IPhone 12 camera: how are the lenses of the new iPhones?

por Roni · noviembre 19, 2020

The iPhone 12 is a very interesting smartphone, even if it is not as innovative as some expected. But in addition to its more technical specifications, there is an aspect that can only have its potential revealed in practice. In this case, we're talking about the iPhone 12 camera.

There is no doubt that the lenses on Apple smartphone cameras always achieve impressive results. But it is better to see the real results than just the company's promises. So, not only will we talk in more detail about the iPhone 12 camera, but we will show you several tests performed with it. To check out more, just read the article below!

Read too: How to recover deleted photos from an iPhone or iPad

The different cameras of the iPhone 12

First of all, it is important to talk more technically about the iPhone 12 cameras. And of course that includes all of its models, which are the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

In practice, they all have the same 12 megapixel front camera and all models are capable of recording 4K videos. Other than that, the rear cameras of the iPhone 12 and iPhone Mini are the same, while the rear cameras of the iPhone Pro and Pro Max have slight differences between them.

These are the differences between everyone that we will explore next!

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini

In these two smartphones, there are two rear cameras. One is the 12 megapixel wide lens with f / 1.6 aperture, while the other is a 12 megapixel ultra wide lens with f / 2.4 aperture.

According to Apple, the main camera (the wide) can capture up to 27% more light than the previous iPhone. The secondary camera (the ultrawide) has Deep Fusion technology, something that can analyze the image and improve it automatically.

There is also the novelty that the night mode works perfectly on the ultrawide lens and on the front camera of the two smartphones. In addition to recording 4K videos, it is possible to record in HDR at up to 30 frames per second.

iPhone 12 Pro

iphone 12 models

The iPhone 12 Pro has a triple camera layout. Basically, we have the 12 megapixel wide lens and f / 1.6 aperture, the 12 megapixel ultra wide lens and f / 2.4 aperture and the 12 megapixel telephoto lens and f / 2.0 aperture.

The coolest thing is that there is an optical zoom of up to 2x and digital zoom of up to 10x in the telephoto lens. Other than that, the Deep Fusion feature is present in both the ultrawide lens and the telephoto lens to automatically improve the quality of photos.

Night mode works well on the ultrawide, telephoto and front camera of this iPhone. Another good news is the LiDAR sensor, which serves as an augmented reality feature and for low light photos.

It is also worth mentioning that it is possible to record videos in HDR at up to 60 frames per second.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

You can tell that the iPhone Pro Max has a camera scheme very similar to the iPhone 12 Pro, since the differences are really small. It has a 12 megapixel wide lens and f / 1.6 aperture, a 12 megapixel ultra wide lens and f / 2.4 aperture and a 12 megapixel telephoto lens and f / 2.2 aperture.

Even with a slightly worse aperture on the telephoto lens, the device compensates with a 2.5x optical zoom and up to 12x digital zoom on the same lens. Besides, it has the DeepFusion feature and the LiDAR sensor exactly like the Pro.

Other advantages are the ProRAW feature, which delivers files that are easier to edit, and HDR video recording at up to 60 frames per second. Since your battery is even bigger, you don't have to worry about charging your iPhone while taking your photos or recording your videos throughout the day.

Testing the iPhone 12 camera

Well, now that we know everything about the cameras of the different models of the iPhone 12, it's time to see how they perform in real tests. The good news is that the website DxO Mark, a reference in smartphone photography, did all the tests you can imagine.

They took several photos to test the colors, textures, contrast and more of the device's cameras. As if that weren't enough, they also made comparisons with smartphones like the Huawei P40 Pro and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, for example.

iphone 12 test camera

They used the iPhone 12 Pro as a reference, and as you can see in the graphic above, it did very well. In fact, among today's smartphones, it was in 4th position and is only behind the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, Huawei P40 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra.

But let's check out more about the following comparisons!

Photo tests

As we mentioned, the DxO Mark website made a direct comparison of the iPhone 12 Pro with other premium smartphones today. Below, you can check not only the level of detail of each camera, but also the colors, contrast, exposure, autofocus and much more.

To start, we have the photo below that shows more of the dynamic range of the iPhone 12 Pro, Huawei P40 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max camera. While iPhones have problems dealing with different shades of gray, the P40 Pro has a reach much better.

Moving on to the next image, we have an outdoor scene. While the iPhone 12 Pro has a good dynamic range, it gets in the shadows and leaves certain areas, including the model's face, darker than necessary.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra controls shadows better, but gets lost in the range of the background scenery. Again, the P40 Pro can control both shadows and dynamic range.

how are the iPhone 12 cameras

Of course, for many people what matters is the vibrant colors that a smartphone can capture with its camera. In this case, we see a very uniform result on the three tested devices, including the iPhone 12 Pro camera.

iPhone 12 photo colors

Moving on to the next photo, we see another chance for the iPhone 12 Pro to show its capabilities in the open air. With a predominantly blue and green backdrop, we can see that the iPhone and Huawei have a very noticeable bluish tone.

In iPhone 12 Pro this problem is more intense and can be a problem if the user does not make edits by himself. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the only one that achieves beautiful and more realistic colors in the scenery and skin of the model.

Nor could you fail to test the auto focus of the iPhone 12. In the scene below, we have a scenario generally difficult for smartphones with a focus of this type: transparent objects.

If everything looks good from a distance on the three smartphones, the zoom shows us another story. While the iPhone 12 Pro and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are able to focus well, the Huawei P40 Pro clearly did not get the best results.

camera focus

Except as you probably won't be taking pictures of glasses with the iPhone 12 camera, how about a portrait test? In the image below, we get a better idea of the amount of detail that smartphones can produce with their lenses.

portrait mode

Although each one has different results in colors and lighting, it cannot be denied that everyone gets impressive details. When we zoom in to see the eye region, the focus is perfect and everything is very detailed with all the devices.

It cannot be denied that the iPhone 12 Pro has its flaws, but that it can compete very well with the best mobile cameras on the market today.

Video test

Of course, people are not going to use the iPhone 12 camera just to take pictures, since videos can be just as important. Fortunately, the people at DxO Mark also tested the rear camera, which you can see below:

Even if it’s not in such a vibrant or beautiful setting, you can see that the iPhone 12’s camera does a great job. It manages to provide a strong contrast and the skin tones and other colors in the scene are very realistic.

The autofocus didn't seem to have any problems either, even when the camera quickly changed the scene. Although the stabilization is not perfect throughout the video, it was still possible to notice a much lower level of shaking than in previous generations.

Are the iPhone 12 cameras worth it?

Knowing all the details and having seen the practical tests, you can already get a sense of whether the iPhone 12 camera pleased you or not. Although it presents pretty pictures and videos, it is noticeable that they are not that impressive.

This may not be exactly what Apple users expected, but smartphones from Huawei and Google have long dominated when it comes to cameras. For those looking for a smartphone with this photo, the iPhone may not be the most suitable.

Still, casual users who just want beautiful photos and will take the trouble to edit them with secret photo apps shouldn't have too many problems. Anyway, consider the iPhone 12 camera as a bonus factor instead of the main factor in deciding whether to buy the device.

But if you decide to purchase it, be sure to check out our tips on how to take professional photos with your phone!

Read too: 14 best apps to turn photos into cartoons

Did you like the tips?

Did you take advantage of our guide to learn more about the iPhone 12 camera? So don't forget to leave your comment telling us what you think about the device's cameras and which one you think takes the best photos.

Be sure to check out our guides on what to do when iPhone won't turn on, when iPhone won't charge, or when iPhone is inactive!