iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12 camera comparison: does sensor shift make a difference?

One of the biggest upgrades that the iPhone 13 has over the iPhone 12 is the main camera. Now, the iPhone 13 features an upgraded sensor that Apple claims is 47% more sensitive to light, and comes with Sensor Shift image stabilisation. But will that actually make a noticeable difference? My colleague Hanif thinks so, but I beg to differ. I guess there’s only one way to find out.

Here are the high-res photos that we looked at in the video. Click on each one to view its full resolution:

Daylight

Low light

In case you can’t watch the video, the TL;DW is that we don’t think there’s a huge difference in the camera performance between the two smartphones. I firmly believe it is because so much of smartphone photography is dependent on the post-processing that small physical changes don’t actually impact image quality as much—if the software doesn’t take advantage of it.

But, while the camera alone may not be enough of a reason to upgrade, the iPhone 13 is definitely worth the upgrade if you’re coming from an older smartphone. You get much more performance, better battery life and a top-notch camera for not that much more than the iPhone 12.

Which smartphone camera do you think did a better job? Let me know in the comments below.