There was a time when the only use of a phone was to call people. But now we use it for so much more – buying stuff, making memes, browsing Reddit, booking cabs, etc. We still call, although rarely; that’s not the main thing we look for in the phone anymore. Hell, we could still consider buying a phone even if it didn’t have a call function (don’t get any ideas, Tim!). Nowadays, one of the major things we look for when selecting a phone is the camera, and that’s exactly what I am here to talk about.
Today’s showdown is between Apple’s latest & greatest – iPhone 14 Pro Max and the newly launched Oneplus 11 5G. MacRumors did a deep dive into both setups; we are talking about photo samples and everything. And following were the key takeaways:
Both cameras are basically the same when it comes to the specs. An f/1.78 48 megapixel mammoth with a Sony sensor on the iPhone and an even bigger f/1.8 50 megapixel main camera and Hasselblad technology across the bump on the Oneplus. If I have to use an analogy, the difference is like a 95/100 student and a 99/100 student. One might be better in numbers, but both of them get the same grade.
The photo samples made one thing evident, at least for me: even with the optical image stabilisation, robust portrait mode and an awesome video setup, the difference is negligible. However, it is fair to point out that the portrait mode on the iPhone 14 Pro max was better when used on humans and animals. But the rest of the setup is basically the same. Some brightness issues here, some colour grading issues there, but both are top-notch cameras.
All in all, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is not the gold standard in smartphone camera friends. Some existing and newer Android models like the Oneplus 11 5G are giving it stiff competition. Does that Apple is at risk of using its crown as the best smartphone brand in the world? I think not, but that, I believe, is a function of a lot more factors that make iPhones standout for the crowd. If it was a straight-up battle of the cameras, Apple would’ve been in trouble.