Adam Kos With its iPhone SE, Apple uses a proven strategy – it takes an old body and puts a new chip in it. But even the old body already had a 12 MPx camera, albeit a completely different one than the one with which the iPhone 13 Pro (Max) is equipped. But can the 5 years of evolution be seen, or is it enough to have a more advanced chip and the results will come by themselves?
Looking at the camera specs of both devices, it's pretty obvious on paper who has the upper hand here. The iPhone SE 3rd generation only has a single optically stabilized 12MPx wide-angle camera with an f/1,8 aperture and 28 mm equivalent. However, thanks to the integration of the A15 Bionic chip, it also offers Deep Fusion technology, Smart HDR 4 for photos or Photo styles.
iPhone SE 3nd generation
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Of course, the iPhone 13 Pro Max includes a triple camera system, but it wouldn't be entirely fair to focus on the ultra-wide-angle and telephoto lenses. In our test, we only compared the main wide-angle camera. It is also 12MPx in the highest model, but its aperture is f/1,5 and it is the equivalent of 26mm, so it has a wider angle of view. In addition, it offers optical image stabilization with sensor shift, night mode and portraits in night mode or Apple ProRaw.
Below you can see a comparison of the images, where the ones on the left were taken with the iPhone SE 3rd generation and the ones on the right with the iPhone 13 Pro Max. For the needs of the website, the photos are reduced and compressed, you will find their full size <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1932/8043/files/200721_ODSTOUPENI_BEZ_UDANI_DUVODU__EN.pdf?v=1595428404" data-gt-href-en="https://en.notsofunnyany.com/">here</a>.
5 years difference
Yes, it's a bit of an unequal battle, because the optics of the iPhone SE 3rd generation are only 5 years old. But the important thing is that it can still deliver ideal results under ideal lighting conditions, and you certainly wouldn't say that to it. It is true that the iPhone 13 Pro Max leads in all respects, because its specifications also predestined it for this. But on a sunny day, you can hardly tell the difference. This is mainly about the level of detail. Of course, the bread begins to break when the light conditions deteriorate, because the SE model does not even have a night mode.
It could be interest you
But I can say unequivocally that the news surprised Apple. If you are not an avid photographer and your mobile phone is only used to capture snapshots, the 3rd generation SE will really hold its own in this regard. It also surprises with its depth of field and photography of close objects. Of course, forget about any approach.
For example, you can buy the new iPhone SE 3rd generation here
