In this episode of Photo Shoot|out, we compare 200 photos taken on the iPhone 15 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus to determine which of these $1,000 priced flagship phones is the best phone for photography. Both phones feature similar triple cameras to give users the most utility at capturing photos, but there can only one winner. This is Photo Shoot|out!
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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.