Smartphone cameras carry a variety of accountability. They must robotically make nice pictures in any scenario at a second’s discover. They’re restricted by the physics of small lenses, small sensors and less-than-ideal ergonomics. The pictures they create should be able to share instantly, with no expectation that the photographs can be edited and refined later. Many telephones hit just a few of these targets, however a small quantity attempt to be the perfect smartphone cameras you’ll be able to pocket. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is one which we have beforehand pitted in opposition to the iPhone 16 Pro, and now it is time to see how that Android telephone fares in opposition to its latest competitors, Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL. I took each telephones to Seattle and close by Mukilteo, Washington, to check how every carried out. Over a whole lot of pictures, I saved the digicam settings as near the defaults as potential, sometimes switching between the 12-megapixel taking pictures modes and the high-res 50-megapixel modes the place obtainable. Because we’re speaking about pictures, my private preferences as to that are the “best” pictures won’t be those you select, and that is advantageous. With both digicam, you are going to get good pictures. But when you’re available in the market for a brand new telephone and pondering which high-end digicam system is for you, otherwise you wish to try the present state-of-the-art for Android cameras, observe alongside.And for much more Pixel 10 Pro XL pictures, make sure you observe together with CNET’s Andrew Lanxon on his first-look photograph stroll by Paris. Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based evaluations. Add CNET as a most popular Google supply. Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Overall efficiency I wandered round Pike Place Market, a haven for native shopkeepers and scores of late-summer vacationers, the place snapping smartphone photos is a part of the material of the expertise. This nook — a bend in a stairway — is one in every of my favourite spots on the market within the morning when mild comes by the window. Both cameras have executed an excellent job balancing the publicity between the brilliant day exterior the window and the combination of brilliant daylight and shadowy corners on the within. Of the 2, I desire the Pixel 10 Pro XL as a result of it is a bit hotter.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam Jeff Carlson/CNET
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Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam Jeff Carlson/CNETSeattle is thought extra for its clouds than its sunny days, so when the sky is blue, the brilliant mild can really feel harsh. Here, the S25 Ultra photograph pops extra by lightening the shadow areas of the automotive, however nearly an excessive amount of. The Pixel 10 Pro XL picture seems to be extra pure, regardless that the automotive is darker.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNETJust down the road, although, the distinction between the cameras swings within the different course. The Pixel 10 Pro XL brings out all the colourful colours of the flowers, the orange awnings and the brilliant purple umbrellas. The S25 Ultra’s shot is extra muted. I could not inform if maybe a few of the daylight was hitting the lens from the aspect and inflicting that washed-out look. Both cameras nonetheless did a advantageous job of preserving particulars within the shadows, although.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNET Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Zoom high quality To be trustworthy, zooming a lot previous 10x on a telephone all the time appeared like a futile gesture to me. Pushing previous the optical vary of the telephoto digicam (5x on each cameras) places you into digital zooming territory, the place the digicam upscales a small portion of the sensor so it fills the body. Although digital upscaling has improved lately, once you get previous 20x or so, pictures are inclined to turn out to be a large number of fuzzy enlarged pixels — it is hardly ever price it. Google determined to take a distinct strategy to excessive zooming on the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL. Up to 30x zoom, it makes use of Google’s Super Res Zoom expertise to upscale and sharpen the outcomes, which usually prove effectively.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, 30x zoom (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, 30x zoom (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNETIn the acute vary from 30x to 100x, although, the Pixel 10 Pro makes use of generative AI to rebuild the picture primarily based on the unique seize. It takes just a few seconds for the processing to occur, and it is all executed on-device, not with help from cloud assets. The outcomes might be spectacular, significantly for static topics like buildings or landscapes. But once you view them with any scrutiny, it is nearly all the time apparent that the photograph has been handled with AI, with a flat, angular look — and it would not deal with most textual content in a photograph in any respect. But that is additionally me scrutinizing the picture; it will not look good printed or considered on a big display, however it comes throughout completely advantageous on a telephone display.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, 100x zoom (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, 100x zoom (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNETThe Pixel 10 Pro retains each variations of the picture: The unique seize and the AI-generated one.
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At 100x, the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s Pro Res Zoom characteristic makes use of generative AI (left) to construct a clearer model of the unique (proper), which has additionally been processed, simply with out generative AI. When you seize above 30x zoom, the digicam retains each the unique and the generated variations. Jeff Carlson/CNETGoogle says that if the digicam detects folks in a Pro Res Zoom picture, it will not try to make use of generative AI on them — it might simply create an individual that appears nothing just like the precise individual within the picture. When that occurs, you’ll be able to inform: In this shot, the sailboat has been rendered (full with a nonsensical guess about lettering on the sail), however the folks on board are sharpened however nonetheless fuzzy.
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The Pixel 10 Pro XL captured a 100x zoom photograph, which is blurry because of the excessive zoom (proper) and made a generative AI model of it (left). Jeff Carlson/CNETThe Galaxy S25 Ultra pictures at 100x are additionally a sizzling mess, however to be trustworthy, not as unhealthy as I anticipated. They’re closely processed to compensate for the upscaling, however… not horrible? I really feel like I’m giving the S25 Ultra a “good job, buddy!” for displaying up and never face-planting when, in truth, the pictures are objectively not nice, however they’re higher than I anticipated.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, 100x zoom (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, 100x zoom (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNET Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Low-light conditions Pike Place Market is a maze of ranges and lengthy, shop-lined corridors and alleys that do not get a variety of direct mild. The infamous Gum Wall — sure, an alleyway the place folks stick used gum on the brick partitions — is darkish at one finish and brighter on the different relying on the solar’s place within the sky. Neither telephone fell again into its respective night time mode, and each made acceptable pictures within the midst of a variety of colour and texture. Here once more, I give the sting to the Pixel 10 Pro XL for its heat and brighter general tone. However, in each pictures, the main points on the wall endure — word the pixelated “Extra” wrapper at high left. My apologies when you’ve simply misplaced your urge for food; no less than pictures do not embrace the precise aroma of an alley crammed with hundreds of fruity gum globs.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNETSpeaking of colours and textures, this barbershop in a muted hallway lit by what look to be fluorescent ceiling bulbs and a outstanding ring mild is one other instance of every digicam taking a mixed-light scenario and making an excellent publicity. I give the sting to the Pixel 10 Pro as a result of the neon Open signal hasn’t been was a flat purple, as within the S25 Ultra photograph.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNETLeaving the bustle of downtown Seattle for the seaside close to the Mukilteo Lighthouse about half an hour north, this seaside at sundown seems to be significantly better utilizing the ultrawide digicam on the Pixel 10 Pro XL in contrast with the ultrawide on the S25 Ultra. And on this case, I can not say that both image impresses. The S25 Ultra shot is nearly too darkish, whereas the Pixel 10 Pro XL picture is just too brilliant, and the bro on the sting would not survive the wide-angle fringe of the body too effectively.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, ultrawide digicam. Jeff Carlson/CNET
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Galaxy S25 Ultra, ultrawide digicam. Jeff Carlson/CNETBut what about partaking the precise night time modes? Here, again in Seattle, this guardian troll by Danish artist Thomas Dambo on the National Nordic Museum retains a variety of element on the Pixel 10 Pro XL, whereas the S25 Ultra photograph comes out somewhat delicate and saturated. (The lights contained in the museum change colour, therefore the blue versus purple hues behind it.) Advantage Pixel.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNETAnd for a real night time check, I put each telephones on a tripod to seize this part of Shilshole Marina. Once extra, the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s Night Sight mode does a greater job of getting a balanced publicity that mixes the substitute lights within the foreground and the darkness of the sky with some stars peeking by. The S25 Ultra seems to be prefer it’s throwing as a lot processing on the picture as potential, making the brighter areas look overexposed and introducing a variety of noise within the sky.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam. Jeff Carlson/CNET
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Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam. Jeff Carlson/CNET Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Portrait modes One of the enhancements Google is touting for the Pixel 10 Pro is within the high quality of portrait mode pictures, particularly high-res 50-megapixel pictures. In this indoor cafe with screened window mild, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is de facto attempting to include the flyaway wisps of hair, however it’s made them ghostly and extra evident as a substitute. Everything else concerning the photograph seems to be good, from the colours to the delicate background — in truth, the hair at her shoulders reveals higher separation than on high of her head. On the opposite hand, the S25 Ultra’s Portrait mode photograph has made the highest hairs properly distinct, however the falloff at her shoulders and the overall smudge of background make the depth of area on this photograph extra clearly artificial. Also, as soon as once more, I desire the tone and hotter temperature of the Pixel photograph.
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNETOutside, the S25 Ultra’s Portrait mode is improved, with extra pure blurred areas — word the hair over the topic’s left shoulder that is barely blurry however not as delicate because the foliage within the background. The flyaway hairs on the high of their head additionally look pure. The high-resolution Portrait mode model from the Pixel 10 Pro seems to be solely pure to my eye, with a delicate background and all of their curly hair in focus. Once once more, I desire the Pixel’s model, however they each look good. (Although I most likely ought to have tried Camera Coach to compose the portraits higher within the body with out a lot area above their head.)
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Pixel 10 Pro XL, principal digicam (left). Galaxy S25 Ultra, principal digicam (proper). Jeff Carlson/CNET Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which is the higher digicam? I’ve actually come down on the aspect of the Pixel 10 Pro XL for many of those pictures, largely because of the hotter white steadiness and higher colour constancy. But as you’ll be able to see, not one of the pictures are outright unhealthy. If you are on the lookout for a brand new flagship Android telephone, each fashions will fill that want. And when you particularly need an ideal digicam system, proper now the Pixel 10 Pro has pushed into the lead. OK, iPhone 17 Pro, it is your flip. See you in September.
I Still Love the Look of Google’s New Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL
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