Hey guys I'm tom, the tech chap, and let's start this note versus iPhone comparison with the official Felix camera test. So this is my neighbor's cat Felix who never stays still for a photo so holding both the note, 20 ultra and the iPhone 11 Pro max. In my hand, side by side, I want to see which one takes the best shots which crucial to the fast moving Felix test are actually in focus, because we can compare image quality all day long, which we will in a minute. But if you've got pets, kids or just taking a quick candid photo, you want it to be in focus and look good. So this comes down to how fast it can focus and also the camera's shutter speed, which can vary based on the lighting. But since the note 20 ultra has a new hybrid laser autofocus, which, from my review video we saw was a massive improvement over the s20 ultra.
I wanted to see how it compared to the iPhone and so far I have to say I think the iPhone takes the lead out of these 17 photos.15 are in pin shot focus on the iPhone versus just 10 on the note okay, so that's not the most scientific test in the world. So let's do a quick focus test and, as I move the phones up and down, the note is slightly faster, but I think the iPhone is a touch smoother. You don't notice the transition as much, which is definitely a plus now sticking with video and having a quick walk into my local town, starting with the main lens on both and then switching to the 0.5 times ultra-wide lens. The quality is very similar. Actually, if we then go back to the main lens and finally zooming in to five times on the note versus two times on the iPhone, which obviously isn't as far, but it is a lot more stable and actually well usable.
Now again, this is being shot at 4k and video quality is excellent on both. But the note does have a trick up its sleeve, as it can actually shoot in 8k. It does crop in and the stabilization isn't as smooth. But it's a nice option to have the note can also shoot in 8k at 24fps and 21x9 ultrawide. If you want more cinematic, looks now to be fair.8K isn't really that useful at the moment, but it's a nice extra and paired with the new pro video modes that let you link with all the settings, including different audio inputs. The note is definitely more versatile than the iPhone for video, although I just wish we had better stabilization with its zoom lens, but what about front-facing video? Well, this is being shot at 4k30 with the selfie camera they both maxed out at 4k 60 and hopefully, while it's giving you an idea of the video quality, I'm also jumping between the microphones.
So you can get an idea of how they sound it's actually quite a blustery day, so hopefully the wind isn't destroying the audio completely uh. One thing that the Galaxy Note can do, though, is live, focus video. So, as you can see, we now have this kind of nice both blur to the video. On the note, you don't have that option on the iPhone, but it is much better than when they first introduced it. On last year's note 10.
, you can see the edge detection's uh pretty good. It doesn't look too unrealistic. So it's not something. I use a lot, but it's a nice extra but of course that's only half a story. So what about photos? Well, let's test out the different lenses and starting with the ultra white on both and then switching to the main lens and in both shots you can see.
The note has more contrast and darker shadows. So while you can see more detail in the darker areas on the iPhone, it does look a little flatter in comparison, switching to the telephoto lens, and we have a two times optical on the iPhone versus five times optical. On the note, moving up to 10 times zoom on both which is the highest, you can go on the iPhone, and already we can see a big difference in the quality, then at 20 times zoom, and I've also cropped in the iPhone shot to match and finally, maxing out the note 20 ultras 50 times, zoom and side by side with the iPhone. It's really no contest. In fact, let me show you another example with just the note, because even coming from the s20 ultra and even with the Enos chip in this model, the zoom is pretty incredible back to the side by side, and this is a portrait shot.
Aka live focus on the note, and while they both look good, there is a striking difference in the contrast in the shadows. As usual, the iPhone's aggressive HDR gives us a brighter, but flatter look now. If we zoom in by 300 again, the difference, in contrast, is pretty stark and actually the brighter iPhone shot does give us more detail both do a good job with edge detection, but the iPhone does look sharper, there's more detail in my face. You can even make out the freckles on my forehead, although no one really should have to look at my face this closely. So instead here's my lovely wife, Sarah and again the iPhone- does look a little sharper and there are warmer tones in the color.
I asked her which one she preferred to post on Instagram and her instant reaction was the iPhone, but she said it was a close call. So in good light, both phones take stunning photos. There's some subtle differences in color tones. The iPhone leads towards a warmer yellow and the notes are cooler, occasionally ready purple hue. But with this definitely Canada not at all posed for photo by me, you can see the stark difference.
In the contrast, the shadows on my face are so much stronger on the notes, which I'd argue is more realistic than the strong HDR on the iPhone but which one do you prefer. The note also gives us a much stronger depth of field. This is just a regular photo, not a portrait shot or anything. But when you have a subject fairly, close you'll get more both blur in the back, which I'd argue is more like a proper DSLR. But let's move on to more tricky lighting, and while we can see more detail in the darker areas like the wallpaper at the back on the iPhone the highlights in the window and the table are surprisingly blown out, and it just looks unnaturally bright overall.
The contrast in the exposure on the note looks far more realistic, we're seeing a similar pattern of the slightly yellowy iPhone versus the Reddy purple. Colors of the note I'd say neither is spot on in terms of color accuracy. You kind of want something in between, but here the note is way off. The Philips Hue lights are actually orange here, like the lamp on the left. So while the iPhone doesn't always get it perfect, the note 20 in low light, especially really does struggle with white balance.
But what about night shots? Well, this one is just a regular photo and actually turned off the iPhone's automatic long exposure night mode and then the same again with their respective night modes and what a difference it makes here's another night mode shot, and you can really see that depth of field on the note again, which I really do like now. This little setup was near enough pitch blacks, so both night modes do work well, but the iPhone is definitely noisier so in extreme low light. I think the no edges out in front it also kicks the iPhone's butt when it comes too low light selfies, as you can still use night mode with a front camera, something you just can't do on the iPhone. Of course, it does take a few seconds, so you need to stay still, so it's not blurry, but for night selfies, the note easily wins in good light, though they both take a great selfie. Although in this portrait shot you can see the iPhone's missed Sarah.
So while I do prefer the slightly sharper and arguably more natural look of the iPhone, I have to give the note credit for keeping both faces in focus, but for regular selfies. The iPhone is a little brighter and more eye-catching, although in a reversal of what we saw with the rear camera for selfies, the note actually handles the bright highlights of my face a little better than the iPhone. So overall, then both phones have excellent cameras. You really can't go wrong with either but which one do you think came out on top. In my opinion, I think the note 20 ultra just edges out in front thanks to the zoom camera, the night mode, shots and the extra video options, but it does struggle with white balance, sometimes particularly in low light.
So that's something to watch out for, so I really hope you guys enjoyed this video and if you want to see more photos and behind the scenes, shots then make sure you follow me on Instagram at the tech chap. Thank you so much for watching guys, and I'll catch. You next time right here on the tech chat.
Source : The Tech Chap