I shot over 200 photos with the Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max — here’s the winner

When we ran a preliminary photo shootout between the Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max, Samsung got the win but only by the narrowest of margins. This time, however, I’m going to scrutinize these two top contenders in a more extensive 200-photo shootout to definitely declare which is the best camera phone on the market right now.

In my previous 200 photo shootout between the Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra, the latest model unceremoniously came out on top. Small improvements around its low light, zoom, and macro performances notched a win for the S25 Ultra, but it’s going to need a lot more to prove to me that it can beat the cameras of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Before I get into the comparison, I want to briefly go over the hardware I’m dealing with. The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 200MP main camera, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, 50MP 5x telephoto, and a 12MP selfie camera. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is accompanied by a 48MP main shooter, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP 5x telephoto, and a 12MP selfie camera.

Just like all of my previous 200 photo shootouts, I take the same snapshots with each phone — and then scrutinize their differences when I look at the photos later on the same monitor. Below, I’ve broken down all ten categories that I'm judging these phones on to ultimately pick a decisive winner at the end.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Outdoors

Image 1 of 16

I didn’t think it would be this tough, but even with this first category, it’s hard to judge looking through all the shots I captured above. Despite its pixel-crunching 200MP main camera, the 12MP downsized samples of the Galaxy S25 Ultra don’t gain any detail in any of the shots against the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

What captures my attention the most is the warmer color temperature of the iPhone’s photos, which makes them much more inviting than the neutral tone of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. You can see this most in the first shot of the dunes by the beach, as the richer yellow hues of the sand and dunes makes for the more pleasant looking photo.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Indoors

Image 1 of 14

Under artificial lighting indoors, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has richer looking colors and does a better job of neutralizing harsh lights. You can see it in the first shot, as the wall art in the background has bolder tones. It also helps that there’s more contrast in the iPhone’s shot.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Ultrawide

Image 1 of 20

Both phones feature ultrawide cameras with 120-degree field of views, so they capture the same amount of the scene. Neither one has the edge when it comes to the details in the shots, but it comes down to the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s penchant for casting the warmer color temperature.

I see it most with the first set of images of the beachside view with the dunes, as the warmer tone of the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s shot again makes it look more inviting. It’s not too bad with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the toned down colors make for a slightly more muted look. In the second set of photos, I also like the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s brighter picture overall.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Dynamic range

Image 1 of 16

In high contrast scenes where there’s a strong source of light blending with shadowed areas, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s dynamic range performance is undisputedly better at neutralizing the exposure throughout the scene, resulting in not only a brighter picture, but also drawing out details hidden in the shadows.

Take a peak at the first and second photos of the short trees in the foreground and the sun way up in the sky. Notice how both the Galaxy 25 Ultra’s shots boost the exposure throughout the shadowed sections, whereas the iPhone’s less exposed. In the third and fourth sets of photos, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s improved dynamic range performance brings out the clarity in the shadows.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Colors

Image 1 of 14

So far, the warmer color temperature of the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s photos are attention grabbing, but when I look at how the phones capture different colors, it’s a much harder comparison. Take a look at the fresh produce shots in the first set of photos above.

Initially I find it really hard to tell the difference looking at the overall picture, but after inspecting each color, I prefer how the iPhone 16 Pro Max casts the deeper, richer tones. You could argue that the red peppers are a little bit more saturated with the iPhone, but it gives it the extra pop to get my attention more.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Macro

Image 1 of 18

After looking through all the macro shots above, it’s unanimous that the Galaxy S25 Ultra produces the superior macro photos. The pink and red flowers in the first set of shots look almost similar to one another, up until I zoom into different parts of the image. There’s more definition to the petals, as well as the green leaf below the flower.

The second set of images with the closeup of the bolt also shows how Samsung applies just a little bit of sharpening to better draw out those details. This is even more evident in the third set with the sprouting yellow flower.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Selfie

Image 1 of 12

It’s another even match-up on paper as both phones rely on 12MP selfie cameras, but it comes down to their color science. I prefer the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s selfie shots more because of how Samsung's phone better produces skin tones.

In the first set of shots, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s warmer color temperature makes the overall shot too yellowish — whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra tones it down a little bit and actually makes my face more exposed. It’s the same story for the rest of the selfies I shot, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra adds more pop to my face.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Portrait

Image 1 of 6

I went into detail about portrait mode on the Galaxy S25 Ultra when I snapped professional headshots of my colleague. While there’s a little bit more sharpness and contrast with the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s shot, there’s a more substantial subject-background separation with the iPhone 16 Pro Max in the first set of portrait photos.

In the second set, I prefer how the vibrant colors produced by the iPhone 16 Pro Max — especially considering how the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s colors look muted indoors. And finally, the third set has the better contrast and depth that makes the portrait photo pop. It also helps that the bokeh balls in the iPhone 16 Pro Max appear more circular than the oblong ones with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Zoom

Image 1 of 48

This is one category I made sure to handle carefully with when dissecting their differences because telephoto performance has increasingly become a major factor when it comes to deciding which camera phone is tops. Both phones top out at 5x optical zoom lenses, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra unanimously delivers the best results in every zoom shot I captured at 3x, 5x, 10, and 25x zoom.

Starting off with the first four sets of images that end with the close-up of the street parking signs, the Galaxy S25 Ultra manages to process the images better to draw out details like the words on the sign. They’re remarkably defined across all the zoom ranges, whereas the same shots appear more garbled and noisy on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Aside from making out fine print text from far distances, I also used both phones for nature photography and captured the next set of zoom images of this black-tailed gull perched on a post. At 25x zoom, I can better make out the details of that metal post it’s standing on with the S25 Ultra. Furthermore, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s dedicated telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom also shows better details of the gazebo in the third set of zoom photos.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Panorama

Image 1 of 16

I like that panorama photos can be shot with both the main and ultrawide cameras on these phones, but I notice that the Galaxy S25 Ultra requires me to slow down my movement more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. When it comes to their performance, though, Apple’s much better at producing panoramas.

The first set of panoramas prove this because of how much better the iPhone 16 Pro Max handles the different lighting changes while panning. The sun is better exposed and the shadowed areas seem to get exposed more, resulting in the brighter, more poppy looking panorama.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Low light

Image 1 of 12

And finally we come to low light, the one area that separates the best from the merely good. I’ll say this about both phones: they make dimly lit photos look like they were taken with some strong light source to illuminate the scene.

I always recommend using the main camera first and foremost with low lit conditions because those cameras have the larger sensors, capable of drawing in more light. Between these two contenders, the iPhone 16 Pro Max comes out on top by a smidge due to how it does the better job at lighting up the scene. You can see it in the first batch of photos, as it produces a slightly bright image without blowing out the facade of the building.

The same is true about the second set of nighttime shots in my backyard, as the iPhone 16 Pro Max produces the more realistic colors and slightly sharper visuals. In the third set using their ultrawide cameras, though, it’s the Galaxy S25 Ultra that exposes the scene better with more definition around the tree and grass.

This one ultimately comes out to a tie because of how they have their strengths and weaknesses between the two cameras.

Winner: Tie

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Verdict

This one was close, but after tallying up the results, the iPhone 16 Pro Max narrowly takes the trophy in this 200-photo shootout. The main camera delivers outstanding results with the warmer colors that make its photos stand out, and that also extends to the iPhone's ultrawide camera. I also like how the main camera casts the brighter picture with low lit scenes and the better background separation with portrait mode.

However, you can’t count out the Galaxy S25 Ultra because the difference in its main camera can often come down to preference — which in this case is the color temperature of its photos. I will say, though, that the improved telephoto cameras draw out much more detail and sharpness.

More from Tom's Guide

• Google Maps just added support for Galaxy S25’s best feature
• Google Pixel 9a launch date just tipped — here’s what we know
• Samsung Galaxy S25 just copied this useful feature from the iPhone 16 Pro