The Ultra cameraphone comparison Comments
- Anonymous
- pSX
did AI got it right, 16 Nov 2025Key Observations
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the weakest camera, but easiest to buy and best ... moreAnd ? Imported ? Read rules... You have 2 webshops that sending from Europe...
Even imported no import tax to pay...
- gtms
- dPZ
As a long-term Samsung user, I am recently disappointed with the Samsung S Ultra cameras. Samsung is falling behind in terms of both camera and hardware. Sure, their software support is mostly great and widely available, but One UI is also getting boring.
- did AI got it right
- D0e
Key Observations
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the weakest camera, but easiest to buy and best general support globally.
Vivo X200 Ultra and Oppo Find X8 Ultra dominate in image quality but are China-only and need importing.
Huawei Pura 80 Ultra: Top DXO camera, great for portraits, creative aperture, but no Google Play and laggy chipset.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra: Most balanced globally, strong at all focal lengths, but selfie is fixed focus.
Video quality is decent but not spectacular on any, with Xiaomi, Oppo, and Huawei usually ahead in difficult conditions.
For maximum camera quality, importing Vivo/Oppo is best, but Xiaomi 15 Ultra is the top global pick.
If software, global warranty, and casual use matter, Xiaomi 15 Ultra or Galaxy S25 Ultra are best for India. If importing isn't a hassle and you want to pixel-peep, consider Vivo X200 Ultra or Oppo Find X8 Ultra.
- Alejandro
- PRW
And yep... as usual. They can't determine the absolute winner from this comparison, claiming they don't want to upset certain vendors. Come on, we don't really need this, public can judge for themselves. After all, people's tastes in "photography-videography" is variously. Even if you have the best camera phone, a challenging living environment can be enough of a barrier.
- Anonymous
- LWM
vrvly, 15 Sep 2025Sorry I am late to the camera party, but I will make it simple: 1. Phone camera performance ... moreThe best when the sensors are 3 - year old technology? I don't thing so
- adsubzero
- Ld%
Aizen, 06 Oct 2025What? I had Huawei P60 Pro and pics I was taking with it were better than pics my sister took ... moreHe didn't mention iPhone and Honor, he said Oppo and Vivo.
I'd add Xiaomi there too, right next to Oppo and Vivo.
- Aizen
- 64h
Bobertt, 28 Sep 2025If you want long range photos then the Oppo and Vivo are the best. I think the Oppo had a slig... moreWhat? I had Huawei P60 Pro and pics I was taking with it were better than pics my sister took with her's iphone 15 pro and my father's Honor Magic 5 Pro.
- Vasra
- mIm
Anonymous, 28 Sep 2025I have honor magic 6 pro and thoroughly impressed by it's photo quality Honor images are horrible artificial watercolour photos, with all image details lost due to horrible noise reduction algo.
Just zoom in and you'll see it, if you can't see it in 1:1 (non-zoom) levels.
- Anonymous
- gXJ
adsubzero, 20 Sep 2025You're right, it should definitely be included as a reference on how bad the camera can b... moreThis is an 'Ultra' cameraphone comparison. It would be a misleading title if a 'Pro' was included. They chose these five because the all have 'Ultra' in the name.
- Bobertt
- YcE
If you want long range photos then the Oppo and Vivo are the best. I think the Oppo had a slight edge in the photo of the tower because the Vivo made the image darker. S25 Ultra or Huawei is probably the worst at that range.
- Anonymous
- mZv
LV426, 02 Sep 2025Im missing Magic 7 pro (i know its "ultra" battle). Btw what global selling phon... moreI have honor magic 6 pro and thoroughly impressed by it's photo quality
- Anonymous
- mZv
Nick, 01 Sep 2025So in summary Samsung is not good, Huawei doesn't have Google apps, Vivo and Oppo is not ... moreTrue. I tried one of Huawei models before but could not get on with side loading apps. It is for teenagers to do that fiddly stuff. I want the phone to work straight from box which means Xiaomi phones from this comparison.
I currently have an Honor magic 6 pro and thoroughly impressed by it. For the first time I have not taken my camera gear due to the phone pictures being so excellent.
Might want to upgrade next year though
- Bob
- LK3
Jacksonwar , 23 Sep 2025Even though you don't do the ranking, from the comparison we know which phones are the be... moreCannot believe you read the article and got the order so wrong. You must have an extraordinary amount of bias to get it so wrong. The only thing you said correctly was the galaxy being dead last
- Jacksonwar
- r31
Even though you don't do the ranking, from the comparison we know which phones are the best and which phones are the worst. That being said, here is my ranking according to the comparison;
At first position,we have(1) VIVO, at second position we have(2) OPPO, the third camera phone is(3) HUAWEI and the fourth place goes to(4) XIAOMI while the last and the worst camera phone in the entire comparison is the SAMSUNG GALAXY S25 ultra.
It's not just the worst camera phone among the five, it's thrilling behind them by a country mile, and anybody looking for the best camera phone right now should take note. It's not just about branding it's about quality and value. Thank you.
- adsubzero
- Ld%
Pixdebny, 20 Sep 2025Yea it’s hard to take camera phone comparison seriously when you exclude Apple. The oppo is... moreYou're right, it should definitely be included as a reference on how bad the camera can be, so that you can appreciate a good camera more. Though you could argue we have Samsung for that already so we don't need another one.
- Pixdebny
- IJK
Yea it’s hard to take camera phone comparison seriously when you exclude Apple.
The oppo is awesome
Nice comparison
Can’t stand how ugly iPhone is now but this new chip is insanity ….
Would love to see small mirrorless cameras in a comparison like this .
- Bot10Exists
- N51
Anonymous, 15 Sep 2025Useless conclusion! People want one name: buy X if you care about good camera. That’s wh... moreapple shill attempting to cope with the fact that you bought a bad phone.
- Anonymous
- 8sx
Dear gsmarena reviewer, next time you do another testing for telephotos, please include a standar dslr/mirrorless camera as reference/comparison. Showing the images of 5 smartphone's camera without showing the reference image is like showing the colorful pictures to colorblind people.
- Anonymous
- S0w
Useless conclusion!
People want one name: buy X if you care about good camera.
That’s why Apple smartphones dominate:
As soon as you accept IOS as the operating system there is nothing to over analyze.
You just buy the latest pro max model and you are guaranteed the best the system has to offer.
- vrvly
- g5f
Sorry I am late to the camera party, but I will make it simple:
1. Phone camera performance depends on if you use auto mode or you are pro shooting raw.
2. As of recently, Google and their AI photo upscaling in auto mode is a great example of auto mode improvement.
3. In Pro usage is Samsung the best from 3 points:
A: Samsung got somy alpha camera neutral color science, or you could also say its closer to medium format colors, not yellowish tint, specially seen on grass.
B: Samsung is the only phone out of these (as there is no apple in there) to offer hi res quality raws, I mean quality Hi Res raws
Google's Pixels can shoot hi res and maybe also raw, but they often "missfire" their hi res and you get just upscale low res, and secondly their hi res got less details and its less sharp than from samsung - its worse in 2 points.
C: Samsung is the only one, be it in full size camera space or phone camera space to offer not just software based ND, but also that in Auto mode.
I put this as 3. Reason why samsung for pros is the best, but its actually the o ly reason you need, if you understand the value of this tech. ND filters are costly and of course there aren't any Auto filters. Variable NDs are of worse quality amd those still aren't "automatic".
If you have read this till now, congrats, not many people know about this.
Though I would welcome also removable IR/UV filters in camera sensors, seems no one is enthusiastic enough for photography to hear me out.
So much more could be done... shame I'm a small man to bring these ideas forward.
