iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra: Camera Comparison – Video

The iphone 16 Pro Max versus the Samsung Galaxy S 24 ultra two premium phones with high end cameras and high end prices. But which one takes the prize in this camera comparison? Let’s find out. Let’s start off with some quick specs. The iphone 16 Pro Max features a 48 megapixel main camera, a 48 megapixel ultra wide camera and a 12 megapixel telephoto camera with five X optical zoom. There’s also a 12 megapixel front facing camera. The iphone 16 Pro Max can shoot up to four K video at 100 and 20 frames per second. The Samsung Galaxy S 24 ultra sports, a 200 megapixel wide camera, 12 megapixel ultra wide camera, 10 megapixel camera with three X optical zoom and a 50 megapixel telephoto lens with five X optical zoom. It also has a 12 megapixel front facing camera. It can shoot up to eight K video. Well, that’s all useful info. It’s important to note that more megapixels doesn’t automatically mean better photos. So that’s why we’re going to see how these cameras perform in the real world. The iphone 16 Pro max starts at $1200 for 256 gigabytes of internal storage. While the Samsung Galaxy S 24 ultra will cost you $100 more for the same storage amount. The newest and perhaps most divisive new camera feature on the iphone 16 lineup is the camera control button. This 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 actually gotten quite used to pushing it to trigger the camera, but I don’t really find myself using it for anything else since it’s still just easier to tap the screen, the old fashioned way to take a picture or adjust the camera settings. My colleague Bridget Carey has very strong thoughts on this. So be sure to check out her video for more. Now let’s get into the camera comparison. I took some photos at Yoruba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, starting with these pictures of a waterfall. You’ll see both bones capture this satisfyingly crisp cascade. But the S 24 Ultra offers a slightly brighter image among the trees and shrubs in the background especially, you’ll notice the greens are a bit more vibrant. The same goes for these two images which look impressively similar. But the greenery pops a bit more on the S 24 Ultra. It’s hardly noticeable, but the mural on the building is also slightly more pigmented on the S 24 Ultra. It’s worth noting that apple’s made it easier to adjust photos to your liking. So if you want to bump up the saturation or contrast, you can use the new photographic styles feature and tone mapping to do that. So while I’m comparing photos taken at the default setting on each phone customization is really becoming a bigger focus, which means you can have more capacity to tune photos. However, you’d like one of my favorite ways to test portrait mode is by taking a shot of a plant to see how well the phones pick up on any stray branches or flowers that should be and focus both phones did a solid job in that regard. Otherwise the S 24 Ultra again takes the prize for brightening up the overall shot and reducing those harsher shadows seen on the iphone 16 Pro Max image in these portrait mode shots of my colleagues Faith Chill and Jessica Fierro, the S 24 Ultra brightens up their faces and also the telephone booth in the background making it a punchier red. But I actually like how the iphone handled this one. The colors are a bit darker but a bit more true to life and I like the rich of the blacks and blues and fates and Jessica’s outfits. Both photos have a comparably clean background blur. I have the most fun testing the optical zoom on each phone because I think it’s one of the more impressive features on each device. The iphone 16 Pro max has 0.5 X one X two X and five X optical zoom. While the galaxy S 24 ultra has 0.6 X one X three X five X and 10 X optical zoom that 10 X zoom on the S 24 Ultra really is quite impressive and does a great job preserving image quality. Despite punching in ridiculously far. The five X zoom on the iphone 16 Pro Max also shows incredible detail and crispness which is easiest to see by looking at the slightly more defined windows here versus the five X image shot on the S 24 ultra. Moving on to the front facing camera. These selfie shots look pretty similar though, I suppose that’s not too surprising given both phones have a 12 megapixel front facing camera. Biggest difference once again is in color with the S 24 ultra brightening up my face and black shirt a bit more. And the iphone 16 Pro Max depicting 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 S 24 ultra image, but both photos are sharp and focused. What I’ve been most impressed with on recent iphones is how much better night mode has gotten it used to be the Galaxy phones leagues ahead in terms of brightening up low light shots. But these two images look pretty comparable. I will say I still prefer the SS 24 ultra photo here since the sky is a bit more of a vivid blue, but the colorful lighting is similarly punchy in both photos. Now let’s talk about video. The funnest way for me to test video zoom capabilities was from the nosebleeds of Hans Zimmer live where I was literally in the last row of Oakland Arena. Both phones were able to serve up crisp footage despite the flashing lights and how far I was from the stage. But the S 24 Ultra really came in clutch with that 10 X zoom. I could clearly see Hans Zimmer’s face and movements. It was almost like looking through binoculars but even five X zoom on both phones offered a clear close up of everything happening on stage. The iphone 16 Pro lineup introduces four K slow motion recording at 120 frames per second. While the S 24 Ultra has a UD slow motion setting at 120 frames per second. That four K setting on the iphone delivers a crisp and higher level of detail which is cool even if you rarely use this very specific feature in more everyday instances. I still prefer the iphone 16 Pro Max’s camera as footage looks sharper and colors are more true to life, but you’ll get smooth shots on both devices especially when filming at 60 frames per second. So with all of that in mind, which phone takes better photos and videos that largely comes down to personal preference. I’ve always admired how vibrant photos taken on the Galaxy Series are. And the 24 Ultra is no exception that higher saturation and brightness brings a richness to the images that makes them pop. But I also appreciate the more true to life tones on the iphone 16 Pro Max and the sharpness of photos and videos night mode is almost equally impressive on each phone. But I think the S 24 Ultra has the lead there. It serves up more vivid shots which you can especially see in pictures of the night sky portrait mode is also solid on both the iphone 16 Pro Max and the Galaxy S 24 Ultra. I didn’t run into any glaring issues. There. The same goes for selfies. Both devices serve up quality images and when it comes to zoom, the S 24 Ultra still takes the cake with that ridiculous Tedx Optical Zoom. But having five XZ on both phones is a huge plus all of this to say, no matter which phone you go with, you shouldn’t be disappointed. And with those high prices, I’d sure hope not. Which phone camera are you more impressed with? Let us know in the comments and be sure to give this video a thumbs up if you found it helpful. Thanks for watching.