Samsung vs iPhone Camera: S26 Ultra vs iPhone 18/17 Pro Max

Samsung and Apple took different routes with their 2026 flagships. For Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, that meant brighter lenses and utilising both of its telephotos for zoom. Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max meanwhile has a new variable-aperture main camera but sticks with its single 4x telephoto.

Here’s how those camera hardware choices played out, according to GSMArena’s reviews and head-to-head (backed up where possible by DXOMARK results and manufacturers’ specs). Note we didn’t test these flagships ourselves.

Camera specs side by side

The iPhone 18 Pro isn’t the biggest iPhone Apple makes this year, but according to GSMArena it packs the same camera hardware as the Pro Max.

DXOMARK tested the iPhone 18 Pro instead of the Pro Max. And here are the results, in which the iPhone leads in each category (though just by two points in telephoto).

Processing look and colour

In terms of image processing, the iPhone 18 Pro series takes warmer photos while the Galaxy S26 Ultra leans towards boosting saturation levels (particularly noticeable in green tones), according to GSMArena's camera comparison, though both main cameras took excellent daylight shots. In its Galaxy S26 Ultra review, the site commended balanced levels of saturation in photos taken with the main and 5x cameras, while noting excessive sharpening in images snapped with the 3x camera and at 10x.

In its own Galaxy S26 Ultra camera review, DXOMARK also took issue with inconsistencies in colour rendition and exposure levels in different shooting conditions, as well as some loss of detail in people's faces. It did, however, single out the device's white balance and dynamic range as strengths. The testing organisation found accurate exposure and a good balance between texture rendition and noise levels in the iPhone 18 Pro, but mentioned dimly lit faces when shooting against the light and the presence of flare in many situations.

Before taking a photo, you can tweak the Galaxy S26 Ultra's default look with the free Camera Assistant app, which can also tone down edge sharpening (Picture softening option). On the iPhone 18 Pro series, Apple's Photographic Styles get new controls for texture and grain.

Zoom

Hardware-wise this is where the two diverge the most. The Galaxy packs in 3x and 5x telephotos whereas the iPhone has a 4x and simulates 2x and 8x by cropping from the main and telephoto cameras respectively. GSMArena took a look at all the zoom levels and there’s no clear winner.

On the other hand, close-ups aren’t exactly strong suits for either of these. Samsung suggests keeping at least 80cm distance from the object you want to shoot with the S26 Ultra’s 5x camera (GSMArena measured it can focus objects as close as 52cm). Meanwhile, GSMArena notes that the iPhone’s main camera can focus objects no closer than 17.5cm and its telephoto camera can’t focus close objects. Our S26 Ultra zoom guide covers which Galaxy lens to use at each distance.

Low light

The Galaxy has the marginally brighter primary camera (f/1.4 vs f/1.48 at the iPhone’s widest setting). In practice, though, GSMArena found that in auto mode the iPhone produced slightly sharper, more detailed photos at 1x, and noticeably better results at 2x in low light. Cranking up Night mode on the Galaxy closes the performance gap somewhat, but you may notice white balance and colour changes.

The Galaxy’s ultrawide camera took the crown for low-light performance, as the iPhone’s ultrawide photos were on the dim side, with noticeable brightness fall-off around the edges. The Galaxy’s 5x telephoto camera was sharper than the iPhone’s 4x, according to GSMArena, though the latter had a slight edge in performance at 8x vs 10x. The S26 Ultra automatically decides when to use Night mode in Photo mode, and you can only increase the level from there. Our night mode guide explains the Galaxy controls.

Video, codecs and Log

Video is where the iPhone pulls ahead most clearly. DXOMARK rates its video capture significantly higher (176 for the iPhone 18 Pro vs 153 for the Galaxy S26 Ultra). GSMArena found the iPhone generally ahead, shooting cleaner low-light video from the main camera and noticeably sharper 4K video with the ultrawide camera.

The Galaxy does pull ahead when it comes to video resolution and frame rate options, however, shooting 4K at 120fps video with both the main and ultrawide cameras and 8K at 30fps video.

Samsung’s APV is an intra-frame codec, meaning all frames are saved independently of one another, so footage can be navigated more smoothly in an editing app. It’s also compatible with editing apps like DaVinci Resolve and LumaFusion. ProRes has long been the go-to codec for video editing, and ProRes RAW with genlock could be useful if you’re shooting on multiple cameras at once. But if you’re a solo creator making videos for social media, you’ll likely be just fine with either phone’s HEVC videos. Our Samsung Log guide shows how to expose Galaxy Log footage and how to grade it.

RAW and pro controls

Samsung’s camera still allows for more manual controls. Its Pro mode lets you tweak ISO, shutter speed (up to 30 seconds), white balance and focus, and its Expert RAW app (which also has an Astrophoto mode for shooting the night sky) captures 16-bit linear DNG files, Samsung says.

Apple’s Camera app on the 18 Pro adds some manual controls, namely shutter speed and white balance, along with a histogram and four aperture options, but GSMArena points out there’s still no way to manually set ISO. ProRAW does shoot DNG files that can be edited in Photos or Lightroom. Our Expert RAW guide explains the app.

Selfies and portraits

Selfies are the Galaxy’s surest photographic victory. The Galaxy’s selfies impressed GSMArena’s reviewers as some of the most detailed selfies around.

While the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s selfie pictures were lauded for their detail, sharpness, and dynamic range (with a nice autofocus function for taking selfies up close), GSMArena’s reviewers noted the iPhone’s selfies aren’t quite as detailed as the competition’s, and in at least one instance (a low-light scenario), the reviewers had trouble getting the iPhone to focus on a face. That said, the iPhone 18 Pro’s front camera does have a higher-resolution sensor (18MP), and thanks to its multi-aspect sensor, you can hold the iPhone vertically and still take landscape-oriented selfies.

Rear camera portraits tell a different story. DXOMARK’s bokeh scores favour the iPhone 18 Pro (175) over the Galaxy S26 Ultra (165), and GSMArena’s reviewers noted the iPhone’s portraits were sharper with more detail this year. If you do want to use the Galaxy S26 Ultra to take portraits, GSMArena’s reviewers preferred using the 5x camera over the 3x camera, as they found pictures taken with the former to have better detail and skin tones. For the best head-and-shoulders shots with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, start out in 5x and take a step or two back until the subject’s face takes up most of the frame.

Editing and AI tools

Apple’s Clean Up tool gets an upgrade and there are also new Extend and Spatial Reframing options for editing composition after taking the shot. Samsung meanwhile rebuilds its Photo Assist generative AI suite with One UI 8.5, bringing object erasing and moving, creation via prompts, background extension and overall image restyling (some features require a Samsung account and internet).

Samsung also still has Object Eraser (an older on-device tool that can be re-enabled in Gallery’s settings menu). Apple also brings an opt-in Reference mode, which cryptographically signs images so Apple can provide an unaltered reference version from its servers (not available at launch in the EU and China). The One UI 8.5 Photo Assist guide comes equipped with the Galaxy steps.

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max

Weighing a new Galaxy S26 Ultra against last year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max? Apple’s 18 Pro Max adds manual aperture control, as its main camera lens has a variable aperture, along with manual shutter speed and white balance controls. That’s something the 17 Pro Max doesn’t have.

Aside from that, the 17 Pro Max and 18 Pro Max have identical cameras according to Apple’s spec sheets: the same ultrawide and 4x telephoto lenses, and the same 18MP front-facing camera. Note that Apple discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro Max on 9 September 2026, so you’ll only be able to get your hands on one from a carrier, retailer or second-hand.

In Tom’s Guide’s 200-photo head-to-head (published 21 March 2026), John Velasco gave six rounds to the S26 Ultra: daytime, colour, dynamic range, macro, panorama and 40x zoom. The iPhone took ultrawide, selfie, indoor and low-light, and Velasco said it is still the best for low-light photography. Mark Spoonauer, writing eight days earlier, rated iPhone images overall 19/20 vs 17/20 for the Galaxy, preferring brighter night shots and more natural colours (though the Galaxy’s 10x zoom made signs easier to read).

Elsewhere Android Central had similar findings, saying the iPhone can match the S26 Ultra’s colour accuracy and exposure but falls behind in capturing finer details. Digital Camera World liked the iPhone’s 4x for portraits and general telephoto use but found the Galaxy’s 5x handled noise and camera shake better in lower light. DXOMARK rates both telephoto setups equally (141).

Video results are similarly split. The iPhone takes the nod in DXOMARK’s testing (172 vs 153) and according to TechRadar delivers more consistent video than the Galaxy (not to mention ProRes and ProRes RAW recording options), although Spoonauer had the opposite opinion, awarding the Galaxy the win thanks to its Horizontal Lock video stabilisation and brighter low-light videos, although the iPhone’s daylight 4K was crisper. As for selfies, both Tom’s Guide reviewers preferred the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 18MP Center Stage camera, describing the S26 Ultra’s selfies as flatter or washed out, which is a reversal of GSMArena’s results noted above.

Velasco singled out the full manual controls of Pro mode in his verdict. If you do a lot of photography, you may want to consider the S26 Ultra, especially if you shoot things far away and/or prefer to have separate 3x and 5x cameras. If you regularly shoot people and selfies and take lots of photos in low light, especially if you mostly leave your phone in Auto mode, or fancy shooting video in ProRes, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the phone for you. The Galaxy’s price has also risen $100 since launch to $1,399.99, so it’s worth checking iPhone 17 Pro Max prices with carriers and considering used options before making your decision.

Which to pick for what you shoot

Battery matters on a long shoot away from a charging point, and in this instance the iPhone came out on top.

While GSMArena’s battery testing saw the Galaxy able to charge from empty quicker (43 minutes versus 55 for the iPhone), the iPhone lasted longer with 19 hours 20 minutes of active use, compared to 16 hours 22 minutes for the Galaxy. Here’s how they split by subject:

On the other hand, if you’re upgrading from a Galaxy S25 Ultra or an iPhone 17 Pro Max, GSMArena didn’t notice a significant improvement in the cameras, so this factor will matter more if you’re crossing platforms or moving on from an older model. This article supersedes our previous Galaxy S25 vs iPhone 16 comparisons. For the Samsung upgrade question, see the S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra comparison, and for other brands, the best camera phone guide. Our Samsung vs Pixel camera comparison runs the same tests against Google’s flagship, the Pixel 11 Pro.