Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max

The smartphone camera race continues to intensify. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max both deliver flagship-level performance. However, they differ significantly in color science, zoom flexibility, AI editing and low-light processing.

Here is a structured breakdown of how they compare across real-world photography and video use.

Primary Camera in Good Light

Both phones capture excellent detail and dynamic range, meaning they preserve highlights and shadows without losing information.

Samsung applies stronger color processing. Photos look vibrant and contrast-heavy, ideal for users who want bold images ready for social sharing.

Apple takes a more neutral approach. The iPhone preserves natural tones and avoids over-saturation, giving users more flexibility during editing.

The iPhone shoots at 24 megapixels by default, producing sharper crops immediately. Samsung defaults to 12 megapixels unless users enable higher resolution manually. At maximum resolution, Samsung’s 200-megapixel sensor enables extreme cropping while retaining clarity through pixel binning technology.

Verdict in good light:

Default detail: iPhone advantage
Extreme cropping flexibility: Samsung advantage
Color accuracy: iPhone
Punchy visuals: Samsung

Primary Camera in Low Light

Samsung introduces anti-lens flare coatings that significantly reduce distracting flare artifacts in backlit night scenes. This improves clarity in difficult lighting.

However, the iPhone generally produces sharper and more detailed low-light photos. Samsung sometimes relies on longer shutter speeds, which increases brightness but can introduce motion blur.

The iPhone balances exposure and noise reduction more effectively, producing cleaner textures in bricks, walls and indoor environments.

Low-light winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

Ultrawide Camera Performance

Samsung clearly dominates in ultrawide photography. Images appear sharper with stronger edge definition and better noise control.

In bright scenes, Samsung handles sky detail better. In low light, the gap widens further. The iPhone’s ultrawide softens noticeably, while Samsung maintains texture clarity.

Macro photography is strong on both devices, but Samsung’s processing gives it a sharper look overall.

Ultrawide winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Telephoto and Zoom Capabilities

This is where Samsung pulls ahead in versatility.

The iPhone includes one 4x optical zoom lens. Samsung offers both 3x and 5x optical zoom, providing more flexibility.

2x zoom: Both rely on sensor cropping. Performance is similar.
3x zoom: Samsung wins due to dedicated lens.
4x zoom: iPhone’s optical zoom performs strongly.
5x zoom: Samsung’s optical lens is highly competitive.

In extended zoom under good light, Samsung produces cleaner results at 10x, 40x and even 100x thanks to AI upscaling.

In low light at 10x and 20x, the iPhone produces cleaner, more readable images. Samsung’s AI can over-sharpen and blur fine details like text.

Zoom winner overall: Samsung in daylight, iPhone in low light

Portrait Mode

Both devices perform strong computational edge detection for subject separation.

Samsung’s portraits look brighter and slightly sharper. However, it can clip highlights in bright areas.

The iPhone preserves dynamic range better and delivers more natural skin tones and hair gradients.

Portrait preference:

Natural look: iPhone
Sharper look: Samsung

Selfie Camera

Both produce strong selfies.

The iPhone offers a wider field of view, making it better for group shots. It also supports seamless switching between portrait and landscape orientations thanks to its center-stage sensor design.

In low light, the iPhone captures sharper selfies with better noise control.

Selfie winner: Slight edge to iPhone

AI Editing Tools

Samsung leads decisively in AI-powered photo editing.

Its Generative Edit tool removes objects cleanly and allows prompt-based changes, such as altering clothing colors or blending styles. Apple’s Cleanup tool remains more basic.

Apple focuses more on in-camera Photographic Styles for aesthetic customization rather than generative edits.

AI editing winner: Samsung

Video Recording

In 4K at 30fps, both deliver excellent quality. Samsung’s HDR export sometimes introduces a blue tint.

In low light, the iPhone produces sharper and cleaner footage.

Samsung offers 8K recording across multiple lenses, giving more flexibility for cropping in post-production.

Samsung’s Super Steady mode with horizontal lock is highly impressive for action shots. The iPhone’s stabilization remains strong but more traditional.

Audio tools differ as well. Samsung offers Audio Eraser for background removal. Apple provides Audio Mix presets such as In-Frame and Studio.

Video summary: