Camera Champions Face Off: iPhone 16 Pro vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra

When you’re trying to find the best cam to usher in your pocket, you require to consider as we speak’s top-tier telephones. The imaging talents of the iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra are amongst the best money can get. And with touring interval improve, convey a telephone is likely to be one of the crucial sensible cam. But for image data precisely how do these 2 cell titans distinction?

To study, I fired quite a few footage making use of each telephones in a spread of issues to see which telephone takes the best-looking images. What’s “best” is often to particular person perspective so whereas I’ll offer my particular person tackle every examination as an knowledgeable digital photographer and providing my causes I favor one over the assorted different, you would possibly effectively find that you just favor the assorted different. So look by way of the number of cases under and see if you happen to contain a varied ultimate thought.

Read way more: Best Camera Phone of 2025

All images revealed have truly been taken making use of every telephone’s default cam setting making use of default setups, except or else specified. While images from the Galaxy S25 have truly been posted as taken, the iPhone’s images have truly wanted to be remodeled by way of Adobe Lightroom as our posting system doesn’t maintain Apple’s default HEIF image structure. This process doesn’t affect the image in any respect.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Starting out with a very simple exterior scene. Both telephones have truly accomplished a superb activity catching an additionally direct publicity under and each images are loaded with data. It’s difficult to select in between them, nonetheless the iPhone has the facet for me because it’s completed a considerably hotter image with much more natural-looking tones. The S25 Ultra’s image seems as effectively saturated, particularly in heaven skies, which I find pretty disruptive.

It’s related story once we change to the ultrawide lenses on each telephones. I favor the hotter tones within the iPhone’s shot, that makes the S25 Ultra’s look pretty chilly comparative. I likewise favor the lighter darkness on the iPhone’s image, making it a very simple win for the iPhone under. Notably, each telephones are doing a superb activity of constructing up for the ultrawide lenses on the sides (a function activated by default on each telephones); the barrier continues to be straight in every shot and never bending as you ‘d usually see making use of a lens this broad.

There’s virtually no distinction in between these 2 exterior scenes. The bloom seems crisp on each images, with excellent common direct publicity. The iPhone’s image is as soon as once more a bit of hotter in tone nonetheless it’s minimal.

The Galaxy S25 takes a very simple win with this picture of bluebells. The shades are much more full of life, particularly within the eco-friendlies on the blades of turf, which look pretty rinsed on the iPhone’s image. It actually resembles the S25’s cam lens is a bit of polarized to lower representations and increase saturation, nonetheless I don’t perceive if that holds true. Either means, Samsung takes the win under.

At 5x zoom factors worsen for the iPhone Despite the bluebells being pretty away, the telephone appeared incapable to perform a pointy think about the blossoms. The S25 Ultra, however, dealt with to perform a pointy image with richer shades.

I favor the iPhone’s image under although. It’s brighter and the hotter shades on the blocks on the encompassing buildings look much more real looking.

The iPhone’s image is as soon as once more brighter under and I favor its shades as effectively. The Galaxy S25 Ultra does have the facet in nice data, nonetheless. You truly require to focus to see it nonetheless the little strains on the construction are a bit of sharper on the S25.

The S25 Ultra does have a bodily profit over the iPhone with its 10x optical zoom lens, which permits it to focus additionally higher whereas nonetheless protecting a pin-sharp image.

You can nonetheless electronically focus with the iPhone to 10x, and the outcomes aren’t poor. I favor the shades of the S25 Ultra’s shot under, nonetheless the excellence completely isn’t that recognizable.

Zooming in close to to see the good data, the S25 Ultra’s optical zoom image most positively has a bit of bit way more clearness nonetheless the digital upscaling on the iPhone’s shot has truly accomplished a superb activity under, as the excellence isn’t large.

iPhone 16 Pro vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Night settings contrasted

At initially glimpse, the one precise distinction in between the iPhone’s 5x shot and the S25 Ultra’s 5x shot is the shade equilibrium. And in truth, I wouldn’t have a selection in between the hotter tone of the iPhone or the much more magenta prejudice of the S25.

However, if you focus close to to the data, the iPhone has truly created a sharper image under, with a wierd sort of digital obscuring across the gentle message within the S25 Ultra’s image. So in some instances the S25 Ultra’s zoom is sharper, varied different instances it’s the iPhone’s. I’m completely satisfied they’re making this easy for me.

Again, the one precise distinction under stays within the shade equilibrium and I don’t truly perceive which I favor. The direct publicity, sound levels and amount of knowledge are nearly the identical.

Things altered after I modified to the ultrawide lenses, nonetheless. The S25 Ultra’s shot is most positively brighter, catching much more data within the rocks within the foreground and within the buildings distant. The iPhone’s image is way darker common.

Just to perplex factors much more, the iPhone’s nighttime image with its ultrawide lens is considerably brighter than the S25 Ultra’s on this occasion that I fired in theArctic I actually wanted to establish the image metadata to make sure I had not mixed these up, nonetheless I’ve not. The iPhone’s image has truly caught way more gentle information under and created much more data on the ice door to the best.

The iPhone’s nighttime image is as soon as once more a bit of brighter under nonetheless it’s likewise maintained the good highlights on the membership indication managed. On the S25 Ultra’s image, these highlights are virtually shed to pure white nonetheless the great eco-friendly and yellow tones have truly been maintained within the iPhone’s image. The shades usually are considerably hotter on the iPhone’s shot, however, which could not be to your desire. Here, I imagine they operate effectively.

But on this occasion, the iPhone has truly created a surprisingly warm-looking image that I truly don’t corresponding to. Those cozy shades had been absent on the time of seize and it doesn’t assist the scene, particularly not with such stable orange tones overhead. The S25 Ultra’s image is much more effectively balanced common and it’s a considerably sharper image as effectively. It’s an very simple win for Samsung under.

Things don’t improve for the iPhone when making use of the ultra-wide lens. Its image is as soon as once more pestered by extraordinarily cozy tones, whereas the S25 Ultra’s shot is each way more color-accurate and brighter.

iPhone 16 Pro vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which takes a lot better selfies?

While the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s selfie is a bit of brighter, I don’t like what it’s completed with the shades. My face has truly been made an uncommon shade of orange and my denim coat is a a lot deeper blue than it truly is. The complexion on the iPhone’s shot are much more precise, and its shot is sharper too.

Both telephones have a wider-angle setting for the selfie cam, though the iPhone’s seems to be a complete lot larger. That’s most positively value taking into consideration if you happen to usually corresponding to to pack nice offers of fine mates proper into your group footage. You would possibly most definitely press on the very least a few further good mates in if you happen to utilized the iPhone, or want to decide on that you just just like the very least and go away them out of construction if you happen to utilized the S25Ultra Otherwise, the image distinctions coincide as beforehand.

iPhone 16 Pro Vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which cam is a lot better?

I’ve created lots of these distinction gadgets on totally different generations of telephones in my 14 years at and I don’t keep in mind having truly accomplished one which’s felt this shut. The hassle is that neither telephone excels often in a single location; the iPhone 16 Pro’s ultra-wide photographs aren’t as good because the S25 Ultra’s, aside from on these occasions when they are surely, confusingly. I’ve taken much more images not consisted of under that each help just a few of my verdicts and counsel versus them. Go quantity.

But there are some takeaways I can provide self-confidence. Generally speaking, the iPhone’s shades are way more all-natural than the S25 Ultra’s, which may in some instances look extraordinarily saturated. This has truly held true with virtually each Samsung telephone contemplating that the agency started inserting video cameras in them and it’s nonetheless the occasion as we speak. Those looking for an additional all-natural base image to make use of your very personal filters and impacts over will definitely be a lot better matched with the iPhone 16 Pro.

But that’s a lot much less the occasion within the night, when the iPhone way more often provides hotter tones that look a lot much less all-natural than the S25Ultra’s So, if night digital pictures is essential to you, the S25 Ultra is likely to be the a lot better various. Overall, its night setting images from all lenses had been brighter and sharper.

Sure, the S25 Ultra has the extended zoom selection nonetheless you ‘d actually require to understand you’ll make the most of a 10x zoom to validate choosing one over the assorted different. Personally, I find the 5x zoom diploma a superb nice space and under the telephones are virtually on the identical degree. And on these unusual occasions you would possibly want to press factors much more, the iPhone’s digital zoom can nonetheless provide sharp outcomes.

There are varied different factors for digital photographers to consider as effectively: Apple’s Pro Raw is implausible and whereas the agency’s Photographic Styles will be useful for together with an progressive goal to your images, Samsung’s brand-new gadget for simulating the shade high quality from occasion footage you feed it features remarkably effectively– I actually imagine I may get hold of much more utilization out of that common. I’ve not additionally entered into video clip high-quality both, which is a complete varied different publish, particularly if you consider each telephones shoot Log video clip, though simply the iPhone makes use of Pro Res.

Deciding in between the telephones primarily based totally on the video cameras is nigh on tough. Which one you should get hold of will definitely quite boil right down to the bigger inquiry of iphone versus Android; which system you’re at present making use of and which one will definitely operate greatest with varied different gadgets of expertise in your life. But for simple picture high-quality, you would possibly too throw a coin.