I took 200 macro photos with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro — here's the winner

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (L) and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra rear cameras

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Jump to:

Bench
Donut
Flower
Flower extreme close-up
Key
Latte art
Scarf
Verdict

If you love taking macro photos and are considering the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 16 Pro Max, you've come to the right place.

I used both of these phone to take over 200 macro photos and then selected several comparisons for this face-off to determine a winner.

We've looked at the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max's camera performance in a number of ways already, but macro photography is a special case. Most phones, including these two, don't have dedicated macro cameras, instead relying on their ultrawide cameras and some software trickery to deal with the unique needs of this photographic technique.

Bench

Our first pair of photos is of a bench in Hyde Park, featuring some carved letting. At this distance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra shows far more detail of the woodgrain and tiny moss growths within this letter "F."

The iPhone has produced a warmer-colored picture, which is less accurate but still looks good overall. If it could bring out the darkest parts of the image like the Galaxy, we'd have a draw, but this is Samsung's round.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Donut

Next up is the toppings of a caramel donut, with layers of icing and little honeycomb pieces. Despite the overall color palette of this subject, the iPhone's photo is still way too yellow here.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy's shot is clearer and more accurately colored. And to the sharp-eyed among you — yes, I did notice the loose strand of thread and removed it before I ate the donut.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Flower

I took this next pair of photos of a yellow flower at two different distances to see how our contenders cope with shifting distances.

Starting out at the farther of our two distances, the iPhone immediately stands out for its brightness, helping more of the details shine through. There's still good detail and contrast in the Galaxy's shot, but not as much light to properly view them.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Flower extreme close-up

At a closer distance, the two phones have produced shots of a similar brightness. But the Galaxy image is much sharper, with the iPhone struggling to focus this close to its subject.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Key

Moving back indoors, we have this shot of the blade of a cupboard key. The Samsung's photo is sharper and brighter, with better dynamic range.

But the iPhone has a small advantage of its own in being able to focus at this distance from further away, hence why it doesn't cast as much of a shadow in the image.

The different focal point that proved the iPhone's downfall in the last comparison has helped it out in this instance.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Latte art

As a coffee nerd, I had to try out these cameras with a photo of some great latte art on a cappuccino.

I like how the iPhone version of this shot shows off the light reflecting off the tiny bubbles much more clearly, while still keeping the rest of the shot balanced properly.

The Galaxy image is maybe a tad too bright, spoiling the lovely brown of the milky coffee.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max

Scarf

Finally, I took a look at my favorite scarf (likely the source of the loose strand that landed on the donut earlier) through the lens of these two phones.

It's another round where the iPhone's color temperature is a little off, but detail-wise both phones have done well, albeit with slightly different focus areas.

Winner: Draw

Verdict

After this close call of close-up photo performance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has scored a win.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max takes some great looking macro photos, and it won the flower rounds and the latte round.. But the hardware/software combination that the Galaxy S25 Ultra uses makes for more consistent macro shots, especially in terms of color.

For more Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max camera comparisons, take a look at our overall 200-photo face-off, and our professional-style headshot comparison.

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Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.