Is there a large difference between iPhone and camera quality?

Is there a large difference between iPhone and camera quality?

Absolutely.

On a larger scale, of course. To view on your phone you can't tell.

Of course. Do you know anything about how film worked? If not it might do you good to learn a few things about it relating to what I'm about to write.

In the older days of film there were cameras that used a tiny film. They gave you barely acceptable 3x5 photos. In Hollywood, and in many consumer slr and other cameras they were using 35mm film, far larger than the one I mentioned. Suddenly people were astounded at the quality they were getting from 35. Larger film frame, far better results.

The same is true of digital cameras. A phone(not really a camera) has a sensor so tiny that it appears as a dot on your finger. Dslr cameras have a sensor many, many times larger. Given the above comparison perhaps you'll understand what we mean here when we say it's well known world wide that phone cameras are pure junk.

Definitely. The sensor size alone is a big difference. Phone camera's tend to have smaller sensors size smaller than a nail. Smaller sensors means worst in low light situation. While Full frame camera's have sensor size of 35mm.

Not to mention on lens quality. IPhones can't optically zoom. Thy digital zoom, pretty much the same thing as cropping a photo.

Potential quality yes, a huge difference. But if you are a klutzy kind of person who waves a camera around at arms length and knows next to nothing about photo technique then the iphone will probably do a better job for you.

Depends on the camera. I have a 12yr old 0.3MP Kodak digital camera - an iPhone would easily beat that.
I also have a 3yr old Canon Powershot - won't beat that
I also have a 5yr old DSLR - no chance of beating that.

iPhones take pretty good photos in good daylight. When the light starts to fade they struggle where cameras keep going.

Compared to a cheap compact? Not a big difference. Compared to a camera with a proper, larger image sensor, it would destroy any mobile phone camera.