iPhone 17 Pro Digicam Battles the Galaxy S26 Ultra: Let the Enjoyable Start

This was a picture I took with the Gold filter by chance enabled on the iPhone. So its hotter shade tones are to be anticipated to an extent, however what I preferred extra right here is the depth of shadow that the iPhone has maintained. The S26 Ultra has completed a good bit of processing right here to carry these shadows and create a extra balanced publicity general, however I feel it is killed among the night drama because of this. I see this in lots of Android telephones, to be honest. 

Taken earlier within the day, there’s a lot much less distinction to be seen right here. The iPhone’s colours are a bit hotter, due to the Gold filter, however they really look extra pure because of this. The shot does not look heat in its white stability; it simply has a richness to it, whereas the S26 Ultra’s shot seems to be fairly chilly. 

I switched the iPhone to Standard Photographic Style right here, and because of this, the shot it took seems to be fairly just like that taken by the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The exposures are just about the identical, and whereas the inexperienced crops on the steps positively look extra vivid within the Galaxy’s shot, the colours elsewhere are broadly on par. 

If I’m nitpicking — which I actually need to when the telephones value this a lot cash — the S26 Ultra seems to have completed a neater job rendering the main points on the entrance of the VW Camper’s spare wheel. I additionally seen extra element in among the small twigs on the tree, particularly the place they’re seen towards the sky. Is {that a} distinction you’d ever discover and not using a side-by-side comparability? Definitely not. But this complete article is principally an train in pedantry, so I’ll proceed to choose away at even the tiniest of issues in these images.

I’m again on the Gold Photographic Style with the iPhone right here, so once more, these hotter tones are to be anticipated, however I’ll say once more that I a lot favor the deeper shadows seen on the home within the Apple telephone’s picture. It seems to be way more pure, whereas the S26 Ultra’s shot seems to be a bit too HDR and oversaturated for my tastes. But that is not crucial factor right here…

What took me extra without warning was what occurred after I put every telephone into the ultrawide digicam mode. The iPhone’s shade tones keep virtually precisely the identical, however the Galaxy’s picture has shifted fairly dramatically between the primary and ultrawide lenses.

The blue sky has shifted its hue into a way more teal-toned shade, and I’m stunned by simply how completely different it seems to be from the primary digicam. I often anticipate to see these kinds of shade shifts on cheaper telephones, the place there’s much less effort put into guaranteeing constant colours throughout the lenses. So I’m a bit dissatisfied to see Samsung’s telephones producing such a noticeable shift right here. 

The iPhone 17 Pro additionally shows a shade shift, but it surely’s far much less pronounced than the S26 Ultra’s.

I turned on the zooms on each telephones. With its 10x optical zoom, the S26 Ultra has an extended attain than the 8x on the iPhone 17 Pro, however by way of particulars inside these pictures, there’s truthfully nothing to decide on between them. Again, the iPhone had the Gold type utilized, so it seems to be hotter, and likewise once more, the S26 Ultra has gone additional in lightening these shadows. I am unable to actually say both one is best than the opposite on this instance. 

But there is a a lot larger distinction on this instance. The colours are a lot richer within the iPhone’s shot, though the Photographic Style is ready to Standard. The S26 Ultra’s shot seems to be just like the telephone’s white stability has been tricked by the nice and cozy orange tones of the brickwork, and produced a colder-looking picture because of this. 

But I additionally do not like what the S26 Ultra has completed with the main points right here. It’s oversharpened the scene, giving a bizarre, crunchy look to the topic that appears extraordinarily unnatural. The iPhone, regardless of not having the identical zoom vary on paper, has delivered a a lot better-looking picture, even when considered on the similar scale. 

But right here the alternative appears to have occurred. The iPhone has checked out this heat, sun-drenched scene and mechanically set its white stability to chill it, whereas the S26 Ultra has maintained these hotter tones. Sure, the greens of the leaves within the S26’s picture look virtually neon, however the picture general is the nicer of the 2 in my opinion. 

The iPhone has completed a a lot better job right here of capturing the hotter tones that I cherished a lot after I took these pictures. I do assume the S26 Ultra has gone too far in its hyper-saturation of the inexperienced leaves. Sure, it is a punchy look, but when I needed that a lot saturation, I’d possibly add a bit extra again in within the enhancing stage. I’d a lot relatively have a extra pure picture as a place to begin, so the iPhone takes the win right here for me.

There’s so little to pick between the photographs right here. The greens are somewhat extra vibrant within the S26 Ultra’s shot, however the tones general within the iPhone’s are a bit extra pure. Neither one is a spectacular photograph, and truthfully, you could as nicely toss a coin to resolve which one is best. 

Switching to the ultrawide lenses on each telephones, the S26 Ultra has once more gone fairly exhausting on the saturation, delivering a way more vibrant blue sky than it did in its picture from the primary digicam. As earlier than, I’m not a fan of this form of high-contrast, high-saturation photograph. As a end result, the iPhone 17 Pro is my most well-liked shot right here.

I feel the S26 Ultra’s tendency in the direction of vibrancy has helped right here, nonetheless, with this shot of spring blossom trying extra joyful than the just about drab-looking picture from the iPhone. 

And positive, the colours are somewhat overbaked from the S26 Ultra’s ultrawide picture, but it surely nonetheless screams “spring” greater than the iPhone’s shot, which once more seems to be fairly uninteresting and lifeless by comparability.

I used to be thrilled to seek out these fishermen hanging out in Edinburgh, and I feel the iPhone has completed the higher job of capturing the second. The Gold Photographic Style hasn’t produced a very heat picture right here. It’s extra prefer it utilized simply the right white stability, with the S26 Ultra’s shot trying fairly chilly. It’s particularly the case on the pink paintwork on the bottom of the constructing, which seems to be richer and way more true-to-life on the iPhone’s picture.

At evening, each telephones have completed an excellent job of capturing this complicated picture. The vibrant moon has been stored beneath management, and there is loads of element nonetheless seen in among the extra shadowy areas. The exposures are additionally broadly comparable (the iPhone’s is a contact brighter), and even when peering up shut, there’s not a lot to select from by way of element. 

It’s a barely completely different story right here, although. The iPhone’s shot is way brighter, however that ends in some element being misplaced within the highlights contained in the telephone sales space. The S26 Ultra has retained that spotlight element, although its general shot is darker. Personally, I favor the darker model, particularly because it’s way more according to the moody nighttime aesthetic I used to be going for. 

What I do not love is how a lot the S26 Ultra has oversharpened its picture. Like the sooner picture of the determine sitting on the wall, this picture has been digitally sharpened to the purpose that the main points look crunchy, high-contrast and finally fairly unnatural. Which picture would I select — correctly uncovered however oversharpened, or pure particulars with blown-out highlights? Ideally, I’d merely take the photograph once more on the iPhone and decrease the publicity a tad. But between the 2 pictures above, I’d in all probability go for the one shot on the Samsung telephone.

iPhone 17 Pro vs. Galaxy S26 Ultra: Which has the higher digicam?

I at all times complain that these photo-capturing comparability tales are actually shut and subsequently troublesome to make into compelling articles, however this one felt particularly shut. In some photographs, the iPhone’s extra pure shadow rendering and fewer reliance on over-sharpening and different digital processing elements make them look higher to my eye. But in different examples — particularly the picture with the tree trunks surrounded by ivy — the S26 Ultra has completed a a lot better job with its shade balancing. 

Overall, Samsung’s telephone leans tougher into distinction and saturation, which is actually the identical factor we have stated about Samsung’s telephones because it first began placing cameras in them. Buying a Samsung digicam telephone has at all times meant getting extra vibrant, punchy pictures out of it, and that is precisely the case right here. If you need fast pictures of your family and friends that look adequate to share straight to your loved ones WhatsApp group, the S26 Ultra will serve you nicely. 

The iPhone 17 Pro tends to be extra impartial in its shade and distinction changes, which usually provides a extra pure base so that you can then add any further edits of your personal. It’s why Apple’s telephones have sometimes at all times been the machine of selection for extra fanatic or professional photographers and video creators. I depend myself amongst that crowd, and it is why the iPhone 17 Pro stays my most well-liked mannequin of the 2. But actually, these are each wonderful telephones with very good cameras, and you may’t go far improper with both.