Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has garnered a lot of attention with its updated camera features and improved performance. But does the changes really make it superior compared to its competitor, the iPhone 16 Pro Max?
Let’s dive into a detailed comparison of both devices and see how Samsung has addressed many issues users often complain about.
Camera Changes in Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Initially, I was quite surprised to see that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra didn’t bring significant changes to the camera hardware compared to previous models.
While Samsung has added some new software features, they’ve always done this every year, and often the results were unsatisfactory.
However, this time there’s a noticeable difference in image quality, especially in skin tone processing, which now looks more natural, and there is better detail in every shot.
A Simpler and Faster Camera Experience
One of the biggest changes you’ll notice when using the camera of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the much smoother and simpler user experience compared to last year.
Samsung has removed several unnecessary features like AR emojis that were quite useless, and they’ve streamlined the camera settings to be more efficient.
Now, almost all settings can be accessed with just your thumb, making the process of taking pictures faster and more convenient.
However, compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple is still slightly superior in terms of camera app speed and fluidity, especially when used in low-light conditions.
That being said, Samsung has done well in terms of responsiveness and speed, offering more customization options within a single camera app.
Plus, with the improved anti-reflective display, using the camera on the Galaxy in daylight feels much more enjoyable.
Audio Improvements on Galaxy S25 Ultra
In addition to the camera, Samsung claims to have improved the audio quality on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. A new feature introduced is Audio Eraser, which allows users to remove background noise from videos after recording.
This feature uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the audio in videos and reduce unwanted sounds. A similar feature is also available on iPhone through Audio Mix.
Audio Quality Comparison
When testing this feature on both devices, Samsung did manage to reduce background noise effectively, although the audio quality on the Galaxy S25 Ultra is still a bit lower compared to the iPhone, which boasts four microphones around its body.
Nonetheless, Samsung has made significant improvements in this area, providing a much-needed upgrade.
Video Quality Improvements on Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung has always claimed improvements in video quality with every generation of their devices, but often the results weren’t as noticeable. This time, however, I saw a real difference.
Compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Galaxy S25 Ultra produces much better video quality, particularly in medium to low lighting conditions.
Samsung now handles the separation between moving and stationary objects much better, resulting in more stable and detailed video.
Low Light Video Comparison
Despite the significant improvement in video quality, Samsung still falls short in low-light conditions. The videos produced on the Galaxy S25 Ultra are often blurrier and less clear compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which maintains more detail in dark settings.
However, for most lighting conditions, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s video is more than sufficient and doesn’t lag behind the iPhone in brighter lighting.
Zoom Feature Improvements on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
One of the standout features is the camera zoom. While there has been no hardware upgrade to the zoom camera on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung claims that their software improvements make zooming much more effective.
Better Zoom Quality
When testing zoom on locations with a cityscape in London, I noticed that the Galaxy S25 Ultra produces clearer and sharper images at 3x and 5x zoom compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
While iPhone is still superior in some areas of zoom, like the 12x range, Samsung now produces better images at longer zoom ranges.
Photo Quality and Storage
When it comes to photos, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has made significant improvements, including the ultra-wide camera now featuring a 50-megapixel resolution, matching that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
This change makes a big difference, especially in terms of image detail. However, Samsung still lags behind in terms of the main camera resolution, which is only 12 megapixels, while iPhone can take photos with a 24-megapixel resolution.
Photo Storage Efficiency
Another advantage iPhone has is storage efficiency. Photos taken at higher resolutions on iPhone require about 80% of the storage space used by Samsung’s photos.
This makes the iPhone more efficient in terms of storage usage, even when producing higher-quality images.
Advanced Photo Editing Features on Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra also excels in photo editing thanks to updates to their image editing app.
Features like the AI Editor allow users to edit objects in a photo more flexibly, such as removing objects or changing the background effortlessly.
Samsung’s AI Editor Advantage
Samsung’s Best Face feature also allows users to select the best faces in photos and adjust them for better results. This provides a much more advanced photo editing experience compared to the more limited editing options on the iPhone.
Better Selfies on Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has made significant strides in selfie quality, with huge improvements in handling skin tones and facial details. Skin tones now look more accurate, and skin texture is handled better, resulting in more natural-looking photos.
Selfie Comparison with iPhone
Compared to the iPhone, Samsung’s selfie quality now leads. Personally, I prefer the style and color rendition produced by the Galaxy S25 Ultra, although sometimes the photos may appear a bit brighter or clearer than in reality. But overall, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is superior in terms of selfies.
Video Selfies: iPhone Still Wins
Unfortunately, even though Samsung has improved selfie photos, the video selfie quality still doesn’t match the iPhone. The iPhone is still superior, thanks to Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which makes video selfies more stable and clear, especially in low-light conditions.
Samsung’s Improvement in Instagram Video Quality
However, there is one notable improvement: Instagram videos taken with the Galaxy S25 Ultra are now much better than before. Samsung no longer loses video quality when uploading to Instagram, which used to be a major issue.
Macro and Slow-Motion Features: Is Samsung Better?
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra now features a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera that’s better at taking macro shots.
Although iPhone still excels in slow-motion features, the Galaxy S25 Ultra allows for instant slow-motion videos by tapping on the screen, offering more convenience for video capture.
Image Stabilization on Samsung and iPhone
When it comes to action video stabilization, iPhone still leads in this area. While Samsung has improved their stabilization, the iPhone remains superior in providing smoother image stabilization during video capture.
Night Camera: iPhone Still Wins
While there’s been an improvement in night photography on the Galaxy S25 Ultra compared to the S24 Ultra, the iPhone 16 Pro Max still leads in terms of night photo and video quality.
Samsung has improved its handling of noise, but the image quality still appears softer and less sharp compared to the iPhone.
Samsung vs iPhone in Night Photography
In dark conditions, photos taken with the Galaxy S25 Ultra often appear blurrier and less detailed than those captured by the iPhone. This remains a major disadvantage for Samsung when compared to the iPhone in night photography.
Conclusion: Does Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Beat iPhone 16 Pro Max?
After comparing various aspects of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it can be concluded that while the Galaxy S25 Ultra brings a lot of improvements, especially in terms of its camera and photo editing features, the iPhone 16 Pro Max still excels in some areas, such as video selfies, low-light photography, and storage efficiency.
However, Samsung has shown significant progress and is catching up to iPhone in several areas, making the competition much tighter.
