I took over 200 photos with Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra — here’s the winner

Samsung’s flagships are always under the microscope, especially when hardware upgrades often make them some of the best camera phones around. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is no exception, having proven to me that it delivers superior performance against its main rivals.

However, I wanted to find out how much of an improvement it actually is over its predecessor — because the Galaxy S25 Ultra still offers a formidable package. If you take a peek at the specs between the Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra, you might be hard-pressed to find many differences: a 200MP main shooter, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, 50MP 5x telephoto, and a 12MP front camera.

But there are minor differences, like how the Galaxy S26 Ultra offers wider apertures for its main and 5x telephoto cameras. Its 200MP main sensor has a wider f/1.4 aperture, up from the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s f/1.7. Meanwhile, the 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom gets the same treatment, moving from f/3.4 to f/2.9. They might seem like small changes, but faster apertures often boost a camera’s low-light performance — and they're better equipped to capture fast-moving subjects.

Similar to my other photo shootouts, I captured the same set of photos using both phones and compared them on a monitor. This allows me to inspect the fine details and uncover exactly what improvements Samsung has made. Here’s what I found.

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Daytime

Almost immediately, the Galaxy S26 Ultra shows significant gains over its predecessor; its 200MP main camera captures a brighter overall picture complemented by a warmer color temperature. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s shot isn’t bad, it underexposes the highlights — which, combined with a cooler color temperature, makes the image feel less inviting.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Dynamic range

After setting the focus and exposure to the middle of the shot, it’s interesting to see how both phones handle the contrasting areas with the sun high in the sky overlooking the sandy beach area. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra tries to even out the exposure, its dynamic range performance results in a low-contrast look. Meanwhile, I prefer how the Galaxy S25 Ultra boosts the shadows while maintaining stronger contrast overall.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Colors

Samsung toned down the color saturation on the Galaxy S26 Ultra; the floral display above still yields rich, vibrant colors, but they’re nowhere near as oversaturated as in the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s shot. The pink and green floral pots really grab my attention, as the Galaxy S26 Ultra renders them in a vivid hot pink and a deep, natural green.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Macro

Macro mode automatically kicks in on both phones when I get really close to my subject, which is indicated by a flower icon. At first glance, I’m drawn to the Galaxy S25 Ultra for how it maintains focus across the shot — but the warmer colors of the Galaxy S26 Ultra are just as eye-catching.

When I zoom into the grains of sand, though, another difference is revealed. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra does very well in capturing the grains, the S26 Ultra pulls ahead by resolving more definition. The smaller pieces look speckled with the S25 Ultra, whereas they're more clearly defined by the S26 Ultra.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Selfie

After covering the New York Auto Show 2026, I snapped a selfie just outside the Javits Center in New York City to test the front-facing cameras. Both phones appear to have the same field of view, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra gets my vote for its more eye-pleasing contrast and a sharper capture.

For example, I like how my selfie stands out more with the Galaxy S26 Ultra because my hair looks darker compared to the slightly lighter tone produced by the S25 Ultra. At the same time, the S26 Ultra does a better job of handling my skin tone and facial features.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Portrait

Portraits are handled nicely by both phones, seeing that they capture excellent fine details, like the freckles on my nose and the texture of my shirt. Upon closer inspection, both simulate a natural depth-of-field effect by blurring not only the background, but also the parts of me that are closer to and further from the camera.

However, the Galaxy S26 Ultra adds a slight blur to my ears — whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra keeps them in focus. This subtle difference allows the S26 Ultra to mimic the behavior of an actual camera with a dedicated portrait lens much more effectively.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Panorama

Because the sun suddenly peeked through the clouds by the time I shot the panorama above, the exposure shifted slightly on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. While it overexposes the area around the sun, it does a better job of boosting the shadowed condos in the far background.

In comparison, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s panoramic capture offers a slightly better composition by evening out the exposure more consistently across the entire frame.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Ultrawide

This one is nearly a tie. I’m not too surprised by this considering their ultrawide cameras are identical, right down to their apertures.

When I zoom into specific parts of the scene — like the painted artwork on the side of the building — both phones produce nearly identical exposure, colors, and detail. However, the Galaxy S26 Ultra delivers stronger contrast in the clouds, giving the sky a more dramatic look.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Zoom

For my zoom test, I captured several different ranges: 3x, 5x, 10x, 30x, and 100x. This covers the full focal range of their two separate telephoto cameras, as well as how effectively they handle digital zoom enhancement.

Starting with the 3x zoom shots, I can’t find any discernible difference between them. Details are captured exceptionally well by both 10MP 3x telephoto cameras, including the light strips on the tree to the right and the UBS building in the far background.

Moving up to 5x zoom — which switches over to the 50MP telephoto shooters — I can tell the S26 Ultra produces a slightly sharper image. You can see this in the background buildings and the “no standing” bus sign on the left.

At 10x zoom, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s superior sharpness and definition become even more noticeable. A tiny clock tower just beneath the UBS building looks marginally sharper, while the trees on the right exhibit more definition.

It becomes harder to distinguish them at 30x, mainly because the digital zoom causes fine details to look smudgy — but the S26 Ultra still retains a bit more of the building's texture. Don’t get me wrong, the smoothing effect is heavy, but the S26 Ultra preserves more of the architectural detail.

Finally, I’d still recommend avoiding 100x zoom due to the softer-looking results. The heavy image processing creates a significant smoothing effect on both, so neither gets my vote at this extreme range. However, in general, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s zoom performance is clearly superior.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Low light

Finally, the nighttime shots above showcase the low-light performance of both devices. Thanks to its faster aperture, the Galaxy S26 Ultra preserves significantly more detail in the tree.

When I look up and down the trunk, those same areas in the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s shot lack the same level of definition. Additionally, the long exposure on the Galaxy S25 Ultra throws off the color of the home, giving it a slightly orange tint — whereas the S26 Ultra remains more color-accurate.

Image 1 of 2

Another example I want to share are the two shots above. At first, it's almost hard to discern any differences, but zooming into parts of the shot reveals how the S26 Ultra continues to retain more definition. Not only is the tree in the middle more defined, but I'm better able to see the wood grain pattern with the fence on the left.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Verdict

This is a landslide win for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, proving that even incremental hardware changes can lead to a noticeable boost in real-world performance. While the two phones share a similar 200MP main shooter, the S26 Ultra’s faster apertures and refined image processing consistently deliver better results in low light, sharper zoom crops, superb definition in macro shots, and more natural-looking portraits.

If you absolutely want the best results, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is clearly the one to choose. However, I still wouldn’t count out the Galaxy S25 Ultra, as it holds its ground remarkably well. Even though this was a one-sided affair in my testing, I wouldn’t go so far as to tell Galaxy S25 Ultra owners they must make the upgrade quite yet for the cameras.

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