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

Samsung in January acquired its latest flagship smartphone line, 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 each other for a blind camera comparison.

In the video above and the photos in this article, we have marked images with “A” or “B,” with each letter corresponding to a different smartphone. All images are directly from the camera without any editing.

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

We compared several camera modes between Portrait mode and Night mode, along with the various lens options from very wide angle to telephoto. When considering the photographs, look for elements such as color temperature differences, elevated views and whether areas are blown out (too bright), the sharpness of the subject in Portrait photographs, and for video, stability and vibration.

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

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

There’s also a wireless backup feature for charging a headset or other smartphone, and an built-in ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which we see Apple could adopt in the future .

As for the camera, it has four lenses including ultra ultra (12MP), wide (108MP w / laser autofocus), and dual telephoto lenses (both 10MP). Camera capability is mostly similar to the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌, but Samsung has Space Zoom, which is a 100x digital + optical zoom option. Space Zoom was available last year, but this year it was upgraded. The ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ doesn’t have the same feature and can’t move in as long.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra also has the shortest focus speed, allowing it to be used for close-up macro shots, something iPhone 12 models can’t do.

Coming back to the photo comparison test, if you are wondering what the pictures are, there is an answer under the guise.

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All the “A” images came from the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌, while all the “B” images come from the Galaxy S21 Ultra. If you’ve seen our advance comparison between the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy Note 20, you probably already knew about the results.

Apple’s algorithms for the skies are designed to boost the color, moving towards a cool, daytime blue tone that is well-known compared to the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ images are more vibrant, while the S21 Ultra has a flatter color image. None of them are true to life, with the true color somewhere in the middle.

Brightness and brightness are similar for both smartphones, and in general, all the images are crisp and clear. Photo mode photos are pretty much the same, but Apple iPhones have always struggled with some things like drinking glasses.

There are significant differences in Night mode. The S21 Ultra doesn’t do well with warm lighting in some situations, so some of these photos have a print that tends to be too warm. Video is also similar (everything was captured in 4K at 30fps), with no major differences in quality or stability.

What were your favorite pictures from the camera test? Were you surprised by the results? Let us know in the comments.