Samsung Galaxy A12 Camera Specs, possible Bait and Switch?

[Cylix]

I decided to make an account to post this here because of the occasional LTT video's about manufacturers substituting worse components while keeping the same model which is ultimately super confusing and detrimental to consumers.

 

I decided to buy a Samsung Galaxy A12 from Mint Mobile.  Among the 4 camera sensors, it had one listed as 48 MP.  Most review websites make mention of this, as does the spec sheets provided on Mint Mobile and B&H.  Samsung however has spec sheets listing the same sensor as 16 MP.  Also, if you browse to one of their non-English versions of their site, they have spec sheet info graphics which state a 48MP sensor.

 

Best I can research, a couple sources point this variation to the international version which I assume was released first and is therefore is what a lot of the review press is based on. The US version has a significantly downgraded camera and because they have identical models I have a feeling a lot of websites are posting the wrong specs for the version they're selling, possibly unintentionally.

 

Anyone encounter this when buying a Galaxy A12? Can anyone confirm the camera resolution of the phone sold by Mint Mobile. They say 48 MP but customer support also say it's the US version off which everything elsewhere I've read states it has a 16 MP camera.  I feel like this should be a huge deal if tons of sites and sources are saying this has a 48 MP camera but the US version most people receive in fact has a 16 MP camera.  Maybe I'm missing something, like there's some trick they do with the sensor which lets they advertise a higher MP rating in other territories but US guidelines don't allow it?

 

Edit: Some sources:

Mint Mobile product page (shows 48MP):   https://phones.mintmobile.com/Phones/Samsung-Galaxy-A12.html

Samsung En product page (shows 16MP):  https://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/phones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a12-t-mobile-sm-a125uzkatmb/

Samsung India product page (shows 48MP):  https://www.samsung.com/in/smartphones/galaxy-a/galaxy-a12-blue-64gb-sm-a125fzbgins/

Wikipedia (shows 48MP):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_A12

Article where I read about the change between internation and US version:  https://www.sammobile.com/news/galaxy-a12-launched-usa-att/

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Cylix
Added sources

[SorryBella]

5 minutes ago, Cylix said:

Best I can research, a couple sources point this variation to the international version which I assume was released first and is therefore is what a lot of the review press is based on. The US version has a significantly downgraded camera and because they have identical models I have a feeling a lot of websites are posting the wrong specs for the version they're selling, possibly unintentionally.

Then where's the sources in this thread?

 

But yeah, A series have been known to have a dumpster fire image processing, its dull and aliased even if it has way more pixels to work with compared to older Samsung's flagship.

[da na]

Japanese Nissan Skylines/GTRs, Toyota Supras, etc are insanely more powerful than the US versions because of regulations limiting the HP of engines allowed to be imported. I wonder if a similar thing is going on here, where two different phones are sold under the same name in different regions?

[da na]

1 minute ago, SorryClaire said:

Then where's the sources in this thread?

 

But yeah, A series have been known to have a dumpster fire image processing, its dull and aliased even if it has way more pixels to work with compared to older Samsung's flagship.

Yeah, artificial image "improvements" are often not an improvement at all. It's like the iOS portrait mode, in my opinion it looks like trash.

[Mo5]

I think what's happening here is that the sensor itself is 16MP but it upscales the image to 48MP in post and yeah... I know I had a mouse with a "6000DPI" sensor but specsheet said it maxed out at 3.2k or sth like that and was just interpolated to 6k dpi. Also to keep it in the phone realm I think my phone does the exact same thing. Says 48MP on it and the ads but then doesn't list it as a resolution in any camera app and is just a special mode you have to enable like panorama or sth.

[Cylix]

Ah, and maybe US advertising rules prevent them from using 16MP on their advertising when the 48MP is achieved through upscaling, but the international rules don't?

[Cylix]

Now I'm wondering if anyone someone with an A12 advertised as 48MP and someone with an A12 advertised as 16MP could both check to see what their camera is taking pictures at.