In this episode of Photo Shoot|out, Tom's Guide compare 200 photos taken on the OnePlus 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to decide which flagship phone is the best phone for photography. This face-off is an exiting one, as John V. revisits the phones after they've each received camera-based software updates. Can OnePlus gain the edge on Galaxy's 200MP? 12 categories, but only one winner!
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TechTranscript
00:00It was just a couple months ago when I put the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12 in a head-to-head camera face-off.
00:06Both phones have since received their share of software updates that improve the performance of their cameras.
00:11Considering how the Galaxy S24 Ultra has performed in other camera shootouts,
00:15I think it's worth revisiting to see if the results will be the same against the OnePlus 12,
00:19and to definitively say which is the better camera phone.
00:22Ten categories, one winner, let's find out.
00:25Just as a refresher, the Galaxy S24 Ultra features a quadruple camera setup
00:30that consists of a 200-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide,
00:3310-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel camera with 5x optical zoom.
00:39Meanwhile, the OnePlus 12 is paired with a 50-megapixel main camera, 48-megapixel ultrawide,
00:44and 64-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom.
00:47For the main camera comparison, it's a deadlock in this indoor shot at Whole Foods
00:51because they both deliver excellent detail, strong dynamic range,
00:55and accurate colors that somehow neutralize the different sources of light that are there.
01:00It's only when I zoom into the shot that I'm able to discern the subtleties,
01:03like how the prices on tags are a bit more legible with the Galaxy S24 Ultra,
01:07while the OnePlus 12 looks slightly smudgy by comparison.
01:10Because of this, I'm giving the main camera win to Samsung.
01:13Inside of Whole Foods, I capture the snapshots at the produce section
01:16because it captures everything I need to properly hone into the colors throughout the scene.
01:21At first glance, I find them almost identical with the rich color tones.
01:25The greens, oranges, and reds of the peppers on the third row emphasize this,
01:29but the OnePlus 12 tends to saturate them just a bit,
01:32whereas they're more true-to-life looking with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
01:36Some will find the saturation better with the OnePlus 12,
01:39but I prefer the natural tones of the S24 Ultra.
01:42With the sun a little to my left and behind me,
01:44I tested the dynamic range performance of the S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12 on the skyscrapers.
01:50This is a perfect test because of the strong light hitting the skyscraper in the middle of the shot,
01:54while the adjacent building to the left is shaded.
01:56This one's really close because they both do an excellent job at handling the contrasting areas.
02:01Highlights are preserved in areas where the sun is clearly hitting the buildings,
02:05but it's in the shadows where I see the difference.
02:07They're boosted a little with the Galaxy S24 Ultra,
02:09resulting in a better balance that draws out details,
02:12like in the shaded areas closer to the ground level or in the smaller building directly to the right.
02:17That's another point for the Galaxy.
02:19I love these macro photos of the sunflower,
02:22yet right away I can tell there's a clear winner,
02:24given how the previous three categories focus on detail, colors, and dynamic range.
02:29I'm not surprised that the Galaxy S24 Ultra wins in the macro department either
02:33because those three qualities are well represented here.
02:36I'll admit that the OnePlus 12 dishes up good results here,
02:39but it doesn't do as good of a job at preserving the details.
02:42And it's not just isolated to the shot of the sunflower
02:45because all the other macro photos are evidence that the S24 Ultra is simply better.
02:50Not only is there more detail, but the stronger dynamic range performance
02:54better contrasts the highlights and shadows.
02:56Here's an example of why higher megapixels aren't good indicators of a camera's performance.
03:01The OnePlus 12 has a 32 megapixel selfie camera,
03:04which on paper would lead people to believe
03:07that it's better than the 12 megapixel front-facing camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
03:11It's easily a win for Samsung because it delivers the sharper, more detailed selfie.
03:16I'm impressed by the amount of definition from my hoodie and polo shirt,
03:19which appears softer in tone with the OnePlus 12.
03:22It's getting ugly.
03:23Before I get into portrait modes,
03:25I just want to mention that both phones have the ability to dial in the bokeh level,
03:29the effect that causes background blur.
03:31For some reason, I must have had the Galaxy S24 Ultra on a higher level
03:34because all the portrait photos I captured had their background substantially more blurred out.
03:39The Galaxy S24 Ultra again has more details captured in the portrait photo,
03:43mainly in the gray fabric of my hoodie,
03:45which looks softer in tone with the OnePlus 12.
03:48But I will say that the OnePlus 12 holds up nicely in all the other portrait photos I captured
03:53and does a better job than the last time at identifying faces.
03:56One important specification to look at in a phone's ultra wide camera is its field of view.
04:01That's because a wider field of view means you'll get more of the scene into the frame than one with less,
04:06which is also helpful at squeezing as many people into a photo without having to step back.
04:10Samsung has a clear win here with its wider 120-degree field of view
04:14versus the 114-degree field of view of the OnePlus 12.
04:18In the side-by-side shot of the New York Public Library,
04:21you can see more of it and the surrounding buildings with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
04:25But beyond this, I still prefer how the Galaxy S24 Ultra handles dynamic range
04:29because the bright blue sky isn't as overexposed,
04:32while the shadows in the archways are increased a bit to draw out the details
04:35that are otherwise less defined with the OnePlus 12.
04:38Interestingly enough, I feel like the OnePlus 12 got a lot better capturing zoom photos this time around
04:43because its long-range shots almost look as good as the S24 Ultra shots.
04:47Take, for example, the 6x zoom shot of the Empire State Building,
04:51which has a slight haze to it because of the building in front of it.
04:54I really like how the two balance out the shadows and highlights of the scene
04:58along with the excellent details of the brickwork around all the buildings.
05:01It's only when I really zoom to the Empire State Building
05:04that I can make out a bit more detail with the S24 Ultra,
05:07which I can see from the lower level beneath the spire with the individual bricks on the building.
05:12The difference isn't a huge degree in these shots,
05:14but in the others at 30x and 100x zoom, it clearly gives the S24 Ultra the edge.
05:19Both phones can leverage either their main or ultra-wide cameras for panoramic photos,
05:24with the latter especially useful if you really want to capture as much of the scene as possible.
05:29I captured the panoramic photos of Bryant Park's lawn,
05:32and the results are actually very different.
05:34In fact, I could almost instantly tell which is the better one right away
05:38because of the distorted lines of the New York Public Library in the far background with the OnePlus 12.
05:43And that's in addition to its low-contrast look and mushy details with the grass in the foreground.
05:48The Galaxy S24 Ultra does a much better job at retaining those details,
05:52as well as keeping the lines moderately straight with the building.
05:54Finally, we come to the area that I'm most interested in, low-light performance.
05:59Why this above all the rest?
06:01Well, it's partly because it's in the area where I see the biggest performance disparities.
06:06In all the other categories, minor differences could be determined by personal preference,
06:10much like how some people may prefer the oversaturated colors of the OnePlus 12.
06:15In low-light situations, these differences are amplified.
06:18I snapped a shot in an area that was illuminated by a couple of street lights towards my back,
06:22so the watered area looked pitch black to my eyes.
06:25Yet, with the help of the respective night modes,
06:27you can see how a few seconds of staying still pays off to brighten up the scene.
06:31Between them, the Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers better results with its sharper details,
06:36natural-looking colors, and less artifacting.
06:39The OnePlus 12 isn't too bad either, but it suffers from the same warm hue as last time.
06:43What an absolute whitewash.
06:45Wow.
06:46Samsung once again proves it's the better camera phone with these new sets of photos.
06:50It's not to say you should steer clear from the OnePlus 12,
06:52but if quality is top priority and you can afford to shell out a few hundred dollars more,
06:57then the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the no-brainer choice.
07:00I'm most satisfied by its low-light performance,
07:02along with the main camera's superior detail capture and dynamic range performance.
07:07Given how religiously I take photos and videos,
07:10I'm still inclined to say that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the one for serious users,
07:14not only because of the number of cameras at its disposal,
07:17but also because it has more shooting modes and AI editing features that help save me time.
07:22I've raved about the usefulness of Galaxy AI features with the Galaxy S24 Ultra,
07:27namely Generative Edit's ability to remove reflections in Windows
07:30and Instant Slow-Mo that turns any video into slow motion.
07:34However, OnePlus is slowly adding artificial intelligence with its features like AI Eraser.
07:39There's no denying the savings you'll get from choosing the OnePlus 12,
07:42and it'll add about $500 back to your pocket.
07:45I think it's enough of a selling point for people to accept its camera's performance.
07:49For a phone of its caliber, it still delivers top-notch results,
07:53but not against the Galaxy S24 Ultra in this case.
07:56What do you think? Is the camera system worth the extra $500?
07:59Let me know in the comments below.
08:00Despite this rough start for the OnePlus 12,
08:03we're going to keep putting it through its paces in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned for that.
08:07For everything else, you can follow us on social,
08:09at Tom's Guide on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
08:12As for me, I'm John Fee, and I'll see you in my next video.