Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Test Comparison
– What’s up, guys? Saf here on SuperSaf TV and welcome to the SuperSafStyle camera comparison, the one you’ve all been waiting for, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra versus the iPhone 15 Pro Max. We’ll be testing out all the different cameras. We’ll be looking at video, images, low light. You guys know the drill. Let’s do it. We’re going to kick off with the images, and after taking hundreds of pictures with both devices. From the primary cameras, as always, it is very, very close in good light. Both have excellent detail and a very, very good dynamic range.
Now there were certain situations where I did find that the iPhone did have better dynamic range. You can see in this example here, if you look towards the highlight areas of the building, the iPhone has maintained those better compared to the S24 Ultra. Now a new thing that we’ve got in the iPhone 15 Pro Max is that it shoots at 24 megapixels by default, keyword there is default. So when we do compare these side by side and go in 100%, you are going to be able to get more detail on the iPhone 15 Pro Max
compared to the S24 Ultra at default. Now, the S24 Ultra, of course, does have a high resolution camera. So it goes in two steps. You can
so, outdoors in good light. But again, it is nice to have that option there to be able to shoot at full 200 megapixels. Right, now, low light from the primary cameras. Now, things were close in some situations like here, but when it did come to some tricky situations like this one where we’ve got some light coming in from the background, I did find that the iPhone does tend to balance things better compared to the S24 Ultra when we’re using night mode. This indoor low light shots, the S24 Ultra really struggling here and I couldn’t actually
see what I was shooting, because on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, when you are shooting in low light, it really brightens up the scene so you can actually compose the shot nicely. With the S24 Ultra, you are pretty much shooting blind as you can see in this example. It also takes longer for the S24 Ultra to capture the shot compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and this can sometimes result in not as sharp of an image because it’s very difficult to hold your hands still for many seconds, especially when it’s so cold like it
is right now in the UK. So for low light, I would have to give the edge to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now with the ultra-wide cameras, very, very close, I think both have excellent detail and dynamic range. Now, usually, I do find that the Samsung devices do have better dynamic range, but this time it was very, very close. I think Apple has definitely done some software improvements to their ultra-wide camera, because in some situations, like this one, I did find that the highlight details were better maintained on the iPhone 15 Pro Max compared to
the S24 Ultra. For low light from the ultra-wide cameras, I would say it was very, very close looking at multiple examples, neither of these were great and I can’t really pick a winner between the two. Now both ultra-wide cameras do have auto focus, which means that you can focus in very close and get macro photos, and both do really, really well. Now you can focus in closer with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but I do find that the S24 Ultra processing is a bit more pleasing and I do prefer the macro shots that generally come
out of the S24 Ultra compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Right now let’s look at zoom, because this I know a lot of you guys are interested in. So the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 5x telephoto camera. The S24 Ultra has a 3x telephoto camera and now it has also a 5x periscope telephoto camera. The S23 Ultra from last year had a 10x periscope zoom camera, so this has changed and let’s see what the results are. Now the first stage that you have on the iPhone is 2x zoom. Now this isn’t using a
special lens, it’s just cropping into the middle part of the sensor. You can also do this on the S24 Ultra and results are quite similar in good light. Now the next step for the S24 Ultra is 3x zoom because you do have that dedicated optical zoom camera, and when we compare this to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it is using digital zoom at 3x. So you do get more detail with the S24 Ultra. Now if you continue on to up to 4.9x zoom, then the S24 Ultra, once again, is going to give you better zoom
because it’s going from 3 to 4.9, whereas on the iPhone you’re going from 1 to 4.9. So that particular zoom range between 3 and 4.9, you are going to get better results thanks to that optical zoom camera of the S24 Ultra. Now when we switched to 5x zoom, this is where the optical zoom cameras of both devices kick in, and I think both do an excellent job in good light as you can see here. Now we can extend the zoom to really see how well these do, and we can go to 10x on both devices.
Now both devices do have slightly different focal lengths, so even though you are at “5x” or 10x, they will be slightly different. But here, although things are quite close, I do think that the S24 Ultra does have slightly sharper results. Now if we do extend to the max that the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers, max-max, which is 25x zoom and we compare that to the S24 Ultra, you can see that although both are doing well, the S24 Ultra does have more detail, especially if you look towards those solar panels. I’m assuming because Samsung has been
doing extended zoom for a longer period of time, it has better software algorithms. With the S24 Ultra, you can also extend all the way up to 100x space zoom. Now, how good this is, we’re going to have to compare it to the S23 Ultra which goes from that 10x periscope zoom camera. I know you guys want to see that comparison and I’m working on that, so be sure to subscribe and hit that bell icon. I’m also working on a hands-on comparison between the S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, looking at all of the
differences, you’re not going to want to miss it. Now zoom in good light is all well and good, but how do these compare when it comes to zoom in low light? So, using the primary cameras initially, we are going to go to 2x zoom to see which one of these process them better. Now we are going to have to blow these up to 200% to really see the differences, and you can see that the iPhone 15 Pro Max has done a better job with that digital zoom at 2x. Now if we go to 3x zoom,
remember this is where that optical zoom camera of the S24 Ultra kicks in, and when we look at this and blow this up 200%, you can see that we do have more detail now on the S24 Ultra, and this is going to continue until we are at about 4.9x zoom. When we go to 5x, you can see that both of the 5x optical zoom cameras have kicked in and we have pretty good results on both. But when we go to 10x, once again, you can see that difference in focal length. The iPhone 15 Pro Max
does seem to have more detail and it’s a better overall image with some more contrast. Now if you go all the way to 25x zoom, this is even clearer that the iPhone is doing better with zoom in low light. The S24 Ultra does go all the way to 100x, even in low light, but I wouldn’t even bother doing it in this situation unless you want to take pictures of the moon, you’re not really going to be using that 100x zoom in low light. So for zoom in good light, I’d have to give the win to
the S24 Ultra with that dedicated 3x optical zoom camera. But for low light, I’d have to give it to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now let’s look at portraits, because things are very interesting. So in this example, I do prefer the colors on the S24 Ultra. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a little bit washed out. But in terms of edges on the overall picture, both are doing excellent. Now, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, when you do take a portrait image at 1x in good light, it is going to give you a 24 megapixel
image, so you are going to be able to crop in much further on the iPhone 15 Pro Max compared to that of the S24 Ultra. Both devices also let you take portraits at 2x, which is using the middle part of the sensors. I think both do excellent as you can see from these examples here. Now the S24 Ultra by default has options to take portraits at 1, 2, 3x as well as 5x. With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you do not have an option to take portraits at 3x. However, you can go into the image
after you’ve taken it and then add the portrait effect. You can also do this on the S24 Ultra. So in this example, if we do take a standard iPhone 15 Pro Max image and add the portrait and compare it to the portrait image from the S24 Ultra, you can see that both are doing good. We do have differences in color, which we’ll talk about in a second, but the S24 Ultra does give you a sharper image thanks to that 3x optical zoom. Now let’s test out portraits at 5x, which I think is my new favorite
optical zoom length for portraits, and you can see that both are actually doing very good here. Now, both do handle skin colors a little bit differently. I think this one is going to come down to your personal preference. But in this image, I’d say that the color of my top is better maintained on the iPhone, it’s a bit more black. But the iPhone does tend to go for more of an orange look, which a lot of people I know don’t like. The S24 Ultra has gone more for a yellowish look, so I’d say my actual
skin tone is in between here. But when we look at the edges, although both are doing excellent, take a look at some of the wisps of hair on the iPhone 15 Pro Max portrait. It’s been able to still maintain those and it looks a lot more realistic because of that reason. I’m not sure what software magic Apple are applying, but it’s so, so good. Now, portraits in low light. So this is using the primary cameras. I do prefer the S24 Ultra because the iPhone 15 Pro Max has completely taken off my hair. It’s kind of
like hinting to me that, “Hey, Saf, you’re starting to recede quite a bit. Just get rid of the hair altogether.” Thanks, Apple. The S24 Ultra has actually maintained that much better compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now we can do the 2x portraits, as well, with both devices. Here I actually prefer the iPhone compared to the S24 Ultra, which has overexposed things a little bit. Now we can take portraits with the 5x telephoto cameras of both devices and here it’s a clear win for the S24 Ultra. You’ve got a much sharper result, and for
some reason the iPhone 15 Pro Max really does struggle with portraits at 5x in low light. It straight up refused a few times, saying either use the flash or don’t bother. So, for low light portraits, I’d say the edge overall goes to the S24 Ultra. Now, for selfies. I think both take excellent selfies. We do have differences in skin color. In this one, I do prefer the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is also a little bit wider. In this image, I think the iPhone 15 Pro Max does have some better dynamic
range, it’s boosted those shadows, but in doing so, it’s made my beard look very gray. I mean, I’ve just dyed it, so, you know, thanks, Apple, for making it look gray. The S24 Ultra on the other hand has maintained colors on my top and my beard better compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In this example, I think things are very close. I think both are doing a good job. Now we can use portrait mode from the front-facing cameras of both devices. When you do this on the iPhone, it kind of crops in a little
bit for some reason. But you can just take a regular selfie and then turn it into a portrait later, which I’ve done here. And both are doing really, really well overall. However, I do think the edges, once again, are better on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. You can see those wisps of hair, and the S24 Ultra, if you do look closely, it has kind of cut out my sunglasses a little bit, as well. Now for selfies in low light. This is quite difficult to take because you have to really keep your hand still. I used
both of my hands because it does take a longer shutter speed. Now in this example, although the iPhone is brighter, it’s got a lot more noise. So the S24 Ultra I would pick in this instance, it’s a sharper image overall, and although it’s not as bright, it’s not as noisy. Using the front-facing flash on both devices. Again, the iPhone 15 Pro Max might appear to be brighter, but it’s very, very noisy, so I do prefer the S24 Ultra. Now before we move on to video, just to quickly highlight, that the S24 Ultra now does have
lots of AI features that you can use in post. So like you can do on the iPhone, on the S24 Ultra, you can now just select a regular image and turn it into a portrait image. You can also do things like remove reflections and shadows, but as well as that, you can actually go in and edit the picture further by selecting the subject, changing the position of it, the size of it. And I think my favorite thing is using AI to rotate an image and fill in the spaces. If you’ve got friends who can never
take a straight image, this is going to be so, so useful. A lot of these features we have seen on the Google Pixel devices, but it’s nice that we’ve now also got them on the S24 Ultra. Right, for video. Traditionally when I go through video, it’s an easy, easy win for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but Samsung fans will be pleased to know that this year things were much, much closer. So when we’re shooting in good light at 4K, things are very close. I think we’ve got excellent detail and dynamic range on both. I did
really try to test dynamic range by shooting into the sun in these examples, and I also tested using HDR on both devices then exporting them out to SDR for this video. Once again, I think both are doing very, very good, especially from the primary and the ultra-wide cameras. Now I would still give the edge to the iPhone 15 Pro Max because in other situations such as from the selfie camera in particular, I do think it had better dynamic range. Also, you saw the cinematic video at the beginning, and once again, the colors were much better
maintained on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, whereas things were getting very yellow on the S24 Ultra. Speaking of cinematic video, the iPhone 15 Pro Max also allows you to adjust things after you’ve taken the video when you’re using cinematic mode, you can’t do this on the S24 Ultra. And you’ve also got continuous zoom when using cinematic mode on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now for low light, things were very, very close. I would say that they’re the closest that they’ve ever been. I would still say that the iPhone is better in very, very dark situations
like you can see here. And while we’re on the topic of low light, both have excellent auto focus as you can see, but when we do have low light, the iPhone does seem to be a little bit faster. And I think that is down to the dedicated LiDAR scanner that we’ve got on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. For stabilization, I think our 4K both are excellent. I definitely cannot pick a winner between these two because both are very, very stable, and yes, guys, I know I run like a “GTA” character. That’s just the way I
run. Okay? Now we do have action mode and super steady, so these will shoot at a slightly lower resolution but they will give you much more stable footage. Now with both of these at default, it does use the ultra-wide cameras, so 0.6 and 0.5. And as you can see, both, once again, do such a good job with stabilization. I really cannot pick a winner between these two. However, when we use action mode and super steady with the primary cameras, then the iPhone is more stable as you can see here. This was a similar situation when
we did some previous tests. So it looks like for stabilization when it comes to the primary camera with the action mode then the iPhone is better. Now the S24 Ultra does have the ability to shoot 8K video, something that the iPhone does not have. Now with the S23 Ultra, as well as the S24 Ultra, we have much more usable 8K video compared to previous generations because it is not cropping in massively. This gives you so much detail and it also gives you the ability to crop in further if you do want to change your angle.
Now, testing out the 5x zoom cameras on both devices for video, I did find that the S24 Ultra was sharper compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and then testing these out in low light, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was brighter, but you did have more noise. Now we do have lots of pro features for both devices. So with the S24 Ultra you’ve got pro video mode, so this is going to allow you to go in and really change all of your settings like white balance and ISO. On the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you will
have to get an external app if you want to do something like this. But the iPhone 15 Pro Max does have the ability to record ProRes video with log. So this is a flat picture profile which you’ll be able to color in post. Now, although a lot of you guys probably will never use this feature, if you are a pro film-maker, then this might be something that’s vital for you. Now, for slow-motion, I actually think both are really good, but we’ve got some improvements on slow motion on the S24 Ultra. So you can do 1080p,
240 frames a second on both devices, but Samsung has now got rid of the Super Slow-mo feature, which used to give you 960 frames, but in very, very bad quality. They’ve replaced this now with 120 frames a second at 4K. You can see here that we do get a lot more detail in slow motion at that 4K resolution. However, with the iPhone, you can shoot slow motion with all of the different lenses. So with the ultra-wide, with the primary, as well as the zoom. With the S24 Ultra, you can only shoot slow motion with the
primary camera. Now, for audio, I’ll let you guys have a listen. Audio test on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. There are lots of cars in the background. There’s a crazy guy shouting, as well. So let’s see how much of that background noise that actually comes through. Let me know what you think. Now I think both actually record great audio, but with the noisy background, I do think that the S24 Ultra had better noise cancellation. Let me know what you guys think. So that is the SuperSafStyle camera comparison between the
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Let me just say that both of these have excellent cameras. You really can’t go wrong with either, and they are some of my favorite smartphone cameras. I have no problem shooting with either of these as my daily. Of course, there are certain areas where one is better than the other. I would say that the iPhone has better low light overall, as well as better dynamic range, and we still do have better video in some situations, especially from the selfie camera as well as cinematic video. But
come on, we got to give some credit to the S24 Ultra. Samsung has done a great job of improving video on the S24 Ultra. You also do get things like 8K. And let’s not forget that the S24 Ultra also has that dedicated 3x zoom camera, which is going to give you a much better zoom in that range between 3 to 4.9 times compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’d also say that the S24 Ultra does have better extended zoom in good light, and I think that’s thanks to Samsung’s work on extended zoom over the
past few years. And Samsung also has a lot of these new AI features, which I think can be useful for a lot of people. Now there are lots of other features as well that both devices have, which we’ll be comparing in the SuperSafStyle hands-on comparison of both devices. That’s going to be coming very soon, so be sure to subscribe and hit that bell icon if you don’t want to miss it. If you are thinking of buying any of these devices, you can use my exclusive affiliate link down in the description below and that will give
you up to double the storage as well as up to $150 in instant Samsung credit. This is what I think, anyway. What do you guys think of the cameras of the S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max? Do drop me a comment below. Let me know your thoughts. I hope you enjoyed this video and found it useful. If you did, then please do hit that thumbs up button for me. I haven’t slept properly in many days trying to get these videos done, so a thumbs up and a subscription would be appreciated. Thanks for watching.
This is Saf on SuperSaf TV. I’ll see you next time.
