Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12: Best for cameras and selfies?
Samsung's Galaxy S21 is a great new phone that compares well to the iPhone12, which is Apple's latest model. Some of the most important features of any new...
09/02/2022
the
Samsung's Galaxy S21 is a great new phone that compares well to the
iPhone
12, which is the latest model from< /p>
Apple
. Some of the most important features of any new smartphone are the cameras and while the rear cameras often get the most attention, the front selfie camera is often used just as much when sharing with friends.
Self -portraits
have existed since the beginnings of photography, even before even though they included drawings and paintings. The first selfie photos were sometimes taken by a photographer who would open the shutter, introduce himself, and then stop for a minute or more because the exposures took a long time. Of course, multiple photos can be captured in a split second with a common cell phone, and a high-end phone can record high-quality video selfies. Apple even announced "slofies", slow-motion videos recorded with the front camera, with its
iPhone 11 series
.
Related: p>
Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12: Is Samsung or Apple best for mobile gaming?
Samsung
focused on its rear cameras with the Galaxy S21, including a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture, angled, main camera with 1.8-micron sensor pixels, a 12-megapixel f/2 ultra-wide .2 with 1.4-micron pixels and a 64-megapixel f/2.0 telephoto lens with 0.8-micron pixels. The lower the f-number, the better the low-light performance and the better the bokeh effect possible. Larger pixel size is better for low light performance and less noise. Samsung has a solution for almost every situation. In comparison,
iPhone 12
only offers two rear cameras, a main 12-megapixel, f/1.6 aperture, wide-angle camera with 1.4-micron pixels and an ultra-wide camera at f/2.4 and 1-micron. For the main camera, we can see that Apple
relies on a wider aperture for brighter photos, while Samsung has increased the sensor's pixel size. For the ultra-wide camera,
the Galaxy S21
offers better lens and sensor specs, which means low-light photos with the wider-angle lens should be better than the iPhone 12s.
Samsung vs. Apple: Zoom, Selfie & Video
Apple includes a telephoto lens on
the Pro models
but not the cheaper iPhone 12 models, so the only zoom option is with digital zoom, which tops out at 5x. Apple's camera app doesn't seem to offer much in the way of computational photography to help smooth and sharpen a 12-megapixel digital zoom, so it's generally better to try to get closer than to use the zoom. Technically, the Galaxy S21 also relies primarily on digital zoom, as its telephoto lens only has a reach 1.1x longer than its main camera, but its 64-megapixel sensor adds a significant amount of lossless zoom simply by cropping the edges of the very large photo that is captured. This provides a zoom roughly equivalent to 3x optical zoom, although there is more noise due to the small pixel size of the sensor. Nonetheless, Samsung has decent zoom capability even on its $800 Galaxy S21, while Apple's iPhone 12 costs the same but offers little value for those hoping to capture zoomed-in photos.
The roles change when you switch to the front camera.
Apple's 12-megapixel selfie camera
is sharper than Samsung's 10-megapixel camera and iPhone's TrueDepth 12 infrared scanner enables precise depth effects such as enhanced bokeh. The field of view (FOV) is wider at 23 millimeters compared to the Galaxy S21's 26 millimeter selfie FOV.
Both can record videos in 4K resolution
, but the iPhone 12 has the slofie option which can record 120 frames per second (FPS) at 1080p. Speaking of video, Samsung's main camera can capture a remarkable 960 FPS at 702p, so those looking for a slow-motion selfie can still try shooting without a viewfinder and get ultra-slow slow motions with the Galaxy. S21. Both offer excellent super stable video recording at 4K resolution at up to 60 FPS. Samsung can record in 8K at 24 FPS, but be aware that the phone will quickly fill up with these high resolution files. Choosing a phone is not limited to cameras, but generally speaking those who want to zoom
will like the Galaxy S21 better
and those who take more selfies will prefer the iPhone 12.
Following:
Galaxy S21 Vs. iPhone 12: Which phone is a better long-term buy?
Source:
Samsung
,
Apple
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About the Author
Alan Truly
(516 articles published)
Alan is a technical writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. Passionate about technology since his youth, Alan keeps up to date with what's new and what's next. With over 30 years of experience with computer, video and photo equipment, you can expect helpful tips and ideas in his writing. Alan has a degree in programming, many years focused on design, editing and animation. Over the past few years, managing logistics and e-commerce operations for a mobile accessories company has taken up a lot of his time. Alan is a true digital jack-of-all-trades in this ever-changing IT world. To stay flexible in mind and body, he practices yoga, light cardio, and eats a whole, minimally-processed, plant-based diet.
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