I did an iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra camera test. The results shocked me

15 hours ago

The iPhone 16 Pro Max and nan Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are some large phones pinch large screens, large power, and large value tags. The cameras are besides impressive, but which 1 of these 2 archrivals takes amended photos?

I’ve been using nan Galaxy S24 Ultra again complete nan past fewer weeks and person put it against Apple’s latest apical iPhone to find out. And nan results are beautiful shocking.

The cameras

Before we look astatine nan phones, let’s look astatine nan numbers down nan cameras, starting pinch nan iPhone 16 Pro Max. There are 3 cameras connected nan back, starting pinch nan main 48-megapixel camera pinch optical image stabilization, which tin besides return 2x zoom photos. It’s joined by a 12MP telephoto camera for 5x optical zoom photos and a 48MP ultrawide camera pinch a 120-degree section of view.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has 4 cameras. It’s led by a main 200MP camera, on pinch a brace of telephoto cameras — a 10MP camera for a 3x optical zoom and a 50MP periscope zoom for 5x optical shots — positive a 12MP ultrawide camera. Unlike erstwhile Galaxy Ultra phones, nan S24 Ultra has “optical quality” 10x zoom shots, which person proven to beryllium just arsenic bully arsenic optical zoom shots.

For reference, I utilized nan Standard Photographic Style connected nan iPhone 16 Pro Max for each nan photos below, and each phone’s camera was utilized successful car mode. All nan photos were downloaded onto an Apple Mac mini and examined connected a color-calibrated monitor. They person each been resized for friendlier online viewing.

Main camera

When utilizing nan main camera, nan iPhone 16 Pro Max consistently took much visually pleasing photos than nan S24 Ultra, isolated from its long-time rumor pinch vulnerability occasionally rearing its head. In nan first photograph of nan leafy lane, you tin spot wherever it causes nan camera problems and wherever nan S24 Ultra’s colors are punchier and much vibrant.

However, arsenic you tin spot successful nan 2nd photograph of nan Aston Martin Valkyrie car, nan S24 Ultra’s eagerness results successful noise, which is wholly absent from nan iPhone’s pin-sharp, much accurately colored image. Although its vulnerability tin origin issues sometimes, here, it gets it precisely correct — to nan constituent wherever I tin easy publication nan Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) connected nan windscreen, which is blurred and jumbled successful Samsung’s photo.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra often gets a definite type of photograph right, specified arsenic nan illustration astatine nan top, but everyplace else, nan iPhone improves. The photograph wrong nan religion shows nan awesome reside and warmth of nan iPhone’s camera, alternatively than nan starkness of nan S24 Ultra, correct down to nan colour of nan padding connected nan seats and nan woody beams connected nan ceiling.

Take a look astatine our last photograph to spot really nan iPhone’s super-sharp attraction and extent of section thief it return detailed, affectional shots, moreover of nan simplest subjects. The foam and bubbles connected apical of nan java are truthful sharp, and nan extent of section is precisely right, making for a much realistic, charismatic photograph than nan S24 Ultra’s photo, which seems little alert of its subject.

Winner: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Ultrawide camera

A photograph taken pinch nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's wide-angle camera.

A photograph taken pinch nan Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's wide-angle camera.

On paper, nan iPhone 16 Pro Max’s ultrawide camera should easy amended connected nan Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera, but successful reality, it’s nan opposite. The S24 Ultra’s ultrawide camera shows up nan iPhone’s camera really badly. The first photograph of nan Ferrari FF was taken indoors successful bully lighting (the aforesaid situation arsenic nan Aston Martin Valkyrie photograph above), and nan iPhone’s photograph is afloat of sound and blur, while nan Galaxy S24 Ultra avoids astir of nan aforesaid issues to nutrient a sharper, little blurred image. It’s not perfect, but it’s acold amended than nan iPhone’s photo.

Outside, things don’t amended overmuch for nan iPhone 16 Pro Max, but it tin still impressment pinch its lukewarm tones. The photograph of nan fields and entity shows nan S24 Ultra’s vibrant colors but wide coldness. However, it has a little noisy foreground and much detail, specified arsenic astir nan obstruction post. In nan distance, nan 2 cameras present immoderate blur and noise.

In nan last photograph of nan church, you tin spot really overmuch sharper nan S24 Ultra’s ultrawide photos are, pinch nan stonework connected nan spire acold clearer and little muddy than successful nan iPhone’s image. Yes, nan S24 Ultra does usage rather a batch of package enhancement, but it’s easier to forgive it erstwhile nan equilibrium and sharpness is right.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

2x zoom and 3x zoom

A photograph taken pinch nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's 2x zoom.

A photograph taken pinch nan Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's 2x zoom.

The 2 phones person different “short” zooms, pinch nan iPhone 16 Pro Max offering a 2x optical zoom and nan S24 Ultra a 3x optical zoom. You tin spot examples of them some here, and we’ll beryllium judging this class arsenic 1 alternatively than 2 abstracted categories. The 2x zoom is reasonably accordant crossed some cameras for equilibrium and focus, but nan iPhone tin present immoderate noise, while nan S24 Ultra’s photos person a softer look.

A photograph taken pinch nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's 3x zoom.

A photograph taken pinch nan Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's 3x zoom.

Move connected to nan 3x zoom crossed nan 2 cameras, and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max can’t lucifer nan S24 Ultra’s performance. Shots are acold noisier and little sharp, while nan Samsung phone’s 3x zoom produces fantabulous photos pinch plentifulness of life and detail. This is to beryllium expected, fixed Samsung’s dedicated optical 3x mode.

But because nan S24 Ultra’s 2x mode isn’t atrocious compared to nan iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 2x shots, it’s going to triumph this class for being much versatile, arsenic you could realistically usage some zooms connected it, but would want to instrumentality pinch nan 2x connected nan iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

5x zoom

Both cameras person 5x optical zooms, and Samsung continues its tally of zoom superiority present too. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a problem pinch sharpness and focus, resulting successful grainy, blurry, aliases noisy images that look worse nan much you harvest them down. These issues are missing from nan S24 Ultra’s camera, and its photos look awesome astatine 5x zoom.

Take nan woody angel arsenic an example. Not only are nan colors and textures acold much realistic successful nan S24 Ultra’s photo, but erstwhile you harvest it down, there’s item successful nan wood that nan iPhone struggles to capture. The wide sharpness makes nan extent of section popular more, while nan iPhone 16 Pro Max’s photograph appears flatter.

Photos taken extracurricular person akin issues, but nan iPhone does triumph a fewer points pinch mostly much realistic colors. Many will for illustration nan S24 Ultra’s reasonably saturated colors, which enactment accordant crossed each lenses. The donkey’s fur is sharper and much defined successful nan S24 Ultra’s photo, and there’s intelligibly little sound connected nan woody obstruction station and nan reddish strap. Samsung wins nan 5x zoom category, truthful will it make it three-for-three arsenic we move to nan 10x category?

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

10x zoom

Neither telephone has a 10x optical zoom, but Samsung does make a constituent of highlighting its optical value photos astatine 10x and does see a shortcut successful its camera app. The iPhone does not, and things do commencement retired rather well.

The equine photograph reveals a akin level of detail, but erstwhile you get very close, there’s acold much grounds of package enhancements successful nan S24 Ultra’s photo, pinch immoderate haloing visible on nan horse’s backmost and ears. This glow is not successful nan iPhone’s photograph astatine all, giving it a much earthy appearance.

But nan iPhone does not ever triumph here, arsenic seen successful nan adjacent photograph of nan woody pub sign. The S24 Ultra’s photograph has little sound than nan iPhone’s photo, peculiarly connected nan greenish board, and its much move coloring intends nan autumn leaves glow much attractively.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is acold much accordant erstwhile shooting 10x photos, arsenic nan last photograph of nan car proves. The differences are clear — meticulous colors, spot-on achromatic balance, and nary evident noise. The iPhone can’t support up astatine 10x zoom.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Night mode

A photograph taken pinch nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's nighttime mode.

A photograph taken pinch nan Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's nighttime mode.

When it came to shooting photos successful debased light, nan Galaxy S24 Ultra’s preview connected nan telephone made maine expect nan worst, arsenic it did not show a genuinely typical image consecutive aft taking it. The iPhone didn’t person immoderate specified problem, truthful erstwhile I was collecting photos, I feared for nan S24 Ultra’s performance. However, nan images looked wholly different successful nan gallery, and astatine first, nan 2 appeared rather evenly matched.

The extracurricular of nan brightly lit pub is simply a awesome example. The iPhone overexposes successful galore places while showing much item than nan S24 Ultra’s photos successful others. However, successful astir different areas — nan seating and foliage, for illustration — some header pinch nan debased ray well. The iPhone’s photograph does person a small much blur, though, and nan overexposure hides details, specified arsenic successful nan pub’s signage.

In nan photograph of nan colony shop, nan iPhone’s much meticulous colors radiance through, and it’s besides little blurry than nan S24 Ultra, wherever nan package smooths retired a batch of detail, showing some are very delicate to lighting conditions erstwhile taking photos successful nan dark. The 2 waste and acquisition blows for illustration this successful each nan lowlight images I took, and while nan iPhone’s overexposure often caused problems, nan S24 Ultra’s smoothing often did nan same.

However, nan S24 Ultra was awesome successful difficult, harsh lighting conditions. Shooting into nan sunset, nan S24 Ultra captured nan aureate glow successful nan sky, nan bluish sky, nan greenish of nan grass, and nan segment arsenic a whole. The iPhone 16 Pro Max’s photograph contains truthful overmuch protector that it robs it of emotion and detail. The real-world situation was location successful betwixt nan two, but nan S24 Ultra’s photograph is nan 1 I’d support aliases share.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung’s flagship comes retired connected top

A personification holding nan Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

It whitethorn travel arsenic a daze to some, but nan Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra — a telephone released astatine nan opening of nan twelvemonth — has taken a triumph successful each but 1 class against nan caller Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. It has by acold nan superior camera erstwhile you want to return immoderate zoom aliases ultrawide photo.

It couldn’t rather lucifer nan iPhone 16 Pro Max successful nan main camera category, though, and I consistently preferred it to nan S24 Ultra. Still, it should beryllium noted nan iPhone’s vulnerability and opposition tin still upset nan equilibrium of immoderate images, particularly successful challenging light. This has affected iPhone cameras for respective generations, truthful it is not unsocial to nan 16 Pro Max.

A personification holding nan Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

What’s very absorbing is that the iPhone 16 Pro comprehensively hit nan Google Pixel 9 Pro in a caller test, proving its apical camera credentials. It also showed several improvements complete nan iPhone 15 Pro. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has been a victor from nan commencement by improving connected its predecessor, beating nan Google Pixel 8 Pro, and equaling nan performance of our favourite Android camera phone, nan Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

It whitethorn not beryllium nan latest connected nan market, but nan Galaxy S24 Ultra continues to return connected nan very champion camera phones and easy holds its own.