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Camera Comparison: Samsung S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max
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Take your pick - Cleveland looks great no matter what camera you use 
Interestingly I am finding that’s the 15PM is more consistent but wish I could turn off HDR.
I think Sammy has a couple of updates for the S24U to correct a few issues.
Own both and liking both.
Agree. Between compression and device post processing, these are pretty much useless. They also fail to take into account any “adjustments” the user can easily perform on device.
Currently have both and have to agree. Before I even got mine Samsung pushed an update.
They look pretty close to me. Like the S24U more….
quickly shot with an iPad Pro 11 camera
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In a world where smartphones boast incredible features like zooming into Mars' craters, the idea of trusting an Android operating system with personal photos seems far-fetched. Even if they promise not to sell your data, trusting Google, especially with something as personal as photos, feels like a stretch. Some people prefer to keep their data to themselves, even if it means wearing a figurative tin hat and giving as little data as possible to google.
<quote>A higher pixel count equates to a higher resolution for printing and cropping in, but it doesn't necessarily make for better images because the size of the sensor is more important.</quote>
Uhm, isn't the size of the sensor that defines the number of pixels?
Uhm, isn't the size of the sensor that defines the number of pixels?
When I am taking pictures, I'm not looking for the subject to "look better". I want a faithful recreation of what I see. In this example, the iPhone picture looks more realistic, and the other one looks like flash was on or something. Seems pretty washed out.
No. Pixels can be different sizes.
For example, all "full-frame" camera sensors are roughly the same size (OK, almost exactly the same size), but they can host anywhere from 12Mp > 60Mp+
Larger pixels (in general) collect more light than smaller (more dense) ones, so they give objectively "better" noise performance (higher density sensors tend to have smaller ratio of light-gathering pixels to electronics, which reduces their light-gathering efficiency). That said, all things considered, a more densely-populated sensor may provide better detail capabilities than one with larger pixels (i.e., more pixels to capture detail), so it kind of all balances out.
But since you weren't there, can you really know that with certainty? I think you're probably right, but it's also possible the iPhone over-warmed the whole thing as well.
It's a trip because I feel that S24 is doing a better job, I feel that iphone is trying to add a light filter to the dark pictures. I am fully iOS ecosystem from iphone to mac pro laptop but S24 takes it here. My wife in the other hand is S23 but always complaints about wanting to switch to iphone for better pictures.
Only a non-photographer would think the camera on the S24 is better than the iPhone when comparing those portraits. She looks unnatural and processed on the S24 - very much in the style of what Korean consumers expect. A good camera provides a faithful reproduction. That's oversimplifying it of course, as no camera is exactly faithful, but the AI should only be in the service of that goal, not to prettify, which is what Samsung is doing. Both overprocess, but Samsung is more egregious.
Overall, it's really hard to compare based on thumbnails anyway, and I'd also want to be confident that the shooting conditions are equivalent. Both are technically very capable I'm sure.
Overall, it's really hard to compare based on thumbnails anyway, and I'd also want to be confident that the shooting conditions are equivalent. Both are technically very capable I'm sure.
These days it is more about the software than the hardware.
The 15PM which I have used a lot seriously over processes the photo to make it what the system thinks is “perfect”.
The S24U which I just got ….. I’ll know in a couple of weeks but also after the first couple of updates.
For now, they are both very usable.
The 15PM which I have used a lot seriously over processes the photo to make it what the system thinks is “perfect”.
The S24U which I just got ….. I’ll know in a couple of weeks but also after the first couple of updates.
For now, they are both very usable.
CLE representTake your pick - Cleveland looks great no matter what camera you use
iPhone photos and videos look better. Thanks for showing me the latest Samsung still sucks.
Recording a video I would want to hear some background/context noise. Hearing just the voice is more artificial.
Photo editing on iPhone is very easy. I usually edit/change pictures. I don't just point and shoot. I hope iOS 18 brings new cool powerful picture editing features.
Recording a video I would want to hear some background/context noise. Hearing just the voice is more artificial.
Photo editing on iPhone is very easy. I usually edit/change pictures. I don't just point and shoot. I hope iOS 18 brings new cool powerful picture editing features.
These personal takes always intrigue me: what makes a "faithful reproduction" on a mobile phone, and why do you feel the iPhone is less processed? My take is that the outdoor pictures are probably the least relevant to compare - each phone is guessing at the color of a crappy gray sky in Cleveland (hint: it's crappy gray 200+ days a year). A zoom of the Key Bank building will be one of the least-memorable photos on your phone. The S24 appears sharper (lens or post-process?) but the white-balance doesn't look as natural as the iPhone.
As for the portrait: the iPhone looks better (to me) because it captured more detail and is properly exposed. The S24 picture looks like the phone was too ambitious in smoothing the face and shirt, and as a result the picture looks a tinge too bright. The posture, head tilt, hand position and hair also changed between photos and it's hard not to take those into account. If the average phone user had to choose between both photos, they would choose the one they thought was "cuter".
But I totally hear you: we're all at the mercy of a phone's auto-white balance and brand-specific post processing - these devices are all tuned for psychologically appealing results, not true-to-life recordings. And the reality is that these screenshots were for a community-engagement article, not a critical comparison of phone thumbnails.
