In this episode of Photo Shoot|out, we compare 200 photos taken on the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Galaxy S24 Ultra Ultra to definitively say which is the best phone for photography. Both phones have a lot in common, including a telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. Only one phone can come out on top. We give you a definitive winner. This is Photo Shoot|out!
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00:00Apple seldomly lasts the bunch to announce new phones,
00:03but that's how it is this year.
00:04That can inherently give it the edge,
00:06especially when Samsung was the first launch its flagship,
00:09meaning Apple had a lot of time in its hands
00:11to beat its rival.
00:13Today, I'm putting what should be
00:14the two best camera phones around
00:16in a head-to-head showdown
00:17to see which is better for photography.
00:20This is 200 Photos with the iPhone 16 Pro Max
00:23and the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
00:25The iPhone 16 Pro Max uses a similar triple camera setup
00:30as before, but this year's change
00:32is found in the ultra-wide.
00:34It's now a 48-megapixel one with a wider F2.2 aperture,
00:37which means it has better light gathering
00:39than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
00:41Paired with its 48-megapixel main shooter
00:43and 12-megapixel telephoto with five times optical zoom,
00:46it's still a power-packed camera system.
00:48Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra set the bar early in the year
00:52in what I want in a camera phone,
00:54and that's despite the controversy around its zoom camera,
00:57which goes from a 10x optical zoom
00:59to a five times one instead.
01:01Still, I've seen that it pulls out incredible results,
01:03but it's going to need a lot more
01:05to beat the newer iPhone 16 Pro Max.
01:07In my hands-on, I talk about the biggest upgrade
01:11with the new iPhone 16 is the camera control button.
01:14And now that my review's out,
01:15I still think it's the biggest change and upgrade.
01:18I might be slow on the fence about it,
01:20but let me give you a rundown how it works.
01:22The most helpful thing about it
01:23is that I can quickly launch the camera,
01:26press the button, you and the phone's locked,
01:27it jumps right into it so that if I had the shot,
01:30I could take it right away.
01:32So what does that mean for the action button?
01:33Well, now you can program it to do something else.
01:36When you're in the camera app, it acts like a shutter key
01:38because you do a firm press to take the photo,
01:41and if you want, there's also video,
01:42but you gotta hold down the button for the entire time,
01:45and then once you're done, you let go.
01:47This is where it gets a little bit fiddly
01:48because now, in order to get some of the other modes,
01:51you gotta slightly tap it, double tap it
01:53to get to go into that mode,
01:55and then you have to actually use the scrolling method
01:58to actually switch between them.
01:59For the average person,
02:00I like that it gives those controls at their fingertips,
02:04but it doesn't quite act like a normal shutter button
02:06that I'm used to in a dedicated mirrorless camera.
02:08Also, the button's on the short side,
02:09so I gotta do a lot more scrolling
02:11following it from one zoom to the other.
02:13I don't necessarily think it's an upgrade,
02:15but it's a good addition.
02:18Does the camera control allow you to take better photos?
02:20Maybe.
02:22For the shootout, I traveled with the two flagship phones,
02:25two Half Moon Baits,
02:26capturing the same set of photos
02:28after Apple's Glowtime event in Cupertino.
02:30As always, I looked through the comparison photos
02:33on a monitor to better tell their differences.
02:35I'm excited for this one because it could effectively show
02:38me which is the best camera phone for the rest of the year.
02:42I was on the beach for these shots,
02:44and it's a perfect spot to see
02:45how their main cameras compare.
02:47Look quickly, and you might think they're the same,
02:49but they're not.
02:51If you zoom into the red Adirondack chair,
02:52there's more detail with the iPhone,
02:54especially with the textures around the chair
02:57and the screws around it.
02:58And while the Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers an excellent shot,
03:01it's too aggressive with the color saturation,
03:04which gives the iPhone the more true-to-life look.
03:07Next up, I stopped by the brewery in Half Moon Bay
03:09with the TimeSky team to grab a drink at the bar,
03:12and it was the perfect place to see
03:13how they handled dynamic range.
03:15That's because the inside was pretty dark,
03:17but the windows on the outside let in the strong light.
03:20My eyes instantly gravitate towards
03:21the strong contrast look with the Galaxy S24 Ultra,
03:25but when compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max,
03:27it blows out the highlights.
03:28As a result, the outside area loses detail,
03:31while the iPhone does a better job
03:32of neutralizing the exposure throughout the shot.
03:36This next one's tough because it's so close
03:39between the color line.
03:40In most of the photos I captured,
03:41the Galaxy S24 Ultra tends to cast
03:44the more saturated colors,
03:46but with this mosaic shot I shot down
03:47in downtown Half Moon Bay,
03:49it's an even matchup.
03:50I really like the colors here.
03:52They're bright and they're punchy to the eye,
03:54so for me, it comes down to the exposure.
03:57The iPhone 16 Pro Max does a better job
03:59because the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a smidge bright,
04:02resulting in the colors becoming too washed out.
04:07Apple wasn't kidding around when it said
04:08that the iPhone 16 Pro Max is much improved
04:11with macro photography.
04:13Not only was I able to get much closer to the flyer
04:15while keeping most of it in focus,
04:17it also captures more detail.
04:19If you look in the middle,
04:20you can even make out a hidden spider there.
04:23The Galaxy S24 Ultra also captures an incredible shot,
04:26but the over-sharpening effect makes it look too processed
04:30when I zoom into it.
04:32Again, they're evenly matched in the zoom department
04:34because they carry telephoto cameras
04:36with five times optical zoom lenses.
04:38For these shots, I really have to pixel peep
04:41because they're similar when I look at the overall picture.
04:44They're evenly exposed for the most part,
04:46but the iPhone 15 Pro Max does better in the shadows,
04:49which you can see in the tree in the lower left.
04:51However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra shot
04:54has a slightly sharper look.
04:55It's hard to see unless you zoom in,
04:57like the letters underneath the giant I in the middle,
04:59as well as the same tree in the lower left corner.
05:02If coverage isn't important to you,
05:04you'll get more of it with the iPhone 16 Pro Max's
05:0612 megapixel front-facing camera.
05:09At arm's length, it offers a wider field of view
05:11compared to the S24 Ultra's 12 megapixel one,
05:14but when it comes to image quality,
05:16I prefer the Samsung because of the better details.
05:19If you zoom into my face,
05:20the Galaxy S24 does a better job of gathering
05:22more detail and definition with my facial features,
05:25like my eyebrows and the script around my chin.
05:27But I will say that the iPhone has a more even exposure.
05:34I shot these portrait photos of my colleague, Kate,
05:37who's showing off her new Apple Watch Series 10 on her wrist.
05:40The first thing that stands out to me
05:42are the saturated colors of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
05:46You could say it gives the photo that extra pop,
05:48but the iPhone's more true to life.
05:50On top of that, the iPhone 16 Pro Max's main camera
05:53again pulls in the crisper details
05:54in these shots at one-time zoom.
05:56Take a look at the band on her Apple Watch.
05:58It has more definition on it,
05:59while the S24 Ultra looks more smudgy.
06:02Both do a great job at isolating her from the background,
06:05but I like the softer look of the background
06:07with the new iPhone.
06:09Apple's refresh ultrawide camera
06:10mainly gets my attention in these shots
06:13because of its brighter looks
06:14and better dynamic range performance.
06:16The colors are more realistic,
06:18especially when the Galaxy adds a lot more saturation
06:21to the greens in the shot.
06:27These panoramas have massive file sizes,
06:29but rightfully so because they contain a lot of detail.
06:33Overlooking Half Moon Bay itself,
06:34there's plenty of details captured in both,
06:36like the boat in the water
06:38and the pink flowers on the right.
06:40The only reason I'm giving it to the iPhone 16 Pro Max
06:43is because of its even exposure.
06:45The right half of the image
06:46retains the same exposure as the left,
06:48while the Samsung comes out a tad underexposed.
06:51And if you zoom into the shattered part
06:53of the bush in the middle,
06:54the iPhone's better dynamic range performance
06:57draws out more details.
06:59At the same brewery from earlier,
07:01I took these shots of my beer
07:02in a darker part at the bar.
07:04I like how the iPhone 16 Pro Max
07:06pulls off the brighter image
07:07and how it handles the strong light source
07:10that's reflecting off the back.
07:12The Galaxy S24 Ultra looks dark
07:14and has this color fringing in the area in the back
07:16where the light reflects from.
07:18I also want to share these other low light shots
07:20that my boss took at a park in the late evening.
07:23The iPhone again easily pulls off the brighter shot,
07:25which I can see with the grass in the foreground
07:27and the sun on the left looks much sharper.
07:32I don't say this often, but it pays off to be last.
07:35Being the last to release a flagship in 2024,
07:38the iPhone 16 Pro Max benefits
07:40from a much improved performance
07:42that lets it cruise to the finish line here.
07:44Now, before you leave a comment,
07:45the areas where I see the biggest improvements
07:48is how it performs better with its dynamic range,
07:50which brightens up the shadows
07:52to draw out the details that are otherwise hidden.
07:55I also know that it's upgraded ultra wide camera
07:57gets a boost to deliver sharper details
07:59and more dynamic range.
08:01As for Galaxy S24 Ultra,
08:02it's still an excellent camera phone
08:04that only loses out by sliver in each of the categories.
08:07But then again, it's been out
08:08since the beginning of the year.
08:10Of course, I'm eager to see how Samsung responds
08:12back next year with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
08:15So what do you guys think?
08:16Let me know in the comments below.
08:17I know you will.
08:18Don't forget to watch our full iPhone 16 Pro
08:21and Pro Max review with Mark on the channel.
08:23I'll be following up soon with a photo shootout
08:25against the Pixel 9 Pro XL,
08:27so keep an eye out for that.
08:28Follow us on social at Times Guide.
08:30I'm John V.
08:31I'll see you in my next video.