In the latest video, MacRumors focuses on comparing the camera functions of the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max. The comparison evaluation includes two parts: photo and screen recording. The comprehensive evaluation of the two flagship top-end cameras is very good, but the S22 Ultra is better than the 10x optical zoom, while the iPhone has more natural color reproduction and better video recording.
Specifications
This year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra is equipped with a total of 4 cameras, including a 108-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom, and a 10-megapixel 3 camera. Optical zoom camera.
In contrast, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that supports 3x optical zoom. Spec-wise, when it comes to raw specs, Samsung definitely wins, especially in the optical zoom section.
Photo Measurement
When it comes to taking photos, both smartphones can take incredible photos, and it’s hard to choose which one is better. It is worth noting that all the photos shown by the technology media MacRumors were shot in RAW format, and were shot directly using the default settings of the smartphone, without post-editing.
Depending on the scene, there will be differences in color temperature between the two top flagships. The Galaxy S22 Ultra tends to have a cooler tone, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max is warmer. The S22 Ultra also tends to boost highlights, and while it does appear sharper at times, some may find the image a little too washed out as a result.
In some cases, the iPhone provides more natural lighting for skin tones than the S22 Ultra, but the contrast used by the iPhone can make dark areas darker, causing the image to lose some detail. iPhone images tend to be more vibrant and can be more aesthetic, but it does vary by subject.
In portrait mode, there are a lot of similarities. Samsung improved edge detection and bokeh in its portrait photos, and both the iPhone 13 Pro Max and S22 Ultra had good images. Of course, the iPhone is more vibrant, and in some images, it’s a bit sharper. Sadly, Samsung still isn’t great at skin tones, and the S22 Ultra isn’t great at preserving skin textures either.
In terms of telephoto, the 10x optical zoom, 30x digital zoom and 100x digital zoom provided by the S22 Ultra are all ahead of the iPhone’s 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom. The 100x zoom is interesting to see how close you can get, but even at 30x you can get some pretty useful photos out of the S22 Ultra.
Video Measurement
As for video recording, the iPhone has the edge because it supports Dolby Atmos and ProRes, providing higher-quality video for those who need it, but for everyday video, both are more than enough. Movie mode is better than Samsung’s live portrait video option because Samsung limits the feature to faces, and when it comes to stabilization, the iPhone also wins. The Galaxy S22 Ultra does support 8K video, unlike the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but the lack of good stabilization affects the quality.
Most people are unlikely to pick a smartphone based solely on camera capabilities, the ecosystem plays a huge role. People with multiple Apple devices probably won’t go for the S22 Ultra, and the average Samsung user won’t be able to switch to an iPhone from the ecosystem.