The battle for smartphone camera supremacy continues, with the latest contenders being the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. A new camera comparison by tech blogger SuperSaf puts these flagships head-to-head in a variety of scenarios, revealing some intriguing differences.
Image Quality and Resolution
By default, the Galaxy S25 Ultra captures photos at 12MP, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max uses a 24MP resolution. This difference gives the iPhone a slight edge in detail when shooting in standard mode. However, the S25 Ultra's ability to switch to 50MP or 200MP modes completely flips the script, showcasing a significant improvement in detail compared to the iPhone.
Lighting Conditions: Where the Differences Emerge
In outdoor, low-light environments, the iPhone 16 Pro Max edges out the Galaxy S25 Ultra, producing clearer and sharper images. However, indoors, the Galaxy S25 Ultra rebounds, capturing better photos with less noise.
Zoom Capabilities
When using the main camera with 2x zoom, the differences between the two devices are barely noticeable. However, at 3x to 4.9x zoom, the Galaxy S25 Ultra's dedicated telephoto lens gives it a clear advantage. At 5x and 10x zoom, both phones perform similarly, but beyond that, Samsung takes the lead although image processing algorithms become more visible, which means text can appear more painted than real.
Low-Light Zoom: A Surprising Outcome
Surprisingly, in low-light conditions, the iPhone 16 Pro Max consistently outperforms the Galaxy S25 Ultra at every zoom level. This is an area where Apple's image processing seems to be more effective.
Portrait Mode and AI Features
Both devices perform well in portrait mode, successfully isolating subjects and blurring the background. However, when it comes to AI-powered object removal, the iPhone does it quickly but the result are somewhat unsatisfactory while Samsung takes longer but offers a significantly higher quality result.
Video Performance
Overall, both smartphones produce similar video quality. However, the Galaxy S25 Ultra struggles with focus while using the cinematic mode. This inconsistency could be a potential issue for those planning to use this feature regularly.
