Which iPhone has the best camera?
Choose the iPhone with the best camera for you
When you compare the cameras of different iPhone models, there are a couple of important aspects. This is what you should keep in mind:
- Which lenses do you need?
- Do you want sharp photos in places with little ambient light?
- Do you want a fast autofocus and do you use augmented reality?
Which lenses do you need?
You can have 3 lenses on an Apple iPhone: a standard lens, a wide-angle lens, and a telephoto lens. All iPhone models have a standard lens. The devices with 2 lenses also have a wide-angle lens, so you can capture a larger image in a single photo or video. That's useful if you regularly photograph tall buildings or wide landscapes. Do you want to zoom in further? Choose a Pro version, since those have a telephoto lens. With this lens, you can zoom in optically without losing quality.
Do you want sharp photos in places with little ambient light?
If there isn't a lot of ambient light, the night mode on your device offers a solution. With it, you can take photos with clearly visible details in the dark as well. All iPhone models from the iPhone 11 series support night mode on the standard lens. On the iPhone 12 and newer models, you can also use the night mode on the other lenses. That way, you can take a properly lit selfie with your friends on a night out.
Do you want a fast autofocus and do you use augmented reality?
As of the iPhone 12, iPhone models have a LiDAR scanner. Combined with the fast processor, this sensor accurately measures distances, quickly maps your surroundings, and recognizes objects. This comes in handy for the camera. For example, the camera can focus on the subject of your photo even faster. In addition, the LiDAR scanner is useful when you play augmented reality games like Pokémon Go.
Portrait Mode, Cinematic Mode, and Action Mode
With Portrait Mode, you see a depth of field effect on the photo. This allows you to focus on the subject of the photo and blur the background. You can find this on the iPhone 7 (Plus) or newer. Do you like to make videos and want to give them a cinematic effect? You can do this with Cinematic Mode. It's similar to Portrait Mode, but for videos. The iPhone 13 series or newer supports this. Thanks to Action Mode on the iPhone 14 and newer series, your videos are always stable. You'll especially notice this when you move a lot.
The camera on different iPhone models
| Lenses | Number of times you can zoom in | Night mode | Cinematic Mode | Action Mode | 4K recording | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Standard lens, wide-angle lens, and telephoto lens | 5x | On all lenses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 15 Pro | Standard lens, wide-angle lens, and telephoto lens | 3x | On all lenses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 15 (Plus) | Standard lens and wide-angle lens | 2x | On all lenses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 14 Pro (Max) | Standard lens, wide-angle lens, and telephoto lens | 3x | On all lenses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 14 (Plus) | Standard lens and wide-angle lens | Digital zoom only | On all lenses | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 13 Pro (Max) | Standard lens, wide-angle lens, and telephoto lens | 3x | On all lenses | Yes | No | Yes |
| iPhone 13 (Mini) | Standard lens and wide-angle lens | Digital zoom only | On all lenses | Yes | No | Yes |
| iPhone 12 Pro (Max) | Standard lens, wide-angle lens, and telephoto lens | 3x | On all lenses | No | No | Yes |
| iPhone 12 (Mini) | Standard lens and wide-angle lens | Digital zoom only | On all lenses | No | No | Yes |
| iPhone SE 2020 and SE 2022 | Standard lens | Digital zoom only | No | No | No | Yes |
| iPhone 11 Pro (Max) | Standard lens, wide-angle lens, and telephoto lens | 3x | Only the standard lens and telephoto lens | No | No | Yes |
| iPhone 11 | Standard lens and wide-angle lens | Digital zoom only | Only on the standard lens | No | No | Yes |
Conclusion: which iPhone has the best camera?
The iPhone 16 Pro (Max) has the best iPhone camera with the most functions, like the Action Mode and the best zoom lens. Older Pro (Max) models also have a zoom lens. This is useful when you want to take vacation photos in high quality. Choose the iPhone 11 or a newer model if you also want to make good photos in low light. With the iPhone SE, your photos are of lower quality.
