00:00Earlier this year, my colleagues and I put the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S24 Ultra
00:05through a 200-photo shootout with Apple coming out on top back then.
00:09Now I want to see if the outcome will be the same between the iPhone 15 Pro and the Galaxy
00:14S24 Plus.
00:15They both are some of the best mobile camera phones around and have the same $1,000 starting
00:19price, but is one much better than the other for photography?
00:23Knowing that Apple won out in the previous photo shootout, I know what you're thinking.
00:27The iPhone 15 Pro should cruise to the finish line.
00:30But hey, I didn't think it'd happen.
00:32Ten categories, one winner.
00:38Both devices have excellent main cameras, so it's really a toss-up here with this camera
00:43test.
00:44I think you could argue either way depending on your preference and the scene.
00:48Even though the iPhone 15 Pro casts a brighter picture with this beachside scene, the warmer
00:53hue of the Galaxy S24 Plus equally catches my attention.
00:56Both devices manage to maintain a consistent contrast between the bright and darker spots
01:01of the clouds to keep New York City's skyline visible in the far background.
01:06When it comes to coverage, both phones offer the same 120-degree field of view to capture
01:10most of the townhomes in the far background.
01:13I really like both photos, but the only difference here is the warmer tone of the Galaxy S24
01:18Plus.
01:19On the flip side, there's a higher contrast look with the iPhone 15 Pro that adds a bit
01:23more definition in the clouds above.
01:26This one's another tie in my book.
01:27I've taken all 200-plus photos with both phones in hand shooting the same scenes so
01:32that way I can look at how they stack up on a computer to make out all their fine details.
01:37I think the Galaxy S24 Plus has the much better camera interface, made better by its promo
01:42which gives me control of the shutter speed, focus, ISO, and much more.
01:47The iPhone's native camera app doesn't have them, so I'm forced to use the third-party
01:51one instead.
01:52Plus, some of the camera settings with the iPhone are still buried in the general settings
01:56menu.
01:57When it comes to the hardware, they're effectively similar with their triple camera setups.
02:02The Galaxy S24 Plus comes with a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and
02:07a 10-megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom, while the iPhone 15 Pro packs a 48-megapixel
02:13main shooter, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and 12-megapixel telephoto with the same 3x optical
02:19zoom.
02:20In nearly every set of photos I capture with both phones, the Galaxy S24 Plus tends to
02:25deliver the stronger dynamic range performance, which ultimately keeps the exposure consistent
02:30throughout the scenes.
02:31It shows how well it does this with a tree in my backyard because the shadows are brightened
02:35in such a way to make the leaves on the branches pop out against some of the brighter spots
02:40in the sky, while the iPhone isn't as aggressive with this.
02:43I'll admit that it makes the Galaxy S24 Plus's shot look nice, and I hope most people would
02:47agree the iPhone 15 Pro isn't too shabby either, but that's a win for the Galaxy.
02:53Right away I can tell there's a noticeable difference with how they produce colors.
02:56The iPhone 15 Pro favors natural tones, and the Galaxy S24 Plus applies a bit of saturation.
03:03The red peppers really shine and have a more vibrant tone with the Galaxy S24 Plus, along
03:08with the green peppers on the bottom row.
03:10Don't get me wrong, people love colors that pop, but I prefer the more realistic tones
03:14of the iPhone 15 Pro.
03:16This one's interesting because I really thought the Galaxy S24 Plus had a dedicated macro
03:20mode, but it doesn't.
03:22That's important because it can't get as close to subjects like how the iPhone does it, which
03:26is indicated by this flower icon that appears, so I know it switched to macro mode.
03:31I will say that the Galaxy S24 Plus can still take decent close-ups, especially how it isolates
03:36the dandelion and gives the background that nice blur effect, but since macro mode is
03:41about capturing the finer details, the iPhone does a much better job at it.
03:46For this reason alone, I'm giving it to the iPhone.
03:49It's another close one with the selfies.
03:51Both phones do a fantastic job capturing all the fine details in my selfies, including
03:56the beauty marks and wrinkles around my face, along with the fabric material of my shirt
04:00and bag strap.
04:02However, the difference here is in how the Galaxy S24 Plus brightens up the photo.
04:06This results in making my face a little bit more visible, while the leaves on the tree
04:10in the background get the same treatment to make them pop out more.
04:14Meanwhile, I like how the iPhone 15 Pro captures portrait photos better.
04:18Not only is the focus isolated to my face, but also around my torso as well, which keeps
04:23everything sharp.
04:24For some reason, the Galaxy S24 Plus has a habit of softening other parts of my body
04:29like the strap on my shoulder and the shirt I'm wearing, so there's not as much definition
04:33there.
04:34For zoom photos, I captured them both at 3x and 15x zoom levels just for a fair comparison,
04:40but the S24 Plus can technically get up to 30x zoom.
04:43That doesn't matter, because at 3x zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro is still better.
04:48Apart from how the iPhone 15 Pro's 3x telephoto camera produces the brighter images, it captures
04:54a little bit more detail.
04:56I can see more of the details with the wood grain on the post holding up the signs here,
05:00while zooming into the crest on the lower left and right corners of the sign show how
05:04the iPhone 15 Pro is still capturing more detail.
05:08When it comes to shooting panoramic photos, they can both leverage their main and ultrawide
05:12cameras.
05:13I stuck with their main cameras for all my comparison shots, but it's evident that the
05:17iPhone does a much better job as a whole.
05:20I will say that the details captured are identical, so the only difference in the panoramic shot
05:25of the dunes along the beach is how the iPhone 15 Pro boosts the exposure throughout the
05:30scene.
05:31I also love the better contrast of the iPhone because it makes the clouds here look more
05:35dynamic.
05:37And finally, we get back to my backyard where I always capture low light photos of my detached
05:42garage.
05:43Just know that the photos don't paint an accurate picture of the actual scene we like
05:46because it's pitch dark, but these photos make it seem like there's a strong light
05:51source to illuminate the area.
05:53While both phones do nice to brighten up the scene, the iPhone 15 Pro does a much better
05:57job of it, while also retaining more of the detail.
06:01For example, the pavers in my driveway have more definition, along with the leaves in
06:04the branch and the grass on the lawn.
06:07I can also make out the Traeger logo covering my smoker as well.
06:10Well, this one turned out to be a win for the iPhone 15 Pro, which I suppose I shouldn't
06:15be surprised by because of how similar it is to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
06:20Even though the Galaxy S24 Plus comes up short here, I will say it's still more than capable
06:25of capturing any scene.
06:26Where the iPhone 15 Pro really proves it's better is in the low light department and
06:31how it's telephoto camera can capture just a smidge more detail, if zooming matters to
06:35you of course.
06:36If it does, let me know in the comments below.
06:39You can follow us on social at Tom's Guide.
06:41I'm John V and I'll see you in my next video.
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