iPhone Camera Evolution: how iPhone cameras changed from iPhone 6 to iPhone 11 Pro Max
You hear this all the time: “smartphone cameras are improving!”
Scene 1
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
Scene 2
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
Here, images from the iPhone 6 and 6s series appear way blurrier and lose a ton of detail in the shadows. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 series are a definite improvement, but notice the HDR halo around the trees that looks very unnatural. The XS series finally gets rid of that and captures a truly great-looking photo, and the 11 Pro Max does even better with sharpness and dynamic range.
Scene 3
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
In this challenging scene you have the bright shoreline in the back and up front the entrance, and the iPhone 6, 6s and 7 have trouble capturing the full dynamics. The iPhone 8 Plus improves slightly, but only the XS and 11 Pro series capture an image that we would consider looking great.
Scene 4
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
We see the same evolution from iPhone 6 to iPhone 11 Pro Max: the poor dynamic range of the 6 is replaced with a bright image with detail in the shadows, and a great amount of detail. The improvement is really very noticeable.
Scene 5
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
The same observations apply to these few scenes. Notice here with the sun how the iPhone improve: it’s so hard to shoot against the sun and get a decent photo, but the latest XS Max and 11 Pro Max do a very good job.
Scene 6
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
It’s really quite obvious how much brighter and better looking the photos on the latest iPhones look when you have earlier iPhones for contrast.
Scene 7
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
What’s striking about this photo is the way that halo around the trees resolves in the latest iPhones, so you get a very smooth transition from the blue color of the skies to the trees.
Scene 8
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
In this scene, the differences are far less subtle as you have less dynamics, but you can still see how the latest iPhones stand out.
Scene 9
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
The first night shot is really a shock: from a blurry dark mess on the iPhone 6 through 7 to an image that one could actually share on social media with Night Mode on the 11 Pro.
Scene 10
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
Nothing speaks better about good times than good company, but if you relied on those earlier iPhones you would not be able to get a usable image in this bar unless you use the flash. Night Mode truly makes a massive difference and elevates iPhone photography to the next level. One interesting detail that we noticed is that if your subjects move, the iPhone would be smart enough to notice that and you will NOT get a blurry photo.
Scene 11
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
From the dark images on iPhones 6, 6s and 7, to the incredibly yellow-ish photo from the iPhone 8 Plus that just looks wrong to the again dark photo on the XS Max, and finally, the radical change that comes with Night Mode and the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Scene 12
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
We can only think about so many good words to say about the new Night Mode. It really is a game-changer.
Scene 13
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
The sign here only looks great on the last picture, but you may argue that the others despite being darker were a bit more realistic. Still, it’s hard to argue that the last picture is the one that one would want to share on social media.
Scene 14
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
Neon signs were a huge challenge for iPhones until the XS Max came along, and the 11 Pro Max increases the quality with better dynamics and sharpness.
Scene 15
iPhone 6 / 6 Plus
iPhone 6s / 6s Plus
iPhone 7 / 7 Plus
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
iPhone XR / XS / XS Max
iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
Finally, in this last shot, notice the feather at the top center and how it’s burned out on earlier iPhones. It’s a small detail, but one that only the last two iPhones get right and the advantage in sharpness and detail you get on the 11 Pro Max is noticeable.
Final Words
We can discuss megapixels and sensor sizes all day, but at the end of the day, it is the actual pictures that you have and you want them to look great.
In this camera comparison, we can thankfully see one thing: evolution and improvement is alive and well. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is leaps and bounds ahead of iPhones even two years ago, and while the difference from the XS Max is not that huge, it’s still there and we did not even touch on that game-changing ultra-wide camera. Night Mode is such a huge feature and Apple has implemented it the right way: you don’t have to remember to turn it on and deal with all sorts of complications, it just works. Shutter-bugs like myself were impressed with the 11 Pro Max, it really takes things to the next level for iPhones and puts them at the forefront of the camera game.