Both Samsung and Apple are putting out better cameras for their phones than ever before. Recently released top phones, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, are competing to be the best camera phone. In this article, we will do a side-by-side comparison, looking at how well these two phones work in real life for everything from photography in bright daylight to filming in low light and more.
First impressions ofThe Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
When we took the first picture with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, we were definitely surprised. Even though there weren't many changes to the S25 Ultra's camera hardware from its predecessor, it had much better skin tones and sharper features overall. The new software updates from Samsung seem to have made a big difference, giving the device a chance to compete with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which won last year's camera comparison.
Experience with the camera: Samsung's improved interface
The camera app experience on the S25 Ultra is one of the best new features. Samsung has simplified the interface by getting rid of unnecessary things like the popular AR emojis and making it easier to get to the settings. The app now feels more smooth, and it takes less time to switch between modes and take pictures. Apple's camera app is still a little faster and better, especially when there isn't much light, but Samsung has made a big dent in the gap. The anti-reflective screen on the S25 Ultra also makes it easier to use outside in bright sunlight, which makes it a winner in the camera experience area.
The iPhone still has the best sound quality.
Samsung has added a feature called Audio Eraser that uses AI to look at videos and get rid of noise that isn't needed. Even though this is an improvement, the iPhone 16 Pro Max's Audio Mix feature still works better because it has four microphones instead of just the three on the Samsung. The iPhone also has better sound quality because it can separate and boost certain sounds.
Samsung's Big Leap in Video Quality
For many years, the iPhone has been the best smartphone for making videos. However, the S25 Ultra has clearly made the video clarity better. Videos taken during the day are clearer and have more details, while videos taken at night have a lot less noise. It's really cool that Samsung can now automatically tell the difference between still and moving objects in normal lighting. The iPhone still has a slight edge when it comes to low-light video, but Samsung has closed the gap, making the S25 Ultra a good contender.
Zoom: Samsung Has the Best Features
The S25 Ultra is still the best when it comes to zoom, which is interesting in itself. To us, it feels like a specific feature for marketing rather than something of really any use. The reason It works better than the iPhone's single 5x telephoto lens is because it has two telephoto cameras (3x and 5x optical zoom). Then, the AI-powered software from Samsung makes zoomed-in pictures even better by making them clearer and enhancing them with more details. This makes the S25 Ultra the clear winner in this area because it works so well even when the video is zoomed in.
Photo Quality: The Edge of the iPhone in Detail
When it comes to picture quality, the iPhone 16 Pro Max does still have a slight edge. When you zoom in, its 24-megapixel main camera takes better pictures than Samsung's 12-megapixel sensor. Apple's HEIF file format also makes sure that pictures with a higher resolution take up less space, even when Live Photo data is added. Samsung's 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera is just as detailed as the iPhone's, but Apple's reliability and speed make it the winner in this case.
Samsung's AI-powered suite of editing tools
In general, the most obvious and best thing about Samsung's are its tools for editing photos and videos. And yes, that's more AI. With the S25 Ultra's Generative Edit tool, you can move, resize, and remove objects from photos with a lot of accuracy. Apple's changing tools, on the other hand, seem simple. In post-processing, Samsung clearly has an edge because it can make unique filters, get rid of reflections, and improve live photos.
Samsung Leads the Way in Selfies
The S25 Ultra has made a lot of progress in picture quality, especially when it comes to handling skin tones and textures. The iPhone still has the best selfie video thanks to its optical image stabilisation, but Samsung's better selfie photos make it the better choice for people who love cameras on the front of their phones.
Different Modes: A Haze
Both phones have a lot of different modes, such as slow-motion, cinematic, and macro photos. The iPhone still has better slow-motion video, but Samsung's macro mode is much better now that its 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera has been updated. But Apple's Action Mode for stabilisation still works better than Samsung's, which keeps this group competitive.
Night photography: the iPhone is the best for low light
Even though Samsung has made changes to its night photography, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is still the best in low light. There is less noise and more fine details in Apple's night mode than in Samsung's. Samsung's footage often looks smoother and less detailed. The S25 Ultra has come a long way, but it still can't match the iPhone when it comes to low light.
The verdict: the iPhone 16 Pro Max wins by a hair.
Much like the flagship battle of the iPhone 15 Pro max and the Samsung S24 - The iPhone 16 Pro Max is slightly better than the other phones when it comes to cameras, but only by a smidge. Samsung has made big changes to its video quality, zooming, and editing tools, but Apple still has the upper hand because of how consistent it is. It works so well in low light, and it really keeps the details. The S25 Ultra however, is a strong rival, and its improvements show that Samsung is getting closer than ever.
![The Best iPhones for battery life ranked [2025]](http://reboxed.co/cdn/shop/articles/IPHONE-BATTERY_e2de6230-b1d2-4348-ac33-e47d1e267bdd_100x80_crop_center@2x.jpg?v=1738489925)
