Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Comparison

Introduction

• Comparing cameras of Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
• Previous test: iPhone 14 Pro Max won against Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
• Loser gets shot by a tank.

Special Modes

• Slow-motion:
  • S24 Ultra can shoot 4K at 120fps.
  • Noticeable difference on TV; Samsung has dynamic slow-down feature.
  • Samsung wins in special modes including portrait mode video and macro shots.
• Macro Shots & Portrait Mode Video:
  • iPhone can get closer macro shots.
  • Samsung produces crisper images.
  • Winner: Samsung.

Selfies

• Samsung S23 Ultra beat iPhone previously.
• S24 Ultra: Better overall; range varies from excellent (9/10) to good (6/10).
• iPhone consistent but less impressive (8/10).
• Samsung wins; 85% of the time it takes better shots.

Noise Reduction

• Key improvement for S24 Ultra. Biggest Samsung weakness.
• Faces are crisper; less noise than S23 Ultra but not completely fixed.
• iPhone still better in darker areas.
• For vlogging, iPhone is preferred.
• Overall score: 2 points to Samsung, 1 point to iPhone.

Camera App

• Huge improvements:
  • Better UI and animations.
  • Smoother navigation between modes and zoom levels.
  • Easier resolution and video settings adjustments.
  • More options available compared to iPhone.
  • Faster photo-taking speed.
  • Downsides: Hard to use one-handed.
  • Samsung wins the camera app category.

Editing Features

• iPhone: Simple but fast.
  • Lacks certain features like speeding up videos.
  • Very quick edits; cropping easy.
• Samsung: More options.
  • Swipe up for suggested edits, remastering, and background effects.
  • Generative AI for complex edits like moving subjects, erasing elements.
  • Preliminary AI features free till end of 2025.
  • Samsung wins in editing features.

Zoom Capabilities

• Samsung:
  • Historically dominated but scaled back from 10x optical zoom to 5x.
  • More software processing, sometimes oversharpened.
• iPhone: Improved.
  • Zoom better in some situations.
  • Less noisy in videos and clearer long-distance photos.
  • Winner: General draw, but iPhone edges ahead in long distances.
• Portrait Mode: Samsung better at offering 3x and 5x options.

Audio Quality

• Both good, sensitive mics.
• Differences noted in handling background noise:
  • Samsung: Good noise removal but affects voice quality.
  • iPhone: Clearer voice, more background noise present.

Photo Quality

• Samsung's refinements: Better contrast and color science, dynamic range more stable.
• iPhone: Better detail and default photo settings; better processing.
• Samsung good in high-res modes but slower and less effective in processing vs. iPhone's 48MP mode.
• Winner: iPhone for general photo quality, draw in ultra-wide shots.

Video Quality

• Samsung improves noise reduction, dynamic range, stabilization.
• iPhone: Better clarity, better handling in challenging mixed lighting conditions.
• Action mode: iPhone superior in stabilization.
• Winner: iPhone.

Night Photos

• Very competitive, split in processing style (cool vs. warm tones).
• Samsung excels in specific scenarios like moon shots.
• iPhone better in night portraits and realistic color.
• Overall, both very close.

Conclusion

• Final score: Samsung 6.5, iPhone 4.5.
• Samsung wins in overall experience and special features.
• iPhone excels in specific areas like video quality and photo detail.