I shot over 200 photos with the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra — here's the winner

Just last week I put the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra through a 7-round face-off to determine which of these best phone contenders is the superior pick overall. While I captured a dozen or so photos with them both, I really wanted to more definitively say which is really the best camera phone around.

Both phones have everything you’d want in a camera phone, as the iPhone 17 Pro Max features a 48MP triple camera setup. The biggest changes include its new 18MP Center Stage front camera and 48MP telephoto shooter with 4x optical zoom. I’m still on the fence about the telephoto because it trades in the 5x optical zoom range of the previous models for a slightly shorter 4x optical one, but it’s now a higher resolution 48MP sensor that can achieve a 8x "optical quality" zoom.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has remained nearly at the top spot on our list for most of the year with its quadruple camera system, which consists of a massive 200MP main shooter, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, and a 50MP 5x telephoto — while a 12MP selfie shooter is up front.

Similar to my past 200 photo shootouts, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max, I take the same set of photos using both phones — and then preview them on a computer to inspect their differences. I’ll grade them in the following categories below and proclaim a winner at the end.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: daytime

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Really, you won’t go wrong with either phone when you’re shooting outdoor daytime shots with their main cameras. There’s excellent detail capture and definition with both cameras, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a habit of brightening the scenes better — resulting in the orange bricks of the building in the first set of shots to be brighter.

In the photo by the beach, the iPhone 17 Pro Max's shot has more dimension in the clouds, while the S25 Ultra's pic almost looks like a flat painting. In the photo of Little Island, the iPhone 17 Pro Max captures a better-looking shot of the concrete structures that look like flower pots. However, the S25 Ultra delivers a brighter looking Holland Tunnel building.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: ultrawide

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With their ultrawide cameras, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra have the same 120-degree field of view. But that’s where the similarities end as I prefer how the Galaxy S25 Ultra often delivers a more dramatic shot with its ultrawide. Although they capture nearly the same level of detail in the first set of shots, I think the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s ultrawide shooter injects more contrast to the scene — while also giving colors a bit of saturation. Check out the grass in the foreground.

In most of the other photos the iPhone 17 Pro and S25 Ultra are very close, but I prefer the punchier hues from the Samsung in certain situations. In low light the iPhone 17 Pro performs a bit better.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: dynamic range

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For complex lighting scenes, I like using their main cameras because they’re best suited for challenging lightning conditions. Take a look at the photos of the book shelf. Not only does the iPhone 17 Pro Max offer the more consistent exposure across the scene, but it doesn’t blow out the highlights as much as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. In contrast, Samsung tends to have a moodier look that doesn't quite match up.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: colors

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Not only did I test how the iPhone 17 Pro Max and S25 Ultra reproduce colors under sunny conditions outdoors, but I also captured a couple indoors to see how they behave. I really prefer how the iPhone 17 Pro Max keeps a consistent tone.

In the first shots of the colorful planters, Samsung's camera seems to go overboard. There's a difference between being vibrant and unrealistic. With the indoor shot of the bookshelf, the colors of the Galaxy S25 Ultra appear muted.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: macro

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Without question, I’d pick the Galaxy S25 Ultra in a heartbeat when it comes to macro photography. That’s because of two things: its ability to keep everything in focus, while also delivering more detail. Also, Samsung’s ProVisual Engine has a penchant to apply an over-sharpening effect that draws out even more detail. Some may not like this, however.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is still a capable phone, but it’s just a smidge softer compared to the Galaxy. Even when I pulled back both phones to get them to focus identically, the iPhone 17 Pro Max just can’t get the same level of sharpness that the Galaxy S25 Ultra achieves. The leaf close-up is the best example of this.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: panorama

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Thanks in part to how it casts a more neutral exposure across the entire scene, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is better for capturing panoramas. Notice how the sky where the sun is hidden behind the clouds is overexposed with the Galaxy S25 Ultra in the first shots.

This doesn’t happen with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which manages to retain the details of the clouds better, Additionally, it boosts the shadows a bit, like with the tree and grassy area on the left side, revealing them in more detail.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: selfie

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There are a number of reasons why I prefer the iPhone 17 Pro Max for selfies. For starters, it has a wider field of view that captures more of the scene around me — making it even better for group shots when I need to scrunch in more faces.

Secondly, its new 18MP Center Stage camera essentially gives me the most utility because I can hold the phone in portrait or landscape, and can still access the same four framing options. Usually the selfie with the wider field of view captures fewer details, but that’s not the case here as the iPhone 17 Pro Max matches the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Furthermore, the iPhone 17 Pro Max casts more natural looking skin tones — which tends to make me look muted in some of the Galaxy S25 Ultra shots.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: portrait

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I really like both of these flagship phones for portrait photography, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra producing bokeh effects that look realistic. For example, not only are the backgrounds blurred, but the portion of my arm extended out is blurred as well — which follows the behavior I’d expect from a dedicated camera.

The details look really nice with the first set of portrait shots I took of myself, like how they capture the textures of my hat and the scruff around my face. The only thing really different is the way they capture my skin tone. Again, the Galaxy S25 Ultra makes me look muted in a lot of the shots. I also like how the iPhone 17 Pro Max does a better job capturing the texture of my hat.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: zoom

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Out of all the categories, I was most eager to the test the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra zoom performance. I captured the zoom shots at 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 8x, 10x, 25x, and 40x.

Starting off with the first set of shots at 2x, their main cameras are getting a bit of help from sensor cropping — so they appear to capture very similar details of the landscape. At 3x zoom, I thought the Galaxy S25 Ultra would have the edge because of its 3x optical zoom, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max produces better results.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max switches to its proper telephoto camera at 4x zoom, and while there’s a bit more definition with the individual bricks on the building, I think the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s shot holds up well. Now things take a drastic turn at 5x zoom, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra clearly has the upper hand, showing more detail in the building now — and everything else after this zoom range is a win for Samsung.

I also want to mention the 25x and 40x zoom shots of the budding yellow flowers. Notice how the Galaxy S25 Ultra is clearer and with more definition compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: low light

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Apple continues to be king when it comes to low light. Switching to their respective night modes, the iPhone 17 Pro Max consistently has the brighter, overall photos. I’m really astounded most by the shots of the massive tree towering over the home in the first shot — which appears almost pitch black in real life.

Yet, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is somehow able to brighten up the scene to better reveal the details in the branches. Even though the Galaxy S25 Ultra does a good job of exposing the shot, it can’t match the level that the iPhone 17 Pro Max operates with low light. The other photos delivered similar results in low light.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Verdict

This iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra shootout might appear to be one-sided, but there are two areas in particular where I see the biggest difference. When it comes to zoom and macro performances, these are the two areas where the Galaxy S25 Ultra has the upper hand.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro Max draws my attention most with its ability to capture great-looking photos under extreme low light conditions. Its new 18MP Center Stage front camera also boosts its position as the phone for selfie shooters. This combo, along with its strong main camera performance, makes it the winner in this photo shootout.

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