Tom’s Guide found Apple’s flagship delivered more reliable results across portraits, selfies and low light, while Samsung retained the edge for long-range zoom and macro photography.
Tom’s Guide has pitted Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max against Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra in an extensive camera test, and the result favoured the iPhone for overall consistency. The reviewer took 200 photographs on each handset, covering daylight, low light, portraits, selfies and zoom, and found that although both premium phones delivered strong image quality, Apple’s device was more dependable across the widest range of scenes. The iPhone produced more natural colour, stronger portraits, better panoramas and more convincing low-light shots, while the Samsung handset held the advantage for long-range zoom, macro photography and some high-contrast scenes where preserving detail in shadows and highlights mattered most. In bright daylight and ultra-wide shots, the phones were closer, with Samsung leaning towards punchier, more saturated results and the iPhone showing finer texture and detail. For people shots and night photography, however, the iPhone 18 Pro Max was judged the clearer winner, including in selfie performance. That said, Galaxy S26 Ultra remains the stronger choice for users who prioritise close-up work and heavy zoom, especially at eight-times and 40-times magnification, where it kept text and distant detail more legible. Separately, DxOMark has placed the iPhone 18 Pro Max second in its camera rankings, behind the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra sits outside the top 20, underlining the gap between benchmark standings and real-world strengths.
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