64 vs. 48 megapixels: Comparing the Samsung Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 cameras

Differences in size between the Galaxy A53’s 6.5-inch touchscreen and the Galaxy A33 with its 6.4-inch version aren’t visible to the naked eye. On the back, a closer look is needed to see that the identical camera hump with five openings doesn’t house the same cameras.

I focused on the cameras of both smartphones. However, you can also find detailed individual tests for the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A33 here.

The need-to-knows

Both Galaxy smartphones are equipped with Samsung’s own Exynos 1280 chipset. This means that images are processed with the same core and the same software. Thus, differences between the cameras should mainly be due to the resolution. Aperture, focal length and pixel size are identical – but not the size of the sensor area. The Galaxy A53 has a small lead here.

Colour rendering

Both cameras are close to each other in terms of colour reproduction. On closer inspection, the colours of the Galaxy A53 appear marginally stronger.

Nevertheless, the differences in colour reproduction are larger than I’d have expected. In the park, they’re particularly noticeable in the green tones of grass and trees. And not just on one image, but throughout. Different reference points in the automatic selection of exposure settings are no longer a reason.

HDR mode ensures a good balance of shaded and sunny areas in both smartphones. Even if there are slight differences in the colours, I wouldn’t definitively place a distinction between 48 and 64 megapixels up to this point.

Level of detail

I take a closer look at a photo of the Hamburg fish market across the Elbe:

If I enlarge the image to 100 per cent on a computer, the image from the A53 contains a few more pixels. However, the differences in quality are negligible.

One reason for this could be so-called pixel binning. At such high resolutions, smartphone manufacturers combine four pixels into one. This means that the Galaxy A53 and A33 deliver photos with 16 and 12 megapixels, respectively – a smaller difference than the advertised resolutions would suggest. Samsung offers the option to shoot at full resolution in the camera app.

I did the same, again with a view over the Elbe, this time in Teufelsbrück towards Finkenwerder.

Again, I’m looking at a section of the following shot zoomed in by 100 per cent.

I don’t see any advantage for the higher resolution of the A53.

What about when I don’t zoom in, but use the digital tenfold zoom of smartphones to get closer to a subject?

Here, the higher resolution of the Galaxy A53 is clearly noticeable for the first time. And I don’t mean stronger colour reproduction so much as a higher level of detail.

Wide-angle camera

I didn’t notice any deviations in colour representation when taking pictures with the wide-angle camera. On smartphone displays, a four-megapixel gap in resolution doesn’t display any visible differences. They’re only visible when I enlarge the images. The Galaxy A53 offers a bit more detail with its twelve megapixels.

Portraits using depth of field

The depth sensor cameras also have different resolutions. Does this affect the quality of blurring in portrait shots?

No, I’m cropped equally well from the background in both photos. I’ll ignore the differing colour reproduction at this point.

Photos in the dark

The most obvious difference between the Galaxy A53 and A33 comes to light at night.

No matter whether automatic or night mode is used, the colours of the Galaxy A33 look faded. A higher level of detail is also noticeable with the Galaxy A53 when zooming in. The most likely reason for this distinction: different sizes for the sensor surfaces.

Front camera

The gulf in resolution is even larger for the front cameras – at least on the spec sheet. 32 megapixels sound like a lot compared to 13. In practice, however, both deliver selfies at about 8 megapixels – 7.9 and 8.7 to be exact. Only the A53 with its 32 megapixels offers a full-resolution option.

Unsurprisingly, no difference can be seen on either smartphone at the same resolution. Only when I zoom in on a selfie can I see a bit more detail on the larger sensor of the A53. But whether being able to see every pore better is an advantage is another question.

Verdict: near irrelevant difference

A 16-megapixel difference sounds like a lot. But in practice, the distance between 64 megapixels on the Galaxy A53 and 48 for the Galaxy A33 is marginal. The advantages of a higher resolution are most likely to be seen at maximum utilisation of the digital zoom and in darkness.

I suspect that the software and image processor have a bigger impact on image quality than resolution. The number of megapixels should therefore only play a subordinate role when choosing your next smartphone.