iPhones are considered to have the best and most consistent smartphone cameras. Every year new iPhones come with the improved camera performance. The iPhone 12 Pro is no exception. It comes with improved lowlight imaging, a LiDAR Scanner, and Dolby Vision video recording. But how does it compare with the likes of the Note 20 Ultra and the Pixel 5? Find it out here.
A popular YouTube channel, Max Tech, has made a video comparing the cameras of the iPhone 12 Pro, Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and the Pixel 5, giving us a good idea about their imaging capabilities. But let us have a look at the camera hardware of these smartphones before we discuss their camera performance.
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro: Rear – 12MP primary (f/1.6 aperture, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS) + 12MP telephoto (2x optical zoom, 52mm focal length, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, OIS) + 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 13mm focal length, fixed focus) + 3D ToF LiDAR Scanner, 4K60FPS video recording with Dolby Vision; Front – 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 23mm focal length), 4K60FPS video recording
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Rear – 108MP primary (f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) + 12MP telephoto (5x optical zoom, 120mm focal length, f/3.0 aperture, PDAF, OIS) + 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 13mm focal length, fixed focus), 4K60FPS video recording; Front – 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 23mm focal length), 4K60FPS video recording
- Google Pixel 5: Rear – 12.2MP primary (f/1.7 aperture, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS) + 16MP ultra-wide (f/2.2 aperture, 107-degree FoV, fixed focus), 4K60FPS video recording; Front – 8MP (f/2.0 aperture, 24mm focal length), 1080p 60FPS video recording
As you can see in the comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra tie for the first position. And the Pixel 5 comes in second.
Let us start with the rear camera. The images taken with the iPhone 12 Pro have better dynamic range, close-to-life colour reproduction, and better bokeh effect in portraits compared to that of other two phones. The iPhone 12 Pro also takes better images in low light. Although, not every time. The iPhone 12 Pro, however, fails terribly in the telephoto test; its 2x optical zoom camera is nowhere near the 5x optical zoom camera of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Speaking of, the one from Samsung not only has the best telephoto camera but also the best ultra-wide camera. The Pixel 5, on the other hand, takes excellent daylight and lowlight images but doesn’t perform as good as the iPhone 12 Pro and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
When it comes to selfies, the iPhone 12 Pro seems to take the best overall images, even though it has fixed focus unlike the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which comes with dual-pixel PDAF equipped selfie snapper. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra takes the second position here and it is only slightly behind the iPhone 12 Pro. The Pixel 5 comes last due to its outdated, lower resolution selfie camera.
While the iPhone 12 Pro isn’t a clear winner in the camera performance, it certainly is among the best in the industry and it is second to none. It also has offers a significant upgrade in camera performance compared to its predecessor. If you want a smartphone with the best camera, you can’t go wrong with the iPhone 12 Pro.
