Cameras are mostly judged on the number of megapixels they have, but that does not tell the whole story. The only benefit of having more megapixels is that it gives you the ability to crop, zoom and print big posters.
The quality of a camera is decisively influenced by the sensor quality, not only by its Megapixel resolution. In addition to this, the quality of the lenses that you use play an essential role, and even more when you handle more Megapixels. So you may find a camera or smartphone which, having less Megapixels, but with a better sensor and better lenses, gets clearer images than other cameras with more Megapixels.
Consider that the more pixels, the smaller the area size in the sensor to catch the light (the color) corresponding to every pixel and, therefore, the higher the precision must be in both the sensor and the lenses. So much so that there have been cases with camera models from well-known brands whose Megapixel resolutions were reduced when the next models were released.
Think about this: with a 16 Mpx camera you can already print photos with high quality (that is, 300 dots per inch) with a size up to 39 cm x 29 cm (15.4 inches x 11.4 inches). A 20 Mpx camera has 4 Mpx more, which means 25 % more, but these additional pixels are spread along the width and the height, so with 300 dpi you could print up to 43 cm x 32 cm (17.2 inches x 12.9 inches). The difference is not as big as you thought, right?
Besides, if your camera and your lenses, with 16 Mpx, are better than the 20 Mpx camera that your friend has just bought, you will have better results printing your larger photos than him.
And if we are talking about large format prints, for example pictures for hanging on the wall, keep in mind that the viewing distance comes into play. Basically, the larger the photo, the farther away you will be to look at it and your eyes will not be able to distinguish individual dots on the paper. Therefore, you will need a lower dpi resolution (dots per inch).
In conclusion, do not choose a camera or smartphone just for its Megapixel resolution. Choose for the sensor quality, the lenses quality, the ability to take photos under lower light conditions, etc. And if it also has more Megapixels, even better.
But wait, I hear you say, these are incredibly small numbers! Why do camera makers keep making cameras with many more megapixels every year? The answer is simple. They need a reason to convince us in the public that the next model we buy will be a big upgrade from the one they have now. What better way to do it than with a number that steadily increases as camera makers make bigger sensors every year?
So, what is the lesson to be learned from all of this? Megapixels are great. They brought digital photography out of the dark ages and allowed photographers to make digital images that compare to film images. But megapixels are no reason to upgrade your current model. Instead, focus on a kind of image you would like to get and consider the limitations of your current camera model. You might need a different lens or a camera body that takes a quicker continuous stream of photos. If you do end up buying a new camera body, do it for reasons other than the fact that you will be getting more megapixels with it.
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It's all about size of sensor and aperture😇