Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: Sample Photos Comparison
With four cameras on its back and a new ultra-wide snapper, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is looking to gain a lead over the iPhone 16 Pro Max in the camera space.
Some of you may see the 200MP main camera on the Galaxy and think that this number alone means better quality. But don't read too much into these numbers – it is all about the physical size of the sensor, not how small you slice it into individual pixels. And you might be surprised to learn that by default, the Galaxy actually shoots at 12MP resolution, while the iPhone captures images at 24MP resolution!
Apart from the new 50MP ultra-wide camera on the S25 Ultra, the rest of the camera specs have not changed – you've got a 200MP main camera and two telephoto lenses, one at 3X zoom and another one at 5X.
But these days camera hardware only matters so much and the rest is about the image processing, so good news is Samsung has tweaked just that by reducing excessive sharpening and working on more pleasing colors.
Is that enough to beat the Galaxy? Let's take a look at the real-world sample photos, but first, here are the...
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Specs
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Main Camera 200MP, f/1.7 24mm | Main Camera 48MP, f/1.8 24mm |
| Ultra-wide Camera 50MP, f/1.9 | Ultra-wide Camera 48MP, f/2.2 |
| 3X Telephoto Camera 10MP, f/2.4 | - |
| 5X Telephoto Camera 50MP, f/3.4 | 5X Telephoto Camera 12MP, f/2.8 |
| Front Camera 12MP 26mm | Front Camera 12MP 23mm |
Some of you may see the 200MP main camera on the Galaxy and think that this number alone means better quality. But don't read too much into these numbers – it is all about the physical size of the sensor, not how small you slice it into individual pixels. And you might be surprised to learn that by default, the Galaxy actually shoots at 12MP resolution, while the iPhone captures images at 24MP resolution!
So the moral of the story is that the numbers can be complicated and it's the way the images look what tells the big story.
Main Camera
Main Camera at night
3X Zoom
5X Zoom
10X Zoom (Indoors)
Ultra-wide
Portrait
Selfie
So... which phone do you think comes on top to win this? Would you rather take pictures with the new Galaxy S25 Ultra or the iPhone 16 Pro Max?
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