Test appareil photo Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs iPhone 12

Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority

The convenience of a phone camera is why it has become such an integral part of the smartphone experience. The ability to quickly pull it out of your pocket, snap a shot, and know you'll get a great picture is why so many people splurge on a high-end flagship phone. However, you no longer need to break the bank to get a

amazing camera phone

.

the

iPhone 12

is Apple's affordable smartphone. One that eschews some great features for a lower, more affordable price. During this time, the

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

is an affordable and feature-rich flagship from Samsung.

With similar price points, but two different ecosystems, we pitted the two phones against each other to test their imaging prowess. Here is

Android Authority

iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE camera test comparison. Be sure to vote for the poll winner at the end.

Editor's note:

We're using the Exynos version of the Galaxy S20 FE for this shootout. While there may be some minor ISP setting differences, camera samples generally reflect both the 4G model and the Snapdragon-powered 5G version you can buy in the US.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs iPhone 12: Camera specs

Unlike the iPhone 12 Pro, the standard iPhone 12 is content with two lenses

—

a 12MP main camera and a secondary 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, features a 3x telephoto lens paired with an 8MP sensor. Here's a look at the full camera specs of both phones.

See also:

The best budget camera phones you can buy

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has an edge over the iPhone 12 with its addition of a dedicated telephoto lens. Beyond that, the two phones are similar in their capabilities. They both support dedicated night modes, portrait mode shooting, and more. The iPhone 12 supports Dolby Vision video recording at 30 frames per second, which is an industry first, but you'll need a compatible display to really see the benefits.

iPhone 12

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

Rear cameras

iPhone 12

:

12MP, f/1.6, 26mm, 1.4μm, ultra-wide OIS12MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120 degrees FOV

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

:

12MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1.8μm, OIS12MP ultra-wide, f/2.2, 13mm, 1.12μm, telephoto 123 degrees FOV8MP, f/2.4, 76mm, 1μm, OIS

Rear video

iPhone 12

:

UHD 4K 60fps1080p 240fpsDolby Vision HDR

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

:

UHD 4K 60fps1080p 240fps

iPhone 12

:

12MP, f/2.2, 23mm

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

:

32MP, f/2.2, 26mm, 0.8μm

Video before

iPhone 12

:

UHD 4K 60fps

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

:

UHD 4K 60fps

Day light

Food photography, selfies, or just a random photo taken while walking around the block are common use cases for a smartphone. For me, it's when I spot an interesting building, an old monument, or a delicious plate of food. With that in mind, I pulled out the iPhone 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE to see how well both phones performed under similar conditions using the multiple lens combinations.

Explanation of photography terms:

The main camera is where most of the focus is (no pun intended) with smartphones. Usually the biggest sensor, most high-end phones work well here. In fact, the differences usually come down to camera and software tuning, as well as individual preferences.

The iPhone 12 opts for a softer and warmer tone, closer to the original scene. The Samsung, on the other hand, predictably opted for beefed-up shades

—

a trend that remained consistent throughout our testing.

Shooting the Galaxy S20 FE with a contrasting, over-the-top look might be a bit more striking on social media, but it won't appeal to everyone.

In a slightly more complicated shot of an abandoned monument, the different approaches to imagery become more apparent. The iPhone 12's neutral tone is more visually appealing compared to the vastly improved greens pulled from the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.

The iPhone also moves forward by maintaining a bit more detail in highlights, as well as dynamic range to bring out detail in shadow areas. The Galaxy S20 FE image looks a bit too sharp for my liking, although your mileage may vary.

Wide angle iPhone 12

Wide angle Galaxy S20 FE

At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE produces a more striking image. However, the HDR processing goes too hard to dim the highlights, bringing out the blues in the sky

—

the scene was nothing like him. Cropping reveals a significant loss of low level detail and this is visible in both foliage and trees.

Although neither image is perfect, the iPhone 12 opts for a more accurate representation compared to the social network. -media-friendly grip by the Galaxy S20 FE.

Related:

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review second opinion - so close to being a OnePlus killer

Inside< /p>

Indoors, in a cafe setting, the iPhone 12 leapfrogs the Galaxy S20 FE with better light retention, reduced noise, and better color science. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE blurs warm yellow tones with an almost pink hue that's far from accurate.

iPhone 12 Indoor

Galaxy S20 FE Indoor

As is now clear, the two phones have a fundamentally different approach to images. Samsung opts for a more dramatic shot with lots of contrast compared to the iPhone's neutral slant. In some cases, it ends up looking more appealing. That said, the iPhone 12 still does a better job of mitigating glare.

Now I'm just as guilty as most people of taking a picture of a good plate of food instead of digging straight in. Food photography is an extremely popular use case for smartphone cameras, and the iPhone leads here thanks to better performance in dim light. Up close there is more detail, although the iPhone 12 skewed the white balance by veering too much into the warm tones.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE tends to smear details in less than ideal lighting. The plaque looks dull and lifeless here.

Portrait mode, selfies and low light

Computational photography has come a long way. Whether it's better portrait mode, both on the rear and front cameras, or better low-light imaging, the fusion of hardware and software has made great strides in the prowess of smartphone imaging. Let's take a look at the software capabilities of both phones in our Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs iPhone 12 camera comparison.

Let's start with portrait mode. I asked a socially distant family member to take a picture of me. The goal was to see how well the two cameras are able to segment faces and add natural-looking bokeh blur.

There are a few things that stand out in the portrait mode examples. The two phones have a radically different white balance

—

none of which are entirely accurate. The iPhone 12 opts for a slightly brighter tone with raised shadows and a much warmer white balance for a more attractive shot. The Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, leans too bluesy and exhibits excessive sharpness.

I'll be honest here. I'm surprised at how well the Samsung managed to create an effective cutout around me. The bokeh effect is a little more subdued compared to the iPhone, but it still manages to look quite convincing. The bokeh drop on both phones is also reasonably natural. It can be further adjusted using the Gallery app on either phone.

Portrait mode selfies are where we start to see more differentiation between the two phones. This time around, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE produces a more natural image, with the iPhone opting for warmer color tones and heavily accentuated shadows.

Our Verdict:

Apple iPhone 12 review

Camera output, iPhone 12 photo is more attractive and has better dynamic range. Conversely, the Galaxy S20 FE nails color but trades off with heavy noise reduction and a general lack of detail.

Both phones have pretty robust night modes built in. In the scene above, both cameras defaulted to a two-second handheld shot and captured crisp, well-exposed images. At first glance, the S20 FE's image might look a bit sharper, but that's due to significant noise reduction.

The iPhone 12, on the other hand, has a lot more detail at the expense of a grainier image. Also, it tends to boost black levels a bit. The iPhone 12 wins this round.

iPhone 12

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

Things get a bit more interesting when shooting night mode using the ultra-wide cameras. While both images show signs of heavy noise reduction, this time around the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE leads the way with a much more evenly lit shot, as well as more detail. This is despite the vaunted Deep Fusion algorithms applied to the iPhone 12's wide-angle camera.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs iPhone 12 camera test: The verdict

Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority

Wrapping up our Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs iPhone 12 camera test, it's a little surprising how close Samsung's affordable flagship is to the iPhone 12. However, Apple's phone the win with a small margin.

In many cases, there is no obvious winner. It's more a matter of preferences. However, there's no doubt that in most cases the iPhone 12 resolves a bit more detail and handles highlights better.

Overall, the two phones take very different approaches to solving the same problem. The differences come down to personal choice in color science rather than a drastic discrepancy in imaging capabilities.

The video quality is much better on the iPhone 12 though. So if that's a priority for you, the choice becomes much easier.

Which set of images do you prefer? Vote for the winner of our shootout in the poll above.

VS

Apple iPhone 12

,

Samsung Galaxy S20

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