I took over 200 photos with Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra - here’s the winner
Tom's Guide • • technology
Key Points:
- The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra shows notable improvements over the Galaxy S25 Ultra, primarily due to faster apertures on its main and 5x telephoto cameras, enhancing low-light performance and capturing sharper images.
- In side-by-side photo comparisons, the S26 Ultra delivers brighter daytime shots with warmer colors, richer macro detail, better selfie contrast, and more natural portrait blurring, while the S25 Ultra excels slightly in dynamic range and panoramic exposure consistency.
- The S26 Ultra outperforms the S25 Ultra in zoom capabilities, especially from 5x to 30x optical/digital zoom ranges, providing sharper and more detailed images, though both struggle with image smoothing at 100x zoom.
- Low-light photography favors the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which retains more detail and accurate colors compared to the S25 Ultra’s longer exposure and less defined captures.
- Overall, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the superior camera phone with incremental but impactful hardware upgrades, though the Galaxy S25 Ultra remains a strong contender, and current owners may not feel compelled to upgrade immediately.
