Which phone has the best night mode? Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Pixel 5
Andrew Hoyle/CNET The Galaxy S21 Ultra, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and Google Pixel 5 all have incredible cameras capable of taking incredible images whether you're wandering around your local town or just...
03/02/2022
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
the
Galaxy S21 Ultra
,
iPhone 12 Pro Max
and
Google Pixel 5
all have amazing cameras capable of
take amazing pictures
whether you're wandering around your local town or hiking in the hills. But they're not just good at daytime photography; all three phones offer dedicated modes for capturing beautiful night shots using multi-second exposures to capture as much light as possible. The results can be dramatic, but which phone works best?
To find out, I took the three on a jaunt to Edinburgh's charming old Dean Village to see how each best deals with the dark. All images were taken either in the standard camera view on the iPhone and Pixel, or using the "night mode" option on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. They are all taken in JPEG format and were all taken with the camera's default settings.
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Enlarge image
Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Enlarge image
iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Enlarge image
Pixel 5.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
In my eyes, this first test, taken in the heart of Dean Village, is a comfortable victory for the Galaxy S21. Its shot isn't much brighter than the iPhone, but details are much clearer. This is especially noticeable in the leaves of grass in the lower right of the image, which are clearly visible in the Galaxy shot, but look much blurrier and ill-defined in the iPhone and Pixel shots.
Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Pixel 5.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
This time, the iPhone photo comes out on top. It was the colors that made the difference here; the Galaxy S21 Ultra image looks cold and lifeless, with the generally bright red door in the middle looking subdued and almost purple. The iPhone photo is just as bright - and crisp - but has retained more accurate colors, making this scene look more appealing. The Pixel's photo falls somewhere in between in terms of color, but falls behind the pack with its less sharp detail.
Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Pixel 5.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
There's little to choose between the three phones in this test, each packed with plenty of detail in its bright images. The iPhone colors look more natural than the others, especially the Pixel ones which made the yellow building look greener in places. It's for this reason (and perhaps the smaller lens flare around the light) that I'd pick the iPhone as the winner here, but it's a close call.
Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Pixel 5.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET< /p>
This view of Dean Village was a more demanding test as much of the scene was in near total darkness. The phones all had to work harder here, using longer exposure times to capture as much light as possible and I'm really impressed with all three. I prefer the Pixel 5's blue sky, which contrasts nicely with the orange lights below, but the image itself lacks detail compared to the other two.
The Galaxy S21 wins here. Not only does his photo have finer detail around buildings, but it also captures more light in dark areas, especially in the lower right of the image where more trees are visible, but are in near blackness. complete in iPhone and Pixel photos.
Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
< p>Pixel 5.Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The differences in this street scene are quite subtle, but there are several reasons why I prefer the iPhone shot. First, its white balance produced a more realistic color tone than the cool, yellow-green look of the other two. Second, there is more detail in the iPhone image, especially visible on the front of the distant building. Finally, the iPhone photo has more controlled highlights on the central building, with the reflected white light looking particularly strong in the Galaxy photo.
Galaxy S21 Ultra, super wide lens.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
iPhone 12 Pro Max, super-wide lens.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Pixel 5, super-wide lens. p>
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Switching to the super wide lens and the Galaxy S21 Ultra scores a clear win. Its shot is brighter than the iPhone's, especially the building on the right: it's in shadow on the iPhone image but looks bright and detailed on the Galaxy image. Foreground foliage is also brighter on the Galaxy and contains enough detail to almost be able to distinguish individual leaves. On the iPhone, the whole area is mushy and lacks fine detail.
The iPhone's super wide shot is even lower than the Pixel 5, which was also able to show more brightness in the shadows, although it's not as sharp as the Galaxy's image.
Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Pixel 5.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The results changed again in this indoor still life scene shot in near total darkness. The iPhone 12 Pro Max photo is brighter than the other and has sharper detail, especially noticeable on the word "Travel" on the book and the product name "X-T20" on the camera.
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Which phone takes the best night mode photos?
It's hard to pick a winner. In terms of overall quality, it's a two-horse race between the S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Pixel 5 shots aren't quite up to snuff, but it's important to keep in mind that the Pixel 5 retails for $699 (£599, AU$999), making it an option. significantly cheaper than the $1,199 (£1,149, AU$1,849) S21 Ultra and $1,099 (£1,099, AU$1,849) iPhone 12 Pro Max. If you're looking for great low-light shots on a budget, the Pixel 5 is the one for you.
But between the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Galaxy S21 Ultra, it's hard to call. Both took the crown in different tests, with the iPhone generally offering more natural colors and the S21 Ultra leaning more towards sharper detail. The S21 Ultra scored a clear victory in the superwide test, however.
In other words, there is no clear winner. Both phones can both take great nighttime images, and both proved to be exceptionally capable as cameras in other tests. Low-light performance alone won't help you decide between them. The biggest differentiator remains
the impressive zoom capabilities of the S21 Ultra
, which clean the iPhone out of water.
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