Difference Between Samsung Galaxy S6 16MP Camera and S7 12MP Camera

The key difference between Samsung Galaxy S6 16MP camera and S7 12MP camera is that Galaxy S7 12MP camera comes with a larger aperture, larger pixel size at 1.4 microns, dual pixel technology, and Optical Image Stabilization, which provides unrivaled quality to the camera.

From the time Android started to power smartphones, companies have been trying to outperform each other, especially in the specs department, by always trying to do better than its competitors. Companies have always tried to make smartphones with better hardware than their competitors. This has been the case for almost every smartphone that these companies have produced. But is more always better? Let us find out if this is true in the camera department.

If we take a quad core processor and an octa-core processor, the octa-core wins. This is also true for 3GB RAM over the 2GB RAM. But when it comes to the camera there is a lot more to consider than just the resolution in Mega Pixels.

Samsung Galaxy S6 16MP Camera vs S7 12MP Camera

The norm when selecting a camera is to look at the amount of detail that comes with it. We assume that if the resolution of the sensor is high, so is the camera. But this is not true all the time. This is the reason behind the degrade of the resolution on the latest Samsung. The new Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with additional camera features like a larger sensor, larger pixel size, and a wide angle lens which compensate for the reduction in resolution. There will be a reduction in detail on the new camera, but this may not be noticeable in the image. The other improvements on the new camera will increase the quality of the image that is being captured. The image captured by the Samsung Galaxy S7 can be referred to as high definition when compared with the Samsung Galaxy S6 camera.

Aspect Ratio

Although Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a low-resolution sensor, it is able to equal the depth of detail produced by the Samsung Galaxy S6 camera that comes with a larger 16 MP sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a 4:3 aspect ratio on the sensor while the sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a 16:9 sensor unit. These two aspect ratios will overlap on the image when considering the top and the bottom part. But the Samsung Galaxy S6 will capture a wider area when compared with the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Resolution

This means that the sensors will be exposed to the same amount of image but the Samsung Galaxy S6 will capture more image on the width. More of the image will be captured by the Samsung Galaxy S6 than the Galaxy S7 due to its larger aspect ratio. The more area that the Samsung Galaxy S6 is capturing is where the additional 4MP is being used. So there is no difference between the effective image that is being captured when comparing the equivalent area being captured by the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S6, neglecting the additional image being captured by the Samsung Galaxy S6 on the left and the right. The Samsung Galaxy S6 will provide the user a wider image for the 16 MP it offers. At no time will it give a more detailed picture when compared with the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Focal Length

The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a larger focal length of 28 mm when compared with the Samsung Galaxy S7’s focal length which stands at 26 mm. If we are to take an image from the same spot, the image on the Samsung Galaxy S6 will produce a more zoomed-in image than the Samsung Galaxy S7. This will show more detail on the Samsung Galaxy S7 than the Samsung Galaxy S6 due to the zoom. If we try to compensate for the loss in detail by zooming in slightly with the Samsung Galaxy S7, there will be no noticeable detail difference between the two cameras. There is no noticeable difference in the resolution between the two cameras as well when observing both captured images.

It makes thing clear that the resolution of the sensor does not define a better camera although it presents a higher value.

Pixel Size

The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with smaller pixels on the sensor while the Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with larger pixels. The higher resolution sensor will be packing in a larger number of pixels, which means the pixel size on the sensor will be smaller. This will directly affect the image quality especially in low light which will also introduce more noise. In other words, a larger pixel will absorb more light which will lessen the amount of noise which affects the photo. Standard pixel size on today’s smartphones is 1.12 microns. The iPhone 6S comes with a pixel size of 1.22 microns. The Nexus X comes with a pixel size of 1.5 microns on its 12MP sensor. The larger pixels on these cameras are the reason why they perform better in low light, like the HTC One M7 and the HTC One M8.

This is a main difference with the Samsung devices in comparison here as well. The 12 MP resolution sensor comes with a pixel size of 1.4 microns which is larger by 56 percentage when compared with the Samsung Galaxy S6. This will allow more light to be captured by the sensor and reduce the amount of noise , as well as to produce a quality image even in low light conditions. The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a pixel size of 1.12 microns, which is the standard value on today’s smart devices. Samsung did not further increase the pixel size as the resolution would have dropped even further which would have eliminated the camera’s capability to capture 4K videos.

Dual Pixel Technology

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge come with dual pixel technology within the cameras. This will increase the rate at which focus on the image is obtained. The focus time almost is instant which is an incredible feat by Samsung. This focus time is not affected by the lighting conditions around in any way. This technology is usually found in DSLR cameras. 100 % of the pixels found on the camera sensor are used in order to do phase detection autofocus. Traditional camera sensors only use less than 5% for this type of focusing process. The light that is absorbed by the sensor is sent onto two pixels which will be used in the quick focus of the image

Aperture

To improve the low-light performance of the camera, the aperture of the lens has been designed to be f / 1.7 on the Samsung Galaxy S7. The Samsung Galaxy 6 comes with an aperture of f / 1.9. This is almost 25 % larger than the aperture found on the Samsung Galaxy S6. A larger aperture will ensure that more light is absorbed into the sensor which in turn help in low light photography even further.

Front-facing Camera

The resolution on the front-facing camera on both devices stand at 5 MP while the Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a larger aperture of f / 1.7 rather than the f / 1.9. This will improve low light images as with the rear camera. Samsung Galaxy S7 also comes with a selfie flash with the help of the display, to brighten up selfies as with the Retina flash as found with the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Pus.

Additional Features

The Samsung Galaxy S7 also comes with camera modes to take advantage of the camera even further. Motion Photos is a similar feature in iPhones Live Photos which saves 1.5 seconds before and after a photo has been shot. Motion panorama captures full range motion rather than a blur while capturing moving objects on a panorama. The other feature is that Hyper-lapse which is similar to Time lapse. This feature will compress hours of footage into a few seconds. Samsung Galaxy also compensates shake on the camera with the help of OIS and EIS even when capturing videos.

What is the difference between Samsung Galaxy S6 16MP Camera and S7 12MP Camera?

Comparison of Technical Specification:

Aspect Ratio:

Samsung Galaxy S6: The Samsung Galaxy S6 camera comes with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera comes with an aspect ratio of 4:3.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is able to capture a wider image when compared with the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Sensor Resolution:

Samsung Galaxy S6: The Samsung Galaxy S6 camera comes with a sensor resolution of 16 MP.

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera comes with a resolution of 12 MP.

Although the resolution on the Samsung Galaxy S6 sensor is higher, the amount of detail captured by both the cameras will be almost equal.

Focal Length:

Samsung Galaxy S6: The Samsung Galaxy S6 camera comes with a focal length of 28mm.

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera comes with a focal length of 26mm.

Pixel Size (Sensor):

Samsung Galaxy S6: The Samsung Galaxy S6 camera comes with an individual pixel size of 1.12 microns.

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera comes with an individual pixel size of 1.4 microns.

The Pixel Size on the Samsung Galaxy S7 is larger giving it the ability to absorb more light and reducing the amount of noise at the same time. This will ensure that low light conditions will also produce detailed images.

Dual Pixel Technology:

Samsung Galaxy S6: The Samsung Galaxy S6 camera is not powered by Dual Pixel technology.

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera comes powered with dual Pixel Technology.

This technology is associated with DSLR cameras. With the help of this technology the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S7 is able to focus almost instantly giving it the ability to produce quick and detailed images.

Aperture:

Samsung Galaxy S6: The Samsung Galaxy S6 camera comes with an aperture of f / 1.9 on the lens.

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera comes with an aperture of f / 1.7 on the lens.

The larger aperture will ensure that the lens will let in more light, improving the low light performance even further.

Front-facing Camera:

Samsung Galaxy S6: The Samsung Galaxy S6 camera comes with a front facing camera of 5MP resolution with an aperture of f / 1.9 on the lens.

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera comes with a front facing camera of 5MP with an aperture of f / 1.7 on the lens.

As the aperture is larger, it will produce a brighter image even in low light conditions. The display can also act as a flash to brighten up selfies where there is less light.