I’ve by no means been an enormous fan of ultra-wide cameras, even on among the greatest digital camera telephones. Too usually, the cameras don’t have a excessive sufficient decision to provide crisp images when scrutinizing the element, or there’s an excessive amount of warping on the perimeters. I’ve all the time felt the bodily limitation of the small sensors and lenses utilized in smartphone ultra-wide cameras maintain them again from delivering the extra spectacular pictures of predominant and telephoto cameras.
I’ve additionally by no means been a fan of how Samsung’s ultra-wide cameras in its Galaxy S-series, with images that seem noisy and missing sharpness, even often wanting a bit smudged when peering deeper right into a shot.
Nonetheless, with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely, the South Korean tech big seems to have turned a nook with its ultra-wide cameras. That’s as a result of the S25 Extremely comes with a 50-megapixel quite than the 12MP ultra-wide digital camera of the Galaxy S24 Extremely.
It’s been a standard concept that megapixels don’t imply an important deal relating to smartphone cameras, particularly these on the perfect telephones. However I’m beginning to see a shift within the sands in that there’s solely a lot sensible computational pictures can do with 12MP sensors and pictures. In distinction, extra element sucked in by a better megapixel sensor successfully means extra knowledge to course of and, thus, extra scope to get a greater photograph.
With the caveat that others on the TechRadar crew and I are persevering with to check the Galaxy S25 suite of smartphones, I rapidly pitched the ultra-wide digital camera of the Galaxy S25 Extremely in opposition to the 12MP ultra-wide on my iPhone 16 Professional Max; my predominant cellphone.
Within the photograph samples beneath, you’ll see the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s ultra-wide digital camera in its default 12MP mode – an annoying default, however I perceive it saves on file measurement – and 50MP pictures, alongside 12MP iPhone 16 Professional Max snaps.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely vs iPhone 16 Professional Max ultra-wide images
Picture 1 of 4
Galaxy S25 Extremely 50MP ultra-wide (Picture credit score: Future)
iPhone 16 Professional Max 12MP ultra-wide(Picture credit score: Future)
Galaxy S25 Extremely 50MP ultra-wide (Picture credit score: Future)
(Picture credit score: Future)
At a fast look, it’s not notably simple to see large variations between the pictures aside from completely different interpretations of colours; Samsung, as ordinary, favors punchier colours over the iPhone’s extra muted take.
However look nearer, and also you’ll see finer particulars within the foreground of the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s 50MP ultra-wide pictures vs the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s. Punch right into a shot, and the Galaxy S25 Extremely resolves sharper particulars than its rival.
The identical is broadly true when evaluating the 12MP ultra-wide versus the 50MP pictures on the Galaxy S25 Extremely. You must go on the hunt for adjustments, as each pictures use the identical digital camera sensors; simply the 12MP photographs are being produced with pixel-binning to make a 50MP snap smaller.
Nonetheless, from what I can inform, this course of naturally loses some element on a shot but in addition removes a level of dynamic vary; within the 12MP pictures, shadows and highlights are extra uniform, whereas within the 50MP images, there’s extra of a gradient from gentle to darkish.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely 50MP vs 12MP ultra-wide images
Picture 1 of 4
Galaxy S25 Extremely 50MP ultra-wide (Picture credit score: Future)
Galaxy S25 Extremely 12MP ultra-wide (Picture credit score: Future)
Galaxy S25 Extremely 50MP ultra-wide (Picture credit score: Future)
Galaxy S25 Extremely 12MP ultra-wide (Picture credit score: Future)
I discover this pertinent, as latest conversations about flagship cellphone cameras have targeted on how they have an inclination to provide considerably flat images by citing the shadows and knocking down vibrant components. This could convey out extra element however ends in a photograph that doesn’t look fairly true to life and finally ends up missing some distinction that may assist make a photograph pop.
So, my key takeaway for anybody planning to get a Galaxy S25 Extremely is to make use of the 50MP mode within the ultra-wide digital camera for the perfect outcomes.
And I feel it is a signal that Apple ought to look to observe the instance set by the Galaxy S25 Extremely and the Google Pixel 9 Professional, in addition to the Pixel 8 Professional, and undertake a bigger pixel depend with the ultra-wide digital camera on the iPhone 17 Professional.
Head to the remark and let me know which ultra-wide images you favor, and do try our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely overview; additionally, preserve TechRadar bookmarked as we’ll have extra ideas and experiences with the Galaxy S25 telephones as we preserve digging into them.
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