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The camera is still garbage (2022, 12MP... wow!!!).

It's a common misunderstanding to equate MP to overall quality. MP are simply a measure of the image resolution. So if you plan to do heavy cropping or make very large prints, then more MP are important, but if not, then it would actually be preferable to have less MP on a high-quality sensor vs. more MP on a lower-quality sensor. And of course there's also the sensor size to consider (larger sensor = larger pixel size = more light they can capture). And then there's the image processor. So there's quite a few factors at play, not just MP.

Why powerful cameras? They're called grandkids... To have great clear spectacular pics of them, and beautiful scenery on vacations? Priceless IMO!

. . . which you can do with an iPhone ??‍♂️
 
It is definitely an upgraded tech, yeah. The cameras, the array, is an upgraded Face ID module, and maybe that’s making it impossible to trick.

I’m probably gonna wait until next WWDC. If Apple releases a software update to make Face ID mask-compatible, either in the spring as a minor update to iOS 15, or it is announced at WWDC as an iOS 16 feature, I’ll get the iPhone 13 mini. Otherwise, I’m getting an SE3 (unannounced). With all the pain of my heart, because I really like the 13 mini, it is an awesome device. But I’ve decided I don’t want to spend the next 4, 5, 6 years entering the passcode on my smartphone.
With the 11, Face ID with my mask worked if I didn’t have the mask pulled too far up the bridge of my nose. If it was really high, then it wouldn’t work but I rarely ever had it that high. I just found it strange that it worked, but I appreciated it. That said, do I prefer the more comfortable size of the 13 Mini vs the 11 or easy Face ID with mask? The former, for sure - a few seconds entering the passcode doesn’t bother me too much! I’m actually just having to get used to smaller keyboard space and not making typos, which I’ve noticed I’m doing more of with the mini, but I’m sure that’ll improve in time.
 
With the 11, Face ID with my mask worked if I didn’t have the mask pulled too far up the bridge of my nose. If it was really high, then it wouldn’t work but I rarely ever had it that high. I just found it strange that it worked, but I appreciated it. That said, do I prefer the more comfortable size of the 13 Mini vs the 11 or easy Face ID with mask? The former, for sure - a few seconds entering the passcode doesn’t bother me too much! I’m actually just having to get used to smaller keyboard space and not making typos, which I’ve noticed I’m doing more of with the mini, but I’m sure that’ll improve in time.

Use the “flow” (swipe) keyboard with the mini - it’s pure one handed perfection (if your language is supported).
 
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A bit off-topic but.... my last iPhone was an 8, moved from that to Huawei P40 Pro because of the stunning camera. Knocked the spots off any iPhone. But the phone part became a pain, and it's now showing signs of imminent failure (switching off on its own, rapid loss of power, non-responsive touch etc.) so I was thinking of returning to iPhone.

Family offered me a 13 for Christmas ..... I checked them out in the Apple store and frankly, have never been so underwhelmed. Same as the 8, really, nothing's changed. A bit quicker, a bit slicker but absolutely nothing to bring me back. The camera is still garbage (2022, 12MP... wow!!!).

I used to get pretty excited about upgrading Apple gear.... now I feel like I'm being ripped off.

I probably will get an iPhone again, but the enthusiasm has gone.
Just for information: megapixel is a measure of QUANTITY, not QUALITY.
if you really can‘t understand the difference from iPhone 8 and iPhone 13 camera, then you really don’t need a better camera.
 
I went from the 13 Pro and 12 mini to iPhone XR 64 gb due to migraines and dizziness caused by 13 Pro that also messed my nervous system up so badly I have had to shelve my 12 mini while I recover. (I love the size and that purple color so I hope to someday be able to use the 12 mini as a backup phone again).

I really liked the black Xr and my only issue was I had to be so conservative on app use to keep within 64 gb. But it was doable and I wasn’t planning to change to an iPhone 11 so soon.

But I just got the mint green 11 in 128 gb for Christmas and I am so excited! I can’t stop smiling!

When iPhone 11 and 11 Pro were released my heart really was captured by the mint green but I went with Midnight Green 11 Pro for the camera. And I liked that phone. But mint green has been one of my favorite colors since the 1980’s and I admit I always had a pang of regret not choosing it.

No more regrets! It’s finally mine! I love this phone. I love the display; no worry about eye strain or migraines. The camera is really nice and I like that its photos are missing the heavily processed look my 13 Pro was producing. I can’t get some of the types of shots my 13 Pro excelled at like the beautiful almost DSLR style portraits and anything produced by the optical zoom and macro options. But general purpose photography quality is right where I need it to be. Low light performance is very good. I do have a Pixel 6 Pro for more advanced smart phone photography.

But this is my primary phone and I am really happy with it. I mean, I was already quite happy with my XR. This is more an “icing on the cake” situation.

I really did expect to feel more of a shock going from a 13 Pro back to an XR, but the real shock was that it was a painless transition to me. Now being on my dream mint green 11 is actually fun!

I also got a purple iPad 6 mini for Christmas so I also get to enjoy my two favorite pastels Apple has made so far.
 
Bought a 13 Mini as my SE 2016 was slowing down. Used it for 2 weeks and couldn't get used to it. It's too big for me, Bluetooth earbuds too glitchy, FaceID is slow / doesn't work in the dark / does't work with face masks. Replaced the battery of my SE 2016 for £20 and the battery lasts the whole day now.
 
It's a common misunderstanding to equate MP to overall quality. MP are simply a measure of the image resolution. So if you plan to do heavy cropping or make very large prints, then more MP are important, but if not, then it would actually be preferable to have less MP on a high-quality sensor vs. more MP on a lower-quality sensor. And of course there's also the sensor size to consider (larger sensor = larger pixel size = more light they can capture). And then there's the image processor. So there's quite a few factors at play, not just MP.



. . . which you can do with an iPhone ??‍♂️
I don't misunderstand resolution against quality. Obviously the quality of the picture is a combination of many factors, as you've explained.
However, with everything else being equal (e.g. sensor quality, lens etc.) a 24MP shot will be better than a 12MP shot - fact, and simple physics (common sense).
Whether that's noticeable on a 6" x 4" print or not is another conversation - it will be surely noticeable on much larger prints.
My gripe about Apple STILL being at 12MP is that this resolution came in with iPhone 6s in September 2015 - over 6 years ago. And here we are are, iPhone 13, 12 MP. How's that for progress? Leitz, Sharp, Sony, Samsung now have 1" sensors and over 20Mp - and the pictures look super. Proper full-frame cameras are at the 48MP level now. My Huawei P40 Pro (2020) shoots 50MP or 100MP raw mode.... and the pictures look far better than a family member's iPhone 12.
Apple are dropping behind and need to catch up. Clever image manipulation can't beat solid hardware.

Just for information: megapixel is a measure of QUANTITY, not QUALITY.
if you really can‘t understand the difference from iPhone 8 and iPhone 13 camera, then you really don’t need a better camera.
???
 
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I don't misunderstand resolution against quality. Obviously the quality of the picture is a combination of many factors, as you've explained.
However, with everything else being equal (e.g. sensor size, sensor quality, lens etc.) a 24MP shot will be better than a 12MP shot - fact, and simple physics (common sense).
Whether that's noticeable on a 6" x 4" print or not is another conversation - it will be surely noticeable on much larger prints.
My gripe about Apple STILL being at 12MP is that this resolution came in with iPhone 6s in September 2015 - over 6 years ago. And here we are are, iPhone 13, 12 MP. How's that for progress? Leitz, Sharp, Sony, Samsung now have 1" sensors and over 20Mp - and the pictures look super. Proper full-frame cameras are at the 48MP level now. My Huawei P40 Pro (2020) shoots 50MP or 100MP raw mode.... and the pictures look far better than a family member's iPhone 12.
Apple are dropping behind and need to catch up. Clever image manipulation can't beat solid hardware.



Clearly not, since huwaoeia and others are not even in the running for best photos - it’s routinely iPhone and Pixels, with Samsungs mentioned here and there.
 
Clearly not, since huwaoeia and others are not even in the running for best photos - it’s routinely iPhone and Pixels, with Samsungs mentioned here and there.
Suggest you look at this French site for an expert evaluation:


Screenshot 2021-12-27 at 01.07.28.png


Family members have iPhone 11 and 12 - when they need a keeper they take my P40 - it is much better, guaranteed. That's because of the Leica lens.
 
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I don't misunderstand resolution against quality. Obviously the quality of the picture is a combination of many factors, as you've explained.
However, with everything else being equal (e.g. sensor quality, lens etc.) a 24MP shot will be better than a 12MP shot - fact, and simple physics (common sense).
Whether that's noticeable on a 6" x 4" print or not is another conversation - it will be surely noticeable on much larger prints.
My gripe about Apple STILL being at 12MP is that this resolution came in with iPhone 6s in September 2015 - over 6 years ago. And here we are are, iPhone 13, 12 MP. How's that for progress? Leitz, Sharp, Sony, Samsung now have 1" sensors and over 20Mp - and the pictures look super. Proper full-frame cameras are at the 48MP level now. My Huawei P40 Pro (2020) shoots 50MP or 100MP raw mode.... and the pictures look far better than a family member's iPhone 12.
Apple are dropping behind and need to catch up. Clever image manipulation can't beat solid hardware.


???

If the iPhone camera doesn't cut it for you, then look elsewhere (as you have). I think modern iPhones take amazing photos given the fact that they're not dedicated cameras and I believe most people agree. To call them "garbage" as you did is frankly astonishing to me and comes across as a flame-war. Marketing hype is just that - hype. Don't ever look to a smart phone as a 1:1 replacement for a dedicated high-end digital camera. And you do understand the image sensor in the 6s is inferior to the one in the 13, right? You acknowledged that multiple factors are at play, but you keep fixating on the MP. And again, the MP are really not that important unless you're heavily cropping or enlarging, which I doubt most iPhone consumers are needing/wanting to do.

Lastly, I think it's pretty funny to say Apple is dropping behind and needs to catch up, as if the company doesn't have the wherewithal to do whatever they want to with the cameras on an iPhone. Perhaps your vision of what the iPhone cameras should be is simply different than what Apple's vision is.
 
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Suggest you look at this French site for an expert evaluation:


View attachment 1934179

Family members have iPhone 11 and 12 - when they need a keeper they take my P40 - it is much better, guaranteed. That's because of the Leica lens.

DXOmark rating is inherently flawed (synthetic) in its approach and easy to “game” by the likes of huwaweia and other specsheet crusaders. That’s why it’s ignored by photogs.
 
My dad has a £300 Samsung which boasts a higher megapixel count than my iPhone 12 but the picture quality is nowhere near as good.
This is called the megapixel myth. The quality of the image is dependent on the quality of the sensor and lens. More megapixels doesn’t mean better pictures. It just means you can crop to a greater degree without pixelation. If you’re not into cropping your images you can pretty much ignore the megapixel count with respect to image quality.
 
This is called the megapixel myth. The quality of the image is dependent on the quality of the sensor and lens. More megapixels doesn’t mean better pictures. It just means you can crop to a greater degree without pixelation. If you’re not into cropping your images you can pretty much ignore the megapixel count with respect to image quality.

Yep, I’ve been explaining this to people for years but it’s amazing how many people are still sucked into the megapixel marketing ploy. The compact camera industry used this to great effect during the late 2000’s and it’s a difficult mindset to break.
 
If the iPhone camera doesn't cut it for you, then look elsewhere (as you have). I think modern iPhones take amazing photos given the fact that they're not dedicated cameras and I believe most people agree. To call them "garbage" as you did is frankly astonishing to me and comes across as a flame-war. Marketing hype is just that - hype. Don't ever look to a smart phone as a 1:1 replacement for a dedicated high-end digital camera. And you do understand the image sensor in the 6s is inferior to the one in the 13, right? You acknowledged that multiple factors are at play, but you keep fixating on the MP. And again, the MP are really not that important unless you're heavily cropping or enlarging, which I doubt most iPhone consumers are needing/wanting to do.

Lastly, I think it's pretty funny to say Apple is dropping behind and needs to catch up, as if the company doesn't have the wherewithal to do whatever they want to with the cameras on an iPhone. Perhaps your vision of what the iPhone cameras should be is simply different than what Apple's vision is.
Thank you! I get so tired of hearing people whine about the megapixel count. You could have a 20 giga pixel camera and if you had a lousy technique or a poor lens or sensor you still get crappy pictures.

I do think Apple is over processing on their JPEG‘s and that’s causing some of the current problems. I would assume that the image from the newer iPhone would be better than the older iPhone. Apple does have a mess to clean up With respect to their overprocessing.

The marketing departments have hyped megapixel as a selling point for so long that everybody Just assumes that the more megapixels my camera has the better camera they have.

Unless you’re pulling the pictures into post and doing cropping and other processing, megapixels don’t make a big difference.

People are swooning over a 48 megapixel sensor on a cell phone. Frankly think 48 megapixel on her cell phone is way overkill. Most iPhone users want point and shoot and I don’t need to crop.

I have a six megapixel DSLR that I no longer use that took some stunning images with a meager six megapixels.
 
It's a common misunderstanding to equate MP to overall quality. MP are simply a measure of the image resolution. So if you plan to do heavy cropping or make very large prints, then more MP are important, but if not, then it would actually be preferable to have less MP on a high-quality sensor vs. more MP on a lower-quality sensor. And of course there's also the sensor size to consider (larger sensor = larger pixel size = more light they can capture). And then there's the image processor. So there's quite a few factors at play, not just MP.



. . . which you can do with an iPhone ??‍♂️
Right... see sig..
 
Right... see sig..

Ok? You were replying to someone who was objecting to the idea that the iPhone camera was somehow not sufficient to take great photos with and your comment seemed to support that viewpoint (that the iPhone camera was not good enough), so that's why I replied the way I did. Just because you own an iPhone doesn't necessarily mean anything, since you might prefer the iPhone for other reasons.
 
Ok? You were replying to someone who was objecting to the idea that the iPhone camera was somehow not sufficient to take great photos with and your comment seemed to support that viewpoint (that the iPhone camera was not good enough), so that's why I replied the way I did. Just because you own an iPhone doesn't necessarily mean anything, since you might prefer the iPhone for other reasons.
Yeah, supporting how great the camera is of course.. I thought someone earlier had said that's why they get a bigger MP camera(android).. Maybe I responded to the wrong one.. I dunno.. I've been on 6S+ 128gb for 6 years. With the advancements they've obviously done in the camera I had to get one.. we both did. Physically it's about the same size. A bit big to one hand but I can deal with it! 1TB.. I'm set for another 6 years I hope..
 
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