I took over 200 photos with the iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus — here's the winner

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus held in both bands showing their back casings.
(Image credit: Future)

Earlier this year, my colleagues and I put the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra through a 200 photo shootout — with Apple coming out on top that time. This time, though, I want to see if the outcome will be the same between the iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S24 Plus. They both are some of the best camera phones around and have the same $1,000 starting cost, but is there one much better than the other for photography?

Knowing that the Apple won out in the previous photo shootout, I know what you’re thinking — the iPhone 15 Pro should cruise to the finish line. But hey, anything can happen. I’ve taken all of the 200+ photos with both phones in hand shooting the same scenes, so that way, I can look at how they stack up on a computer to make out all their fine details.

I will point out that the Galaxy S24 has the better camera interface, made better by its pro mode that gives me controls for the shutter speed, focus, ISO and much more. The iPhone’s native camera app doesn’t have them, so I’m forced to use a third party one instead. Plus, some of the camera settings with the iPhone are still buried in the general settings menu.

When it comes to the hardware, they’re effectively similar with their triple camera setups. The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, while the iPhone 15 Pro packs a 48MP main shooter, 12MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto with the same 3x optical zoom.

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iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus: main camera

The main cameras on both the iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy S24 Plus are both excellent, so it’s really a toss-up here because it can sway either way depending on your preference and the scene. Even though the iPhone 15 Pro casts a brighter picture with this beachside scene, the warmer hue of the Galaxy S24 equally gets my attention. Both do manage to maintain a consistent contrast between the bright and darker spots of the clouds to keep New York City’s skyline visible in the far background.

Winner: Tie

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus: Ultrawide

When it comes to coverage, both phones offer the same 120-degree field of view to capture most of these townhomes in the far background. I really like both photos, but the only difference here is the warmer tone of the Galaxy S24 Plus. On the flip side, there’s a higher contrast look with the iPhone 15 Pro that adds a bit more definition in the clouds above. This one’s a tie in my book.

Winner: Tie

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus: Dynamic range

In nearly every set of photos I captured with both phones, the Galaxy S24 Plus tends to deliver the stronger dynamic range performance — which ultimately keeps the exposure consistent throughout the scene. It shows how well it does this with the tree in my backyard because the shadows are brightened in such a way to make the leaves on the branches pop out against some of the brighter spots in the sky — while the iPhone isn’t as aggressive with this. I’ll admit that it makes the Galaxy S24 Plus’ shot look nice and most people would agree, but the iPhone 15 Pro isn’t too shabby either.

Winner: Galaxy S24 Plus

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus: Color reproduction

Right away I can tell there’s a noticeable difference with how these flagship phones produce colors, with the iPhone 15 Pro favoring natural tones and the Galaxy S24 Plus applying a bit of saturation. The red peppers really shine and have a more vibrant tone with the S24 Plus, along with the green peppers on the bottom row. Don’t get me wrong, people love colors that pop, but I prefer the more realistic tones of the iPhone 15 Pro

Winner: iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus: Macro

This one’s interesting because I really thought the Galaxy S24 Plus had a dedicated macro mode, but it doesn’t. That’s important because it can’t get as close to subjects like how the iPhone does it — which is indicated by this flower icon that appears, so I know it’s in macro mode.

I will say that the Galaxy S24 Plus can still take decent closeups, especially how it isolates the dandelion and gives the background that nice blur effect. But since macro mode is about capturing the finer details, the iPhone does a much better job at it. For this reason alone, I’m giving it to the iPhone.

Winner: iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15 Pro vs. Galaxy S24 Plus: Selfie

It’s another close one with these selfies. Both phones do a fantastic job at capturing all the fine details with my selfies, including the beauty marks and wrinkles around my face — along with fabric material of my shirt and bag stap. However, the difference here is in how the Galaxy S24 Plus’ brightens up the photo. This results in making my face a bit more visible, while the leaves on the tree in the background get the same treatment to make them pop out more.

Winner: Galaxy S24 Plus