I tested the Galaxy S25 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro cameras, this one wins

Smartphones have been getting bigger for years, but as they’ve done so, a new realm of smaller phones has launched to cater to those who want something more pocket-friendly. By small, I don’t mean Mini — although I’d love Mini phones to make a comeback — but rather, more friendly when using them with one hand.

Both Samsung and Apple have helped pioneer this trend, by ensuring there’s a smartphone that’s the perfect size for any needs. Yet, they’ve taken different approaches to doing so, as part of differing strategies on what the ideal smartphone lineup should look like.

The Galaxy S25 Plus combines the best of the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra into a device that’s more capable than the former, but not as large and unwieldy as the latter. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro brings a virtually identical experience to the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max, but in a smaller form factor.

Which company took the better approach when it comes to the camera? I flew around the world to find out, and here’s what I found!

Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs iPhone 16 Pro camera specs

Before we dig into how each performs in real-world testing, let’s quickly recap the specs of each camera.

Looking at the specs of both cameras, a few specific things stand out. Both phones feature similar overall specs in the main camera, but thereafter they diverge. Samsung has opted for a smaller resolution ultrawide camera with higher pixel size, while Apple chose the opposite route of a bigger resolution camera combined with pixel binning to create a similar overall camera. The ultrawide camera is new to the iPhone 16 Pro this year, but while the Galaxy S25 Ultra also received an improved 50MP ultrawide camera, Samsung opted against including the same sensor in the Galaxy S25 Plus.

Then there’s the telephoto camera. Both feature similar resolutions, but the Galaxy S25 Plus features just 3x optical zoom while the iPhone 16 Pro offers 5x optical zoom. Lastly, the selfie cameras are very similar on both devices, but crucially, the iPhone 16 Pro camera features OIS which should mean reduced noise. Let’s see if real-world performance delivers on these initial expectations.

Galaxy S25 Plus vs iPhone 16 Pro: Zoom Tests

With both phones taking different approaches to zoom and the camera as a whole, which phone maker has the best approach? Which phone takes the best photos at various zoom lengths? I tested this on a recent trip to Dubai, and here’s what I found.

In this first test, neither phone performs particularly well and as we discovered in our other camera comparisons, both are surpassed by the OnePlus 13 and Pixel 9 Pro. However, the iPhone 16 Pro performs slightly better at the higher zoom lengths thanks to its 5x optical zoom, whereas the quality begins to downgrade much faster on the Galaxy S25 Plus. Samsung’s phone also appears more washed out than Apple’s mid-sized flagship.

Much like the first test, the Galaxy S25 Plus struggles above 5x zoom whereas the iPhone 16 Pro remains more usable. That said, neither is particularly great at deciphering the yacht name at the highest zoom lengths, but the iPhone 16 Pro does at least make it easier to decipher individual letters, whereas the Galaxy S25 Plus is far more blurry.

In this test, the Galaxy S25 Plus is closer to the iPhone 16 Pro, but the lack of detail becomes readily apparent in the cruise ship sign. While the image is still usable from the Galaxy S25 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro is much sharper. Beyond this, both phones are fairly similar at the smaller zoom lengths, which is expected as the camera stacks are fairly similar.

Samsung and Apple both often tout improved performance and night mode features to ensure that each phone can capture the best lowlight photos, which is traditionally the biggest challenge for any smartphone camera. However, do they deliver? What if you’re in Dubai and can see Steve Aoki performing in the near distance? Could either of these phones take good enough photos to be worth using? Let’s take a look.

Here both phones are fairly similar throughout all zoom lengths, but one particular test that stands out is the 5x. The iPhone 16 Pro is much sharper thanks to the 5x optical zoom, and while the Galaxy S25 Plus takes a strong contender, it’s more cropped — as it’s not using a fixed focal length — and it lacks the sharpness found in the iPhone’s photo.

Galaxy S25 Plus vs iPhone 16 Pro: Video Zoom Tests

For many years, the iPhone was considered the best smartphone camera, but while the competition has caught up with it in many ways for still photos, Apple is still recognized for its video recording capabilities. Yet, does the same apply to Zoom in video? How does the Galaxy S25 Plus compare? Let’s take a look!

Now let’s look at the same test on the iPhone 16 Pro.

Of course, it’s not just during the day that you may be tempted to try Zoom, so how does each perform when there’s significantly less light? Let’s take a look, starting with the Galaxy S25 Plus.

How does the iPhone 16 Pro fare? Let’s take a look:

In the daylight test, both phones are fairly similar, although the iPhone 16 Pro proves to be slightly more stable. However, in the lowlight test, the differences between both become readily apparent as the iPhone 16 Pro remains somewhat usable while the Galaxy S25 Plus rapidly becomes a noisy video that makes it difficult to distinguish between people, scenery, and the stage. In hindsight, there’s no contest and the iPhone 16 Pro is much better for video.

Galaxy S25 Plus vs iPhone 16 Pro: Portrait Mode Test

Samsung has long featured my favorite portrait mode on a smartphone thanks to a wide range of effects, including my favorite on any phone: color point. This allows you to keep the subject in color while turning the background to grayscale, which can result in contrasting and fantastic photos. Meanwhile, Apple has touted its portrait mode capabilities and added many studio effects to control lighting and apply different filters to portrait photos.

Each company takes a different approach to portrait mode so it makes it somewhat difficult to compare them directly. However, both sets of modes require strong depth perception, so do they deliver? Does the time-of-flight 3D depth sensor on the iPhone 16 Pro make a difference to the overall quality of portrait photos?

The short answer is no. There’s little difference between both of these phones, although the Galaxy S25 Plus photos do have a slight hue and the iPhone 16 Pro captures individual strands of hair slightly better in the 2x photo. However, this is splitting hairs — quite literally — and the differences are so minimal that is a draw between the two.

What about selfies? With so many similarities in the resolution and the overall feature set, is there a difference in the photos captured by both selfie shooters?

Again, the answer is the same. For the most part, both phones are virtually identical, although the wider field of view on the iPhone 16 Pro does mean the photo is slightly more impressive. The Galaxy S25 Plus also suffers from lens flare which the iPhone 16 Pro doesn’t, but this could just be chalked up to the positioning of the sun at that particular moment. I’m calling the entire portrait section a draw.

Is the iPhone 16 Pro Max better than the Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro feature an identical camera, but unlike Apple, Samsung opted to differentiate the smaller Galaxy S25 Plus from the behemoth that is the Galaxy S25 Ultra. As Apple’s biggest phone will likely go head to head with Samsung’s biggest, you may be wondering which one has the best camera.

First, here’s how the iPhone 16 Pro Max compares against the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Can the iPhone 16 Pro compete with the Galaxy S25 Ultra? Let’s find out by looking at the example of the yacht and the photos produced by each of these phones.

Unfortunately, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is also limited to the same 25x zoom as the iPhone 16 Pro which means it can’t compete with the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 100x space zoom feature. However, it also can’t compete with the Galaxy S25 Ultra at anything above 10x, as it quickly loses quality; that’s not to say that the final photos are bad, but they lack the sharpness and detail that the Galaxy S25 Ultra has thanks to higher resolution and more detail.

As a result, if you’re looking to compare the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max cameras, there’s no contest: pick the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Who did it better, Samsung or Apple?

The answer to the question leading into this section is more nuanced than I had expected it to be, and it largely depends on which phones you are comparing, as well as your budget and preferences.

If you want a smaller phone or have a fixed $1,000 budget, and are picking between the Galaxy S25 Plus and the iPhone 16 Pro, there’s no contest. Although the Galaxy S25 Plus captures more saturated and vibrant photos, the detail and sharpness of the iPhone 16 Pro mean that Apple did it better overall.

However, if your budget is stretchable and you don’t mind a bigger phone, the answer changes. Unless you are fixed on your desire for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a better overall camera. However, as I discovered, it’s not the best Android phone camera right now and for $1,000, there’s a phone that outperforms the Galaxy S25 Ultra at even the highest zoom lengths.