The iPhone 16 Pro Max has been out less than a month and includes several improvements to its cameras, including a new shortcut button. Despite the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has been on sale for 9 months, it’s likely Apple’s biggest rival when it comes to photography. If you’re a creative type, like a photographer or filmmaker, choosing which phone camera is best can be a tough decision. So I decided to test both phones against each other to find out.
It’s always a fun challenge to see how two of the best smartphone cameras stack up. I spent a week shooting photos and videos with the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Galaxy S24 Ultra to compare everything from sharpness to color contrast to zoom capabilities. Both phones certainly pulled their weight, but there were moments when each stole the spotlight.
Let’s start off with some specs. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 48-megapixel main camera with a wide-angle lens, a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. It also has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera. The iPhone 16 Pro Max can shoot up to 4K video at 120fps.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra, meanwhile, sports a 200-megapixel wide camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, a 10-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and a 50-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. It also has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera and can shoot up to 8K video resolution.
Watch this: iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Camera Comparison
It’s important to note that more megapixels don’t automatically mean better photos, as a phone’s software plays an important role too. The best way to get the full picture is to test out the cameras in the real world. Also, while I’m comparing photos taken at the default setting on each phone, customization is becoming a bigger focus through tools like the new Photographic Styles feature and tone mapping on the iPhone. That way, you can bump up saturation or contrast however you’d like.
Price-wise, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,200 for 256GB of internal storage, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra will cost you $100 more for the same storage amount.
What’s new on this year’s iPhone lineup is the Camera Control button, which sits on the right side of the phone and lets you trigger the camera, snap photos and swipe to change settings like exposure, aperture and zoom. I’ve enjoyed using it as a shortcut to summon the camera, but don’t yet see the appeal of doing much else with it, especially when using the touchscreen (the old-fashioned way) works just fine. (My colleague Bridget Carey has similar thoughts.) Thankfully, iPhone case makers like Speck and Otterbox have quickly developed cases to make that new button easily accessible, if you’re like me and are trying to warm up to the concept while keeping your phone protected.
Now, let’s get into the photos.
Favorite iPhone 16 Pro Max photos
Before jumping into the comparison, here are a few shots from the iPhone 16 Pro Max that really show how it shines.
An afternoon stroll at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. Notice the reflection on the water.
This nighttime shot is one of my favorites because of how crisp and vibrant all the colors are, and how rich the dark sky looks in the background too.
The best opportunity to test the 5x optical zoom was from the nosebleeds of Oakland Arena during a Hans Zimmer concert. It did not disappoint.
Another one with that 5x optical zoom, because I love how the golden hour light illuminates this shot at Lake Merritt.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra photo comparisons
To compare the cameras on these two phones, I toted them around San Francisco, brought them along on nighttime strolls and used them to shoot concert videos.
During an afternoon walk at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra both captured this satisfyingly crisp cascade. The S24 Ultra image is slightly brighter throughout, especially among the trees and shrubs in the background.
iPhone 16 Pro Max takes crisp photos, even with elements in motion.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra produces slightly brighter results.
These shots of a mural show a slightly higher overall brightness on the iPhone 16 Pro Max photo and deeper shades of each color on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Both are beautifully eye-catching, and I’m impressed with how little variation there is between them.
iPhone 16 Pro Max delivers consistent results with vivid colors.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra’s color photos show a bit more richness.
My favorite way to test portrait mode is by photographing a plant to see whether the camera picks up on any stray leaves of flowers and keeps them focused in the foreground. In this comparison, each phone does a comparable job in that regard, but I like how the S24 Ultra brightens the overall image and reduces a lot of those harsh shadows.
High contrast is typical in bright settings with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra softens the shadows, in contrast.
Applying Portrait mode to pictures of people, these shots of my colleagues Faith Chihil and Jessica Fierro demonstrate that same brightness in the S24 Ultra photo, and the telephone booth in the background is a more vibrant red than in the iPhone photo. I actually prefer the iPhone 16 Pro Max image; the colors are darker but more true-to-life, bringing richness to the image by playing up the black of Faith’s shirt and the blue of Jessica’s jeans. Both photos feature a clean background blur.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max provides more realistic lighting in this photo.
You get slightly more brightness with indoor photos taken on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
One of the features I was most eager to play with was camera zoom. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has .5x, 1x, 2x and 5x optical zoom, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra has .6x, 1x, 3x, 5x and 10x optical zoom.
The S24 Ultra’s 10x zoom really is quite impressive, as it preserves the quality of the shot and its sharpness. The 5x zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro Max also showcases stunning detail and crispness. In these images of a skyscraper captured at a distance from Salesforce Park, the S24 Ultra again brightens up the overall shot, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max brings a sharpness that can best be seen by looking at the more defined windows of the building ahead.
.5 zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro Max results in higher sharpness.
1x zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro Max retains sharpness without distortion.
2x zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, still with crystal clarity.
Even at 5x zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the detail impresses.
.6x zoom on the Galaxy S24 Ultra distorts perspective a bit but is brighter.
1x zoom on the Galaxy S24 Ultra with higher contrast between light and dark.
3x zoom on the Galaxy S24 Ultra with decently clear results.
Although not as crisp, the 5x zoom on the Galaxy S24 Ultra performs comparably.
The 10x zoom on the Galaxy S24 Ultra provides impressive range.
Flipping to the front-facing cameras, the biggest difference is in color, as the S24 Ultra brightens up my face and black shirt a bit more, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max depicts deeper colors throughout, from the green of my couch to my complexion. Even the wall behind me takes on more of a beige hue, as opposed to the grayer, more muted shade in the S24 Ultra image. Both photos are pleasingly sharp and focused.
More richness achieved with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Targeted brightness improves my complexion with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
One of the areas in which I feel the iPhone has significantly improved over the years is with nighttime shots, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max did a great job of brightening up low-light images and making them pop. I still prefer this nighttime shot taken on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, since the sky is a more vivid blue, but the colorful lighting is similarly punchy in both photos.
Big improvements have been made to the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s ability to take night photos.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra produces richer colors at night.
I brought both phones to Hans Zimmer Live to test out not only the quality of video footage but also zoom capabilities as I sat way in the nosebleeds. Both delivered crisp footage, despite all the flashing lights and my distance from the stage, but the S24 Ultra really came in clutch with that 10x optical zoom; I could clearly see Zimmer’s face even from so far away. Other folks had their binoculars, I had the S24 Ultra.
The iPhone 16 Pro lineup introduces 4K slow-motion recording at 120fps, while the S24 Ultra has a UHD slow-motion setting at 120fps. That 4K setting on the iPhone brings a crispness and higher level of detail that makes these videos pop — even if you don’t really find yourself recording in slow motion all that often.
In other, more everyday instances, I still prefer video on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, as footage looks sharper and colors are more true-to-life. You’ll get smooth shots, especially when set to 60fps, on both devices.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra have their strengths.
Final thoughts
Given the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are some of the best camera phones you can get your hands on today, which images are “better” often comes down to personal preference.
I’ve always admired the vibrancy of photos captured on Galaxy phones; the higher saturation and brightness can offer richer-looking images, especially out in nature and with photos of people. I also admire the sharpness of photos and videos on the iPhone, and how images tend to appear more true to real-life colors.
Night mode used to be something that clearly set the Galaxy apart from the iPhone, but Apple has upped its game in recent years, and images shot at night on both devices are almost indistinguishable in terms of quality. Portrait mode also matches up more on both devices, as the iPhone used to be leagues ahead of its competitors in that regard. Both devices offer impressive zoom capabilities, though the S24 Ultra still takes the cake with that 10x optical zoom. Selfies are equally flattering — despite minor color differences — on both devices.
All this to say, no matter which phone you choose to spend your hard-earned money on, you hopefully won’t be let down.
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