All Apple iPhone 16 models have excellent cameras, but they offer different photo quality. The 16 Pro Max model significantly outperforms the base model in terms of photo quality.
The camera of the regular iPhone 16 only took the 20th place in the DxoMark test (147 points) and noticeably lagged behind the iPhone 16 Pro Max in fourth (157 points). The testing site notes that the iPhone 16’s camera hardware is almost identical to the iPhone 15 models released a year earlier—except for improved autofocus and a faster ultra-wide lens. However, thanks to software optimization, the smartphone scored higher in some comparisons.
“According to our evaluations, the camera created beautiful photos and videos with excellent exposure, good contrast, and pleasant skin tones. The video stabilization system provides smoothness and stability in recording moving images. On the other hand, the lack of a dedicated telephoto lens resulted in images taken in medium and long telephoto mode lacking detail and texture.”
DxoMark has been testing smartphone cameras for many years and considers various factors that mimic real usage. However, laboratory conditions allow for a more or less objective quality assessment. Advantages of the iPhone 16 camera, according to the review:
- Good brightness and contrast
- Pleasant skin tones, nice colors in photos and videos
- High level of detail in bright lighting and indoors
- Fast and generally accurate autofocus
- Smooth preview scaling
- Video noise “under control”
- Effective video stabilization
Among the disadvantages are limited dynamic range, flares, hue shift artifacts, limited scaling capabilities, and noise in video in low light and in shadows.
“The video quality was excellent for this class of devices. As with still images, the overall video quality was as in the predecessor. Our testers noticed some improvements, particularly in colors, with improved white balance. The new model also provided better video texture than last year’s device, while noise was a bit more intrusive on the iPhone 16.”
The iPhone 16 video ranked 154th compared to 159 for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It is expected that next year Apple will make significant changes to the camera hardware of the iPhone 17, and the difference between generations will be greater.
Source: Wccftech
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