Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max Camera Test Comparison

What's wrong with everyone? I'm Danny and today I have a very, very exciting

camera

comparison

between the new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, so this is probably the most anticipated

camera

comparison

of 2021. We'll see which camera comes out. to be the best right now it's sunset, so let me know what colors look the best, let me know which microphone sounds the best and I'll go out and capture as many pictures as I can to see which one turns out to be the best. In 2021, let's do this, it's going to be long, so grab your popcorn and be sure to watch it from start to finish because it's a very interesting comparison.

Let's quickly talk about the

test

ing process. All of these shots were taken in auto mode with scene. Detection enabled on both phones as it is on by default, no edits were made, all images and videos come straight from the camera. Note that the

galaxy

s21

ultra

has a pro mode so you can dial in to get that perfect shot if you have a moment where the iPhone doesn't and they both shoot raw for maximum flexibility, but today we'll focus on what will be used by most average consumers and is the automatic mode. Let's start with the daytime photos as you would expect, the images are fantastic.

Both are sharp and full of dynamic range with nice colors and lots of detail but after looking at over 200 images side by side here are some differences I noticed, the processing on these two cameras will definitely be based on preference many times. s21

ultra

creates a brighter overall image with more shadow detail, so I think a lot of people will prefer this look. The color accuracy rebounds if you look at the sky. The Samsung is closer to the actual color where the iPhone creates that darkness. contrasting blue sky which doesn't look bad at all, but it's not accurate if you look at the tree itself, the green is definitely too exaggerated on the Samsung, while it's more accurate on the iPhone, so you can see the dilemma here as I said in my Comparison of the Note 20 Ultra with the iPhone.

I wish I could get something in between these two, but you can't really complain because smartphones are getting so good now that, to be honest, it's literally hard to compare them in terms of image quality during the day. We're just being picky here. I bet most of you won't notice a huge difference but I did notice that Smart HDR on the iPhone still picks up some extra details you can really see the cloud details accentuated on the iPhone and smart hdr at certain times of the day like during sunset, here in this case it shows better dynamic range and overall balance and processing.

Take a look at this building here. The lights are better controlled when the lighting starts to blend, the iPhone seems to get bigger. color depth you can see more of a dynamic gradient in the sky. I took a ton of photos with this type of lighting and the same result happened every time. I think a lot of people will prefer this look, but it definitely goes back and forth between the iPhone and the Samsung in dynamic range, it all depends on the scenario, sometimes the iPhone just does a better job overall and sometimes the Galaxy S21 Ultra pulls ahead , so while both are really impressive, I found during the day that the iPhone had more cases of better dynamic range.

I'm going to give Samsung the benefit of the doubt as they like to update their cameras a lot after launch, so I'll take My final decision when reviewing this comparison after some major camera upgrades, but I like how Samsung is handling it. the overall white balance in its processing, although leaning towards the warmer side, is more accurate during dusk, especially in Florida, it's really difficult for mobile phones, but Samsung is doing a better job. Here's an example of where they both really failed. I had to include it. This is so you know how difficult the scene was, but I prefer to have that slight magenta tone with warmth on the s21 ultra versus that super blue cold tone throughout the image like the iPhone does in these scenarios, regardless of how you feel about it. to accuracy and color preference.

I think this comparison will largely depend on flexibility at this point, the s21 ultra can take photos up to 108 megapixels. Here's a side by side where the final iPhone image is 12 megapixels. If you crop slightly, you can't see much of a difference. but then when you press hard you can definitely see a detailed difference. The zoom difference is also something that will make a real difference when it comes to everyday photography. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 3x optical zoom that matches the iPhone's 2.5x. It zooms very well but it also has a second 10x zoom which is very good, it gives you that second perspective if you need it.

I'm surprised at how good the digital zoom is, although on the iPhone 12 pro max I know you can see the 10x optical shots. much better, but I expected it to look much worse on the iPhone, so let me know what you think. The Galaxy S20 Ultra had a pretty terrible minimum focusing distance, so Samsung fixed this this year with the focus enhancer. Basically what it does is it seamlessly switches to ultra wide angle to help you get a better and clearer shot, you may lose some depth of field depending on how close you are but the image is really sharp and it's not as bad 2 megapixel depth camera solution, minimum focusing distance isn't great on

iphone

12 pro max so you'll probably have to use the telephoto lens for close ups, here's how it looks from the same distance as

iphone

it couldn't focus, but that focus enhancement mode on the s21 ultra is fantastic.

Food images are important and I think the iPhone definitely takes a more realistic approach to food, but that improvement on the Samsung definitely makes food look tastier, so I guess it's doing its job. Here is a photo taken in auto mode and other than the color and saturation they look very similar, but here is a photo taken in food mode where you can create a focus area to get that super depth of field again. You have more options in the s21's ultra portrait mode. The next thing is that they both do a fantastic job with edge detection.

Both have two focal lengths. which you can choose from, but the s21 ultra doesn't seem to be using the 3x optics for portrait mode on non-human subjects, they seem to be pretty much the same, no major major errors in the processing, but on human subjects they both look phenomenal, the s21. ultra with a little more contrast and saturation here, but I think it looks very good skin precision. I'm still going to lean towards the iPhone, but I wouldn't blame you if you like the Samsung image better, if you like the brighter skin, then I'll like the s21 ultra more, but the iPhone, when it hits, hits hard, but the The image itself is super sharp, so it won't soften your skin further if you don't want it on the S21 Ultra, even in portrait mode, which I really appreciate.

It's good to have it. I appreciate those options in selfies. How you can choose between a bright and natural shade on the s21 ultra. Here is a side by side of the two modes. It's not a huge difference, but you can see that the skin glow is slightly better in the natural iPhone selfie. The camera is a little wider and you can see that here, but the s21 ultra again hits white balance better here, so a little warmth really helps. I definitely don't want to skip the ultra wide cameras, the lens I can't. I live without it I can get some awesome angles and it definitely adds creativity to the shot the processing is pretty much the same here as the main camera I don't see a huge difference as far as quality goes during the day on the ultra wide angle and on The sharpness and distortion are there on both, but I really love the ultra wide.

I can't live without it before I jump into the low light. Let's talk about the video. The

galaxy

s21 ultra in terms of pure resolution has the advantage of being able to record 8k videos. at 24 frames per second we finally get 4k 60 frames per second on all cameras on the s21 ultra, as well as matching the iPhone 12 pro max and both can record hdr videos now there is not a big difference in quality here that Samsung has I made a great job in the video department during the day. You can see that there is more shadow detail in this more complex lighting scenario.

He chose to overexpose that scene to get that detail, but I see some of you like this better, on the iPhone. capture more details again, just like photos in certain lighting conditions, look at that sky, the cloud pattern is much more detailed here is a panning shot of me following these birds, they both look almost the same in terms of movement and here, if you look at The rocks look brighter in the iPhone video. More contrast on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. I noticed that when shooting several times the autofocus moved slightly. You can see it here.

However, I'm sure they will fix this in a software update. I wouldn't worry too much about this. Here's an example of when zoom really makes a difference. The 2.5x to 3x zoom is very comparable. The details are great, but when you activate that 10x zoom, it's amazing to have this kind of range in your pocket. you can see all the people clearly there. I love it when it comes to hiking videos. They both do a great job. Both have optical image stabilization, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a new stabilization system similar to the body stabilization found on larger professional mirrorless cameras, and while the difference isn't huge, video appears more stable and It picks up less bounce from the walk, so let me know if you can see a difference when or when you want to pick up the pace. movie action there is a super stable mode on the s21 ultra when you enable it, it drops down to 1080p and is noticeably smoother but the stabilization is legendary, this running footage looks like an earthquake on the iphone but super smooth on the s21 ultra, I wish this was in 4k but this year you have an option for 1080p 60 frames per second in super steady mode which is good for action shoots so let's get to what you were waiting for and that's the low light performance and I'm happy .

To say both phones are very good at night, the improvements on the s21 ultra really make Samsung competitive this year and you can really see it in the non-night mode shots, just shooting on auto is a much better experience, the noise it controls much better than their previous phones, it's a little softer than the iphone shots if you go in a little bit the 12 pro max shot is sharper without night mode but i love the noise improvements on samsung's side In fact, there were more than a few. shots where the iPhone was noisier than the s21 ultra shots so this is a big improvement by Samsung so what I did was take a bunch of pictures without night mode and with night mode so you can see the difference.

I took too many of these. so I'll make sure you see more at the end, but you can see they have a different approach. Everything will depend on personal preferences. Both do a good job of brightening the scene and capturing more sharpness and detail, but the Samsung in many cases brightens the scene more making it look more daytime, where the iPhone uses more contrast to make the scene look a little more like the night, but that comes with a sacrifice, sometimes crushing the shadows too hard, but the s21 ultra in night mode brightens to the point where noise is still present in the shot.

There's a nice improvement in noise reduction, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max still consistently produces a cleaner shot with less noise while still keeping the image sharp, I think with some programs. updates, the galaxy s21 ultra should have an advantage, arguably the s21 ultra has one of the best night modes out there when you hit the ultra wide, it's more noticeable, look at the difference here, both are good, but the Samsung is impressive, look at the shadow detail here. and when you look at the rest of the image it's much sharper, this is the most promising low light performance on a Samsung phone in years, so Samsung would love for you to continue working on noise reduction in night mode, especially in the main mode. some scenarios are worse than others, but that's probably the biggest weakness of night mode right now, but once they get it right it will probably be one of the best on the market.

Leadership is very present when you are in super dark conditions. I can barely see this tree and it was exposed for about the same amount of time on both, I think it was about 10 seconds and look how clean it is from the s21 ultra and how much more information there is, just my personal opinion, just like the daytime shots. I would like to see something between these two. I like how the iPhone keeps the sky darker. It's more like a night shot where the S21 Ultra is a little too bright for my taste, but it wouldn't be a camera comparison if things weren't like that.

It is not about aBack and forth, sometimes the iPhone has a brighter shot and the s21 ultra decides to have more contrast. Sometimes ultra likes to overexpose in the non-night mode shot and here in night mode the iPhone exposed the sky brighter so there will be some. There are inconsistencies, but for the most part I think you guys will be happy with either one. The iPhone is also getting better with software updates. The sharpness of this flower and the colors are really excellent. Red color reproduction remains one of the most difficult things on a Samsung smartphone.

It's gotten better over the years, but I think the iPhone still captures a nicer, deeper red. Night mode definitely helps on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. I always use this Coca-Cola building as a reference and the dynamic range and details are better on the S21. ultra and although it is too saturated, the iPhone is more consistent with this processing. Here the red almost looks pink on the Samsung, while on the iPhone it is exaggerated, but I prefer that one, which one do you prefer? The flexibility shows its usefulness in low light conditions. Plus, and the amazing thing is that it has 3x and 10x zoom.

Night mode also works on all cameras, so even on night zoom shots you can get a great 10x shot. The Samsung looks cleaner and sharper, but I can't believe how good the 10x digital zoom is on the iPhone. It looks horrible when you're filming it and you see it on the screen, but after processing it's really impressive and speaking of that zoom, we have to talk about the moon shot, when you go up to 10x zoom, it looks so-so same but the scene detection and AI on the s21 ultra is amazing as soon as you hit 30x the AI ​​assist kicks in and even at 100x you can get this image so it's awesome if you like this and I took this handheld.

Next up is portrait mode at night. Samsung, thanks for adding a night mode to portrait mode. I didn't even know about this until I saw a little moon icon appear when I was

test

ing the cameras, while I still think the iPhone has more natural skin tones. This makes the comparison. super close I never used night portrait mode on Samsung phones because it never looked this good, the image is sharp and like I said the colors could use some work but this is a great start, night portrait mode works too in the front camera. which the iPhone doesn't have, so if you want that blurry background at night, Samsung photos look much better thanks to this mode.

Apple adds this to a software update because portrait mode looks pretty bad in low light. Here is another example. brighter in the portrait selfie in night mode, but the Samsung just made my ear disappear but replaced it with bokeh in the background, so it's a stunning mistake with normal selfies, they both look similar without special modes, but they activate that night mode and the Samsung produces a brighter image again, I think I prefer the skin tone with the night mode shot finished on the iPhone, but look at that detail on my face here, zero skin softening, you can basically see everything so stunning on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, so let's finish. with night video, previous Samsung models had pretty terrible videos in low light and tons of noise, so I'm happy to say that this year they've really improved on this, especially in moderate low light, the noise is still there, although not It's so bad in low light conditions. different exposures you can really see it the iphone 12 pro max still has the best night video on the market right now it handles exposure changes very well the image is sharp and has one of the best noise reduction it is very clean for a mobile phone Darker becomes, the more noise is introduced into the s21 ultra video, this bridge is quite dark, but it seems like Samsung is trying to brighten the scene too much by introducing more noise.

It also seems like this is also sacrificing stabilization, which I really can. I don't explain that the iPhone is much more stable, they are both portable. I'm not sure what's going on here, so I hope they can improve this in future software updates. Here's another moderate low light example zoomed in at 3x. It's soft here at night too, but if you shoot a lot of night videos, I'd still choose the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and of course I couldn't finish this video without showing you the lens reflections. The iPhone definitely has the most prominent reflections, so you'll see.

More green dots and light reflections in your shots. The s21 ultra also has it, but it is not as visible, so this year's conclusion is different. I've been comparing smartphone cameras for many years and I can't remember when a comparison narrowed this down. Close-up camera quality is always subjective and will always be based on preference, but if you take anything away from this video, this is the most exciting, most refined and I dare say the most useful camera system Samsung has ever made. launched in a long time, the daytime HDR. It's fantastic, the hardware gives you a useful 3x zoom along with the second dedicated 10x zoom which is more useful than you imagine and the quality is excellent.

There are 108 megapixels when you want that extra detail. 8k video too if you want that video with extra details. 12-bit raw if you're a photographer, stabilize shots with 100x zoom if you want to use it, enhance night mode, portrait mode, night mode, I mean, it's a very flexible camera system, maybe the most flexible out there right now , but the iPhone is the iPhone, it is consistent. produces great images day and night has the best video on a smartphone will always be a benchmark for smartphone camera performance, no matter if it's the best camera or not, people will always want to know how it compares a camera with the latest iPhone i I don't think it's fair to judge which camera is better right now because there will be major software updates for the Ultra's camera in the coming months.

This is Samsung's way of doing it, just know that if you are a Samsung fan this is the best camera in a long time and I highly recommend it, but if you want to stick with your iPhone 12 Pro Max that's fine too because both They have their strengths and weaknesses and the iPhone is not far behind, let me know. which one do you like best in the comments below. I hope you enjoyed this extensive camera comparison. Give it a thumbs up if you liked it, subscribe to see many more videos like this and I'll see you in the next one.