The Galaxy S21 Ultra has the very best digicam Samsung has made but, and it stays certainly one of our favourite digicam telephones. Its largest rival for the crown of “best camera on a smartphone,” the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, has now been changed within the vary by the iPhone 13 Pro, making it important to place the 2 cameras up towards one another.
Samsung’s exhausting work paid off on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, however will it now must play catch-up to Apple’s newer iPhone? The 13 Pro’s digicam has generated loads of hype, however as you’ll see, the Galaxy S21 Ultra shouldn’t be solely nonetheless a winner, it has the brand new iPhone overwhelmed in a number of necessary areas.
The cameras and the check
All photographs taken for this comparability have been shot over the course of a single day, with all utilizing the usual Photo mode on each telephones, and with none modifying afterward. Do bear in mind the photographs have been resized to make them appropriate for viewing on-line. Before they have been resized, the photographs have been in contrast on a color-calibrated monitor.
Andy Boxall/Digital TrendsThe iPhone 13 Pro has three 12-megapixel cameras offering 120-degree field-of-view wide-angle and 3x telephoto optical zoom options. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 108MP most important digicam, a 12MP wide-angle, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom photographs, and a 10MP periscope digicam with 10x optical zoom. We haven’t examined video for this comparability.
The seat within the solar
We’ll begin off with a typical photograph — a countryside scene with blue sky and plenty of greenery. It’s the form of photograph you anticipate to come back out properly, virtually whatever the digicam, and positive sufficient, each are nice. The photographs set the tone for the rest of the photographs, with the iPhone 13 Pro exhibiting deeper blues, brighter greens, and extra shadows in comparison with the S21 Ultra.

1.
iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
What’s fascinating is the iPhone 13 Pro’s strategy isn’t at all times profitable in a while, as we’ll see in different photographs, but it surely does work properly right here. The white flowers are brighter than within the S21 Ultra’s photograph, the seat is extra of a focus as a consequence of much less shading, and the sky is extra atmospheric. However, the S21 Ultra’s photograph simply reveals a unique interpretation, reasonably than being technically superior or inferior.
Winner: Draw
Bread and cheese
I took a number of photographs herem and in all of them, the Galaxy S21 Ultra appeared to not perceive the place to focus. I didn’t use faucet to deal with both telephone, but the iPhone 13 Pro captured the bread in sharp element, whereas the S21 Ultra appeared to favor the cheese and the knife. The sharpness continues within the iPhone’s photograph, with extra element and depth to the colour, whereas there’s grain evident on the plate within the S21 Ultra’s photograph.

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iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
The iPhone’s heat tones actually go well with this photograph, giving the bread an appetizing, pure look, in comparison with the marginally out-of-focus, saturated picture taken by the S21 Ultra. The lovely, delicate depth of discipline within the iPhone’s photograph simply finishes it off completely.
Winner: iPhone 13 Pro
Mini Countryman within the solar
The solar was behind me after I took this photograph, and the Mini Countryman’s white-and-black colour scheme usually reveals any points with white steadiness fairly properly. Here, it reveals the completely different exposures favored by every digicam, and the iPhone 13 Pro’s tendency to cover element in shadow.

1.
iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
Interestingly, the iPhone 13 Pro’s photograph appears to be like like a Samsung photograph from a couple of years in the past, with the saturated sky and deep shadows within the wheel arches hiding any element on the edges. The S21 Ultra balances the scene extra successfully, exhibiting element on the automotive and its glass, whereas even revealing extra element contained in the automobile. The trade-off is a lighter blue sky. Neither is a tremendous photograph, however the S21 Ultra’s better element makes it the one most individuals would seemingly decide to share with the minimal of modifying.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Tree and sky, in wide-angle
In this wide-angle photograph, each cameras present proof of edge enhancement across the tree’s branches, but it surely’s much less apparent at first look within the S21 Ultra’s photograph as a result of approach it has dealt with the blue sky and white clouds. The darker areas within the iPhone 13 Pro’s photograph give it a extra synthetic look in comparison with the brighter, extra energetic scene within the S21 Ultra’s photograph.

1.
iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
Edge distortion is extra noticeable within the iPhone 13 Pro’s photograph as properly, notably within the shadows on the bottom underneath the tree on the right-hand facet of the image. The blue sky within the iPhone’s photograph is gorgeous, however the total steadiness of the S21 Ultra’s photograph makes it the one I’d share.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Wooden roof with 3x zoom
Like with the photograph of the bread, the S21 Ultra has as soon as once more made an government choice to focus totally on the piece of wooden closest to it, leaving the remainder of the construction blurred out in a barely odd approach. Zoom in and there’s some very apparent haloing across the wooden within the background and on the sting of the stone roof towards the blue sky.

1.
iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
The iPhone has prevented all this, and though it does deal with the wooden nearest to the digicam, it’s nowhere close to as tightly. There’s no proof of haloing, and the colours are heat and balanced. The saturated blue sky works right here, too. It’s the extra visually enticing photograph as a result of focusing, which is somewhat unlucky when the S21 Ultra revealed extra element.
It’s additionally price mentioning the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s tremendous 10x optical zoom, which the iPhone 13 Pro can not compete with, and subsequently wasn’t examined right here. It’s a extremely glorious further function on the S21 Ultra.
Winner: iPhone 13 Pro
Butterfly in macro
Both the iPhone 13 Pro and the Galaxy S21 Ultra have an automated macro photograph mode that makes use of the wide-angle digicam. Get in near a topic and it prompts itself. The butterfly proved to be a keen mannequin and stayed round for me to take a number of photographs with each telephones, all with macro mode energetic.

1.
iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
The stage of element is spectacular in each photographs, even after zooming in on the picture, with the obvious distinction being the colour of the butterfly. It was the iPhone 13 Pro that captured its colours most precisely, with the orange within the S21 Ultra’s photograph being simply that bit too vivid, however each are actually spectacular photographs for a smartphone. The iPhone’s tendency to extend shadow labored to the picture’s favor for as soon as, producing lush greens as properly.
Winner: iPhone 13 Pro
Leaf and noticed in portrait mode
Both of those units of photographs have been taken with the respective Portrait mode. Looking on the photograph of the rusty noticed first, the iPhone 13 Pro has captured the feel and patina way more successfully than the S21 Ultra. Both have achieved an identical job of separating the enamel from the background, and preserving a level of the foreground in focus, too.

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iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
In the leaf photograph, the sting recognition is much less efficient, though the colours and texture are good in each. This additionally reveals that each telephones battle with figuring out sophisticated shapes utilizing Portrait mode, and the way each desire the easy form of the noticed.

1.
iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
I wouldn’t select both of the leaf photos to share, however would take the iPhone 13 Pro over the S21 Ultra for the noticed, giving it the win right here. However, each are fairly shut.
Winner: iPhone 13 Pro
Night mode
This photograph was taken inside, late at evening, with a dim backlight from one other room. Both telephones activated evening mode, which occurs mechanically and took about two seconds to take the picture. The outcomes are very completely different, with the Galaxy S21 Ultra trouncing the iPhone 13 Pro.

1.
iPhone 13 Pro
2.
Galaxy S21 Ultra
From the white steadiness to the element within the carpet, and the sharp, detailed face of the lovable cat-shaped doorstop, the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s image does properly as a result of it successfully captures the topic of the picture. The iPhone’s photograph doesn’t have as a lot synthetic sharpening, and does have some beautiful shadows within the background, but it surely’s not the photograph anybody would share.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Conclusion
The iPhone 13 Pro received 4 classes, the S21 Ultra received three, and there was one draw, giving the iPhone 13 Pro the general win. It’s not what I’d name a washout although. While the S21 Ultra’s focusing points let it down in two of the photographs, it additionally took essentially the most decisive win in a single class by handily beating the iPhone 13 Pro within the lowlight check, and got here very shut to creating the macro and Portrait mode photographs a draw.
What does this imply to you? If you’re undecided between shopping for an S21 Ultra or an iPhone, the excellent news is you’re going to get a superb digicam no matter which one you purchase. However, do think about a number of the further options earlier than making your choice. The S21 Ultra’s 10x optical zoom provides a extremely enjoyable further dimension to the digicam, and for me, Samsung’s uncommon Single Take mode can be extra helpful to extra individuals than the iPhone 13 Pro’s Cinematic video mode.
Despite it sounding a bit prefer it, I’m not attempting to remove the iPhone 13 Pro’s win. What I need to do is illustrate how the digicam nonetheless wants work. I not too long ago put the iPhone 13 Pro up towards the iPhone 12 Pro in an identical comparability, and the older iPhone got here out on prime, which means the iPhone 13 hasn’t killed it in both check. I do assume there’s a ton of potential, however some work must be achieved on the software program to optimize its efficiency.
For now, though the iPhone 13 Pro received, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is true on its tail.

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