Blind Camera Comparison Video: iPhone 12 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

[MacRumors]

Samsung in January debuted its latest flagship smartphone lineup, which includes the Galaxy S21 Ultra, a direct competitor to the iPhone 12 Pro Max that Apple introduced in October. In our latest YouTube video, we pitted the two smartphones against one another for a blind camera comparison.

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In the video up above and the photos in this article, we've labeled images with an "A" or a "B," with each letter corresponding to a different smartphone. All of the images are straight from the camera with no editing.

The idea is to look at the images and decide which aesthetic you prefer before we unveil which camera is which, so for the full experience, it's worth watching our video, but we'll also share the results at the very bottom of this article.

We've compared several different camera modes like Portrait mode and Night mode, along with the different lens options ranging from ultra wide angle to telephoto. When considering the photos, check out elements like color temperature differences, highlights and whether there are blown out (overly bright) areas, sharpness of the subject in Portrait photos, and for video, stabilization and shakiness.

Both the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra have fantastic camera hardware and are capable of capturing great images in most lighting conditions, so most of the time, choosing a winner just comes down to your personal preferences.

Since we're not doing a traditional comparison between these two smartphones, there are a few Galaxy S21 features that are worth highlighting. Samsung used to limit its stylus, the S-Pen, to Note models, but this year, the S-Pen is compatible with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it's useful for taking notes, drawing, signing documents, and more.

There's also a reverse wireless charging feature for charging up headphones or another smartphone, and an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is actually something that we might see Apple adopt in the future.

As for the camera, there are four lenses including ultra wide (12MP), wide (108MP w/ laser autofocus), and dual telephoto lenses (both 10MP). Camera functionality is similar to the iPhone 12 Pro Max for the most part, but Samsung does have Space Zoom, which is a 100x digital + optical zoom option. Space Zoom was available last year, but this year it's been improved. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has no equivalent feature and can't zoom in as far.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra also has a shorter minimal focusing distance, allowing it to be used for close-up macro shots, something the iPhone 12 models aren't able to do.

Coming back to the photo comparison test, if you're wondering which photos are which, there's an answer below the break.


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Article Link: Blind Camera Comparison Video: iPhone 12 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

 

[Baymowe335]

Just scrolling through, I mostly prefer A Images except the night mode might be a little too artificially bright.

 

[QCassidy352]

I preferred the "A" images but also thought they might be less accurate in terms of reproducing how the subjects of the photos looked to the naked eye. Having not seen the subjects myself I can't say for sure, but the "A" images look a little more "processed." That said, both cameras produced fantastic shots... can't complain either way.

 

[KanosWRX]

Pretty much picked all A and was a bit surprised.. I just think Samsung for whatever reason just can't get their Camera software working perfectly.. Google and Apple cameras are always better.. Just goes to show, now days it has as much to do about software as it does hardware.

 

[Td1970]

I prefers A for most of them.

 

[Sinequanon83]

I was all A's for the daytime stuff and B for the night shot. Thanks for posting this blind!

 

[Ron21]

I picked A for almost all and thought that was going to be the Samsung 🤣

 

[hybrid_x]

"Blind camera comparison…"

Uhhh…

 

[Taz Mangus]

What I see from the results is that megapixel count does not tell the whole story.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Which does the best moon pic?

 

[nerdherdster]

I preferred “A” on everything but night mode because I tend to like pictures that are a little over-saturated, and I fully expected that to be the Samsung. Very surprised!

 

[swingerofbirch]

I prefer the colors of B as A looks a bit harsh (though I don't know what it actually looked like so hard to say which matches reality), but it seems the image quality of A is better in detail and not blowing out light in indoor shots—plus while I don't like the color tone of A it does seem to have more shades in each picture (less flat, maybe—not sure the terminology).

Edit: Looked at the result. Was not surprised. Good comparison.

 

[steveaburns]

Thanks for the blind test! I was A for all except the B for the glass... and was happy at the end to find A was the iPhone 12 Pro Max, er, since that's what I have

 

[djcerla]

I picked A for almost all and thought that was going to be the Samsung 🤣

Same.

 

[OliOliOliOli]

I prefer the A, on night mode it’s should be a mix of A & B. On the iPhone it’s jus missing the 10 time zoom, the 100 it’s just too early to have it to doing something nice with... haaaa marketing when you get us...

 

[toph2toast]

As many others have said, I preferred the A pictures for the daytime and the B pictures for night time. I had a Samsung Galaxy S10+ for 7-8 months. The low light pictures I was able to capture were simply incredible compared to what an iPhone could capture at the time. It was one of the main reasons I switched over for those months. However, for no reason, I started to have issues launching the camera app and was missing out on one-off moments. That was a dealbreaker and I switched back. In all the years of owning iPhones I've never had an issue getting the camera app open whenever I need to.

 

[OliOliOliOli]

I prefer the A, on night mode it’s should be a mix of A & B. On the iPhone it’s jus missing the 10 time zoom, the 100 it’s just too early to have it to doing something nice with... it make me think my first camera when I had a 25x zoom haaaa marketing when you get us... it make

 

[duanepatrick]

Glad that I am not alone. I prefer A too!

 

[RealPhone]

A

 

[nwcs]

What I see from the results is that megapixel count does not tell the whole story.

It hasn’t for a long time. It’s just an easily marketed number.

 

[gaximus]

Picked A for every shot, thought it was sharper, B had better sky colors(more realistic), but color can be fixed in post, while sharpness can't.

 

[Chrjy]

Personally I think at this point, it's irrelevant. All flagship smartphones have great cameras and the truth is you'll never look at these side by side when viewing someones photos. You'll either look at the photo and think it's a great shot or you won't!

 

[Moakesy]

I picked A for almost all and thought that was going to be the Samsung 🤣

Same.

 

[thermal]

If they really want to compare two cameras, I wish they'd put them on a tripod and take identical photos with each phone, so we have a true side by side comparison. For example, the playground slide photos are very different side by side.

 

[69Mustang]

I picked A for almost all and thought that was going to be the Samsung 🤣

A few years ago you would have been right. As referenced in the article, Apple seems to favor boosted blues: "Apple's algorithms for the sky are designed to boost the color, trending towards a blue, cool tone during the day that's highly recognizable compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ photos are more vibrant, while the S21 Ultra has a flatter color profile. Neither is quite true to life, with the real color somewhere in the middle."

It's like somewhere along the way both companies decided to do a 180 with their color science. Samsung used to favor vibrancy and Apple used to have flatter color profile. Anecdotally, people seem to prefer the vibrancy. MKBHD's blind photo test has always been won by the more vibrant photo snapper.

I also picked A for most photos 'cept the night shots. They are more colorful.