Category: Samsung

I didn’t think I was going to be this excited

Verdict

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 arguably gets its biggest upgrades in years, with the changes making this flip-style phone even more versatile. Highlights include robust cameras features, helpful multimodal AI functionality, and support for Samsung DeX.

Pros

• +Bigger Flex Window display
• +Now supports Samsung DeX
• +Price remains the same
• +Multimodal AI thanks to Flex Mode

Cons

• -Cameras are essentially unchanged

For years I’ve always tried to convince myself to pick Samsung’s Z Flip phones as one of my daily drivers, but they’ve always come up short. This time, however, that could change thanks to the huge upgrades that theGalaxy Z Flip 7is getting.

Samsung’s foldable flip phone receives a big makeover complete with larger inner and outer screens, more Galaxy AI features, bigger battery, and — for the first time ever in the series —Samsung DeXsupport. Everyone knows this is theone request I’ve been asking, so it took seven generations of the Flip for Samsung to finally add it.

What’s better is that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 remains at the same $1,099 starting price as last year’sGalaxy Z Flip 6, while also undercutting the $1,299Motorola Razr Ultra (2025), currently thebest foldable phoneyou can buy.

But Samsung’s not just introducing just one flip-style phone. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is joined by the cheaperGalaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

I honestly think that the Z Flip 7 is as close to perfect when it comes to flip-style phones. I’ve spent some hands-on time with Sammy’s new flip phones, and there’s a lot that could get you excited for this year’s batch.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Specifications

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Price and availability

Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which sees a U.S. price hike, I’m really happy Samsung’s keeping the price of the Z Flip 7 at $1,099. At this price, I would argue that Samsung’s phone has a clear advantage over the pricier Razr Ultra (2025) — just as long as the new phone’s processing and battery performances don’t disappoint. The $1,099 price comes with 256GB of storage and it’s available in four colors (Blue Shadow, Coralred, Jetblack, and Mint).

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE has a lower $899 starting price, but it comes with 128GB of storage and your choice of either white or black. I’m not sure how I feel about this, especially given how the cheaper FE has a lot of similarities with last year’s Z Flip 6. Plus, it’s nowhere as competitively priced as theMotorola Razr (2025)at $699.

I was hoping for more of a price gap between the Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE because $200 just isn’t enough. Regardless, both phones are available for pre-order starting today (July 9) — with full availability starting on July 25.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Design

Almost instantly I’m drawn to the larger 4.1-inch Flex Window on the outside of the Z Flip 7. It’s bigger for sure than the Z Flip 6’s 3.4-inch panel, but I like how the screen goes all the way to the edges this time around and wraps around the cameras — plus it helps that there’s an ever so tiny bezel around it. This size increase definitely makes it much more usable than before, which I’ll explain more when talking about the phone’s software.

Although it’s not as noticeable, the Z Flip 7 technically grows in size and is a smidge wider than the Z Flip 6. Another minuscule difference is how the corners are less rounded than before, but apart from these changes, the new model looks just like last year’s Flip.

Samsung says that its new Amor FlexHinge is much more durable, but it’s hard to say for sure if that’s true. Yes, I find its snapping action much more responsive than the hinge on the Z Flip 7 FE, but the crease where the main display folds in half is still noticeable.

One area where Samsung is doing a better job than anyone else is supplying the Z Flip 7 with a wealth of accessories, including newFlipSuit casesthat not only protect the phone, but also add custom wallpapers when they’re installed. Most of them are static wallpapers, but there’s one that I saw that’s dynamic and made it feel like I was playing a pinball machine with the Flex Window.

As for the Z Flip 7 FE’s design, it looks and feels a lot like the Z Flip 6 — down to the notch design with its Flex Window. It feels solidly constructed, but the hinge seems to be stiffer than what I’d like. On top of that, you only have black and white colors to choose from.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Display

Just as before, the 4.1-inch Flex Window on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 can be customized to include a bunch of different widgets. However, it’s still annoying that this panel doesn’t run full apps natively like the cover display on the Razr line. This means you’ll still have to download the Good Lock app. It’s one inconvenience that’s worth pursuing because many apps in Android 16 are customized to fit better on different screens.

The Z Flip 7’s 6.9-inch inner display looks just as gorgeous as ever, complete with wide viewing angles, punch looking colors, and plenty of detail. At just the right angle, however, I can still make out the crease running through the phone, which isn’t terrible especially compared to notebook style foldables.

Due to the Z Flip 7’s narrower design than your standard slate, it does cause videos to have black bars to the left and right in landscape — which can expand to fill out the entire screen with a pinch gesture. So far, I have no complaints about the display, but I’m hoping it turns out to be brighter.

The Z Flip 7 FE essentially has the same display as the Z Flip 6, right down to the sizes. As noted above, the Flex Window still has the same notch cutout as before, but it still gets the same level of utility that lets me take selfies using the rear cameras. The 6.7-inch main display looks just as good as the one on the Z Flip 7, complete with the same saturated color tones and viewing angles.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Cameras

On paper, it doesn’t look like Samsung has upgraded the cameras — so it appears to be the same 50MP main and 12MP ultrawide combination. Even if the sensors are unchanged, I’m optimistic that the performance will be improved thanks to Samsung’s updated ProVisual Engine and support for 10-bit HDR video. Likewise, Samsung claims optical-like quality with 2x zoom with the main camera.

The Z Flip 7 could be the ultimate camera phone for content creators thanks in large part to how I can lean on the Flex Window to shoot videos of myself with the superior rear cameras instead of the 10MP selfie cam on the main display. Camera enthusiasts will love the rich modes and manual controls this camera phone offers, including portrait video and pro video, that make it a lot more versatile when I can activate a preview with the Flex Window while using the main screen.

Among the new camera tricks included this year is Auto Zoom with the Flex Cam, which lets the camera automatically pick the best cameras to ensure everyone in the shot is in frame. I tested it out by placing the phone on a table with the Flex Cam pointing upward while I moved around. Not only did Auto Zoom track me, but it also will switch between the main and ultrawide cameras to fit everyone.

Curiously, the Z Flip 7 FE packs a similar 50MP main and 12MP ultrawide, along with a 10MP selfie camera. Functionally, it has the same useful features as the Z Flip 7, but obviously you’re working with a smaller outer screen — which isn’t a deal breaker.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Performance

Ever since the first model, Samsung has leaned onQualcomm’s chips to power its Z Flip line. That changes this year because for the first time ever in the series, Samsung’s using its in-house Exynos chips instead. That means anExynos 2500and 2400 for the Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE, respectively.

I’m not sure how this could impact performance one either phone, but it’s something to pay attention to given the class-leading performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite that won’t feature in the latest Flips. So far, though, the Flip 7 feels snappy running different tasks — but that could change once I actually use it.

I have the same sentiments about theExynos 2400 that’s powering the FE, which is actually made using a 4nm process instead of the 3nm one with the Exynos 2500.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Battery life and charging

With its larger size, the Z Flip 7 gets a larger 4,300 mAh battery — up from the Z Flip 6’s 4,000 mAh power pack. Now, what’s going to be critical will be the power efficiency features offered by the Exynos 2500.

I’m confident that the larger capacity alone is enough to propel the new model’s battery life over last year’s Z Flip 6, but the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is going to need a lot to break past the Motorola Razr Ultra’s mark of 15 hours and 42 minutes in our battery benchmark test. The Z Flip 6 came in well under at 11 hours and 1 minute running the same test.

It doesn’t appear like Samsung has changed the charging speeds for the Z Flip 7, so it’s still stuck on the same 25W wired charging speed as before. Samsung hasn’t disclosed the wireless charging speed, but I suspect it’s the same 15W speed featured on the Z Flip 6.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Software and AI

The biggest selling point with most flagships these days centers around the amount of AI features they come with — and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is no exception. For starters, the new model gains the same newGalaxy AI featuresthat were introduced by theGalaxy S25line earlier this year. They consist of theNow Brief,Now Bar,cross app actions, and my favorite, multimodal AI.

Fundamentally, I can run Gemini Live and let it access my Galaxy Z Flip 7 camera to see what I’m seeing and proceed to ask it questions. But since this is a flip-style phone, it’s a lot like having Samantha — the AI chatbot in the2013 film “Her”— that Joaquin Phoenix carries around in his shirt pocket to interact with the real world. I really dig this level of interaction with Gemini, especially when it can be helpful for a number of things.

I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with the new One UI 8 interface that’s running on top of Android 16 on the Z Flip 7, but it carries a lot of the staple features that I’m used to seeing with Samsung’s phones. For example, it’s really big on multi-tasking with features like split screen.

More importantly, the Z Flip 7 is finally getting the one feature I’ve been asking for years — Samsung DeX. This opens up a whole new experience that the series has never seen before, so I’m eager to see what changes, if any, Samsung makes with this version.

In my even shorter time with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, the software appears mostly identical to the Flip 7. One UI 8 looks and feels identical, including new additions like the Now Brief, the same widgets for the Flew Window display, and the various Flex Modes to capture content with the cameras. The only thing it’s missing is Samsung DeX support.

More time is needed to get a good idea of how the software works, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s shaping out to be a rich experience that caters to productivity, entertainment, and content creation.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review: Outlook

Considering how there’s been stiff competition with foldable phones the last couple of years, it’s nice to see that Samsung has finally responded in a big way with the Galaxy Z Flip 7. By choosing to keep the new model’s price unchanged, while adding bigger upgrades that I feel are the most substantial to date, Samsung has a strong chance at convincing people to adopt a foldable.

I’m particularly stoked about Samsung DeX and its multimodal AI, but I’m still a little apprehensive about the chipset switch to Exynos silicon. Depending on how our testing goes, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 has the potential of pulling ahead of the Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) — and I think it’s the better foldable against the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

As much as I’m happy for Samsung to bring to market a lower cost Flip, I’m really torn about where the FE model is supposed to fit in the lineup. Samsung certainly will have a harder time convincing people to choose the FE over the standard Flip 7, but it’s even more confusing that the new low-cost model doesn’t offer any additional incentives to differentiate it against the Flip 6.

Three titans of mobile photography face off

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL in a Mous case (left), Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in a Mous case (right), OnePlus 13 (top)

There’s no denying that theiPhone 16 Procounts among thebest camera phonesin 2025, but if you’re not interested in usingApple’s wares, the Android side of the fence has a far more varied and versatile range of alternatives to consider.

Three of the best and brightest right now come from Google, OnePlus, andSamsung, whose 2025 flagships all boast top-tier performance and the latest AI smarts, while also touting some of the finest photographic abilities in the mobile space.

ThePixel 9 Prosports the series’ most advanced imaging hardware, backed by the brand’s ever-impressive AI-enabled post-processing magic. TheOnePlus 13once again features a camera system tuned by famed photography brand Hasselblad, and theGalaxy S25 Ultraoffers a variety of large sensors with Samsung’s richest image and video toolset to date.

Each of the scenarios tested in this comparison will include a category winner, but while one phone might demonstrate technical superiority over its rivals, ultimately, the best phone here depends on which you think took the best photos overall.

Some phones favor accuracy, while others deliver more stylized and striking shots, which might be more to your taste. Read on to see how these three camera kings compare.

Note:Unless otherwise specified, comparison shots in galleries are presented in the following order: Pixel, OnePlus, Galaxy.

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Specs comparison

Here’s how the three phones in question compare from a specs perspective:

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Main sensor

Let’s start with the camera you’re likely to use the majority of the time: the main sensor. Below are shots taken without edits, as if you’d just opened the camera app, lined up your subject, and hit the shutter.

As a result, we can compare just how each phone’s camera has been tuned to handle everything from white balance and color reproduction to dynamic range and detail.

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Statue of Joshua Reynolds

This brightly backlit statue poses a good challenge for the average camera phone; not just because of the high contrast scene, but as a result of the muted tones of the stonework, which juxtapose the vibrant blue sky and bright clouds behind.

The Pixel produced the most technically impressive shot, with itsHDRalgorithm ensuring detail was retained even in the darkest areas of the scene. Lots of color information was retained, too, with accurate blues and reds in the sky and flag, as well as reflecting off the front of the statue itself.

One criticism would be that, perhaps, the HDR processing is too heavy-handed, resulting in a flatter and less dynamic image.

As for the OnePlus 13, what’s assumed to be a slightly more limited dynamic range, paired with heavier-handed processing, results in a more dramatic shot, with a darker overall appearance and more pronounced shadows.

While the stopped-down (i.e. decreased aperture) scene delivers richer detail in the bright cloud compared to the Pixel, the result is otherwise underexposed, while color depth appears lacking when comparing the RA poster in the right of frame.

Lastly, we have the S25 Ultra’s take: a Goldilocks result, which delivers better processing than the OnePlus but retains more shadows than the Pixel, resulting in a more dynamic image.

While exposure and colors look natural, as we’ve seen before, the large blocks of color – like the sky – highlight issues with image depth, showing obvious colour banding, not present in the Pixel’s images. Nonetheless, the Ultra produces the most appealing shot of the three here.

Winner:Galaxy S25 Ultra

Corner windows

Each phone’s 2x zoom crops in on the main sensor, paired with some post-capture clean-up to produce a final image.

As discovered in ouriPhone 16 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro, Galaxy S25 Ultra camera comparison, Pixel shots have a tendency to skew towards magenta hues, while the S25 Ultra’s sport a more true-to-life – but still distinct – green/yellow tint, and that’s apparent here.

The OnePlus’ shot here looks closer to the S25 than the Pixel, but arrives at a distinctly different conclusion with regards to exposure and contrast. It’s more dramatic and interesting, but lacks finesse, especially in the finer details.

Detail capture goes to the Pixel for presenting a more natural-looking image, while the Ultra serves up sharper detail at the expense of looking over-processed.

Winner:Pixel 9 Pro

Chelsea Flower Show

This naturally lit close-up shot of a table arrangement at the Chelsea Flower Show tests for things like color science, depth of field, and lens distortion.

Aside from the fact that I didn’t realize until after the fact that the Pixel focused on the background instead of the foreground, like the other two phones, it performed admirably.

Contrary to expectations, the Pixel stopped down compared to both the OnePlus and Galaxy, resulting in accurate colors but slight underexposure versus the reality of the scene. Dynamic range, too, appears lacking compared to other Pixel shots, suggesting a degree of inconsistency not seen from the other phones’ main sensors.

The OnePlus 13 delivered a brighter and well-colored image, with a natural depth of field. However, the quality of the bokeh (background blur) just wasn’t as well handled as on the Samsung.

The result from the S25 Ultra was otherwise very similar to the OnePlus, although the brand’s penchant for punchy hue robs the shot of authentic color, with the magentas in particular pushing towards fluorescent.

Winner:OnePlus 13

Macro

All three phones possess a dedicated macro shooting mode, which uses their respective ultra-wide sensors to allow you to get as close as 2 (in the case of the OnePlus 13) to 3cm (the Pixel and Galaxy) away from a subject in order to capture minute close-up details.

Below, we’re comparing macro shots of an orange rose, captured using both the dedicated macro mode on each phone and their main sensors.

Ultra-wide

Although accurately colored, the Pixel’s post-processing removed much of the high-contrast information from the image, stripping out specular highlights, resulting in a very flat image.

By contrast, the OnePlus 13 actually did the best job of retaining color information and managing dynamic range, detail, and depth of field.

The S25 Ultra’s result looks pleasing at first blush, save for the fact that it completely miscolored the subject. Its penchant for heavier post-processing results in the sharpest final image, but this comes at the expense of more artifacting and distortion towards the edge of the frame.

Winner:OnePlus 13

Main sensor

It’s a similar story when using these phones’ main sensors; however, the Galaxy S25 Ultra does a much better job of correctly coloring the image. It’s almost as if the algorithm Samsung is using assumes that, as most photos of roses are red, the one in this image should be colored as such, but that’s just speculation on my part.

Nonetheless, the Pixel’s result is still too flat, while the OnePlus delivers the most dynamic and appealing shot overall.

Winner:OnePlus 13

Zoom

If you’re familiar with the last few generations of Samsung’s Ultra series, you’ll know that they come equipped with the most competent optical hardware for telephoto photography.

The S25 Ultra boasts both a 3x and 5x optical telephoto snapper, along with a 100x ceiling, which, although not necessarily usable at full extension, allows for effective long-range capture at magnification below this threshold, all the way down to 10x.

Such powerful photographic hardware doesn’t automatically grant the Galaxy the win, however.

Pixel 9 Pro at 0.5x zoom

Pixel 9 Pro at 1x zoom

Pixel 9 Pro at 2x zoom

Pixel 9 Pro at 5x zoom

Pixel 9 Pro at 10x zoom

Pixel 9 Pro at 30x zoom

The Pixel comes with the most limited focal range of all three phones, topping out at 30x magnification. 30x shots are pretty soft but remain usable, which can’t be said for the peak of its rivals’ respective zoom ranges.

At every focal length before its maximum, the Pixel 9 Pro’s zoom impresses. Even at 10x, you’re getting crisp details, authentic colors, and great dynamic range.

OnePlus 13 at 0.6x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 1x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 2x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 3x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 6x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 10x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 20x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 30x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 60x zoom

OnePlus 13 at 120x zoom

There’s minimal color distortion and impressive management of white balance, exposure, and dynamic range throughout the OnePlus’ zoom.

However, over-processing – especially past 10x magnification – leads to excessive edge detection and erroneous contrast management. The fact that shots at the phone’s maximum 120x zoom range are still usable impresses, though.

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 0.5x zoom

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 1x zoom

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 2x zoom

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 3x zoom

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 5x zoom

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 10x zoom

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 30x zoom

Galaxy S25 Ultra at 100x zoom

Besides its punchier color science, the zoom shots out of the S25 Ultra deliver everything that the Pixel does but across a wider array of focal lengths.

Sure, it’s 100x maximum isn’t readily usable, but Samsung’s post-processing here is more elegant than OnePlus’, meaning it takes the crown.

Winner:Galaxy S25 Ultra

Low light

Modern phones use all sorts of tricks to capture decent images when there’s minimal light available, from longer exposure times to bracketing and compositing.

These three use all these tricks and more to capture worthwhile images in low light. And for reference, the first image below is a representation of how dark it actually was when capturing these images, so you know just how much work each phone has done to produce its resultant shot.

A reference shot for the real-world lighting conditions in this scene

Standard Photo Mode

Imagine you opened your phone’s camera, didn’t switch to Night mode, and just snapped a shot. That’s what this first sample emulates.

The Pixel captured decent detail and color corrected as close as possible to the colors you’d see if these potted plants had been shot in daylight. The OnePlus, meanwhile, nailed the white balance but lacks the same degree of detail retention.

As for the S25 Ultra, heavier processing presents seemingly sharper imagery, even if that results in a slightly more synthetic overall appearance. As for color correction, it presents a similar result to the Pixel, but with increased saturation, resulting in a loss of color accuracy towards the edge of the frame.

Winner:Pixel 9 Pro

Night Mode

You’ll get better Night Mode shots depending on how still you hold each phone, as they can detect hand-shake and shorten exposure time to compensate.

Night Mode images taken in the hand last three seconds in the case of the Pixel and OnePlus, and eight for the Samsung.

However, set these phones down on a flat surface or use a tripod (and in the case of the OnePlus, actively enable Tripod Mode too), and those shutter times jump to 10 and 25 seconds – in the case of the latter two phones, at least. The Pixel seemingly didn’t feel the need to use a longer exposure, making its result all the more impressive.

The main difference between the Pixel’s own standard and Night Mode shots is even more accurate colors and significantly improved fine detail, while the phone also keeps noise and grain in check. And it’s much the same story with the OnePlus 13.

Activating Night mode on the S25 Ultra delivers the most meaningful improvement against its base Photo Mode result, with greater detail capture and more accurate colors. That said, against its rivals, it still lacked the same degree of fidelity overall.

The OnePlus renders a scene with more detail across the entirety of the frame, but the Pixel’s result is in a league of its own.

Winner:Pixel 9 Pro

Astrophotography Mode

Pixel 9 Pro

Galaxy S25 Ultra

If you lock the Pixel and Galaxy down in a tripod, you also gain access to an Astrophotography Mode, designed to let you capture the night sky. This is something the OnePlus 13 lacks entirely.

In the case of the Pixel, the shutter icon in Night Mode changes to show that the option is available. Tapping it results in a protracted capture time of approximately 4 minutes.

The process of taking astrophotography shots on the S25 Ultra is a little less elegant, if only because it isn’t a feature within the phone’s native camera app. Instead, you have to download Samsung’s separate Expert RAW camera app, wherein you’ll find the Astrophotography Mode, with the option to capture short (three-minute), medium (six-minute), and long (12-minute) exposures.

Whilst novel, neither result here is particularly mind-blowing (although I have seen Astrophotography Mode on both phones lead to some impressive results in other scenarios). The Pixel leads on sharpness, while the S25 Ultra’s image is considerably brighter and more vivid, but also much, much softer.

Winner:Tie

Video

Shooting4K60fps footage on a windy, sunny beach proved an interesting challenge for our three Android champs.

All three demonstrated excellent image stabilization and fast autofocus. While it’s a closely run race between the Pixel and the OnePlus, Google’s phone demonstrated better exposure control (you could see the OnePlus stopping up and down, as it tried to compensate for the available light), as well as marginally clearer audio.

Provided you’re comfortable with Samsung’s signature, more saturated look, however, the S25 Ultra delivered the most attractive footage overall. It offers vibrant-but-realistic colors and the most impressive wind noise reduction and voice separation of these rivals, by quite a margin.

Both the Pixel and Galaxy also allow for AI-backed targeted noise reduction after the fact, to further improve audio quality and reduce background din; another feature the OnePlus 13 lacks.

Winner:Galaxy S25 Ultra

Conclusion

Over the seven categories and 12 sets of photos and videos in this comparison, the S25 Ultra proved to be the overall champ, with key strengths in zoom and portrait photography, as well as video capture.

Our guide to thebest camera phonesdescribes Samsung’s flagship as “the best camera phone for influencers,” and I’m inclined to agree with that assessment given its ability to take dramatic photos that explode with color.

The Pixel 9 Pro is great at capturing fine detail without leaving images over-processed; not to mention it continues the series’ long-standing talent for low-light mastery.

Meanwhile, although the OnePlus 13 may still have some catching up to do, it shouldn’t be discounted, considering its talent for macro shots and portrait flexibility.

Ultimately, whichever phone has the right strengths for your needs, there are no bad options here.

When the temperature hits 90 and wind subsides, I like to head down to the boardwalk. We have a few nearby, but one of my favorites is along Long Beach on the south shore of Long Island. When I head out, I like to grab my sunglasses, sunblock, and a smartphone, or two. In this case, I popped the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max for a Boardwalk photo shootout.

These flagships, as I see it, are the best of the best (officially ranked Number 1 and Number 4, respectively, on ourBest Phones 2025list), two spectacular smartphones packed with excellent processors, screens, and cameras. With a 200MP main camera, theSamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra is unquestionably the megapixel winner, but the quality of any smartphone image is not just the sum of all pixels.

Both smartphones feature multiple lenses and, often, binning options to combine some pixels (often as many as four) into one information-filled dot. Additionally, there is all the processor-based image processing.Applecalls it the Photonic Engine, and Samsung calls theirs the ProVisual Engine.

Both do a good, even excellent job of taking what the physical optics and image sensor see and delivering something on the screen side that is accurate and sometimes exquisite.

For my Boardwalk Photo test, I purposely did as little as possible to mess with image settings. Instead, I focused mostly on using the main camera and optics-based zoom. I didn’t want to use digital zoom since I know the back-end AI can get involved and try to “enhance” and “augment” images in unnatural ways.

Overall, the results show excellent work from both the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. Still, there are key differences that may define your next choice for the ultimate boardwalk (and beach) smartphone camera.

I won’t argue that this is the final word on all these cameras, but I did notice enough of a consistent approach across each device that I’m prepared to draw some conclusions. Let’s look at the first set of photos.

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Main camera: The living spaces

This image set looks down the boardwalk at some of the high-rise apartment buildings. I was standing just off the boardwalk’s long wooden path, and pointed the main cameras toward the structures.

They’re both good images, and at 100%, they hold up nicely. However, the differences are also pretty stark.

Samsung’s habit of over-brightening and sometimes making color too rich or overly consistent is on full display. Mostly, that effect results in pleasing imagery, but compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra made the whole image too bright, and we end up losing some of the dramatic cloud bank detail. The bright approach also damps shadows a bit, draining away a little of the drama.

Where Samsung excels is in keeping objects in focus well into the distance.

There is nothing wrong with the Galaxy S25 Ultra photo, but I still prefer the iPhone 16 Pro Max shot.

Telephoto: The lifeguards

This image set was challenging because the foreground foliage is so detailed and therefore contains a large amount of digital information for each image processor to handle.

I was impressed that both 5X optical zoom cameras could pick up the hazy freighters in the distance.

Samsung’s 50MP telephoto seems to gather a bit more detail than the iPhone 12MP 5X zoom, but not by a lot. Part of that is because the Samsung zoom automatically bins pixels down to a roughly 9MP image.

Colors on the Samsung image are accurate, and I appreciated that it picked up the pop of the yellow flag.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max colors are just as good (both got the hazy sky just right), and I noticed more detail in the ocean churn. Overall, though, Samsung’s telephoto camera picks up more detail, and I think that’s down to more pixels pouring more information into the overall shot.

Main: on the beach

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

I could stare at the beach and ocean all day long, but it’s always hard for any camera to recreate my view. At least they’re getting closer. These two shots highlight many of the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s core strengths and weaknesses.

As we’ve seen before, Samsung is over-brightening the shot, losing a little of the deep blue of a perfect pre-summer day and the deeper green of the ocean.

The iPhone’s shot is truer and, again, it has stronger shadows.

While the detail in both shots is strong, the iPhone 16 Pro Max holds up a tiny bit better when I zoom in.

Subject: A man lost in thought

The boardwalk is full of characters, people who walked its warped planks for decades; they’re as much a part of the beach as the sand, surf, and seagulls.

When you have a subject and setting like this, the light and shadows only add to the drama. Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max seems to intuitively know this and leaves well enough alone. Even the clouds get to have their moment, looming dramatically in the background.

Samsung’s brighter approach gives us a clearer view of the man but flattens the image a bit by lighting up almost all of it.

My favorite part of these photos is the man’s weathered hands. The iPhone 16 Pro Max does a brilliant job with its skin color and highlights.

Action: Looking up

Overhead, seagulls ride the wind, racing back and forth while barely flapping a wing. I tried pointing both phones at the sky to capture them in flight. It wasn’t easy.

Neither image is great, but Samsung did a little better in freezing the action. Unfortunately, I didn’t like what it did with the big blue sky. The lack of objects, people, water, and buildings left too much room for interpretation, and the sky ends up looking pitted and pixelated.

By contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro Max blurred the birds a bit but kept the sky intact. That’s the unblemished blue I saw.

If there’s a winner in all this, I’d say it’s the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It’s almost as if, inside that Photonic engine, is the essence ofAnsel Adams, a photography pioneer who knew enough to let the landscapes speak for themselves.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is close behind (and ahead in some regards), but as ever, I think the closer to visual truth Samsung’s cameras get, the better off its photography will be.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Summary

• Samsung Wallet is introducing a Tap to Transfer feature for peer-to-peer payments using debit cards stored in the app.
• The feature allows users to send money in person by tapping their Galaxy phone against the recipient’s phone (using NFC) or even their physical tap-to-pay debit card. Remote transfers are also possible.
• Tap to Transfer will be available to all Samsung Wallet users in the USA later this month.

There are more options than ever for transferring money to friends and family, but it can still be a major hassle. Whether it’s having the right app, or making sure you’re sending it to the right person. But Samsung thinks it’s found a better way with a new feature called “Tap to Transfer”.

The name is rather literal, and means you can transfer money from your debit card to another person by tapping your phones together. The NFC chips in two of thebest Samsung phoneswill register, and you’ll send the money over instantly.

Alternatively, if there are people without Samsung phones they can tap their debit card against the phone — which can be useful for getting money from someone not in your contacts list.

The feature has been done in partnership with Visa and Mastercard, and my guess is Tap to Transfer will be exclusive to those card companies for the time being. It’s also a debit card transaction, so no trying to transfer money from your credit card by mistake.

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Paying your debts made easy

The only real downside here is that Tap to Transfer is exclusive to Samsung Wallet.

Still the idea behind this is pretty interesting. Rather than having to Venmo someone your share of the dinner bill, or the cab ride you used to get home, you can simply tap their phone just as you would with a normal credit card machine.

Samsung also confirmed that location won’t always matter. It will still be possible to send money to people you know through Samsung Wallet, all by searching for their Samsung account.

The only real downside here is that Tap to Transfer is exclusive to Samsung Wallet. So if you’re an iPhone user, or have an Android phone not made by Samsung, you’re going to miss out. You’re going to be stuck transferring money the old fashioned way unless someone in your friend group has a Samsung Galaxy — and is willing to pick up the bill.

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Tap to Transfer will hit Samsung Wallet at some point later this month.

If you’re using a Samsung laptop and rely on Google’s Quick Share for moving files around, get ready for a change. Samsung is taking the reins for the Quick Share experience on its own Windows machines starting May 28, 2025. This move consolidates the file transfer feature under Samsung’s control for its PC and laptop users.

One app to rule them all

This shift means the standalone Quick Share app provided by Google will be phased out on Samsung laptops (and PCs). According to the release notes for the latest Quick Share app update from Google (version 1.0.2180.0), come May 28th next year, attempting to use the Google version on a Samsung laptop will prompt you to install Samsung’s own Quick Share application instead.

Google has already updated its app, paving the way for this transition. The application has been renamed from “Quick Share from Google” to simply “Quick Share”, and crucially, compatibility with Samsung’s version has been added.

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Streamlining the sharing process

This move aims to streamline the file-sharing experience for users within the Samsung ecosystem. For a while now, there have been two “Quick Share” experiences floating around: Google’s Nearby Share (which was rebranded to Quick Share early last year) and Samsung’s own Quick Share feature, which predates Google’s widespread adoption of the name. This created some confusion, especially when sharing between Samsung phones, non-Samsung Android devices, and Windows PCs.

Google and Samsung announced plans to merge these experiences back in early 2024, aiming for a unified file-sharing solution similar to Apple’s popular AirDrop feature that works seamlessly between iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Other alternatives like Microsoft’s Phone Link also offer ways to bridge phone and PC, but Quick Share focuses specifically on rapid, direct file transfers. This upcoming change on Samsung laptops is the next logical step in that consolidation effort, ensuring Samsung users have a consistent experience managed directly by Samsung across their Galaxy phones and Galaxy Book computers.

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Handing control over to Samsung for its own laptops makes a lot of sense. It should reduce confusion and hopefully lead to a more integrated and seamless file-sharing process for people invested in Samsung’s hardware. While swapping apps might involve a quick download and potentially getting used to a slightly different interface, having a single, manufacturer-managed Quick Share application on Samsung PCs is ultimately a positive step. It moves towards a less fragmented experience when you just want to send a photo or document from your phone to your laptop quickly, simplifying a common task.