Is theSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultraworth an upgrade if you own the last Ultra phone ? Equally , if the Galaxy S25 Ultra is on your steal list , empathise how Samsung has improved the camera this prison term around will be an important percentage point to understand before splashing out on it . To help answer these questions , we put Samsung ’s latest Ultra phone against its precursor , theGalaxy S24 Ultra , in a serious camera battle .
Camera specs
The first thing to understand is not much has changedon the ironware front . Both have a 200 - megapixel primary tv camera with an f/1.7 aperture , form - signal detection autofocus ( PDAF ) and visual image stabilisation ( OIS ) . It ’s joined by a pair of telephotograph cameras on both , one 10MP telephotograph with OIS for a 3x optic rapid climb , and another 50MP telephotograph with OIS for a 5x ocular zoom .
The individual computer hardware variety is the wide - angle tv camera , which is a 12MP camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra and a newfangled 50MP wide - angle on the Galaxy S25 Ultra . The new panoptic - angle television camera has an f/1.9 aperture equate to the f/2.2 on the S24 Ultra , while both have the same 120 - grade field of view .
Inside each phone is a unlike central processing unit , which can have a considerable impact on the photographic experience . The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 power the Galaxy S24 Ultra , and it ’s the latestSnapdragon 8 Eliteinside the Galaxy S25 Ultra . Both Saratoga chip have been optimize “ for Galaxy , ” which Samsung say improves overall functioning .
Main camera
There is very trivial to split the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Ultra ’s master tv camera , but there are two things you take to live before deciding whether to upgrade . The tiny differences in tone , color , and active range will be separate by personal preference , as one is n’t better than the other , but I ’ve incessantly acknowledge the Galaxy S24 Ultra ’s primary camera takes piercing picture with a all-encompassing focal area .
The front of the church is a enceinte example . Take a snug look at the windows on the building deeper in the systema skeletale than the entrance , and you ’ll see the S25 Ultra introduces fuzz where the S24 Ultra ’s photo is thole shrewd . It ’s evident elsewhere in the photograph too , but because you have to look really closely , it wo n’t bother everyone . However , it detracts from the overall photo once you ’ve seen it .
The Galaxy S25 Ultra can redeem itself with less noise , which can be seen in the pic of the street , specifically under the awning and through the window . Lets cease with a picture that shows the differences as a whole . The Firebird mark and sky in the picture below has good blank residue in the S25 Ultra ’s picture , but is n’t as sharp as the S24 Ultra ’s pic , and although the dividing line is well - judged in the S25 Ultra ’s photograph , I opt the colour pop in the S24 Ultra ’s exposure .
It ’s very unmanageable to say one is better than the other , as some wo n’t notice the differences at all , and both do have positive and negative points . I would n’t rush to elevate the S24 Ultra to the S25 Ultra , but I also would n’t hold back on the S25 Ultra over any concerns the television camera is somehow worse . The main camera category is a draw .
Winner : attracter
Wide-angle camera
Now we get to the class where the Galaxy S25 Ultra should beat the S24 Ultra . Out testagainst the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Maxhas already read the wide - angle camera takes proficient photos , so how does it do next to the Galaxy S24 Ultra ? Anyone carry dramatic departure is going to be a little disappointed .
The wide - angle photo of the church shows you have to attend very close to spot any differences at all , and even when you do , they ’re negligible . There ’s a snatch less noise in the S25 Ultra ’s photo , but more pop in the S24 Ultra ’s exposure , and both have an almost indistinguishable degree of detail . Neither picture is good than the other .
The Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s wide - angle photographic camera is a little better in low light . In the slam of the console inside a cafe , there ’s markedly less noise and boundary blurring at the top of the S25 Ultra ’s photo , and the livid equaliser is more accurate too . However , if I did n’t distinguish you about these difference , would you in reality notice ?
Here ’s a trial for you . Which panoptic - angle exposure out of the two above do you prefer ? The Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s all-encompassing - angle television camera take sharper photos , but it ’s really bare , and I ’m not convince it makes that much of a difference . Both photograph are technically quite interchangeable , with no obvious negative points . Yes , the Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s across-the-board - slant camera is “ better ” than the S24 Ultra ’s , but whether you will ever notice is another thing solely . It stick the win , but do n’t scan too much into it .
Winner : Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Telephoto cameras
Finally , as we reach the telephoto family , we can see some consistent improvements in the photos pack by the Galaxy S25 Ultra . Across the 3x , 5x , and 10x zoom the S25 Ultra takes needlelike and less noisy photo than the S24 Ultra , and you do n’t always need to pixel - cheep to see the change .
The 3x zoom pic of the arch is the knockout to immediately see the changes , but the wooden archway and logic gate do have more bite and texture when you take a here and now to probe the pic . This continues into the background . I do prefer the S24 Ultra ’s visual soda water though , a running theme throughout the run .
The exposure of the cat was taken at 5x zoom , and the Galaxy S25 Ultra has nailed the colouring material of its coat , and lessened the vivid line of the S24 Ultra ’s image , giving it a natural look and feeling . There ’s a stack less noise in the background too .
eventually , the clock at 10x rapid climb shows how much the S24 Ultra bank on smooth to keep stochasticity at Laurus nobilis . The textures in the stone around the edge of the clock face are sharper in the S25 Ultra ’s photo , and there ’s a lot less pixelation in the darker part at the top of the persona . The Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s three primary zoom degree easily surpass the lineament of the S24 Ultra ’s cameras .
30x and 100x zoom
More for fun than anything else , here ’s how thing have change for the 30x and 100x zoom levels both phones can achieve . Interestingly , the 30x soar is getting more and more usable , with far less smoothing , more keenness , and additional texture to make the 30x photos taken by the Galaxy S25 Ultra much improved over the S24 Ultra .
The 100x zoom picture still are n’t single you ’d take and want to keep , but similar updates to the 30x mode make them less unreal look than before , with more grain and reality . It ’s promotion made in the software and processing which make all this possible , rather than the camera computer hardware , and it ’s perhaps the arena where we can see the most obvious changes between the two telephone set generation .
Night mode
The software system and processing improvements extend to the Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s lowlight performance too . The first exposure was taken in much dark shape , with ambient light coming from a security lamp behind me . The S25 Ultra ’s photo is sharper , and take good use of the direct contrast and picture time to make the scene look more natural , and bring out more of the texture in the wood .
The next two picture show the S25 Ultra ’s corking power to take a natural looking for photo in lowlight . The first has plenty of ambient light , but it was nowhere almost as fleeceable as the S24 Ultra makes it seem , but there ’s a hatful less noise in the exposure due to its extra smoothing . However , textures are greater and more naturalistic in the S25 Ultra , such as on the tarmac and the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree trunk .
All this is then emphasize in the exposure of the same scene taken from a dissimilar slant . The S25 Ultra ’s colours are much more accurate , and there ’s less blur on the vehicles too . However , it ’s less effective at capturing the text edition on the van , and both photos have noisy skies . When the Galaxy S25 Ultra is this good in very lowlight , it ’ll suit more environment than the S24 Ultra .
An easy win
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has perplex the S24 Ultra in all but one category , with the telephoto sections proving to be the most decisive . The new wide - slant camera is obviously ameliorate , but it ’s not as spectacular as you may await . However , I have been really impressed with it outside of this test piece , and you’re able to see more example of the photos it takesin our review .
It ’s no surprise the two master cameras are equally matched as the hardware is unchanged , but I remain concerned about the introduction of fuzz and a lack of sharpness . I do n’t consider this should happen on a photographic camera attached to a $ 1,300 smartphone , and look forward to Samsung come up to it in next software update .
While the Galaxy S25 Ultra has won this test , it ’s hard to say it put up a compelling reasonableness to upgrade if you own the Galaxy S24 Ultra , unless you use the telephotograph photographic camera a dandy trade . It ’s not like the S24 Ultra has a bad photographic camera , as it still managed tobeat the iPhone 16 Pro Maxat the end of 2024 . We ’ve got some other interesting mental testing if you ’re still considering the S25 Ultra , as we ’ve also put itagainst the iPhone 16 Pro Max , and we ’ve catch an in - depth look at how thetelephoto capabilities compare to its rivalshere .
