iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra Camera Test Comparison

Here is my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Camera Test comparison finally after one month of use. I was hoping for some major camera software updates but none really have been pushed out since launch so I decided to put it out. The images were taken over a 3-4 week time period so these cameras have been throughly tested. Which camera is better? Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 13 Pro camera which one took it? For more iPhone 13 Pro Max Camera Tests and reviews subscribe to the channel and check out my prior videos.
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Chapter Markers:
0:00 Front Facing Camera video Intro/Audio Test
0:30 Daytime Photos
7:58 Daytime Video
10:06 Low Light

[@dannywinget]

After one month which one is better? iPhone 13 Pro Max or Galaxy S21 Ultra?

[@XiWein]

Samsung's HDR is so much better!!

[@francis5775]

I prefer S21 ultra overall

[@itsricksung]

S21 ultra

[@vladf1143]

S21 Ultra

[@HiCZoK]

Iphone

[@Orkel2]

Glad there was a mention of the 108mp mode, makes a huge difference in some situations. Every other comparison I've seen has ignored it.

[@playboicartilover00]

yeah they ignore it because the megapixel doesnt always mean its better. this video proves that 12mp vs 108mp the 12 mp wins

[@MrAdhiSuryana]

I love 108MP for shooting landscape

[@RennieAsh]

Ncdcfan as much as I like editing, good stock camera matters as well. Let’s hope the pixel can be natural without overdoing things

[@mikldude9376]

@@playboicartilover00 no it only proves it is not better in some scenarios.

[@Jay2k2323]

Where did he mention that

[@RdL.N]

Thanks for the comparison. The two cameras are incredible, each with its virtues and defects. The S21 ultra is almost one year older and is still among the best. Greetings from Extremadura, Spain.

[@niggaboi._.]

yesssss my friend

[@juan2three4]

Danny, your camera comparison videos are the gold standard here on KZbin. I can't buy a phone until I've seen your comparison shots. Can't wait to see how the iPhone 13 Pro and the S21 Ultra square up against the Pixel 6 Pro.

[@sahilrawat5621]

Samsung killed it with the S21 Ultra in camera department this year 👌

[@gromenteal2133]

Killed it!!?? How it killed it and the video deference is so huge it not even funny.

[@Tritschi]

not in europe with their exynos version

[@benneesam4028]

In the start iphone was hilariously bad compared to samsung and was blurry really need to upgrade that next time

[@SO-yg8pe]

@@Tritschi exynos is better this year

[@rickjason215]

Samsung is better and it’s a year old phone against a brand new phone. The S22U will be interesting.

[@Photo0021]

2:25 Remember when Samsung would smooth out faces? Kudos to Samsung for listening.

[@jkid323]

right, I notice that a lot lately on iPhone. my GF has the iphone13pro and it smoothes the face but I notice some reviewers not talking about it

[@ashar8192]

@@jkid323 no reviewer besides Danny pointed it out. They're all lying and still standing by the argument that the iPhone produces more natural photos, which isn't true anymore for the past 2 years. It goes back and forth between those two phones, but both tend to overexposed sometimes

[@khabanh1393]

@@Knightmessenger night sky isn't actually black you know. Most of the time its a little gray

[@Angel-fromAustralia]

Best camera comparison I've seen thank you really happy I saw this, it was awesome.

[@rodgersgalus9032]

You are the best in comparison i always wait for your reviews excellent more than perfect i love how s21 ultra balances the whole seneriour

[@ambitious6963]

The moment I've been waiting for 🙌🏾

[@surakah5975]

I’ve been waiting for this video for so long……happy it’s here now 😄

[@oliverzavala7726]

I like the fact that it is a comparison without favoritism or inclinations for any side excellent work danny 👌🏻👌🏻

[@Pablo9412Lech]

Great video and great comparison between the photos and videos. Thanks 🙂

[@maureed159]

I've been waiting for your comparison between these 2 phones. I really like the place where you use to take your shots.

[@techandy1747]

This vid made me LOVE my s21 ultra more🔥🔥🔥

[@yahiaabdulwahab1263]

+1!!!

[@Tritschi]

if you have the Snapdragon version yes, the exynos version kinda sucks

[@disal...69]

which country?😂snapdragon

[@user-qh5br9ol5f]

@@Tritschi Kinda but not too bad

[@Tritschi]

@@disal...69 in Germany, I think all of Europe has the exynos variant

[@GWT1m0]

I guess "Overstaturated" has become "Ready to share" this year

[@fixilated667]

oversaturated on android they dont want that but iphone's oversaturated they like it? a fan boy

[@treasurem2491]

Ofcourse, since its apple.

[@michaliskossyfas5862]

Um, you can have extra saturation without being oversaturated so that's a dumb comment. Generally both of these phones have very natural colours with healthy doses of saturation. Also, he literally said that we should keep the same energy for iPhone as we did for Samsung.

[@vervetech9395]

At least he called that out unlike some other reviewers

[@yahiaabdulwahab1263]

Lol

[@mikldude9376]

Great comparison Danny , Thanks for your efforts .

[@sammyt3514]

What I like about Danny's reviews is that they cut through the hype and never make a claim that can't be substantiated by the results that he thoroughly explains; kudos!

[@nottomention3121]

Love the in-depth comparison of the shots

[@dakerlight]

Great comparison! What do you think about camera behaviour concerning flares? Normal optical phenomenon which seems to be more pronounced on iPhone. Can you compare this feature? Thanks

[@samueldulem4913]

Can't wait for the camera comparison. S21 Ultra VS Google pixel 6 pro

[@lynxyt94]

pixel will win , no doubt

[@kfx3907]

@@lynxyt94 No 🤣🤣

[@toddgreenspoon3023]

Best in the biz at this. Always worth the wait to see what Danny says.

[@isaquesperandio162]

Incredible work... very detailed and coherent in the presentation of the different modes. But one tip I think might be useful is that the S21 Ultra EXYNOS is consistently generating better photos in terms of detail, white balance and HDR... Samsung is working hard on its chipset balance... I'm saying that because in other comparisons the dispute is easier to resolve with Exynos... in this one I believe you'll agree with me that the S21 was better in HDR and white balance... in details I won't say it anymore, it depends on the scenario... but for its versatility the S21 is ahead overall... but my tip is to keep an eye on Exynos... the scale has tipped in his favor recently. In addition, your work is stupendous... your family is beautiful... God bless you and success in the projects. Hug!

[@zteburner5882]

Thank you for this great comparison. Have not used an iPhone for my personal phone and still holding onto my 4+ year old OnePlus 5T. Pre-ordered and then cancelled the Pixel 6 Pro (video was lack-luster), thinking about switching to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but will hold off a little longer for the S22 Ultra or perhaps the OnePlus 10 Pro in 2022.

[@whatsnewintech3654]

Dannnnny. Danny for President 🕺🏽🕺🏽 Been waiting for this video. Thanks for the Potrait Video shot you added like I asked. To think s21ultra was released in January, and still did this good is amazing.... Well Danny for real Thank you for all the time and effort you put in making these videos. They are highly appreciated. I love your camera comparison the most of all youtubers. Thank you

[@abenaitwebruce9495]

I have been waiting for this video for along time please

[@armelbawolo]

Your dedication in the camera comparison is unmatched danny thanks for the effort

[@Mamo878]

Nice job Danny. Thanks for all the effort! (It's harder than it looks.)

[@CharicaRoche]

Love watching your comparison videos coz it's more specific than those done by other more popular vloggers. I hope you will do one for Samsung S22 Ultra vs iPhone 13 Pro Max, and another for Oneplus 10 Pro vs Samsung S22 Ultra vs iPhone 13 Pro Max.

[@gao1812]

Front video on the Ultra is just beautiful 😍👌🔥🔥

[@dougmorato]

Really fair and honest comparison!!! Great job!!

[@HelloKitin]

Dang, if the flagship phones this year are this good then I can only imagine what these two brands have in store for us in 2022.

[@Tyler_ThaTruth]

man this was 50/50, cant wait to see if the pixel can keep up with the flagships video-wise cause I know google camera is on point

[@slimshady7625]

😂😂

[@Noah24Cline]

I would say you can't go wrong with any of those options

[@joshuau.]

Great and extensive comparison video!

[@Anonnonon]

At 3:47 when you mentioned detail, I'm not sure if that's resolved detail or just an after affect of high contrast and sharpening+increased structure, so labeled as better in detail might be misconcieved by some viewers as actually having better resolved details. So maybe that can be clarified, otherwise great video.

[@emmanuelbaiden2683]

Perfect comparison 👌 👏 👍 🙌 ❤ 😍.......soo Perfect I enjoyed it 😀..thank you

[@anderson8601]

Another excellent and comprehensive review Danny!!! :)

[@SaafBaatHai]

Am I the only one preferring Samsung over apple quality

[@dannywinget]

Nope. I am sure you won’t be the only one 🤣

[@andyH_England]

...every Samsung superfan will prefer the S21U, they will even say videography was better! But of course that does not mean they are right!

[@sapphireraven2474]

@@andyH_England lol nice try ma'am

[@CraigDIGz]

@@andyH_England the S21 was better in day time video. Even while he was saying Apple is the best at video, the Samsung looked marketedly better. Better stabilization as well. The iPhone has only better low light video

[@andyH_England]

@@CraigDIGz …of course!

[@the-avg-man]

I'm watching this video from my 12pro, I haven't upgraded because I've seen so much greatness from the Galaxy S21 Ultra that with only a few months left to go, I wanna wait to see what the Galaxy S22 brings. Truth be told I'm really thinking about switching to android and if S22 wasn't my 1st choice then I would've switched to the S21 Ultra already. I'll buy a 13 Pro Max at a later date but it's sad that I just wanna do more with my phone that Apple doesn't allow me to do. Mainly sofewares is what's really ticking me off about my iPhone. I want applications that can be downloaded via web and to feel in control of my own device.

[@KutsiTekin]

thanks for the detailed and clear review man of his job

[@mariaelenacabrera9721]

Thank you. Great camera comparison.

[@gao1812]

Despite the iphone's more detailed images I overall prefer the S21U pictures because of more natural colours and wider dynamic range. Iphone is completely ruining the shadowy areas

[@ilyasclarkson2556]

The s21 has more details in truth, he just didnt use the 108mp often

[@RennieAsh]

@@ilyasclarkson2556 You sacrifice some dynamic range to do that. You can also bring out details similar to iPhone by using "texture" or "clarity" sliders in lightroom mobile. If you like to edit, then a flatter image is preferred.

[@spankysmp]

Great video as usual. iPhone mic seems better than the S21 but I prefer the shots on the Samsung on the whole, especially the night shots, they look more natural to me.

[@user-in1on4ju7x]

Samsung's mikrophone better than iphone's mikrophone

[@achenyouchenyo4862]

Some of the things you talked about can simply be adjusted in the Samsung's cam settings.. Increase brightness, touch the contrast, this things are simple. Saturation, all this stuff you'd find with settings. The issue is, most people who complain about this stuff have never really taken the time to study the ability of this phones..

[@rusirubatuwatta8731]

My favorite camera comparison maker.. much appreciate bro

[@josehonorato2743]

S21 is clearly much better. It's sometimes almost the same, but in general s21 ultra is more beautiful for Instagram and stuff

[@powercell238]

Thanks bro 🙏🏻 great video

[@sieurnewt2272]

great review ! thx you !

[@kenroman777]

@Danny Winget excellent presentation..looking forward to Google 6Pro vs..

[@innocent208]

Was waiting for this video

[@viewsandreviews7455]

You 📷 camera comparisons are the Best in the world 🌎 ❤

[@fabluebell8304]

WoW!!! great comparison! Can’t wait for ma IPhone 13 coming soon from s21 ultra user 👌🏻

[@Uncle_Drew0227]

One of the best and may be the best camera comparisons channel today! Great stuff and vid Danny! Awesome job Man, knowing that the S21Ultra can still compete with the newer phones is just 🔥. 7 to 8 months gap but they still look the same.

[@dannywinget]

Appreciate that! Yes it’s pretty Impressive. Once Samsung gets that night time noise under control we should be good!

[@Uncle_Drew0227]

@@dannywinget yeah, excited for the S22, hope they could do that.

[@RH-nk7eo]

After the disappointment of the Pixel 6 Pro video capabilities, this was a great video to watch and has made me get an S21 Ultra instead. Thanks

[@a_a7287]

13 Pro Max 🔥🔥🔥

[@salmananjum7634]

Both are beasts. I’m glad with my 13 Pro Max. But damn they go stroke for stroke here.

[@oka785]

Is your cinematic mod good ? And your new camera position ? You must be crazy to invest in this new phone

[@MarcellJjr]

me2

[@robp3431]

Awesome comparison ! If my (ordered) Pixel6pro isn't "perfect", then I'm jumping ship for an iPhone. I love the image details and in every shot comparison I prefer the iPhone.

[@gheyonghi]

Blind

[@jits1]

A excellent comparison Danny, thanks very much. I can only affor one of these so I will wait for new phones in 2022. I am happy with the S20FE for now

[@dannywinget]

S20 FE still a great phone!

[@user-wt9zx2wt6t]

This year Dolby vision HDR is default option. When i check the video which taken by iphone13 on PC, background was almost overexposed, especially sky. How did you take this? Did you turn off the Dolby vision option and shoot it? or need some processing to show normally on PC?

[@rajatsharma9704]

Great video! Well compared!

[@shadowgurung9005]

damm man..you are the one.i trust for camera review. 💕💕💕💕💕 love your content 🙏🙏🙏

[@johndao5870]

Nice job. Thanks.

[@TheBwithers]

Phones are so good now when subjects are standing still. Next big thing I want is less motion blur for capturing pets or kids. Pixel 6 has an interesting approach combining 2 lenses. Very curious to see how well it works. This is a bigger game changer than the subtle differences

[@RennieAsh]

Sony focused on capturing things in motion. It would be interesting to compare that as usually people only compare the same old things

[@ntran2012]

As a life-long Iphone user, I have to say the photos on the Galaxy look better

[@MzwandileHarmans]

Noisy

[@dxtnguyxn4179]

@@MzwandileHarmans at night yes

[@gromenteal2133]

Yes looks better but not in every scenario but for video iPhone is better in every scenario.

[@dxtnguyxn4179]

@@gromenteal2133 that's why he said photo lol

[@johnwasgeht5263]

IPhone this year looks like the clarity sider was turned to 11. I try to avoid this artificial look when I process my pictures.

[@greebo6549]

@10:50, what if you used the Samsung pro mode to match the iPhone settings… will you still get the ISO noise?, looking at getting a newish phone and torn between the S21 ultra or iPhone, since a lot of my photos are also taken in low light/evening/night

[@joshread3740]

Great video. Love how in-depth you go. S21 Ultra continues to be an amazing camera; still arguably the best if you consider every lens and every feature. But 13 Pro Max edges it out in FANTASTIC low-light performance, and still being the video king (though the difference between the two in video performance IS smaller than ever, so kudos to Samsung there). Also unfortunate to think about how Samsung has had Portrait Video for years and is still much worse than the iPhone's first attempt, for one main reason: all it does is cut out the individual. It's not bad at that, but it's not doing anything to emulate depth and DSLR-like aesthetics like the iPhone is trying to do. It's not great on iPhone, don't get me wrong. But Samsung definitely has more work to do than Apple. Samsung's front-facing portrait video is actually quite good, though, because its deficiencies are not nearly as clear in the style of video that comes from front-facing cameras (person right in the middle of the frame, no focus roll-off to worry about from wider shots, etc.).

[@umairazhar8004]

Portrait video or cinematography is all gimmick man. i seriously dont understand who uses it... Cant see myself using it to record any sort of video!

[@Dardania]

You can increase the night-mode exposure time On the iphone to go up to 5-30sec. On automatic mode it will always use low exposure time.

[@carlosloureiro7429]

@Danny Winget, s21 Ultra is the Snapdragon or the Exynos version?

[@ruialex314]

I prefer the iPhone because of the level of detail, not a fan of the saturated look though…I do like the way the night mode photos look, but I can always edit my night photos on my 12 pro max a bit to make it look similar. The 13 pros photos because they look darker out of the box maybe sometimes that detail is lost. Great job on your reviews you keep improving and you point out many details and little things that the other reviewers don’t even mention like for example how long does it take for each shot on each phone and that’s important, thank you for your comparisons can’t wait to see the pixel 6 hope you get it to compare!

[@edwinfoster6788]

Excelente video amigo.

[@darkkforest]

One of the best camera comparaison channel.

[@andyH_England]

Thanks for your hard work, interesting and comprehensive. My view, Apple reigns at videography, but both Top 5 in photography. Subjective choices aside, neither will disappoint.

[@icentuche90]

Apple reigns in videography and Samsung reigns in photography

[@andyH_England]

@@icentuche90 ...possibly, but not clear cut?

[@gromenteal2133]

@@icentuche90 the video difference is absolutely day and night, but photos both are neck and neck.

[@icentuche90]

@@gromenteal2133 daytime video both are neck in neck too, in fact Samsung have better colors. And night video is only where the iPhone is clearly better. Photos goes back and forth with night mood. Front camera and ultra wide camera is clearly better on the s21 ultra irrespective whether it's day or night. Mind you s21ultra was released in January.

[@jonesjoe5662]

@@icentuche90 Did you really write that Samsung has better colors in daytime video? Are you normal ?: D

[@demietrythomas]

I was waiting so long for this video... 😢

[@dannywinget]

Give it a watch! I think there is a lot of detail here you will appreciate 🙌

[@sumansaurav8000]

finally.. some one totally unbiased. great job

[@tabiriibrahim5369]

Thank you for another great video. Can you please do a camera comparison between iPhone 13 Pro max and xiaomi mi 11 ultra?

[@Photo0021]

4:40 This shot really sold me on the Samsung imo. Both are great nonetheless

[@MindAintRite]

15:48 does it for me

[@inspector4133]

Thanks, for my needs you sold me on the Galaxy.

[@anubhavsoni7620]

Samsung s21 ultra is the camera king

[@letran-kz7pw]

Well done . Thanks

[@CortesCurtis]

This is a great review. Are you going to do one for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro? Seriously one of the best reviews I’ve seen. Subscribing now!

[@dannywinget]

Thank you! Yes I am working on one this weekend

[@avlisodraude]

Best top cameras comparison I've seen so far. Still don't get it how a 100mg camera can't compete with one that in paper is 10 times lower. Anyone has a technical video where that is explained ?

[@leemilica]

I ride bmx and need something with good night mode video, but I really hate iphone's operating system and other stuff. Is there any alternative with really good night video?

[@YgorCortes]

Wait, the Galaxy can't do night mode 3x portrait either? This is HUGELY disappointing to me. Also something I noticed is that the Galaxy handles highlight details better in night mode, while the the iPhone often overexposes highlights. Your camera comparisons are AMAZING, seriously! Keep up with the awesome work 👏

[@Tealc2323]

Amazing content! Pixel 6 Pro next?

[@faridakl9309]

i LOOOOVE Danny's videos !

[@valeriupodghirnii9537]

Thats a pretty good comparison. I am disappointed too with the s21 Ultra's noise reduction. Mine does that too but I have noticed when I tryed to take a night picture with 108mp mode the noise was gone. It's very strange. Try it out

[@YgorCortes]

Maybe it's a binning problem then. That's interesting 🤔

[@RennieAsh]

HDR tends to add more noise and they add more noise reduction. The 108mp mode may not have as much HDR and so your noise will be hidden especially if darker areas are darker.

[@ayfemz9179]

The iphone's consistency is just unmatched. In almost all the samples photos I preferred the iphone's . In the video comparison , the iphone crushed the Samsung. Overall I will give it to the iphone.. Apple did a good job. The iphone 13 pro has the best camera upgrade I've seen in many years. Maybe be we should wait for the S22 ultra to do another comparison.

[@samueladriano11]

Biased

[@ayfemz9179]

Please watch the video again and listen to how Danny analyzed the photos. The iphone has more details, clarity and noise reduction etc in both day and night photos. Overall, the iphone photos are better. I had to pause each image to look closely. The iphone is just so much better in almost all samples shown.

[@samueladriano11]

@@ayfemz9179 I can agree that night photos are better overall but not in every case sometimes imo the s21U got the better result but, in daylight pictures they're almost the same and sometimes the s21 got more natural colors that is something why iphones has always had been praised for, now that the iPhone got more saturated colors people are saying that's better, Apple will always be praised no matter what they do 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@BearTechNation]

Interesting... Can you do a comparison using Samsung's Pro Photo and Video Modes? From what I have seen, many KZbin reviewers don't focus on using Samsung S21 Ultra's Pro Modes. I would imagine that folks who know how to tweak settings in Pro Mode would go for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra over the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Sure, I get that a lot of people shoot on Auto, but I reckon people would prefer to take time and get the best shots through using Pro Mode. Maybe people can learn how to take better photos by experimenting with Pro Modes. What do you reckon?

[@Bromillham]

The saturated colors have always looked better in my opinion. That's also the option of the majority. So even though they're exaggerated on the iPhone they look much more pleasing to the eye.

[@weekendwarrior8179]

Great video. Can't wait to see the pixel 6 pro

[@jcgraquino]

Danny, I hope you elevate the caption a bit so that it is slightly above when we zoom in to your 2:1 videos. The corners of 2:1 aspect ratio is kinda annoying in recent iPhones since these already reach the curve part of iPhone screens.

[@RennieAsh]

I don't zoom to fill because you'll usually be losing out on some content. No one aspect ration can suit everyone.

[@jcgraquino]

@@RennieAsh I think raising the caption a bit wont hurt others while benefitting the small minority with curved corners. I dont zoom to fill typical 16:10, 16:9, 4:3 videos but 2:1 corners are reaching the notch and curved corners of mine.

[@huntertm7922]

Thank you 💟

[@VN_creator]

Looking forward for your pixel camera comparison

[@MadaraUchiha-wj8sl]

Great content

[@insertnamehere8723]

They both need to work on overall quality of detail that they can capture besides purely cranking the mp resolution up. Another annoying thing is the true DoF not faked processing based bokeh - yes, this is a hardware thing according to sensor size - more often they have adequate sensor sizes just mishandled by processing with horrible edge fringing for close ups. I know they tried to remedy this with macro shots but it's not enough.

[@aktech7517]

Hi Mr.Danny , I'm pleased to know that what S21Ultra Model you used , The Exynos or Snapdragon ?

[@dannywinget]

Snapdragon

[@user-dk5of7tj5s]

Please review compare camera Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Iphone 13 Pro Max. Thank You

[@hadihatami3816]

Its a complete and great comparison

[@Garret141076]

Longer exposure is more chance of motion blur when objects or people are moving. Especially when indoors and taking pictures of your kids or pets , it’s really frustrating. I have both phones to test and iPhone gives sharper image but the S21U gives a more overall pleasing image.

[@johnnywalker3337]

Wow...nice comparison

[@stillkountin]

Nice man