Camera comparison between iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24: which one wins?

It’s always a fun challenge to see how the two behave best smartphone camera Pile it up. I spent a week taking photos and videos with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, comparing everything from sharpness to color contrast to zoom capabilities. Both phones certainly showed power, but each had their moments in the spotlight.

Let’s start with the specs. iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 48-megapixel main camera with a wide-angle lens, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. It also has a 12-megapixel front camera. iPhone 16 Pro Max can shoot up to 4K video at 120fps.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, features a 200-megapixel wide camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 10-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. I’m doing it. It also has a 12-megapixel front camera that can shoot up to 8K video.

It’s important to note that more megapixels doesn’t automatically mean better photos, as your phone’s software also plays a role. The best way to get the full picture is to test your camera in the real world. We’re also comparing photos taken with each phone’s default settings, but customization with the iPhone’s new photo style features and tools like tone mapping is becoming more important. By doing so, you can freely increase the saturation and contrast.

As for pricing, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,200 with 256GB of internal storage, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra costs $100 more for the same storage capacity.

New to this year’s iPhone lineup is a camera control button on the right side of the phone. This button lets you launch the camera, take a photo, and swipe to change settings like exposure, aperture, and zoom. I enjoy using this as a shortcut to summon the camera, but it works just fine, especially when using a touchscreen (the old fashioned way), so it’s tempting to do other things with it. I don’t know yet. (My colleague Bridget Carey has a similar idea.) Thankfully, iPhone case makers like Spec and Otterbox are trying to figure out the concept while holding the phone, just like I did. If so, we quickly developed a case that will give you easy access to the new button. Protected.

Now, let’s get into the photos.

Look at this: Review: Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro is an impressive upgrade

12:06

Favorite photos of iPhone 16 Pro Max

Before we get into the comparison, here are some shots that really show how the iPhone 16 Pro Max shines.

Photo comparison of iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra

To compare the cameras on these two phones, I carried them around San Francisco, took them for evening walks, and used them to shoot concert videos.

During an afternoon walk in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens, both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra captured this satisfyingly crisp cascade. The S24 Ultra’s image is slightly brighter overall, especially among the trees and shrubs in the background.

In these mural shots, you can see that the overall brightness is slightly higher in the iPhone 16 Pro Max photos, and each color has deeper hues in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, both are beautiful and eye-catching, and I was struck by how little difference there is between them.

My favorite way to test Portrait mode is to photograph a plant and see if the camera picks up the flower’s foliage and stays focused on the foreground. In this comparison, each phone does an equal job in that regard, but we like the way the S24 Ultra brightens the overall image and reduces many of the harsh shadows.

When I apply Portrait mode to photos of people, shots of my colleagues Faith Chhill and Jessica Fierro show the same brightness in the S24 Ultra photo, and the phone booth in the background is a brighter red than in the iPhone photo. But I actually prefer the iPhone 16 Pro Max image. The colors are darker but more realistic, bringing richness to the image by complementing the black of Faith’s shirt and the blue of Jessica’s jeans. The background of both photos is nicely blurred.

One of the features I was most excited to try out was zoom. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra has 0.6x, 1x, 3x, 5x, and 10x optical zoom.

The 10x zoom on the S24 Ultra is quite impressive as it allows you to maintain the quality and clarity of your shots. The 5x zoom on iPhone 16 Pro Max also delivers incredible detail and clarity. In these images of skyscrapers taken away from Salesforce Park, the S24 Ultra brightens the entire shot again, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max does its best to see the clearer windows of the building in front of it. It brings clarity.

Turning to the front camera, the biggest difference is the color. The S24 Ultra makes my face and black shirt a little brighter, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max renders deeper colors overall, from the green on my couch to my complexion. . Even the wall behind me has more beige tones, as opposed to the gray and muted tones in the S24 Ultra image. Both photos are nice and sharp and in focus.

One area where I feel the iPhone has greatly improved over the past few years is night photography, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max did a great job of brightening up low-light images to make them pop. That said, I still prefer this nighttime shot taken with the Galaxy S24 Ultra because the sky is a more vibrant blue, but the colorful lighting packs a punch in both photos as well.

I took both phones to Hans Zimmer Live and tested not only the quality of the video footage, but also the zoom functionality while sitting with a bloody nose. Despite the flashing lights and distance from the stage, both offered sharp images, but the S24 Ultra shined with its 10x optical zoom. Zimmer’s face was clearly visible even from a distance. The others had binoculars, but I had the S24 Ultra.

The iPhone 16 Pro lineup introduces 4K slow-motion recording at 120fps, while the S24 Ultra has a UHD slow-motion setting at 120fps. Even if you don’t often record in slow motion, the iPhone’s 4K setting brings clarity and a higher level of detail that makes these videos pop.

For other, more everyday situations, I still prefer video on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, as the footage looks sharper and the colors are more true to life. However, both devices produce smooth shots, especially when set to 60fps.

final thoughts

Given that the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are some of the best camera phones available today, which image is “better” often comes down to personal preference.

I’ve always been impressed by the vividness of photos taken with Galaxy phones. Higher saturation and brightness can provide a richer-looking image, especially for photos of nature or people. But I’m also impressed by the clarity of photos and videos on the iPhone, and the tendency for images to appear more true to their actual colors.

Night mode used to be a clear distinction between the Galaxy and iPhone, but Apple has stepped up its capabilities in recent years, and images taken at night on both devices are almost indistinguishable in terms of quality. Portrait mode is also now more in line with both devices, as the iPhone was far ahead of its competitors in that regard. Both devices have good zoom capabilities, but the S24 Ultra still has 10x optical zoom. And despite some color differences, selfies look equally appealing on both devices.

With all that said, I think no matter which phone you spend your hard-earned money on, you won’t be disappointed.