Our Bonkers Camera Clash: We Put the iPhone 15 Pro Max Against the Galaxy S24 Ultra

As we anticipate the rumored iPhone 16 to make its doubtless debut on Monday, I wished to try Apple’s present Pro iPhone and see how its cameras caught up in opposition to Samsung’s finest. The titanium-clad and -colored Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max have a number of the finest cellphone cameras you will discover right now. Both seize completely superb pictures even in difficult environments like high-contrast scenes (suppose a sundown) or locations the place the lighting is dim (suppose a restaurant).

But Apple and Samsung take very totally different approaches to images. The shiny $1,300 Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with 4 rear cameras, together with two devoted to zooming and one with a 200-megapixel sensor. Apple’s $1,200 iPhone 15 Pro Max packs three rear cameras, one for zooming and a most important one with a 48-megapixel sensor. 

Read extra: Apple’s iPhone 16 Reveal: What to Expect from Monday’s ‘Glowtime’ Event

Before I took a single snap, I anticipated the S24’s array of zoom cameras to deal with distanced topics higher. And but I additionally knew that Apple isn’t any slouch and may bury Samsung’s finest efforts with the iPhone’s masterful picture processing and video picture high quality. How do they stack up in opposition to one another?

I took them round San Francisco to seek out out.

After I shot a whole bunch of pictures and movies with each telephones and in contrast them facet by facet, a extra complicated actuality revealed itself, with the iPhone and Ultra excelling in some conditions and struggling in others.

Cutting-edge digital camera {hardware}, apps

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a trio of lenses: large, ultrawide and telephoto. The most important digital camera has a 48-megapixel sensor, whereas the opposite two have a decision of 12 megapixels. There’s a little bit of a gulf when it comes to zooming between the primary 1x digital camera and the 5x telephoto. And that is the place the variations between the 2 telephones begin to reveal themselves.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has the same trio of lenses however provides a second telephoto, with a 3x zoom stage. Think of it as if Apple took the 15 Pro Max and added the iPhone 15 Pro’s devoted 3x telephoto to the again, thus creating an really nonexistent iPhone 15 Ultra with each 3x and 5x cameras.

That’s loads of rattling cameras. Remember the times when telephones had only one?

The S24 Ultra’s most important digital camera has a 200-megapixel sensor, and the brand new 5x telephoto digital camera has a 50-megapixel one. Both Apple and Samsung use their most important digital camera’s excessive decision sensor (and in Samsung’s case the one on the Ultra’s 5x telephoto digital camera) to mix a number of pixels to create 12-megapixel pictures which can be brighter and have extra element and fewer picture noise. The telephones may use sensor crop to successfully flip the primary 1x shooter right into a 2x digital camera that takes 12-megapixel pictures (with out pixel binning). It’s curious that the Ultra’s 3x 10-megapixel digital camera takes 12-megapixel photographs. Where does it get these two further megapixels from?

In regard to the capturing expertise, I like the S24 Ultra’s new display, which is much much less reflective than the iPhone’s. I haven’t got hassle seeing what’s on the 15 Pro Max, even in direct daylight, however the Ultra’s show feels extra immersive as a result of there’s much less glare when taking pictures.

Watch this: Camera Comparison: The Galaxy S24 Ultra Takes On the iPhone 15 Pro Max

09:54

The digital camera apps on each are filled with acquainted choices like devoted picture, video and portrait modes, in addition to the flexibility to shoot Raw recordsdata and alter decision on a number of the cameras.

The iPhone can seize ProRes video recordsdata and spatial movies (which could be considered on the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 VR headsets). Samsung’s digital camera app has devoted professional modes for pictures and movies, and is extra customizable. I can transfer the digital camera modes round to my liking and add ones I want. I may use the Ultra’s S Pen as a distant shutter button to take a photograph.

One of my favourite choices is including a floating shutter button that may be positioned anyplace on display to take a photograph. It’s nice for these instances you’ll be able to’t attain absolutely the backside of the display to faucet the common shutter button, or when utilizing quantity buttons is not an possibility.

Photo smackdown: Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max

Both telephones take glorious photos. Below are a number of of my favorites.

But let’s get to the good things: head-to-head picture comparisons. And let’s begin with the photographs beneath of a difficult excessive distinction scene of a sundown in San Francisco’s Mission District. The pictures are from the primary cameras, and I’m impressed with each. The greatest distinction is the way in which every cellphone handles the glare from the solar, which is extra pronounced within the iPhone’s picture. The S24 Ultra’s snap is a tad brighter, particularly while you pinch in a bit. The S24 Ultra boosts the shadow particulars — discover the bushes on the underside proper. In the iPhone’s image, the bushes type of get misplaced within the shadows, however within the Ultra’s picture, you’ll be able to really make out extra of the person branches.

Below is one other set of most important digital camera photographs, this time of a plant in a window. At first look they appear related, however discover how the S24 Ultra rolls off the highlights on the leaves — so easy. The textual content on the books below the plant is readable in each photographs, although it is crisper within the iPhone’s snap.

I took the pictures beneath, of my CNET colleagues Jessica Fierro (left) and Amy Kim taking part in foosball, with the ultrawide cameras. Compared to the primary digital camera, there is a particular step down in picture high quality from each telephones, however in contrast to one another they’re related.

Both telephones utilized loads of noise discount. The ceiling within the iPhone’s picture is riddled with picture noise, and within the Ultra’s picture, the noise is gone however the identical ceiling appears overly comfortable and nearly blurry. Notice how the telephones dealt with the picture noise on Jessica and Amy. In the iPhone’s picture, Jessica’s pores and skin and hair appears extra pure, albeit comfortable from movement blur. Whereas within the Ultra’s picture, she nearly appears like a portray from all of the noise discount and over sharpening.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 3x zoom

I completely love this picture from the Ultra of my CNET pal Celso Bulgatti, taken with the devoted 3x zoom digital camera. There’s steadiness with regards to element, and the highlights look so good. It’s delicate, however the cutout impact appears clear, with the transition between in-focus and out-of-focus wanting pure. His pores and skin tone is a little more saturated than in actual life, nevertheless it appears good.

Speaking of 3x, bear in mind the Ultra has a devoted 3x digital camera whereas the iPhone is utilizing a 3x digital zoom to get the identical picture. And you’ll be able to see the distinction beneath. The iPhone’s picture is not dangerous, nevertheless it has artifacts from the digital zoom, particularly across the flag. Overall the iPhone’s picture appears softer — discover the small print within the ornamentation on the constructing within the background but additionally within the bricks within the constructing on the best.

Here’s one other pair of 3x pictures — of a Star Wars figurine on my desk. The Ultra’s picture appears higher in each method.

iPhone vs. Ultra: 5x zoom battle

Here are some pictures of downtown San Francisco that I took from a rooftop with the 5x digital camera on each telephones. Right away, the iPhone nailed the main target, which the Ultra struggled to do. I do not know if it was the solar reflecting off Salesforce Tower, however the Ultra hunted for focus on this setup anytime I used the 5x digital camera, particularly as I began to zoom in digitally.

Below are 5x optical zoom photographs, each in focus. I just like the Ultra’s extra. It feels just like the iPhone is defending highlights by ramping down the publicity, and as a consequence the shadows are darker. The Ultra has good element all through — discover the bushes within the foreground and the home windows on Salesforce Tower.

I saved zooming in additional on this scene. Below are 15x digital zoom pictures. And once more the Ultra struggled to get focus. I took 4 pictures and all are out of focus, with the fourth one beneath the least out of focus.

The iPhone’s most digital zoom is 25x. Below are pictures from each telephones at that magnification. You may get away sharing these on social media, however neither picture appears good. I give the sting to the Ultra’s picture, which appears cleaner.

But the Ultra can zoom much more, with the picture high quality deteriorating much more. Below is a 50x digital zoom picture. As you’ll be able to see, the noise discount is making the picture look extra like a portray than a photograph from a $1,300 cellphone!

And here is one final picture of this scene, taken at 100x digital zoom. It’s so processed and comfortable that it does not appear to be a photograph. And once more the Ultra struggled to get focus.

Below is a pair of 5x pictures of Maisie the cat. Both look good. The iPhone captured extra of the feel in her fur and is general brighter.

The Ultra’s generative AI issue

I am unable to imagine I’ve made it this far with out mentioning AI. For years, telephones have used AI, algorithms and machine studying to enhance pictures and create distinctive modes, like for portraits or evening pictures. None of that is new to both cellphone. But the S24 Ultra has some new generative AI instruments referred to as Galaxy AI, much like the expertise that powers ChatGPT and Dall-E and starting from novelty to helpful.

Most of this occurs within the Ultra’s Gallery app and could be utilized solely after you’re taking a photograph or document a video. For occasion, I can use the Generative Edit device to take away an individual or object from a photograph and fill within the empty area. I may transfer an individual or object round or change their dimension. This device and others nonetheless really feel extra experimental than reliable. Sometimes after I eliminated an object or an individual there have been apparent indicators that one thing was manipulated, whether or not it was an odd texture or an odd halo of what was there earlier than. Other instances, the AI generated one thing random to fill within the area.

For instance, I attempted to have it take away an individual from the picture beneath just for the Ultra to interchange him with a round cafe desk. Did it take away the individual? Yes. Is it odd for there to be a restaurant desk on the roof of a constructing the place there is not a restaurant or different tables? Yes.

One space the place the Generative Edit device is beneficial is for straightening pictures. When I straighten a photograph on the iPhone (and most different telephones) the image is cropped in to get the specified end result. On the S24 Ultra, Generative Edit can fill within the elements of a photograph past the body, that weren’t even there, eliminating the necessity to crop in.

Obviously, the iPhone does not have any of those generative AI options in-built to its Camera or Photos apps. At this level, I do not suppose that is a miss, however as generative AI options enhance and grow to be extra helpful, their absence might be an enormous drawback. Even although portrait mode does not use generative AI, suppose how significantly better it’s right now versus the clumsy background blurs of years previous when the characteristic first got here out.

iPhone vs. Samsung: Final ideas 

As you’ve got seen, each telephones take glorious pictures. In my time with the Ultra, I’ve been blown away by the standard of the pictures, particularly these from the 3x lens. And I completely love that low-reflection display, it is a small however vital enchancment.

Though I did not go into comparisons of all the varied modes or movies, each telephones are evenly matched in these areas as properly. The iPhone has a slight edge in its means to document ProRes video recordsdata, although there are third-party Android apps that may do the identical. 

The greatest barrier for me, and most of the people, goes to be the worth. Paying $1,200 or $1,300 or extra for bigger storage is a big funding that goes properly past simply how good the cameras are. I’d doubtless push individuals towards a smaller iPhone 15 Pro, or Google’s Pixel 8 Pro. Both nonetheless value a grand, however are a whole bunch lower than the Ultra or 15 Pro Max.

Want to see how the Ultra does in opposition to one of many different finest cellphone cameras? Check out our digital camera comparability between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Pixel 8 Pro.