iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – camera comparison

Now that iPhone 13 Pro is in the hands of reviewers, they have started putting it through its paces against competitors. One of the biggest camera comparisons that all techies want to see is iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, the flagship smartphones by Apple and Samsung. Here is how they stack up.

iPhone 13 Pro Max

Camera shootout: iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

As per the latest comparison video by Mrwhosetheboss on YouTube, here is how the flagship smartphones compare in terms of camera results:

Features: Because of the new camera features that iPhone 13 Pro has, like macro mode, Cinematic Mode, Personal Styles, and so on, it is almost on par with Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Granted, Galaxy S21 Ultra has 8K video recording but at the same time, iPhone 13 provides much better video capture.

Zoom: Although Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra features 3x and 10x optical zoom, the experience with iPhone 13 Pro Max is much better. At 3x zoom, iPhone 13 zooms in more than Galaxy S21 Ultra, and the experience of switching between cameras to zoom is far better since the latter stutters and lags.

Macro mode: iPhone 13 Pro Max can do macro at 2cm, which is a cm less than Galaxy S21 Ultra. Not to make this a measuring content by any means, but it’s almost on the same level and there is not much difference in picture quality.

Night mode: iPhone 13 Pro Max’ night mode photos are much better, realistic, and natural compared to Galaxy S21 Ultra. Unlike the latter, it provides more details and does not blow up the brightness.

Portrait Mode: Since iPhone 13 Pro’s 3x optical zoom is better than Galaxy S21 Ultra’ 3x optical zoom, and that’s the lens used to capture portrait photos, the result is slightly better.

Front-camera video: Both provide good video capture. Galaxy S21 Ultra provides portrait video capture, but iPhone 13 Pro Max’s Cinematic Mode is slightly better.

Microphones: it was a complete tie here. If you are serious about video capture, you are better off with an external mic.

Selfies: like most iPhone 13 reviews have said, the selfie camera in iPhone 13 Pro Max still lags behind the competition. Galaxy S21 Ultra is simply ahead here and provides better results in multiple conditions.

Slo-mo: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra can do slower slo-mo video capture, so it is better than iPhone 13 Pro in this area.

Candid photos: iPhone 13 Pro Max provides much better color re-production, skin complexions, and natural results, while Galaxy S21 Ultra slightly oversaturates the colors. Of course, saturated colors look better to most people, especially for sharing online.

Video: iPhone 13 Pro Max simply wins this one. Just like the last few generations. iPhone focuses better in low light, has better and natural colors, no matter which lens you use. The lens flare is still there in iPhone 13 Pro, but otherwise, it works much better in just about any light condition.

Stabilization: Surprisingly, Samsung slightly edges out the iPhone here, despite its sensor-shift stabilization.

Just like most comparisons and reviews, we suggest not to take this iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra comparison as the gospel. In different testing conditions, results can vary. However, one thing is clear: both of these flagships are the best in class for their respective platforms and that numbers are not everything. Despite a 108-megapixel lens and 8K video recording, Galaxy S21 Ultra cannot provide any clear advantage over the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which still uses a 12-megapixel lens, and provide the best video capture of any smartphone in the market.

Check out the full video comparison below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoP80SfGscM

Read more:

About the Author

Technology enthusiast, Internet addict, photography fan, movie buff, music aficionado.

1 comment

Leave a comment