Technical & Deals News

IPhone 11 camera test: better than Android smartphones?

AndroidPIT-iPhone11-camera

iPhone 11 camera test: better than Android smartphones?

A few years ago, Apple, with its iPhone, was considered the best manufacturer of photophones, its devices are often considered the best. But that was before. The fact has changed a lot recently and the throne of the king of photography often changes every six months. With its new iPhone, the Cupertino company wants, however, to put things in order. Did he succeed? Is it enough to become the new king of the photophones? The answer in our article!

AndroidPIT-iPhone11-camera

Apple iPhone 11: Technical Specifications of the Camera

The most affordable new iPhone of this generation 2019 is the iPhone 11. Unlike the Pro and Pro Max versions, the iPhone 11 skips the telephoto lens. The smartphone offers two cameras and a flash. The selfies are entrusted to a single camera located on the front of the screen. To summarize we have:

 

Ultra wide-angle camera:

  • Focal length: 13 mm equivalent 35 mm
  • Opening: fixed f / 2.4
  • Exposure time: maximum 1 second, minimum 1/45 000 second
  • Light sensitivity: maximum ISO 2016, minimum ISO 21
  • Image size: 4.032 x 3.024 pixels
  • Sensor: 12 megapixels
  • Focusing System: Phase Comparison Focusing
  • Stabilization: electronic

Wide-angle camera:

  • Focal length: 26 mm equivalent 35 mm
  • Opening: fixed f / 1.8
  • Exposure time: maximum 1 second, minimum 1/125 000 seconds
  • Sensitivity to light: maximum ISO 3072, minimum ISO 32
  • Image size: 4,032 x 3,024 pixels
  • Sensor: 12 megapixels
  • Focusing system: phase comparison autofocus and contrast autofocus
  • Stabilization: optical, electronic

Front camera :

  • Focal length: 23 mm equivalent 35 mm
  • Opening: fixed f / 2.2
  • Exposure time: maximum 1 second, minimum 1/48 000 second
  • Sensitivity to light: ISO 2208 maximum, ISO 23 minimum
  • Image size: 4,032 x 3,024 pixels
  • Sensor: 12 megapixels
  • Focusing system: face recognition and face tracking
  • Stabilization: electronic
AndroidPIT-iPhone11-camera
Unlike the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, the iPhone 11 is missing the telephoto. © AndroidPIT / Ben Miller

Photos in good light conditions

Not surprisingly, when the light conditions are at the rendezvous, the quality of the photos of the iPhone 11 is excellent. For a smartphone at 800 euros, the opposite would have been amazing but it is good to see the progress of Apple in this area. If the flagship Huawei, Google or Samsung do not have to envy the flagship Apple, the iPhone 11 is better than the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro.

Taking pictures is very fast, and unlike the Samsung Galaxy S10 or Note 10, the iPhone 11 displays colours a little less bright but certainly more realistic. Exposure, contrasts and light management never disappoint. The only flaw, I find, is the loss of quality in the corners.

iPhone-11-couleurs
The colours of the iPhone 11 are colder than those of the Galaxy S10 and Note 10. © AndroidPIT

With the iPhone 11, it is also possible to make a 120-degree wide-angle picture. The addition is very good news, especially since the colour calibration is identical on both sensors. The pictures are also excellent in the field and the sharpness is at the rendezvous. The 2X zoom, on the other hand, is not very useful for taking pictures of objects in the distance, it is more useful for portraits. Clearly, Apple is back in this area compared to many Android competitors.

As for portraits, the iPhone 11 is also a good device with several different modes to adjust the intensity of the bokeh effect. It works with everything you like to photograph, including pets, which many users are looking for. The colors are also pleasantly well managed. It must be recognized, however, that sometimes the iPhone 11 may have difficulty in delimiting the subject. Hair or glasses can sometimes be a problem in my case. Huawei, with the P30 Pro , is doing better I think.

Another new feature, the iPhone 11 can capture black and white portraits baptized High Key Mono to give dixit Apple “studio photos”. I admit that I loved this feature even if it sometimes suffers the same problem to isolate the subject perfectly (still the problem of hair).

In theory, Apple’s software is certainly powerful but it has the merit of not being felt to keep a good treatment.

Photos in poor light

It is often in these conditions that smartphones face difficulties and the iPhone 11 is no exception to the rule. Do not misunderstand us, the smartphone from Apple gives full satisfaction and I really appreciate the rendering of the pictures taken at night (because yes the iPhone 11 also offers a night mode).

I find the rendering much more natural than some smartphones like thPixel 3 or the P30 Pro. So, certainly clichés offer less detail than the two cities with less light but the result is closer to reality and what the human eye perceives. In use, the night mode is also faster and the automatic mode of the iPhone detects immediately when the light conditions are low then activating the night mode.

iphone

selfies

Difficulty not to talk about selfies in my photo test as they have become important today. The iPhone 11 offers a unique front camera that does not disappoint. The selfies are accurate, clear and sufficient for all we can consider in 2019 (social networks, messaging …). The colors are once again realistic, the contrasts are good and the smartphones can do sometimes.

Overall, the iPhone 11 is doing the job well, especially when the light conditions are present. This is not the best in the field, and if this is important to you, other devices, such as the ZenFone 6 , do better.

Videos

I will be rather brief on the subject since the iPhone 11 remains one of the best in the field. The only flagship Samsung can compete on the subject, especially at the level of stabilization. In contrast, colour processing and light management are better on the Apple smartphone.

In practice, you can shoot in 2160p at 24/30/60 ips and in 1080p at 30/60/120/240 ips. It is possible to record in HDR and with stereo sound. The iPhone also offers an audio zoom that the audio recording is on the subject. In any case, it’s similar to what Samsung offers.

Anyway, budding YouTubers or filmmakers will find in this smartphone a nice working tool. Just a tip, opt for the model with at least 128 GB of memory, the basic model of 64 GB being too fair in my opinion

 

Conclusion

One thing is certain: Apple is again at the level of photo quality. The results are broadly similar to those of the iPhone 11 Pro and it’s a very good surprise. If you want to know the quality of the snapshots of the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro, I invite you to read our very detailed article on the subject:

The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are finally here

In the end, the quality of the pictures is excellent. The automatic mode is very good and the iPhone 11 is an excellent camera on which we can easily count on a daily basis (the photo application is pleasant to use).

However, and despite the very good quality of the camera of the iPhone 11, it is not necessarily the best for a smartphone. The Deep Fusion is still waiting for the smartphone. On the video side, the iPhone remains the king in the field and the addition of modes like selfies in slow-motion will surely help to attract a wide audience.

What do you think of the photo quality of the iPhone 11?

 

Read Also: 

Leave a Comment