Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Camera Score revealed: Not bad but worse than Galaxy S24
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is currently the top-rated smartphones in the PhoneArena Camera score test, beating its predecessor for the spot, but what about the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25, the two other flagships in the Galaxy S25 lineup?
The two phones have definitely scored fewer upgrades than the Ultra, but this doesn't mean we should overlook them. Although neither has scored a major camera hardware upgrade, both the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 arrive with the new ProVisual Engine, which means one thing and one thing only: the software and image enhancements are vastly changed in comparison with the Galaxy S24 generation, and for the better!
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus/Galaxy S25 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus/Galaxy S24 |
|---|---|
| Main camera 50MP F1.8 24mm PDAF, OIS Sensor size: 1/1.56" 1.0µm New ProVisual Engine | Main camera 50MP F1.8 24mm PDAF, OIS Sensor size: 1/1.56" 1.0µm |
| Telephoto camera 10MP F2.4 67mm (3.0X optical zoom) OIS, PDAF Sony IMX754 Sensor size: 1/3.94" 1.0µm | Telephoto camera 10MP F2.4 67mm (3.0X optical zoom) OIS, PDAF Sony IMX754 Sensor size: 1/3.94" 1.0µm |
| Ultrawide camera 12MP, F2.2, 13mm, 120º FoV Sensor size: 1/2.55" | Ultrawide camera 12MP, F2.2, 13mm, 120º FoV Sensor size: 1/2.55" |
| Front-facing camera 12MP F2.2 | Front-facing camera 12MP F2.2 |
Both the Galaxy S25 Plus and the Galaxy S25 come with the same 50MP wide-angle F1.8 camera as the previous generation, with a fairly standard 24mm field of view. It's basically the same camera as we had on last year's Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24.
The same applies to the 10MP telephoto that offers 3X optical zoom, as well as the 12MP F2.2 ultrawide cameras, which are both identical to their predecessors. This has been yet another year in a row during which Samsung snubs the smaller Galaxy flagships from a major hardware upgrade.
As we mentioned earlier, however, despite the similar hardware, a lot has seemingly been changed on the software and algorithm front thanks to the ProVisual Engine. Is it all for the better? Well, it doesn't seem so, at least for the Galaxy S25 Plus and the Galaxy S25.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus/Galaxy S25 Camera Score compared to its rivals
The verdict is in, and the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 fare slightly worse than their predecessors and their immediate rivals. The two phones receive a combined camera score of 147, which i s a great score. However, it's lower than what last year's Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 flagships. The difference is in both still photography and videos, indicating a slightly worse overall performance.
In comparison with the rest of the rivals, the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 also leave a lot to be desired, trailing behind the iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, and Pixel 9 Pro. The only major rival that's less impressive in both categories is the Pixel 9.
Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 camera spider chart
Main Camera
Galaxy S25 Ultra camera samples
In daytime conditions, the Galaxy S25 Plus camera does a decent job. Gone is the over-processing that previous Galaxies were suffering from. Both the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus deliver more natural and true-to-life photos in good lighting conditions, with great dynamics and colors. However, detail isn't great, noticeably inferior in comparison with previous Galaxies.
Zoom Quality
Galaxy S25 Ultra zoom samples
When it comes to zoom, the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus both perform very well, with decent amount of sharpness at the native 3X and the 5X zoom levels. However, as one might imagine, the overall quality starts deteriorating once you go up to 10X or beyond.
Ultra-wide Camera
Galaxy S25 Ultra ultrawide samples
The ultrawide camera here is suffering from a general lack of sharper detail. Dynamics, color temperature and overall exposure are more than decent, on the other hand, which kind of makes up for that. No macro mode on this camera, similarly to last year's Galaxy S24 Plus/Galaxy S24.
Front Camera
Galaxy S25 Ultra selfie samples
At the front, we get a camera that's capable of producing fairly decent selfies. Detail is okay here, but things were notably sharper on last year's Galaxy S24/Galaxy S24 Plus.
Video
The two phones can capture videos up to 4K@60fps and 8K@30fps. Samsung has improved the HDR video-recoding from 8-bit to 10-bit, which allows the phones to capture more data and deliver richer color. For the most part, videos are stable, with good dynamic range and color accuracy.
Main Camera - Video
Screen capture from Galaxy S25 Plus main camera video
In terms of video quality, all strengths and weaknesses of the Galaxy S25/Galaxy S25 Plus once again show their colors. We get well-exposed and very natural videos with vivid but still natural colors. Detail, however, is the big problem here: it simply is lacking in comparison with the older Galaxy generation as well as the contemporary rivals.
Ultrawide camera - Video
Screen capture from Galaxy S25 Plus ultrawide video
The ultrawide camera does a similarly good job as the main one. Great colors, but detail leaves something to be desired, especially when compared with last year's Galaxy S24 series. The dynamic range isn't great either, with highlights easily getting blown out.
Zoom camera - Video
Screen capture from Galaxy S25 Plus 3X video
In videos, the 3X telephoto camera fares very well. Detail is a bit better here, while dynamics, colors, and exposure are more than okay as well.
Front-facing camera - Video
Screen capture from Galaxy S25 Plus front-facing camera video
The front-facing camera is a bit sharper when it comes to videos, but suffers from some oversharpening artifacts. The color temperature is also on the colder side, which isn't ideal.
Conclusion
Overall, the Galaxy S25 Plus and the Galaxy S25 surprisingly turn out to be a slight downgrade when compared to yesteryear's Galaxy S24 range. That's despite the hardware being identical, which means that it's the new ProVisual Engine that's responsible for the not-so-desirable changes.
That's peculiar, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra camera performed significantly better than its predecessor not only due to the new ultrawide, but in other areas which didn't score hardware upgrades.
At the same time, both the Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 are very dependable when it comes to their camera. You always know what to expect and can be sure than none will disappoint. We also love the more natural and not-so-overprocessed look that the new phones carry around, definitely a plus in comparison with previous Galaxies which were all guilty of.
The most major problem with the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus in this instance are once again the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus, which are both better than their newer and fresher successor.
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