Summary
Sorry to Google and its photo-focused Pixel phones, but the new iPhones from Apple and the Galaxy S models from Samsung are generally the best camera phones. Most of the time, the Pro Max and Ultra versions in those lines fight for best camera, but most of us can only afford the entry-level flagships from Apple and Samsung. So, which camera is better between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24?
After the Galaxy S24 came out, we compared the two phones and found that they were very close in the photo department. When we compared the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the iPhone 15, we found that Apple’s phone just barely beat the Samsung flagship in terms of picture quality. “If I had to choose between the two, the iPhone 15 is the camera phone I’d choose,” I wrote at the time.
IPHONE 15 VS. GALAXY S24
What they thought, though, was based on only about six photos taken by each phone. Does it make a difference if we increase the number of shots each phone takes? I took an iPhone 15 and a Galaxy S24 with me to find out and take a lot of pictures. This kind of sample size lets us come to more solid conclusions about how well the cameras on a certain phone work.
We took 200 photos to compare the cameras on the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24. This is what we found and what it means for how well both cameras work. (Check out our 200-photo comparison of the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max if you want to see how the best Apple and Samsung phones did in a similar test.)
WHAT THE CAMS OF THE IPHONE 15 AND GALAXY S24 ARE LIKE AND HOW THEY COMPARE
Even though both the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 cost $799 to begin with, their cameras are very different when you first get them. First, the Galaxy S24 has a three-lens camera setup on the back. There is a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a separate 10MP zoom lens. The iPhone 15 has a 48MP main sensor and a 12MP ultrawide lens on the back.
When the iPhone 15 needs to zoom in on something, though, not all is lost. The iPhone’s main lens is 48MP, so it can crop in on a shot to make it look like you’re zooming in. You can think of it as the same thing as a 2x optical zoom, but the picture is only 12MP. The Galaxy S24 has an optical zoom that goes up to 3x, so the iPhone 15 needs to switch to a digital zoom to keep up.
The Galaxy S24 has a 12MP front-facing camera, which is the same quality as the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone 15. Both phones also have the standard picture and night modes that can make your shots look better.
When you compare cameras, you look at more than just the gear. There are also tools for editing photos that bring out details, improve colors, and cut down on noise long before you see the final picture. Apple has had a big advantage in recent years thanks to computational photography. However, the S24 relies more on AI-enhanced features to help improve its shots through better processing. (The Galaxy S24 added Galaxy AI features like suggested edits and generative editing tools that let you resize and move people and things in a photo. Since these features edit a captured shot, we won’t really talk about them in this camera face-off.)
I took a few hundred pictures of different things and in different settings (outdoors, indoors, with little light, etc.) to test the photos on each phone. I tried both phones’ night and picture modes as well. We’ll pick a winner between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 for each set of shots. The best camera goes to the phone that wins the most categories.
A CASE STUDY OF THE IPHONE 15 VS. GALAXY S24 CAMERA
First, let’s take some pictures of famous spots in San Francisco—the kinds of things that anyone would want to take pictures of on a trip here. A few broad themes can be seen in these pictures. For example, pictures taken with the iPhone 15 tend to be a bit darker than pictures taken with the Galaxy S24.
In a few of the tests, this helps the S24. The dark colors make the wires on the western span of the Bay Bridge stand out enough in the S24 photo so that they don’t blend into the clouds like they do in the iPhone 15 picture. Also, the Lefty O’Doul bridge looks better when taken with the Galaxy S24.
On the other hand, the iPhone 15 has deeper colors, like the dark green grass in front of Cupid’s Span or the Hills Bros. Putting up. Also, the iPhone 15 locks on to the subject better than the S24; the edges of the Three Dancing Figures figure look a little fuzzy in the S24 picture.
iPhone 15 wins.
A CASE STUDY OF THE IPHONE 15 VS. GALAXY S24 CAMERA
I think the iPhone 15’s better color and balance become more clear when training the cameras only on buildings. The colors in the iPhone photos really stand out, like how the blue and green paint on the HiDive bar stands out against the gray sky or how the bronze Marriott Hotel towers over San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens. In the S24 photos, the buildings blend into their backgrounds, but in the iPhone photos, the colors stand out.
If you want to criticize the iPhone 15 shots, the picture of St. Patrick’s Church has a yellow tint that you can see right away. Also, I believe the Galaxy S24 takes a better picture of the movie theater, even though it makes the colors brighter, which means there are some blue spots in the sky.
iPhone 15 wins.
Face-Off Between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 Camera:
It was time to go to the old ballgame, even though the game would have been called because of the rain the day I went to Oracle Park. There was no doubt that the Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15 would have gone to extra games because their shots were so close. The shots that didn’t turn out so well—like the one of the entrance to the park at Willie Mays Plaza—had the same issues on both phones. For example, I don’t like how my picture of the Juan Marichal figure looks on either telephone.
In the end, I give the iPhone 15 just the small edge because of how well it handles text in photos. The iPhone 15 picture has more contrast, which makes the sign that marks Barry Bonds’ 500th home run easier to see. Also, I can read the Willie Mays Gate sign better in the iPhone 15 picture than in the S24 picture, which has shadows that make it hard to read.
iPhone 15 wins.
Compare the cameras of the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 outside
Sometimes when I took these pictures outside, I saw a clear pattern whenever I got close to the water. The S24 photos definitely show that the water is darker, while the iPhone pictures focus on objects that are bright and shiny. This is how the S24 takes some of these pictures, like the outdoor eating area and the sun decoration hanging off a green fence. The S24 takes much darker pictures than the iPhone does, which are lighter.
This award goes to the iPhone 15 again, but there is an S24 picture that stands out—it shows a heart structure with houses painted on the sides of hills. The iPhone 15’s picture doesn’t really show that decoration because of the window’s glare. The S24’s picture can handle that shine.
iPhone 15 wins.
Compare the cameras of the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 indoors
When we go inside, the Galaxy S4’s cameras do a better job, which could be because Samsung worked hard to make them work well in low light. The S24’s picture of the inside of the Ferry Building Market is bright and inviting, and the picture of a bull wood figure standing among different kitchen tools is more appealing because it is framed in a warmer way. One clear example of an area where the S24 didn’t do well with light is a boat station sign where light coming in from behind makes the background too bright.
As you can see in the picture of a bar decorated with different bobbleheads, this group comes down to whether you like your color tones warmer or cooler. The sharp orange glow from the iPhone 15 doesn’t seem as inviting as the blue cast of the S24 shot, even though the orange glow is probably a better reflection of how the room really looks in real life.
The Galaxy S24 won.
Face-Off Between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 Cameras: Statues
It makes sense when you compare cameras, but it’s clear that I like taking pictures of statues. There are people who are better at drawing out features in carved faces that are hard to see otherwise.
When it comes to how well they show figures digitally, the iPhone 15 and Galaxy s24 are pretty much tied. But based on two pictures, I believe the Galaxy S24 is the better choice in this case. In the S24 photo, there are a few more details to see in a statue of a deer in her baby that is mostly hidden in shade in the iPhone 15 picture. When you zoom in, you can see the deer’s fur has different colors.
In the same way, the S24 can catch more detail in a figure of Gandhi. There are features in his face that aren’t clear in the iPhone 15 picture, and the sky is much bluer in the Galaxy S24 picture.
The Galaxy S24 won.
Animals test the iPhone 15 camera vs. the Galaxy S24 camera
As long as they don’t move, statues are easy to shoot. When it comes to animals, on the other hand, they are generally bad at following camera directions. Anyway, my cat was still enough for a few pictures, even one at night, and the iPhone 15 took good pictures.
The Galaxy S24 chose a warmer tone for both of the daylight cat pictures. The pictures taken with the iPhone 15 have cooler tones that better show the color of his hair. Even though Samsung puts a lot of effort into night photos, I like the iPhone’s night shot better because the cat is brighter and more of his fur’s features stand out.
A word about that picture of the bird. The Galaxy S24 is the winner here. I used a 2x zoom to avoid scaring the bird away by getting too close. As it tries to keep up with the S24’s special zoom lens, the iPhone has left some marks around the bird’s shape. It couldn’t do that in this case.
iPhone 15 wins.
Food camera comparison between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24
By taking pictures of food, I can keep track of my bad eating habits and test how well my phone cameras handle different colors, textures, and lights. The Galaxy S24 always took better pictures here. This could be because most of these pictures were taken inside (the fruit stand and the gyro are the only ones that were taken outside).
There was a strong yellow light nearby when I took the pictures of the empanadas. It made everything look yellow. The S24 did a better job of making up for the bad lighting than the iPhone 15. In the same way, I don’t like how cool the tone of the cakes is in the iPhone 15 picture, and the background of the Philly cheesesteak picture is too bright.
The Galaxy S24 won.
Face-Off: Flowers between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 camera
There are two things I look for in flower photos: true colors and the ability to pick out small features on the petals or leaves. I was able to get very good color pictures of all the flowers I shot with both the Galaxy S24 and the iPhone 15, at least until I got close to my lemon tree. The picture from the Galaxy S24 isn’t as sharp as the one from the iPhone 15.
I think this turns the scales in favor of Apple because the iPhone’s colors stay the same.
iPhone 15 wins.
WHAT THE GALAXY S24 AND IPHONE 15 HAVE IN COMMON: MURALS
How the phones handle color is a big part of how I was able to find the best pictures of paintings and mosaics. I like how the colors on the Galaxy S24 are a little less bright. Sometimes this works, like when the tiles around a waterfall are surrounded by dark shadows. Most of the time, though, I like the brighter colors that the iPhone 15 shows.
It’s clear that the iPhone’s use of color works well with the Visit Oakland painting. Some words and images related to the city are written on a black background. The iPhone 15 picture makes it easier to see these because the colors stand out more.
iPhone 15 wins.
Head-to-head camera comparison between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24
These pictures are pretty much the same if you use the ultrawide camera on either phone. I saw this when I took pictures of McCovey Cove and the Ferry Building. There is also some bending around the edges of the picture, but neither phone is worse than the other in this way.
In the end, I think the iPhone takes more balanced ultrawide photos because the colors behave the same way we saw with the main lens. For example, the S25 can lean toward cool colors, as seen in the ultrawide shot of the frog stream. The iPhone 15 shots are more constant in their color.
iPhone 15 wins.
Face-Off Between the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24 Cameras: Selfies and Portraits
Let’s take a look at some of the unique features of each camera phone. We’ll start with pictures and selfies, and in some cases, images taken with the face camera.
Portraits had a range of results. I took one during the day of my daughter standing in front of an orange tree. The iPhone picture of her might be my favorite picture of her in the last few years, because her red hair looks great against the dark green leaves of the tree. The picture from the Galaxy S24 is fine, but it’s not good enough. But when I tried to take a headshot picture at night, the Galaxy S24 did a good job again, while the iPhone’s picture was just a blur.
When I use the selfie camera on my iPhone 15, I don’t like how it keeps trying to make my face look like a human artery. When it comes to skin tone, the Galaxy S24’s front camera does a much better job, though it does have trouble with shadows in some selfies. Even though the iPhone 15 portrait is great, I’d say the Galaxy S24 has better long-term results here.
The Galaxy S24 won.
FACE-OFF: NIGHT PHOTOS BETWEEN THE IPHONE 15 AND THE GALAXY S24
In the last few Galaxy S phone updates, night shooting has gotten a lot of attention. With the Galaxy S24, that focus seems to have hit its peak. When the lights are low, Samsung’s camera phone really shines, and this iPhone 15 vs. Galaxy 24 camera comparison makes that clear.
Here are two pictures that deserve to be noticed. In the Galaxy S24 version, a street sign right under a stoplight looks very brightly lit. The fact that the Samsung phone caught the red stop light while the iPhone blurred that part helps. In the same way, the Galaxy S24 picture makes a light sign at a nearby bar much easier to see.
The Galaxy S24 won.
Compare the cameras of the iPhone 15 and the Galaxy S24: zooms
We already saw with our bird friend that the Galaxy S24 should be better at zooming than the iPhone 15 because it has a separate lens for zooming. But things aren’t quite that simple in real life.
Yes, zoom shots taken at night look better on the Galaxy S24. But that’s also because Samsung has a focus on night shooting. Other than that, the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S24 are about equal when viewed at 2x or 3x. The only time they aren’t is when you zoom in even more, like when I took a 10x picture of the Tribune Tower in Oakland. The iPhone’s shot is fuzzy and dull at that size.
We can see how the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S24 compare by zooming in on the face of the Willie Mays figure outside of Oracle Park three times. Not only are the features in the iPhone 15 picture just as clear as they are in the S24 picture, but the iPhone picture is also brighter.
Most zooms work well on the Galaxy S24 thanks to its real long lens, but the iPhone can get close enough most of the time to tie this category.
Winner: The draw
What are the pros and cons of the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S24 cameras?
I don’t look at landscape tools very often when I test phones, but that’s because I don’t take hundreds of pictures at once. You will get views.
Anyone who talks about these pictures has to talk about software settings at some point. With Apple’s setup, you can only take views that go from left to right. You can go in either way with Samsung, but Apple gives you a line to follow. You can get some pretty crooked panos this way, like the one I took of the Bay Bridge. The iPhone 15 pano is fine, but the Galaxy S24 pano puts the bridge way in the background and makes the picture look skewed.
iPhone 15 wins.
FACE-OFF: THE IPHONE 15 VS. GALAXY S24 CAMERA
After our first iPhone 15 vs. Galaxy S24 comparison, I said I thought the iPhone would take more reliable pictures than the S24. And I’m even more sure of that now that I’ve had the chance to test that theory across hundreds of photos.
The S24 won five categories, while the iPhone won nine. The iPhone’s win looks more clear-cut than it really was. There were times when the iPhone 15 took one or two better pictures. But it’s enough to make me think that Apple’s phone will usually take better photos with better color and balance.
I use a Galaxy S24 when there isn’t much light, and the specialized long lens makes me feel better when I take a lot of zooms. The iPhone’s main camera, on the other hand, can duplicate and improve color, making it the best camera of these $799 phones.
