A top-tier smartphone digicam must carry out, but additionally make it appear like it is not attempting very exhausting. We count on a faucet of the shutter button to create an ideal picture in any circumstance, no matter whether or not the particular person making the picture is aware of something about pictures. Many telephones embrace respectable cameras, however a small quantity attempt to be the most effective smartphone cameras you’ll be able to pocket. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is one which we have stacked up towards each the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro, and now it is time to see how that Android cellphone fares towards 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 lots of of images, I saved the digicam settings as near the defaults as doable, sometimes switching between the 12-megapixel taking pictures modes and the high-res 50-megapixel modes the place out there. Because we’re speaking about pictures, my private preferences as to that are the “best” images won’t be those you select, and that is superb. With both digicam, you are going to get good images. But should you’re out there for a brand new cellphone and pondering which high-end digicam system is for you, otherwise you need to take a look at the present cutting-edge for Android cameras, comply with alongside.And for much more Pixel 10 Pro XL images, you’ll want to comply with together with CNET’s Andrew Lanxon on his first-look picture stroll by way of Paris. Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based opinions. Add CNET as a most well-liked 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 footage is a part of the material of the expertise. This nook — a bend in a stairway — is one among my favourite spots on the market within the morning when mild comes by way of the window. Both cameras have finished a superb job balancing the publicity between the intense day outdoors the window and the combination of shiny daylight and shadowy corners on the within. Of the 2, I favor the Pixel 10 Pro XL as a result of it’s kind of 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 understood extra for its clouds than its sunny days, so when the sky is blue, the intense mild can really feel harsh. Here, the S25 Ultra picture pops extra by lightening the shadow areas of the automobile, however nearly an excessive amount of. The Pixel 10 Pro XL picture seems extra pure, although the automobile 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 path. The Pixel 10 Pro XL brings out all the colourful colours of the flowers, the orange awnings and the intense crimson umbrellas. The S25 Ultra’s shot is extra muted. I could not inform if maybe a number of the daylight was hitting the lens from the facet and inflicting that washed-out look. Both cameras nonetheless did a superb job of conserving 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 cellphone at all times 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 in recent times, whenever you get previous 20x or so, images are likely to develop into a large number of fuzzy enlarged pixels — it is hardly ever price it. Google determined to take a unique 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 know-how 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 intense 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 a couple of seconds for the processing to occur, and it is all finished on-device, not with help from cloud sources. The outcomes will be spectacular, notably for static topics like buildings or landscapes. But whenever you view them with any scrutiny, it is nearly at all times apparent that the picture has been handled with AI, with a flat, angular look — and it does 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 seen on a big display screen, nevertheless it comes throughout completely superb on a cellphone display screen.
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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 authentic 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 individuals 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 particular person 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 individuals on board are sharpened however nonetheless fuzzy.
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The Pixel 10 Pro XL captured a 100x zoom picture, which is blurry as a result of 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 actual fact, the images 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 lots of direct mild. The infamous Gum Wall — sure, an alleyway the place individuals 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 cellphone fell again into its respective evening mode, and each made acceptable pictures within the midst of lots of shade 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 small print on the wall undergo — observe the pixelated “Extra” wrapper at prime left. My apologies should you’ve simply misplaced your urge for food; a minimum of images do not embrace the precise aroma of an alley crammed with 1000’s 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 distinguished ring mild is one other instance of every digicam taking a mixed-light scenario and making a superb publicity. I give the sting to the Pixel 10 Pro as a result of the neon Open signal hasn’t been was a flat crimson, as within the S25 Ultra picture.
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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 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 sort of too darkish, whereas the Pixel 10 Pro XL picture is simply too shiny, and the bro on the sting does 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 participating the precise evening modes? Here, again in Seattle, this guardian troll by Danish artist Thomas Dambo on the National Nordic Museum retains lots of element on the Pixel 10 Pro XL, whereas the S25 Ultra picture comes out a little bit delicate and saturated. (The lights contained in the museum change shade, 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 evening take a look at, 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 synthetic lights within the foreground and the darkness of the sky with some stars peeking by way of. The S25 Ultra seems prefer it’s throwing as a lot processing on the picture as doable, making the brighter areas look overexposed and introducing lots 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 images, particularly high-res 50-megapixel pictures. In this indoor cafe with screened window mild, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is basically attempting to include the flyaway wisps of hair, nevertheless it’s made them ghostly and extra evident as a substitute. Everything else in regards to the picture seems good, from the colours to the delicate background — in actual fact, the hair at her shoulders exhibits higher separation than on prime of her head. On the opposite hand, the S25 Ultra’s Portrait mode picture has made the highest hairs properly distinct, however the falloff at her shoulders and the overall smudge of background make the depth of discipline on this picture extra clearly artificial. Also, as soon as once more, I favor the tone and hotter temperature of the Pixel picture.
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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 — observe 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 prime of their head additionally look pure. The high-resolution Portrait mode model from the Pixel 10 Pro seems solely pure to my eye, with a delicate background and all of their curly hair in focus. Once once more, I favor the Pixel’s model, however they each look good. (Although I in all probability ought to have tried Camera Coach to compose the portraits higher within the body with out a lot house 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 definitely come down on the facet of the Pixel 10 Pro XL for many of those images, largely as a result of hotter white steadiness and higher shade constancy. But as you’ll be able to see, not one of the images are outright unhealthy. If you are in search of a brand new flagship Android cellphone, each fashions will fill that want. And should 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. Let’s see the way you evaluate to the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
I Still Love the Look of Google’s New Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL
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