Digital camera Champions Face Off: iPhone 16 Professional vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely

While you’re in search of the most effective digital camera to hold in your pocket, it’s good to take into account as we speak’s top-tier telephones. The imaging capabilities of the iPhone 16 Professional and Galaxy S25 Extremely are among the many greatest cash should buy. And with journey season ramping up, carrying a telephone would be the most handy digital camera. However for photograph particulars how do these two cellular titans examine?

To seek out out, I shot a whole lot of photographs utilizing each telephones in a wide range of circumstances to see which telephone takes the best-looking photos. What’s “greatest” is usually down to non-public perspective so whereas I will be giving my private tackle every take a look at as knowledgeable photographer and giving my explanation why I want one over the opposite, you might nicely discover that you simply want the opposite. So take a look by way of the vary of examples right here and see in case you come to a special conclusion. 

Learn extra: Greatest Digital camera Cellphone of 2025

All photos proven have been taken utilizing every telephone’s default digital camera mode utilizing default settings, except in any other case said. Whereas photos from the Galaxy S25 have been uploaded as taken, the iPhone’s photos have needed to be transformed by way of Adobe Lightroom as our publishing platform would not assist Apple’s default HEIF picture format. This course of would not have an effect on the picture in any means. 

Prepared? Let’s dive in.

Beginning out with a straightforward outside scene. Each telephones have achieved a fantastic job capturing a fair publicity right here and each photos are filled with element. It is tough to decide on between them, however the iPhone has the sting for me because it’s achieved a barely hotter picture with extra natural-looking tones. The S25 Extremely’s picture appears too saturated, particularly within the blue sky, which I discover fairly distracting. 

It is a lot the identical story after we swap to the ultrawide lenses on each telephones. I want the hotter tones within the iPhone’s shot, which makes the S25 Extremely’s look fairly chilly by comparability. I additionally want the lighter shadows on the iPhone’s picture, making it a straightforward win for the iPhone right here. Notably, each telephones are doing job of compensating for the ultrawide lenses on the edges (a perform turned on by default on each telephones); the railing stays straight in every shot and never curving as you’d usually see utilizing a lens this large. 

There’s virtually no distinction between these two outside scenes. The blossom appears crisp on each photos, with glorious general publicity. The iPhone’s picture is once more barely hotter in tone however it’s negligible.

The Galaxy S25 takes a straightforward win with this picture of bluebells. The colours are rather more vibrant, particularly within the greens on the blades of grass, which look fairly washed out on the iPhone’s picture. It truly appears just like the S25’s digital camera lens is barely polarized to scale back reflections and enhance saturation, however I do not know if that is the case. Both means, Samsung takes the win right here.

At 5x zoom issues worsen for the iPhone. Regardless of the bluebells being moderately far-off, the telephone appeared unable to attain a pointy deal with the flowers. The S25 Extremely, in the meantime, managed to attain a pointy picture with richer colours. 

I want the iPhone’s picture right here although. It is brighter and the hotter colours on the bricks on the encircling buildings look rather more true to life. 

The iPhone’s picture is once more brighter right here and I want its colours too. The Galaxy S25 Extremely does have the sting in positive element, although. You actually need to zoom in to see it however the tiny strains on the constructing are barely sharper on the S25. 

The S25 Extremely does have a bodily benefit over the iPhone with its 10x optical zoom lens, which permits it to zoom in even additional whereas nonetheless sustaining a pin-sharp picture. 

You possibly can nonetheless digitally zoom in with the iPhone to 10x, and the outcomes aren’t unhealthy. I want the colours of the S25 Extremely’s shot right here, however the distinction intimately is not that noticeable.

Zooming in near see the positive particulars, the S25 Extremely’s optical zoom picture positively has a bit extra readability however the digital upscaling on the iPhone’s shot has achieved a fantastic job right here, because the distinction is not immense.

iPhone 16 Professional vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely: Evening modes in contrast

At first look, the one actual distinction between the iPhone’s 5x shot and the S25 Extremely’s 5x shot is the colour steadiness. And truthfully, I haven’t got a choice between the hotter tone of the iPhone or the extra magenta bias of the S25. 

Nevertheless, once you zoom in near the small print, the iPhone has produced a sharper picture right here, with an odd kind of digital blurring across the lamp put up within the S25 Extremely’s picture. So generally the S25 Extremely’s zoom is sharper, different occasions it is the iPhone’s. I am glad they’re making this straightforward for me. 

Once more, the one actual distinction right here is within the shade steadiness and I do not actually know which I want. The publicity, noise ranges and quantity of element are virtually equivalent. 

Issues modified once I switched to the ultrawide lenses, although. The S25 Extremely’s shot is unquestionably brighter, capturing extra element within the cobblestones within the foreground and within the buildings within the distance. The iPhone’s picture is far darker general. 

Simply to confuse issues additional, the iPhone’s nighttime picture with its ultrawide lens is noticeably brighter than the S25 Extremely’s on this instance that I shot within the Arctic. I truly needed to double-check the picture metadata to verify I hadn’t combined these up, however I have not. The iPhone’s picture has captured extra gentle info right here and produced extra element on the ice door to the best. 

The iPhone’s nighttime picture is once more barely brighter right here however it’s additionally saved the intense highlights on the pub signal underneath management. On the S25 Extremely’s picture, these highlights are virtually misplaced to pure white however the beautiful inexperienced and yellow tones have been retained within the iPhone’s picture. The colours general are noticeably hotter on the iPhone’s shot, nonetheless, which is probably not to your style. Right here, I feel they work nicely.

However on this instance, the iPhone has produced a weirdly warm-looking picture that I actually do not like. These heat colours weren’t current on the time of seize and it would not work for the scene, particularly not with such robust orange tones within the sky. The S25 Extremely’s picture is rather more balanced general and it is a barely sharper picture too. It is a very simple win for Samsung right here.

Issues do not enhance for the iPhone when utilizing the ultra-wide lens. Its picture is once more affected by overly heat tones, whereas the S25 Extremely’s shot is each extra color-accurate and brighter. 

iPhone 16 Professional vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely: Which takes higher selfies?

Whereas the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s selfie is barely brighter, I do not like what it is achieved with the colours. My face has been made a bizarre shade of orange and my denim jacket is a a lot deeper blue than it truly is. The pores and skin tones on the iPhone’s shot are rather more correct, and its shot is sharper as nicely.

Each telephones have a wider-angle mode for the selfie digital camera, though the iPhone’s appears to be lots wider. That is positively price protecting in thoughts in case you often prefer to cram numerous buddies into your group pics. You might most likely squeeze at the least one or two further buddies in in case you used the iPhone, or must resolve who you want least and go away them out of body in case you used the S25 Extremely. In any other case, the picture variations are the identical as earlier than. 

iPhone 16 Professional Vs Galaxy S25 Extremely: Which digital camera is best?

I’ve written many of those comparability items on numerous generations of telephones in my 14 years at CNET and I do not keep in mind having achieved one which’s felt this shut. The issue is that neither telephone excels constantly in a single space; the iPhone 16 Professional’s ultra-wide photographs aren’t as vivid because the S25 Extremely’s, besides on these events after they truly are, confusingly. I’ve taken many extra photos not included right here that each assist a few of my conclusions and argue towards them. Go determine.

However there are some takeaways I can provide with confidence. Usually talking, the iPhone’s colours are extra pure than the S25 Extremely’s, which may generally look overly saturated. This has been the case with virtually each Samsung telephone for the reason that firm began placing cameras in them and it is nonetheless the case as we speak. These in search of a extra pure base picture to use your individual filters and results over will likely be higher suited with the iPhone 16 Professional.

However that is much less the case at evening, when the iPhone extra constantly delivers hotter tones that look much less pure than the S25 Extremely’s. So, if evening pictures is vital to you, the S25 Extremely would be the higher choice. Total, its evening mode photos from all lenses have been brighter and sharper.

Certain, the S25 Extremely has the prolonged zoom vary however you’d really want to know you may profit from a 10x zoom to justify choosing one over the opposite. Personally, I discover the 5x zoom degree an ideal candy spot and right here the telephones are just about on par. And on these uncommon events you might wish to push issues additional, the iPhone’s digital zoom can nonetheless ship sharp outcomes. 

There are different issues for photographers to contemplate too: Apple’s ProRaw is great and whereas the corporate’s Photographic Types may be good for including a artistic look to your photos, Samsung’s new instrument for mimicking the colour grade from instance photographs you feed it really works surprisingly nicely — I truly suppose I would get extra use out of that general. I have not even gone into video high quality both, which is an entire different article, particularly when you think about each telephones shoot Log video, though solely the iPhone makes use of ProRes. 

Deciding between the telephones primarily based solely on the cameras is nigh on unimaginable. Which one you must get will as an alternative come all the way down to the larger query of iOS versus Android; which platform you are already utilizing and which one will work greatest with different items of tech in your life. However for easy image high quality, you might as nicely toss a coin.