Samsung and Apple have battled for camera dominance in the smartphone market for over a decade. With the iPhone 16 Pro series raising the bar in smartphone photography—thanks to its 48 MP ultra-wide camera, 4K 120fps video recording, and more—the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra faces high expectations.
As per some leaks, Samsung will have a quad-camera arrangement on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, similar to the setup on its predecessor. However, the camera array is likely to consist of new sensors, capable of capturing better photos and videos. Not just hardware, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is also said to pack new camera tricks to further enhance the overall camera experience.
These five leaks suggest the Galaxy S25 Ultra might outperform the iPhone 16 Pro Max (review).
Samsung’s first 50 MP ultra-wide camera
Galaxy S25 Ultra. (Image credit: Android Headline/OnLeaks)
Although 50 MP ultra-wide angle cameras are fairly common on Android smartphones, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is said to be the first Samsung phone to feature one. According to Ice Universe, a smartphone leakster, the 50 MP ultra-wide-angle camera will feature a 1/2.52-inch ISOCELL JN3 sensor with an f/1.9 aperture. This setup promises sharper, brighter images even in low light, outpacing the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 48 MP ultra-wide camera with its narrower f/2.2 aperture.
Image processing upgrade for wide and telephoto lenses
While the S25 Ultra will likely retain its predecessor’s 200 MP primary shooter and telephoto lenses (10 MP 3x and 50 MP 5x), the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip’s Image Signal Processor (ISP) is expected to elevate image quality. Samsung’s dual telephoto setup, combined with its higher-resolution main sensor, could give it an edge over Apple’s offerings.
8K HDR video recording on more cameras
8K recording has been a common phenomenon on the latest Samsung flagships for the last few years, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra could take this a notch up with 8K 60fps video recording with HDR toning. Like the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it will also offer 4K 120fps video recording with the ability to convert those videos into short instant slow-motion footage. However, it will be interesting to see if Samsung will optimise the stability and details of high-resolution videos, especially at 8K.
Multi-camera recording/capturing capability
Director’s View on Samsung phones lets users shoot videos from both the rear and front cameras and considering the capabilities of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip––which can capture videos from three different cameras simultaneously––the Galaxy S25 Ultra might come with new modes that allow users to capture the same scene with multiple cameras for different perspectives. This will help users capture a scene in different magnifications at the same time, while iPhone 16 Pro Max users can only shoot from one camera at a time.
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Video object eraser
Image object erasers have become a fairly common feature on Android smartphones, and the same is also available on the iPhone 16 Pro Max as a part of Apple Intelligence. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is said to be one of the first smartphones to offer video object eraser capabilities, again, a strength of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. This will help users remove unwanted subjects from the videos before posting them to social media platforms or YouTube.
With the right combination of hardware, software, and AI, the Galaxy S25 might beat the iPhone 16 Pro Max in terms of photography and videography. If everything goes as expected, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series will go official in early February 2025, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra being the flag bearer.
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