I shot 200 photos with Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max — there’s a clear winner
I shot 200 photos with Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max — there’s a clear winner
Publish Date: 2026-03-21 00:01:00
Source Domain: www.tomsguide.com
Now that I’ve spent time with the Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max, it’s time to finally determine which is indeed the best camera phone around. Apple’s flagship has remained at the top ever since its release last fall, but Samsung is looking to reclaim the crown.
Apple’s 48MP triple camera setup has proven to be as reliable as ever for a number of different shooting situations, but it also received a big upgrade in the form of its 18MP Center Stage selfie camera. In our iPhone 17 Pro Max review, my colleague Mark Spoonauer showed how it continues to be a master in low light.
Meanwhile, Samsung has stepped up its game too with its quadruple camera system — which consists of a beefy 200MP main camera, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 50MP 5x telephoto. Around the front, there’s a 12MP selfie shooter. While the specs indicate nothing’s changed, two important upgrades we point out in our Galaxy S26 Ultra review are its wider apertures for the main and 5x telephoto cameras.
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Are these upgrades enough for the Galaxy S26 Ultra to supplant the iPhone 17 Pro Max? I went out and captured over 200 photos to see how they compare across different scenarios, grading each one after inspecting the images on my monitor. Here’s what I found.
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max: Daytime
I’ve been enjoying the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray for nearly a week now, and it gets the proper treatment from each phone. This one’s a tough call, but I’m giving it to the Galaxy S26 Ultra because it’s much sharper with the details and handles the strong light source hitting the grass in the foreground better — plus, it has nicer contrast.
Even though the iPhone 17 Pro Max produces a brighter picture, it results in a more low-contrast look. When I zoom into different parts of the shot, I also notice it’s not as sharp.
Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra
