Brian X. Chen -- April 24, 2026
Apple's 17 Pro Max edges out Samsung's best in low light and wins a blind zoom comparison six tests to four.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra are the two best camera phones available. Both cost over $1,100. Both shoot impressive stills and video. In standardized testing across low light, zoom quality, and video output, the iPhone is the better camera system.
In the standardized low-light benchmark, the iPhone 17 Pro Max scored 94 against the Galaxy S26 Ultra's 87. Apple's noise reduction preserves fine detail while eliminating grain — a balance Samsung's processing pipeline has not fully mastered. Night portraits on the iPhone require less correction in post, which matters to photographers working under time pressure.
Zoom range and zoom quality are not the same thing. The iPhone 17 Pro Max's 5x optical system produces sharper, more colour-accurate images than the Samsung's 10x system at equivalent crops. More focal length matters less when image quality at that range is softer, and in a blind zoom quality test, testers preferred the iPhone output by a 6-to-4 margin.
Video performance reflects the same pattern. The iPhone 17 Pro Max's automatic pipeline — stabilization, colour consistency, and microphone processing — outperforms the Samsung in the conditions most users actually shoot in. The Samsung offers more manual controls; the iPhone produces better results without them. For the majority of buyers, the automatic output is what gets used.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra offers more zoom range and a broader set of manual video options. But in every benchmark category tested — low light, zoom quality, and video output — the iPhone 17 Pro Max returned stronger results and delivers a more consistently excellent camera experience.