Now that I’ve got the Galaxy S25 Ultra in my hands, it’s time for me to test out its portrait mode performance on a professional headshot shoot with one of my colleagues. For this shootout, though, I’m also capturing headshots with the iPhone 16 Pro Max — currently the top contender in our best camera phones guide.
Similar to my previous headshot shoot with the OnePlus 13, I’m taking the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max to capture the same headshots using their respective portrait modes. Then later on, I compare the results on a monitor to see side-by-side all of their minor differences to definitely say which is the better one for portrait photography.
Although I’m showing off only the three best shots from each camera phone below, I’ve taken countless others and put them under the microscope. Before I tell you how this Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max portrait photography shootout turns out, just know that either camera phone can rival dedicated mirrorless cameras just as long as the composition and lighting are excellent.
What you need to know
Before I dive into it, let me break down the camera hardware in both phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a quadruple camera system on the back that consists of a 200MP main camera, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP telephoto 5x optical zoom. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max doesn’t differ all that much with its 48MP main snapper, 48MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom.
For this test, I’m focusing exclusively on the phones' telephoto cameras at 5x zoom because it’s a better focal length for portrait photography in my opinion than at 1x or 3x. Plus, I love how the subject-background separation is much more pronounced at this zoom level.
Both phones have the ability to adjust their aperture values post shot, so you can alter the intensity of the background blur to get the best composition — but again for this shootout, I’m keeping them at their default settings.
My test subject for this session with the Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max is Tessa Samberg, head of U.S. Trade Marketing at Future PLC, whom I work with out of our New York City office. I captured headshots indoors and out, just to show how the S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max compose portrait photos in different lighting conditions.
Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max portrait photography: Performance
I’ll start with this portrait photo I shot of Tessa seated on a bench outside with lights strewn all over the trees behind her. The first thing that gets my attention is the color science between the two phones, as the iPhone 16 Pro Max favors a much warmer color temperature with Tessa's skin tone — whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra overexposes it by a little. Frankly, you could make an argument for either phone.
Another thing that gets my attention are string lights around the trees behind Tessa. The more pronounced "bokeh balls" of the iPhone 16 Pro Max adds a pleasant contrast to the portrait shot, but they look a bit subdued with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. They’re just not as distinguishable, and as a result, blend in more with the rest of the blurry background.
While it’s hard to visualize in the comparison shot above, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s portrait photo has a tiny bit more sharpness and detail. I don’t think it’s enough for people to notice —that’s unless it’s cropped later on. Specifically, I can see more definition around the pattern and fabric of Tessa's jacket as well as the button and lace below her collar.
I personally like the overall look from the iPhone 16 Pro Max just because outside of the camera, the quality is already excellent to begin with. I don’t think the detail and sharpness of the Galaxy S25 Ultra is enough to win me over.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Indoors, the same results from before are apparent here again. Apple clearly has a penchant for a warmer color temperature with portrait mode, but it’s amplified here due to the warmer lights around the room. Despite being flawless with the subject-background separation in the first set of images, the iPhone 16 Pro Max somehow blurs out the errant hair to the right of Tessa.
Although the colors appear duller than the iPhone, the Galaxy S25 Ultra still delivers the slightly sharper image, which is much more noticeable when I zoom into part of the portrait photo. I hone in on the fabric and pattern of Tessa's blouse in the shot above because the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s shot is a tad soft. Again, I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker here, but ultimately it’s the vibrant colors of the iPhone that win me over.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Finally, there’s my favorite shot of Tessa outside with her arms crossed looking slightly to the left of the camera. There’s not a whole lot different here that I haven’t explained already, but I’m instantly attracted to the vibrant color tones and the perfectly circular bokeh of the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s portrait shot. Tessa absolutely commands the scene here due to how well the iPhone blurs out the background.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra pulls out an amazing shot as well — but it doesn’t quite have the same pull as the iPhone. Upon closer inspection, there’s a smidge more detail just about everywhere, but it’s not enough to overpower its rival when I look at the entire photo.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Verdict
Due in part to how it consistently grabs my attention in all the other photos I captured of Tessa, the iPhone 16 Pro Max gets my nod as the superior phone for portrait photography. Apple’s taste for warmer colors is hard to overlook, especially when it complements the phone’s better looking background blur effect. These are settings that have not been adjusted in any way to make the iPhone better, which goes to show how little experience you need to capture something that’s professional grade.
On the flip side, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is still a stronger performer in this area. Most notably, its 50MP telephoto camera delivers the sharper looking details. However, the S25 Ultra's duller looking colors paired with its over-exaggerated bokeh effect don’t make it as attention-grabbing out of the camera as the iPhone.
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