Each phone has its strengths, depending on what you’re looking for.
It’s always an interesting challenge to see how the two best smartphone cameras fit together. I spent a week shooting photos with an iPhone 16 Pro Max and a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, comparing everything from sharpness and color contrast to zoom ability. Both phones come into their own, but both have their moments when they steal the spotlight.
Let’s start off with some specs. The iPhone 16 Pro Max features 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, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, 10-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and 50-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. It also has a 12-megapixel front-facing camera, and can shoot up to 8K video.
It’s important to note that more megapixels doesn’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 NZ$2,399 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. Thankfully, iPhone case makers like Speck and Otterbox have quickly developed cases to make that new button easily accessible, if, like me, you’re trying to warm up to the concept while keeping your phone protected.
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Now, let’s get into the photos.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra photo comparisons
iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Galaxy S24 Ultra.
iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Galaxy S24 Ultra.
iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Galaxy S24 Ultra.
iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Galaxy S24 Ultra.
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The photos showed slightly higher overall brightness in iPhone 16 Pro Max photos, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra photos showed higher shades of each color. But both are very beautiful and striking, and I’m impressed by how little difference there is between them.
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.
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. But you’ll get smooth shots, especially when set to 60fps, on both devices.
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. But 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 is also matching 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. And 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.