iPhone 14 Pro vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Which Camera Wins the Battle
We test Apple's top-tier phone camera against Samsung's in the real world.
Apple's iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra have some stark differences in their features, but there's one thing they have in common: Both companies champion these high-grade phones as having sophisticated, impressive cameras.
One of the biggest ways the iPhone 14 Pro differs from last year's 13 Pro, for example, is in its new camera system. Apple's new premium iPhone has a high-resolution 48-megapixel main sensor and other improvements like the Photonic Engine, which is a new technique that applies Apple's Deep Fusion processing to images earlier for better detail. When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S22 Ultra in February, it similarly highlighted the 108-megapixel main camera as a major area of focus -- particularly the S22 Ultra's improved low-light photography.
In practice, both phones take impressive photos that are rich with color and detail. As for which one is better, the answer is somewhat subjective and may come down to whether you prefer the way Apple or Samsung processes photos. But in my experience, Apple's iPhone 14 Pro generally does a better job of producing well-balanced images, while Samsung has a much closer zoom that can't be matched.
To test the cameras on both phones, I took the same images side-by-side under various lighting scenarios, ranging from bright outdoor sunlight to dim indoor environments with very little or no light.
iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra Camera Specs
| iPhone 14 Pro | Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of cameras (rear) | 3 | 4 |
| Main camera resolution | 48-megapixel | 108-megapixel |
| Ultrawide camera resolution | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Ultrawide field-of-view | 120 degrees | 120 degrees |
| Zoom camera resolution | 12-megapixel | 10-megapixel (2 lenses) |
| Zoom | 3x optical zoom in, 15x digital zoom | 3x or 10x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom |
| Aperture | f1.78 (main), f2.2 (ultrawide), f1.78 (zoom) | f1.8 (main), f2.2 (ultrawide), f4.9 (zoom), f2.4 (zoom) |
| Night mode | Yes | Yes |
| Special features | Photographic styles, macro photography, portrait mode with portrait lighting, Apple ProRaw | Directors view, single take, portrait mode, expert raw (separate app) |
| Video recording | 4K at up to 60 fps, action mode, cinematic mode | 8K at 24 fps, 4K at up to 60 fps, super steady stabilization |
| Other details | Photonic engine applies deep fusion earlier in the process for better detail, second-gen sensor shift for image stabilization, new quad pixel sensor that combines every 4 pixels into 1 big 2.44um pixel. Option to use 2x zoom that uses the middle 12 megapixels for full resolution with no digital zoom (good for portrait mode.) Full 48MP photos in Pro Raw | Adaptive pixel combines pixel binning (which blends data from multiple pixels into one giant pixel) with resolution from the main sensor. Laser autofocus sensor for improving focus in close range and low light environments, optical image stabilization |
iPhone 14 Pro vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Bright outdoor sunlight
If you're shooting photos in outdoor sunlight, you can rest assured that both the iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra are capable of capturing excellent photos. In the photo samples below, you'll notice the photos of the ice cream truck and sidewalk murals are both colorful and well-lit. The biggest difference can be seen in the photos of ducks on the beach. Samsung's photo is brighter and makes the colors of the river and sand pop more. But Apple's has more detail and contrast in the pebbles and glass shards on the shore.
iPhone 14 Pro vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Zoom
The iPhone 14 Pro can zoom up to three times optically and 15 times digitally, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra has an optical zoom of 3x or 10x and can also zoom digitally up to 100 times. I used the maximum zoom level on each phone to get a sense of how much their range differs, as you can see in the photos of the highway sign below.
There's no question that Samsung can achieve a significantly closer zoom than Apple, although it's not very sharp and it's very hard to focus when zooming in at 100x. Using the Galaxy S22 Ultra's 100x zoom doesn't seem very practical unless you really need to see something that's very far away and don't necessarily care about image quality.
iPhone 14 Pro 15x digital zoom/Galaxy S22 Ultra 100x digital zoom
Here's how they perform at a much more realistic 10x zoom. Both are very clear, but the text on the sign is brighter and bolder in the iPhone 14 Pro's image.
iPhone 14 Pro vs. Galaxy S22 Ultra: Portraits
When it comes to Portrait Mode photos that slightly blur the background to make the subject stand out more, the iPhone 14 Pro performed better in dim outdoor lighting. In the photos taken at an outdoor wine bar below, the iPhone 14 Pro's image is more accurate in terms of eye and skin color, and there's generally more detail in the face. Samsung seems to have struggled with the lightning for this shot, although the color of the subject's beard does look more accurate.
Portrait Mode
In the same photo without Portrait Mode turned on, I preferred Samsung's photo. The Galaxy S22 Ultra generally captured more detail.
