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iPhone 15 Pro Max wins camera shootout against Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra is the biggest competitor to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, especially when it comes to the camera capabilities.

CNET decided to put the two models into a camera shootout by a professional photographer, comparing the results achieved across a wide variety of types of shots …

While specialist photography websites like the happily rescued DPReview use carefully constructed test scenes for their reviews, the vast majority of smartphone camera reviews are subjective in nature, and CNET’s is no different.

However, the great thing about these types of pieces is that you can compare the photos for yourself, and draw your own conclusions.

For example, I totally agree with Andrew Lanxon’s view of the first photos presented: The iPhone image (left) looks completely natural, while Samsung’s processing is horribly yellow. The sky, too, looks almost cartoonish in the Ultra’s rendition.

I also completely agree with this night test, where Samsung’s noise removal (right) is so bad the horizontal stonework around the drainpipe looks almost pixelated.

However, I disagree with calling the one below a tie. To me, the Samsung image (right) looks horribly over-processed, while the iPhone one is much more natural, as well as the better bokeh mentioned.

I recommend checking out all the samples in the piece to form your own view.

Lanxon’s conclusion? That both are excellent cameras, and that the results are close – but the iPhone 15 Pro Max wins.

Overall I prefer the images from the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It delivered more-accurate colors in almost all my tests, with the S23 Ultra frequently producing unrealistic color casts from the auto white balance. Samsung’s phone also produces oversaturated images — something that’s been common on Samsung phones for generations — while the iPhone keeps its colors more true to life. 

I also prefer the 5x zoom on the Pro Max, which produces better-looking images than the S23 Ultra’s 3x lens and is generally more useful than the Ultra’s 10x lens. And in night mode, I found the iPhone to deliver overall better-looking shots, especially when using the zoom. 

What are your thoughts? Please let us know in the comments.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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