iPhone 12 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Which Can Take Better Photos?

The iPhone 12 Pro Max can take pictures with quality that can rival those taken from a DSLR. However, its Android opponent - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra possesses the zooming ability that can put Apple to shame.

So how do these phones stack up you ask? Let’s dive into our comparison:

We can clearly see the differences from the photos below. The white balance of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is responsible for the magenta bias while iPhone 12 Pro Max has more accurate color tones.

Cropping into the photos to 100%, we can see that the iPhone image packs more details than that of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra despite having the same 12MP.

Color differences are also visible in these shots. The cyan-toned sky in the S21 Ultra shot looks a little bit unnatural. However, it makes the church look brighter thus standing out from the whole scene. 

In their super-wide mode, both handsets yield vibrant scenes, striking a balance between the shadow of the bushes and the blue sky. The S21 Ultra’s while balance kicks in again making its photo lean toward the magenta side.

Meanwhile, iPhone 12 Pro Max has overdone here, creating a green cast in the building and the clouds.

So overall, there is a tendency here. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra seems to show more magenta while iPhone 12 Pro Max leans on to the green.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Is The Best For Zoom

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra prides itself on the zoom skills though, with 100x digital zoom, as well as 3x and 10x zoom. On the other hand, iPhone 12 Pro Max offers 2.5x zoom, an improvement from the previous generation’s 0.5x zoom.

When iPhone was at 2.5x and Galaxy S21 3x, the photos they produce look very similar. Both overall exposure and colors look almost the same with very few differences.

However, when cropped into 100%, distinctions start to show. The picture taken by the Galaxy S21 Ultra looks a lot sharper and has more details, thanks to the digital sharpening. While it’s a personal preference to prefer one over the other, if you are into image editing, you will definitely like iPhone shot better as digital sharpening can degrade images.

The two photos have very similar details. Again, the white balance comes into play to give Samsung’s photo a magenta look.

At 10x zoom, the Galaxy S21 Ultra clearly outstrips iPhone 12 Pro Max. The Fettes College becomes the focus of the shot taken by the Samsung phone, removing cluttering details visible in iPhone photos, like the cars and buildings.

Comparing Galaxy S21 Ultra’s photo overlooking Edinburgh's Princes Street and the same scene taken by iPhone 12 Pro Max, the difference is clear here. The iPhone shot looks very mushy and is far from sharable. In short, when it comes to zoom, Samsung’s latest flagship phone is king.

The photos below are taken in a dark room. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is the clear winner here with brighter and less noisy shots. Another benefit with the Apple handset that it automatically switches to Dark Mode while you will have to dive into the camera app and select the mode on the S21 Ultra.

Which Camera Phones Is Better?

Comparing the two handsets is a hard task. Overall, they are great camera phones that can click superb and vibrant pictures with great dynamic range. If you want natural shots with minimal digital sharpening, you will prefer iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The feature that really separates the two phones is the zoom ability. So it’s worth thinking about how often you need to zoom in. This is an ability iPhone is unable to provide. With the S21 Ultra, you are carrying with you a more complete photography kit.

If you think the zoom on iPhone is lacking, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra might be the handset for you.

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