iPhone 12 Pro Max Camera Samples
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iPhone 12 Pro Max, Night mode with the main camera. Compare this image with the following two. The difference is small, but there's less noise on the underside of the above-ground subway tracks, making it look more clear. This underside is also brighter.

Google Pixel 5, Night Sight with the main camera. All three of these photos are similar, but I think the Pixel 5 has a small edge over the iPhone 12 Pro, as it has less noise and is sharper (though it's a step behind the Pro Max). The Pixel does tend to aggressively white balance though—the lighting in real life was warmer like on the iPhone shots.
iPhone 12 Pro, Night mode with the main camera. By no means is this a bad photo, but you can see how it's darker than the Pro Max's shot in some areas, and if you zoom in, you can see the noise.

iPhone 12 Pro Max, Night mode with the main camera. Perhaps there's no better example showcasing just how small a difference the larger image sensor sometimes makes compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. Zoom in and you'll see one or two areas where the Max's photo is sharper, and that's about it.
- Photograph: Julian Chokkattu01iPhone 12 Pro Max, Night mode with the main camera. Compare this image with the following two. The difference is small, but there's less noise on the underside of the above-ground subway tracks, making it look more clear. This underside is also brighter.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu02Google Pixel 5, Night Sight with the main camera. All three of these photos are similar, but I think the Pixel 5 has a small edge over the iPhone 12 Pro, as it has less noise and is sharper (though it's a step behind the Pro Max). The Pixel does tend to aggressively white balance though—the lighting in real life was warmer like on the iPhone shots.
- Photograph: Julian Chokkattu03iPhone 12 Pro, Night mode with the main camera. By no means is this a bad photo, but you can see how it's darker than the Pro Max's shot in some areas, and if you zoom in, you can see the noise.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu04iPhone 12 Pro Max, Night mode with the main camera. Perhaps there's no better example showcasing just how small a difference the larger image sensor sometimes makes compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. Zoom in and you'll see one or two areas where the Max's photo is sharper, and that's about it.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu05Google Pixel 5, Night Sight with the main camera. Barring the white balance, there's not too much of a difference between this photo and the Pro Max. I'd argue the Pixel's shot is a tad sharper (look at the parking sign on the left).
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu06iPhone 12 Pro, Night mode with the main camera. This shot is near identical to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu07iPhone 12 Pro Max, Night mode with the main camera. Here's an example where the Pro Max falls short of the Pixel. It's noisier and not as sharp.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu08Google Pixel 5, Night Sight with the main camera. I quite like the contrast in this shot, plus it's sharper than the other two iPhones.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu09iPhone 12 Pro, Night mode with the main camera. Strangely enough, I like this shot more than the iPhone 12 Pro Max's. It's not as bright, so it retains some of the photo's mood. Both are similar in every other way. - Photograph: Julian Chokkattu10iPhone 12 Pro Max, Night mode with the ultrawide camera. Compare this photo with the following one. The Pro Max's ultrawide has a larger field of view over the Pixel's, and while it supports Night mode, it often loses out on detail.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu11Google Pixel 5, Night Sight with the ultrawide camera. The not-so-wide ultrawide allows for the Pixel to produce a slightly sharper shot. Look at the “Wear to Mask” sign on the right window, and you'll see it's a tad more legible. - Photograph: Julian Chokkattu12iPhone 12 Pro Max, Portrait Night mode. The lidar scanner on both iPhone Pro models allows for Night mode to work with Portrait mode. And the larger image sensor on the Max gives it a slight edge in producing an image with a little less noise over the iPhone 12 Pro, as is the case here.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu13Google Pixel 5, Portrait Night Sight. Google's newest phone also now has the ability to use Night Sight with Portrait mode, and while its results are usually ahead of the Android competition, it's not as up to par as the new iPhones. The photos aren't quite as sharp.- Photograph: Julian Chokkattu14iPhone 12 Pro, Portrait Night mode. The difference between this photo and the one from the Pro Max isn't huge, but there's slightly more visible noise if you look closely.
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