’s compare the pictures.

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When the sun is shining, you don’t actually see that much difference between the two smartphones. The iPhone turns on the colors a bit more firmly. That is striking, because Samsung phones used to be known for their oversaturated photos. The manufacturer has clearly tinkered with the software in recent years to deliver more realistic pictures.

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The image shifts dramatically when there is more cloud in the sky. Photos that you take with the iPhone often have a somewhat brownish, warm glow. That sometimes looks attractive, but it is not very realistic. The cooler photo from the S21 Ultra is much closer to what the colors looked like in reality.

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Naturally, both devices have a portrait function. You can use it not only for people, but also to photograph flowers, for example. The iPhone usually produces slightly more attractive images, with more detail in the leaves and a more natural-looking background blur.

12 vs 108 megapixels

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As mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 108 megapixel camera. Although you normally take photos of 12 megapixels, it is of course possible to use the full resolution. The pictures above are crops from the first photos in this article. It is clear that the Galaxy captures a lot more detail in this mode than the iPhone.

Just keep in mind that 108 megapixel files are very large and make even the fast S21 Ultra stutter quite a bit.

Night mode

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Both the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra have a night mode. The camera thus optimizes images that you take in low light. That goes well for the smartphones, but you do see clear differences. Samsung does everything it can to darken overexposed parts and to correct shadows. Apple is less aggressive about this. For example, the sky in the photos above is almost black on the iPhone, while the Galaxy has made it slightly lighter.

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If we zoom in, the iPhone looks a little better than the Galaxy. The words on the board are clearly sharper. However, the lamp on the left is completely overexposed, while the Galaxy still manages to squeeze out some detail. Incidentally, you cannot take 108 megapixel photos on the Samsung if you use the night mode.

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In these photos we see a similar picture. The shadows of the apartment building at the top right are more visible on the S21 Ultra, although the difference is not dramatic. Again, the photo of the iPhone looks a lot more saturated.

Ultra wide angle lens

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For this camera shootout, we are of course also looking at the ultra-wide-angle lenses. That of the iPhone is slightly wider than that of the Galaxy, but you will hardly notice that in practice. What is immediately noticeable is the difference in color. Apple likes warm tones, even if it doesn’t make the photo look very realistic. The photo of the Samsung is much more neutral.

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Sometimes those oversaturated colors do produce a beautiful picture. Of course it remains a matter of taste, but the photo that the iPhone took of the Utrecht Oudegracht is in our opinion more lively than that of the Samsung. It is also better lit. Moreover, it is striking that the ultra-wide-angle lens of the S21 Ultra is not very sharp in the corners.

Night mode

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You can also use the night mode if you photograph with the ultra-wide-angle lenses. These sensors are much smaller than those of the primary camera, so the results are also less good. However, it can produce spectacular compositions. The differences between the two devices are not very big and are in line with what we saw earlier: the photo of the iPhone is slightly warmer, the Galaxy shows more details in the shadows.

Zoom lenses

The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a telecamera that allows you to zoom in 2.5 times without loss of quality. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra offers two of these types of lenses. With the first you can get the image 3x closer, with the other no less than 10x.

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If we compare the zoom lens of the iPhone with the ‘short’ telecamera of the Samsung, we see the familiar image: warm colors on the iPhone, cooler tones on the S21 Ultra. In terms of sharpness, both lenses hardly differ.

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The Galaxy S21 Ultra, however, completely knocks out the iPhone if you want to get the image even closer. The picture of the horses above was taken with the 10x zoom lens on the Samsung. To be able to take a similar snapshot with the iPhone, we had to digitally zoom in. That produces a very grainy picture.

Conclusion iPhone 12 Pro vs Samsung S21 Ultra camera

The conclusion of this shootout is a tough one. Both smartphones have excellent cameras, and your preference will partly depend on what kind of photos you take. The iPhone 12 Pro Max shoots nicer pictures in low light and has a better portrait mode. We are also pleased with the quality of the wide-angle lens.

Snapshots that you take with the S21 Ultra, however, have better colors than those of the iPhone. If you use the 108 megapixel mode, the images also contain a lot more detail. This is especially useful if you sometimes print photos. In addition, you have two telecamera’s, so you can zoom in much further without loss of quality. As far as we are concerned, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is therefore the narrow winner of this shootout.