iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra Camera Comparison: Which Phone Takes the Prize? | Global News Avenue

Let’s see how two people do The best smartphone cameras Stack it up. I spent a week taking photos and videos iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra Compare everything from sharpness to color contrast to zoom capabilities. If you’re a creative type like a photographer or filmmaker, or you just want to take the most eye-catching Instagram photos, choose best phone camera It can be daunting, but these points should make the decision easier. Both devices certainly serve their purpose, but they also have their moments where they steal the show.

Let’s start with some specs. The iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 48-megapixel main camera with a wide-angle lens, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. It also has a 12-megapixel front camera. iPhone 16 Pro Max can shoot 4K video at up to 120fps.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle 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 that can shoot videos at up to 8K resolution.

Look at this: iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Camera comparison

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It’s worth noting that more megapixels doesn’t necessarily mean better photos, as the phone’s software also plays an important role. The best way to get the full picture is to test the camera in the real world. Additionally, while I’m comparing photos taken at default settings on each phone, customization is becoming a bigger focus through the new Photography Styles feature on the iPhone and tools like tone mapping. This way, you can increase the saturation or contrast as needed.

In terms of price, the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 256GB of internal storage starts at $1,200, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra with the same storage capacity is $100 more expensive.

What’s new in this year’s iPhone range is camera control Buttons, located on the right side of the phone, allow you to trigger the camera, snap a photo, and swipe to change settings like exposure, aperture, and zoom. I enjoy using it as a shortcut to calling up the camera, but haven’t seen the appeal of using it for anything else, especially when using a touchscreen (the old fashioned way) works so well. (My colleague Bridget Kelly have similar thoughts.) Thankfully, iPhone case makers like spot and Otterbox Cases developed quickly Make new buttons easily accessibleif you’re like me and you’re trying to get familiar with this concept while protecting your phone.

Now, let’s get into photos.

Favorite iPhone 16 Pro Max Photos

Before we get into the comparison, here are a few photos of the iPhone 16 Pro Max that really show off its brilliance.

iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra photo comparison

To compare the two phones’ cameras, I took them around San Francisco, took them on evening walks, and shot concert videos with them.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Galaxy S24 Ultra captured this satisfyingly clear waterfall effect during an afternoon walk at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. The S24 Ultra image is slightly brighter overall, especially the trees and bushes in the background.

These mural photos show that the iPhone 16 Pro Max photo is slightly brighter overall, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra has darker tones in each color. Both are very striking, and I’m impressed by how little difference there is between them.

My favorite way to test Portrait mode is to shoot plants and see if the camera picks up any stray flowers and leaves and keeps them in the foreground. In this comparison, each phone performs equally well in this regard, but I like the way the S24 Ultra brightens the overall image and reduces a lot of harsh shadows.

My colleagues Faith Chihil and Jessica Fierro applied Portrait mode to photos of people, showing the same brightness in the S24 Ultra photo and a more vivid red in the phone booth in the background than in the iPhone photo. I actually prefer the iPhone 16 Pro Max image; the colors are darker, but more realistic, bringing rich color to the image by highlighting the black of Faith’s shirt and the blue of Jessica’s jeans. Both photos have a clean background blur effect.

One of the features I was most excited to try was the camera zoom. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra has 0.6x, 1x, 3x, 5x, and 10x optical zoom.

The S24 Ultra’s 10x zoom is truly impressive as it preserves the quality and clarity of the shots. iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 5x zoom also shows stunning detail and clarity. In these images of skyscrapers taken from afar at Salesforce Park, the S24 Ultra once again brightens up the overall shot, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max brings clarity, which is best seen through clearer windows looking into the building ahead. to this point.

Flip to the front camera, and the biggest difference is in color, as the S24 Ultra paints my face and black shirt a little lighter, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max paints darker colors, from the green of the couch to my skin tone. Even the wall behind me took on more of a beige hue, rather than the grayer, softer shades in the S24 Ultra’s image. Both photos are very clear and focused.

One of the areas where I feel iPhones have improved significantly over the years is night photography, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max does a great job of brightening low-light images and making them pop. I still prefer this nighttime photo taken on the Galaxy S24 Ultra because the sky is a more vivid blue, but the colored lights are equally strong in both photos.

I took both phones to the Hans Zimmer Live to test not only the quality of the video clips, but also the zoom capabilities as I sat there with a bloody nose. Both delivered sharp shots despite the flickering lights and distance from the stage, but the S24 Ultra’s 10x optical zoom really came into its own; I could clearly see Zimmer’s face even from this distance. Others have their binoculars, I have the S24 Ultra.

iPhone 16 Pro series introduction 4K 120fps slow motion recordingwhile the S24 Ultra has an Ultra HD slow-motion setting of 120fps. The 4K setting on iPhone brings clarity and a higher level of detail that makes these videos pop – even if you don’t often find yourself recording in slow motion.

In other, more everyday situations, I still prefer video on the iPhone 16 Pro Max because the footage looks sharper and the colors are more realistic. On both devices, you get smooth shots, especially when set to 60 fps.

final thoughts

Given that the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are currently the best camera phones you can buy, which image is “better” often comes down to personal preference.

I’ve always admired the vibrancy of photos taken with Galaxy phones. Higher saturation and brightness provide richer images, especially in nature and in photos of people. I also appreciate the clarity of photos and videos on the iPhone, and how images look closer to real-life colors.

Night mode used to be a clear differentiator between the Galaxy and the iPhone, but Apple has stepped up its efforts in recent years, and there’s almost no difference in quality between the images taken at night between the two devices. Portrait mode is also better matched on both devices, as the iPhone used to be ahead of the competition in this area. Both devices offer impressive zoom capabilities, but the S24 Ultra still comes out on top with its 10x optical zoom. Selfies on both devices are equally pleasing to the eye, although there are subtle differences in color.

All things considered, no matter which phone you choose to spend your hard-earned money on, I hope you won’t be disappointed.