Three years separate the iPhone X from the iPhone 12. Although it is true that in the family of the latter we find two models with better camera features, we believe that it is a fair and interesting comparison that can be made with that mythical iPhone X. In this article we compare all your lenses, analyzing the details that each one is capable of perceiving.
Note: in order to offer a better page loading speed, we have compressed the photos shown in the following sections. However, both have the same compression percentage and the lowest possible quality has been lost, so the results can be perfectly appreciated.
Camera specifications of both devices
In the following sections you will find the real comparison between the results of one and the other device, however we believe it is convenient to see beforehand what are the differences on paper between the cameras of the iPhone X and iPhone 12.
| specs | iPhone X | iPhone 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Wide angle lens | 12 mega-pixels with aperture f / 1.8 | 12 Megapixels with aperture of f / 1.6 |
| Telephoto lens | 12 mega-pixels with aperture f / 2.4 | Does not have |
| Ultra wide angle lens | Does not have | 12 mega-pixels with aperture f / 2.4 |
| General rear camera | -Double optical image stabilization -Optical zoom x2 and digital x10 -Flash True Tone with slow sync -Portrait mode -Portrait lighting -HDR automatic |
-Optical image stabilization -Digital zoom zoom x5 -Optical Zoom Out x2 -Bright Flash True Tone with slow sync -Portrait mode with advanced bokeh effect -Portrait lighting -Depth control -HDR smart 3 -Deep Fusion -Night mode |
| Front lens | 7 Megapixels with aperture of f / 2.2 | 12 Megapixels with aperture of f / 2.2 |
| General front camera | -Retina Flash -HDR automatic -Portrait mode -Portrait lighting |
-Retina Flash -HDR smart 3 -Portrait mode with advanced bokeh effect -Portrait lighting -Depth control -Night mode -Deep Fusion |
Wide-angle photos
The most obvious thing that we see at first glance is that both capture different angles and although we have tried to readjust the sizes later, we think it is convenient to leave it that way to be able to appreciate the differences more. The sky is a very interesting differential point to analyze. While the iPhone X has captured whiter colors, the iPhone 12 for its part has made a more realistic interpretation that is also much more artistic. If we zoom in on the bricks that are part of the building we can see how the ’12’ also beats the ‘X’ and although it is true that we cannot say that it is interpreting them in a very realistic way because they are distant elements, yes that a greater detail is appreciated.
IPhone X Telephoto vs. iPhone 12 Ultra Wide
As you will have seen in the initial table, both devices have a double camera on the back, but they only share the wide angle (although with differences in both cases). The iPhone X has a Telephoto lens that allows you to take photos with a 2x optical zoom that goes up to 10x thanks to digital zoom, although it has no way to create an ultra-wide angle view even using software. The iPhone 12 for its part has an Ultra wide angle lens x2 and although it is true that it does not have a Telephoto lens, it can show a digital zoom x5. What is the difference between optical and digital zoom? Well, this first is done by the lens itself, ensuring greater clarity and quality, while the digital is done using software as if we were enlarging the image with our finger, which in the end offers inferior results in quality.
As we explained before, the quality of a digital zoom is not the same as that of an optical one. If we leave aside that one is x5 and the other x10, the digital zoom of both terminals leaves much to be desired in terms of quality and sharpness. Can it be used to show something concrete at a given moment? Perfectly, but in this section we continue to find devices still very far from what a professional camera can offer in this sense, something logical on the other hand.
Did we try the Portrait Mode?
This mode has been one of the most interesting for years because it offers a background blur effect that makes the subjects stand out more, so on an artistic level they are very beautiful to see. The iPhone 12 has a strong argument to take the point and that is that it has a function that allows you to choose the level of background blur, so in the end we will have more possibilities in this regard. Leaving this aside, there is another appreciation to highlight and that is that the iPhone X takes these photographs only with the telephoto lens. In the end, what we find are two similar interpretations, but with different nuances, and if we look at the color, the iPhone 12 looks much lighter while the ‘X’ tends to darken both the subject and the background. The crop is also much tighter on the iPhone 12, which knows how to better interpret the subject and differentiate it from the background.
And the selfies in Portrait?
Go ahead that the object of this selfie, which coincidentally is the same server that is writing these lines, was not as well groomed as possible for photography. In any case, jokes aside, we can see that the treatment of colors that both terminals do is tremendously similar. Of course, the iPhone 12 is brighter or at least the computational treatment that it runs makes it look this way. If we stick to details such as hair clipping or blurring of the background, we see that both behave in a similar way. The unruly hairs on the neck have played a trick on both, who have offered it out of focus by mistaking it for the background. We could give a technical draw at the hardware level here, but the truth is that the iPhone 12 takes the cake for treating photography better a posteriori and also allowing you to choose the level of depth, something not present in the iPhone X.
Night Mode makes the difference
The iPhone 12 has Night Mode and the iPhone X does not and this could be the best summary of what happens in this section. The sensors of the most recent device, accompanied by its treatment by software, are more than prepared to be able to show greater luminosity in low light situations, while the iPhone X for its part does not have any modality that allows it to native. There are third-party applications focused on improving this type of photography, but in the end you cannot ask for pears from the elm, since the camera for photographs is not designed for these purposes.
Computational photography wins the match
It is curious to see how such similar 12-megapixel lenses result in such different results. This is not magic, although it seems like it, but it is due among other things to Deep Fusion as the main differentiating element. This term refers to the processing that the telephone does of photography, its computational improvement and its learning system that considerably improves the results in photography. This is a mechanic released in the iPhone 11 and it is foreseeable that it will be maintained in each generation and will be improved at every step, but comparing an iPhone like the X without this system and one like the 12 that does incorporate it is the least ruthless for the first. For all intents and purposes, the photographs taken by an iPhone 12 are going to be better than those of an iPhone X , although the perception and taste of each person also comes into play here, which is tremendously subjective.
Is it justified to pass an iPhone 12 through the camera?
- You like photography and you have any device other than either of these: bet on the iPhone 12.
- You like photography and you have an iPhone X: bet on the iPhone 12.
- Photography is indifferent to you, you do not have either of the two phones and you find a good offer for the X: bet on the iPhone X.
- Photography is indifferent to you and you have an iPhone X: still keep your iPhone X.
Originally we were going to fill this section with ideas, but we believe that summary in four points made based on our experience and perception much clearer. We understand that if you are interested in photography this is a tremendously important point in your purchase decision, but in any case you have to take into account other aspects. It is true that the iPhone 12 beats the iPhone X in practically everything, but the price is usually a determining value and considering that the ‘X’ is older, there are more chances of finding a great deal for it.
