Why are 16-megapixel mobile phone photos not as good as iPhone?

The image quality of digital cameras is a commonplace topic. When consumer digital cameras were very popular, "XX pixels" was the most common advertising slogan. Now, this has continued to apply to mobile phones. So, is the number of pixels the key to the quality of mobile phone photos?

High pixels do not mean good effects, but they need to reach a certain level.

Theoretically, the more pixels there are, the higher the photo resolution and the clearer the image. However, in addition to the number of pixels, the size of the photosensitive element and the quality of the lens are also important. First of all, when accommodating the same number of pixels, the larger the sensor size and the more light it receives, the less noise there will be. This is why a full-frame digital SLR with the same 20 million pixels performs better than a compact camera or mobile phone with the same number of pixels.

Since pixels are not absolutely critical, does high pixels mean nothing on a mobile phone? Not entirely. For example, the HTC One M8 has a 4-megapixel UltraPixel camera. Although the sensor is large and the number of pixels is small, resulting in larger individual pixels, 4 megapixels are obviously a bit low. This means that if you enlarge the image on a computer, the details you get will be much less than the mainstream 12 million or 16 million pixels. Similarly, when the image is enlarged to 100%, the details of the iPhone 6 with a 1/2.2-inch sensor and 8 megapixels are compared to the Samsung S6 with a 1/1.9-inch 16-megapixel camera (see the sample above).

Of course, if you're just looking at photos on your phone, the difference between 8 megapixels and 16 megapixels isn't that big.

Lens aperture, optical image stabilization and imaging software are also key factors affecting image quality

A careful observation will reveal that new mobile phones such as Samsung S6 and LG G4, in addition to using 16-megapixel photosensitive elements, are also equipped with F 1.9 aperture lenses. Although compared to digital SLR lenses, mobile phone lenses are equivalent to pinhole cameras, but the larger aperture value can obtain more light, and light is obviously the key to digital imaging.

In addition, optical image stabilization and better image processing software are also key technologies that affect the quality of mobile phone photos. A negative example is that although the HTC One M9 abandoned the low-pixel UltraPixel camera and used a 20-megapixel back-illuminated sensor, it lacked optical image stabilization, and the imaging software was also limited, so the overall image quality was limited.

Summary: Comprehensive quality is the most important

In short, the pursuit of better mobile phone photography cannot be judged simply by pixels or a certain parameter. If conditions permit, it is easier to buy a good camera phone by understanding the imaging sensor, size, number of pixels, lens aperture value and some other functions of the mobile phone before purchasing.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.