Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max cameras
Let's start with a few specs:
| Lumia 950 XL (2015) | iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020) |
|
Dedicated two-stage shutter button/launch key 20 MP (oversampled to 8MP here), f/1.9, 1/2.4", PDAF, OIS |
12 MP, f/1.6, 1/1.9" (estimated), dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS |
It's clear that the Lumia is outgunned, but as usual the PureView oversampling and (relatively) natural image processing should keep it competitive.
Notes:
- I've shot at 8MP on the Lumia 950 XL (leaving headroom for some lossless 'PureView' zoom into the sensor and also getting the advantages of oversampling and noise reduction).
- All photos were taken on full auto and handheld, as a regular user would do. No tripods or RAW editing sessions needed!
Let's pit the results against each other, using our Famed Interactive Comparator (FIC). All 1:1 crops are at 900x500 for comparison, though I've put up the originals on my own server, for you to download if you want to do your own analysis.
| Note that the interactive comparator below uses javascript and does need to load each pair of images. Please be patient while this page loads, if you see a pair of images above each other than you've either not waited long enough or your browser isn't capable enough! You ideally need a powerful, large-screened tablet or a proper laptop or desktop. This comparator may not work in some browsers. Sorry about that. On Windows 10 Mobile, use the 'AAWP Universal' UWP app, which handles the comparator very competently (see the tips in the app's help screens) |
Test 1: Sunny suburbs
My standard suburban scene, shot in a brief winter moment when the sun was actually out, though late in the day, so we're looking at the central house. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Everything in the Lumia's photo looks 'real', but the iPhone 12 series image processing again falls down, if I'm being picky. And I am. At the pixel level you can see the degree of edge enhancement and general cleaning up of noise (for which read 'detail' in this case). The difference isn't massive, but it's there and it loses the iPhone a point here.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 9 pts
Test 2: Sunny suburbs, x2.5
The same scene but playing into the iPhone's hands by looking at zoom, here 2.5x from its telephoto lens. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Although the iPhone's shot retains the noise-reduced, enhanced, slightly artificial air down at the pixel level in this telephoto shot, it's still worlds better than the lossy zoom from the Lumia (which is only lossless up to 1.5x). Zoom optics (i.e. glass) win out here, as you'd expect.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 6 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 9 pts
Test 3: Sunny macro
Some rich red berries, ripe for, well, shooting with phone cameras! Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
There's more detail in the iPhone shot because of the resolution difference, but the clincher is the better colour. The iPhone 12 Pro Max nails the red, as my eyes saw it, while the Lumia manages to make all the berries pink! An easy win for the iPhone and its more modern sensor and with far more horsepower to analyse and process the image. Just look at the detail and richness.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 6 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 10 pts
Test 4: Textures
Taking advantage of the same rare hour of sun, a shot of a gate hinge at about a metre, looking at colours and texture. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The iPhone 12 Pro Max doesn't do as badly as the Samsung S20 FE in this test, but equally it's made a bit of a mess of the fine texture at the pixel level - or maybe I'm just so used to pixel level purity from the Lumia!
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 8 pts
Test 5: Portrait time
With no one around to take my portrait under lockdown(!), I opted for the postbox, a common subject for me! Here is the overall scene, shot in 'Live Focus' mode on the Galaxy S20 FE (for the previous feature):
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
As with the Samsung in the previous feature, I'm going to give the win to the iPhone here, but not by as huge a margin as you'd expect. Yes, its Portrait mode has created an arty background blur, but note the edges of the postbox, which are better than in Samsung's attempt (perhaps thanks to the iPhone's LiDAR) but by no means perfect. Then see the slightly 'off' red, the signs on the box, and even the peeling paint, all of which are enhanced to the point of not looking 100% real. The text in particular is super-clear, but also rather artificially so. Or maybe I'm being too picky?
The Lumia has no software blur effect, so it's just natural optical depth of field. Clearly failing the 'Portrait mode' test, but also looking quite real, i.e. what your eyes would see in the scene. It depends what you want in such a shot, though, and as this was an explicit portrait shot then a win for the iPhone again.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 9 pts
Test 6: More colour pop
After the colour issues with the red berries earlier, I switched to this, a bright and rich orange. In theory! Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The iPhone 12 Pro Max again wins on dynamic range, not blowing out the reflected highlights, plus the Lumia gets the colours wrong again, showing yellow and not orange. Though on a technical point, the larger aperture and sensor on the iPhone does mean shallower natural depth of field, evidenced here by the phone not being able to get quite as many of the berries in focus at the same time.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 9 pts
Test 7: Night scene
A challenging night shot, with bright lights in an overall dark corner. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
A bit of a mess all round from this very tricky shot, in terms of not blowing out the bright lights. The iPhone has slghtly better dynamic range, but I prefer the way the Lumia keeps all the surfaces so pure and clean. Controversially, I'm declaring a draw here.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 8 pts
Test 8: Night scene, zoomed
The same scene but zoomed - using x2.5 telephoto on the iPhone and x2 (roughly) hybrid zoom on the Lumia. You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The Lumia does remarkably well, considering that there's no PureView oversampling when zoomed, and that it's straying into lossy territory here. In fact, many details are clearer than in the telephoto shot from the iPhone. But you have to give a round of applause for how the iPhone 12 Pro Max handled the on-screen text - it's all readable and oh, so clean. As with the postbox example above, I do wonder whether the edge enhancement I'm seeing generally is just image processing that's tweaked to optimise text characters, as here? Anything with text under any conditions always ends up super-clear.
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 9 pts
Test 9: Dusk detail
Suburbia. Much darker than the photos make it seem, very gloomy, and a good imaging test, with distant detail. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
As with the Samsung S20 FE before it, at first glance, the iPhone's shot looks better at the pixel level, with slightly more detail and certainly more defined edges and general contrast. But I think it goes too far, edge enhancing the brickwork on the houses to ugly effect, plus the Christmas decorations (small points of light) are made very ugly indeed at the pixel level. The Lumia shot may look 'duller', but it's way more accurate and more natural. In my opinion - low light shots are always subjective!
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 7 pts
Test 10: It's CHRISTMAS!
Our Christmas tree, nicely decorated by the family, shot with one small room light on, so deliberately quite dim. Here is the overall scene:
You can grab the original photos from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020), for your own analysis.
To look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, from the Lumia 950 XL and then the iPhone 12 Pro Max, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Both shots are pretty good, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max manages to eke out significantly more genuine detail in the Santa pod, and even the (plastic) greenery is better defined. The Lumia has lower dynamic range too, so the red lights get blown out (the iPhone at least shows them as pink!)
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 7 pts; iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 9 pts
Verdict
For the record, the scores add up as:
- iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 87 pts (/100)
- Lumia 950 XL (late 2015): 77 pts
Which is all very interesting, reversing the scores and verdict from my previous feature. Now, there has been at least once iOS update in the meantime, but I think all that the score disparity indicates is that which phone cameras come out on top depends utterly on the test scenes involved.
What would be interesting would be to add the two sets of scores together, for greater overall accuracy. So let's do that:
- iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020): 173 pts (/200)
- Lumia 950 XL (late 2015): 166 pts
That's not much of a margin, but yes, the 2020 iPhone 12 Pro Max gets vindicated in the end. I still think it edge-enhances too much in low light, but I'm sure Apple will keep tweaking - and we still haven't seen the ProRAW update (jury's out on whether this will enable less enhanced shareable JPGs). Watch this space!