March 2021 • Macworld 55well as IP68 water
resistance. The
iPhone 12 also has a
U1 ultra-wide band
chip for precise
location mapping,
but you’ll need to
upgrade to one of
the other models
(S21+ or S21 Ultra) to
get that on the S21.
Like last year, the
iPhone 12 has Face
ID, while the S21 has
an ultrasonic in-
display fingerprint sensor.My pick: iPhone 12CAMERA
Somewhat surprisingly, both
Samsung and Apple opted to
stick with similar camera hardware
compared to their respective
predecessors. In the S21’s case, the
triple-camera system is identical to
the S20’s, while Apple only slightly
upgraded the wide-angle sensor on
the iPhone 12 with a wider aperture
(f/1.6 vs f/1.8).
You’ll find more improvements in
the software that drives the hardware.
Samsung claims the S21 takes
brighter pictures in the dark, PortraitMode “more accurately separates the
subject from the background” and
Space Zoom “minimizes shaky hands
and captures clearer images at 30x
zoom”. Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 is
one of the best smartphone cameras
you can buy, with stellar shooting in all
kinds of light and situations.
However, while we already know
the iPhone 12 takes great photos,
it doesn’t have anywhere near the
power of 30X zoom. In fact, it doesn’t
have a zoom lens at all, so you’ll need
to get very close to your subject.
On paper, the Galaxy S21 has the
superior shooter, but we’ll need to
test it out to see.My pick: Galaxy S21The iPhone 12’s camera hardware is only slightly improved
over the iPhone 11’s, but it takes far better photos.March 2021 • Macworld 55well as IP68 water
resistance. The
iPhone 12 also has a
U1 ultra-wide band
chip for precise
location mapping,
but you’ll need to
upgrade to one of
the other models
(S21+ or S21 Ultra) to
get that on the S21.
Like last year, the
iPhone 12 has Face
ID, while the S21 has
an ultrasonic in-
display fingerprint sensor.
My pick: iPhone 12
CAMERA
Somewhat surprisingly, both
Samsung and Apple opted to
stick with similar camera hardware
compared to their respective
predecessors. In the S21’s case, the
triple-camera system is identical to
the S20’s, while Apple only slightly
upgraded the wide-angle sensor on
the iPhone 12 with a wider aperture
(f/1.6 vs f/1.8).
You’ll find more improvements in
the software that drives the hardware.
Samsung claims the S21 takes
brighter pictures in the dark, Portrait
Mode “more accurately separates the
subject from the background” and
Space Zoom “minimizes shaky hands
and captures clearer images at 30x
zoom”. Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 is
one of the best smartphone cameras
you can buy, with stellar shooting in all
kinds of light and situations.
However, while we already know
the iPhone 12 takes great photos,
it doesn’t have anywhere near the
power of 30X zoom. In fact, it doesn’t
have a zoom lens at all, so you’ll need
to get very close to your subject.
On paper, the Galaxy S21 has the
superior shooter, but we’ll need to
test it out to see.My pick: Galaxy S21The iPhone 12’s camera hardware is only slightly improved
over the iPhone 11’s, but it takes far better photos.