Technologies
Apple and Samsung Are Racing to Create the Ultimate Camera Phone
Commentary: The Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro reiterate Apple’s and Samsung’s ambitions to appeal to pro photographers and videographers.

This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung’s most popular products.
A phone’s camera bridges our everyday lives with our online identities, whether you’re sharing family photos, posting clips from your vacation on TikTok or dialing into a Zoom meeting. Apple and Samsung clearly understand this, as evidenced by the iPhone 14 Pro and the new Galaxy S23 Ultra, which goes on sale Feb. 17. With both devices, Samsung and Apple are sending a strong message: The camera is what matters most in a new phone. It’s the biggest factor that separates the best phone money can buy from reasonably priced devices.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro represent the next step in each company’s multiyear campaign to court photographers and videographers, all while expanding what can be done on your phone’s relatively small screen. They’re the culmination of the latest efforts by Apple and Samsung to outpace one another in an arms race that’s been progressing for more than a decade. Apple and Samsung aren’t the only ones focused on the camera; the same goes for Google and OnePlus. But as the world’s two largest phone brands by market share, Apple and Samsung have an outsized influence over the devices we carry in our pockets.
Annual smartphone updates feel incremental, making it harder for people to justify yearly upgrades, especially when the cost for everyday goods and services remains high. The latest high-end phones from Apple and Samsung serve as statements that customers are willing to pay for the best. And for both companies, being the «best» often means having the best camera.
Samsung and Apple bet people will spend more on better devices
Cameras with a 100x digital zoom magnification and a nearly tablet-sized screen aren’t for everyone, especially given their high price. As generational upgrades become less flashy, customers are holding onto their devices longer before upgrading. But there is evidence hinting that premium phones still appeal to shoppers despite inflation, potentially showing that Apple and Samsung’s camera-first approach may be working.
According to Counterpoint Research, the iPhone’s average selling price increased 7% year over year in the third quarter of 2022, indicating Apple’s more expensive phones may be its most popular. (However, that could also be because the price of Apple’s regular iPhones has increased over the years, while the Pro’s starting price has largely remained the same).
Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for TF International Securities who’s well-versed in Apple’s supply chain, said on Twitter last fall that the pricier iPhone 14 Pro Max accounted for about 60% of Apple’s order increase for the Pro models, hinting that Apple’s priciest phone is selling well.
TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile experience business, said in an interview with CNET earlier this year that the Galaxy S22 lineup saw double-digit sales growth compared to the Galaxy S21 series. That indicates Samsung’s more expensive phones are indeed top sellers.
Remarks from Roh and Apple CEO Tim Cook also suggest that people are simply willing to pay for better devices.
«When times get hard, then people would be more cautious in the choices that they make,» Roh also said to CNET. «In other words, they would be looking for greater value to be gained.»
Speaking with analysts during Apple’s fiscal first-quarter earnings call earlier this month, Cook said he thinks «people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category.»
Samsung’s and Apple’s current premium phones could also influence the devices we see in the future as both companies are expected to lean more heavily into high-end devices. Apple is discussing releasing an iPhone Ultra that would be a step up from the $1,099 iPhone 14 Pro Max, according to Bloomberg, likely expanding upon the Pro Max’s features. It may also incorporate more features into next year’s iPhone Pro that further distinguish it from the regular iPhone, the report said. One of those features, Bloomberg reported, could be a periscope lens for better optical zoom on the Pro Max, further underscoring the camera’s significance.
Samsung, meanwhile, used its previous high-end smartphone line, the Galaxy Note, to build the foundation for its current Galaxy Ultra devices. We’re already seeing the Ultra line influence Samsung’s other high-end devices, as the branding has carried over to its new premium laptop, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra.
What makes an «ultra» or «pro» phone? Mostly the camera
Make no mistake, Apple and Samsung both view the camera as the most significant smartphone upgrade that customers are willing to splurge for. Samsung made that clear at its Unpacked event on Feb. 1, during which it tried to woo filmmakers with endorsements from acclaimed directors Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner) and Na Hong-jin (The Chaser, The Wailing).
Samsung’s camera system is the centerpiece of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the biggest way it distinguishes the «ultra» model from its regular flagships. The company spent a large portion of its Unpacked presentation outlining the various new camera improvements: a higher-resolution 200-megapixel sensor, wider dynamic range, steadier optical image stabilization for video, faster autofocus and clearer shots in low light, among other upgrades. The regular Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus also are gaining improvements to the way photos are processed, but they lack the Ultra’s extreme 100x zoom magnification and new 200-megapixel sensor.
If you weren’t already convinced that Samsung is trying to entice camera enthusiasts, the company also makes it easier to access settings for shooting raw files by integrating those options directly into the native camera app. A raw file has uncompressed image data straight from the camera sensor, which allows for more leeway when editing. An Expert Raw file contains data from several images processed together and offers even more clarity and a wider dynamic range. Google and Apple have their own special raw files that are created in a similar way, bridging a traditional raw file with advancements from computational photography.
And to help fit all of those big files on your phone, the S23 Ultra’s base storage is now 256GB, up from the S22 Ultra’s 128GB. The decision to offer more storage in the entry-level model could also be seen as another effort to attract photographers and videographers, since high-resolution photos, raw files and 8K videos occupy a lot of space. The S23 Plus also starts at 256GB, but Samsung doesn’t offer a 1TB storage option for that phone the way it does with the S23 Ultra. It shows what a long way Samsung has come since launching its original Ultra phone, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which maxed out at 512GB and started at 128GB just like the regular Galaxy S23.
Apple also loves to flaunt the iPhone’s photography prowess, and you could even argue that may have influenced some of Samsung’s thinking. That approach was on full display in September when Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 Pro, which has better optical image stabilization and low-light performance. Like Samsung, Apple also made a leap in resolution that brings the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera from 12 to 48 megapixels, although it’s really the device’s larger main sensor that’s made a big difference in the camera’s low-light performance. ProRaw, Apple’s feature for capturing raw photos that still incorporate some of the company’s image-processing algorithms, can now shoot at a 48-megapixel resolution.
As is the case with Samsung, the camera is a large part of what separates the iPhone 14 Pro and larger Pro Max from the cheaper iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. Those phones, by comparison, are missing the iPhone 14 Pro’s telephoto lens and have a smaller 12-megapixel main camera sensor. Apple’s cheaper iPhone 14 models also lack a 1TB storage option, unlike the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
The camera is the star, but there’s more to it
While the camera may be the biggest defining characteristic of Apple’s Pro line and Samsung’s Ultra line, there are other common threads between these phones. Both phones have more productivity-oriented features than the cheaper alternatives in their respective lineups. The S23 Ultra comes with a stylus you can store in the bottom of the phone, unlike the regular Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus. The iPhone 14 Pro has the Dynamic Island, a clever software interface built around the selfie camera for showing system alerts and controlling background activities without leaving the app you’re using. That feature is absent from the regular iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
Both phones also have more to offer when it comes to the screen. For Samsung, that’s quite literal; the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 6.8-inch screen is physically larger than the displays on the Galaxy S23 (6.1 inches) and the S23 Plus (6.6 inches). Apple offers the same two display sizes across the entire iPhone 14 lineup (6.1 inches or 6.7 inches), but has found other ways to make the screens on its Pro iPhone’s stand out. Only the Pro models have an always-on display, the Dynamic Island and an adaptive refresh rate for smoother scrolling and graphics.
Despite these similarities, Apple and Samsung’s approaches also differ in significant ways — mostly when it comes to which technologies these companies bring to cheaper devices. All of Samsung’s Galaxy S23 devices have the same chip, a new customized version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Apple, on the other hand, has only put its fresh A16 Bionic chip in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, while the regular iPhone 14 models have the previous A15 Bionic chip, marking the first time Apple has kept an older processor in a new flagship phone. Apple also equips its Pro iPhones with a lidar scanner for detecting depth, which helps improve AR apps and certain photography features like autofocus and enables accessibility functions like door and people detection.
For Apple and Samsung, adding more advanced camera and display features to their premium phones isn’t just about boosting sales. Both companies are under pressure to uphold their reputations as innovators while proving there are still plenty of reasons to be excited about the smartphone’s future.
Right now, many of those reasons come down to the camera — the tool we use for everything from video chatting to documenting vacations and, perhaps in the future, fueling augmented reality apps. It will be fascinating to see how Apple, Samsung and others attempt to improve and redefine that experience over the next few years.
Technologies
Apple CarPlay Ultra vs. Google Built-In: How the Next-Gen Auto Software Rivals Compare
Apple and Google are supercharging their car software experiences. Here’s how they differ.

I’d spent an hour driving a $250,000-plus Aston Martin up the Los Angeles coast when my hunger pangs became impossible to ignore, and as I’ve done many times before, I asked Siri (through Apple CarPlay) to find me a taco place. But then I did something no other car on the planet allows: I asked Siri to blast the AC and make the air colder. That’s because the 2025 Aston Martin DBX I drove was the first vehicle to come with Apple CarPlay Ultra, the upgraded version of the company’s car software.
Apple debuted CarPlay Ultra at WWDC 2025 last month, and this year’s version of the Aston Martin DBX is the first vehicle to launch with it (pairing with an iPhone running iOS 18.5 or later). As I drove the luxury crossover around, I fiddled with other features that aren’t available in regular CarPlay, from climate control to radio to checking the pressure on the car’s tires. Ultimately, Ultra gives deeper access to more car systems, which is a good thing.
That reminded me a lot of a new feature announced at Google I/O back in May: Google Built-In, which similarly lets users control more of a car’s systems straight from the software interface (in that case, Android Auto). When I got a demonstration of Google Built-In, sitting in a new Volvo EX90 electric SUV, I saw what this new integration of Google software offered: climate controls, Gemini AI assistance and even warnings about car maintenance issues.
But the name is telling: Google Built-In requires automakers to incorporate Android deeper into their cars’ inner workings. Comparatively, Apple CarPlay Ultra support seems like it won’t require car manufacturers to do nearly as much work to prepare their vehicles, just adding a reasonably advanced multicore processor onboard that can handle an increased task load. (Aston Martin will be able to add CarPlay Ultra support to its 2023 and 2024 lineups through firmware updates because they already contain sufficiently advanced CPUs.)
Both solutions reflect Apple’s and Google’s different approaches to their next versions of car software. Apple’s is lighter weight, seemingly requiring less commitment from the automaker to integrate CarPlay Ultra into their vehicles (so long as it has adequate processing power onboard), which will run through a paired iPhone. Google Built-In does require much more integration, but it’s so self-sufficient that you can leave your Android phone at home and still get much of its functionality (aside from getting and sending messages and calls).
Driving with Apple CarPlay Ultra: Controlling climate, radio and more
As I drove around Los Angeles in the Aston Martin with Apple CarPlay Ultra, I could tell what new features I would be missing once I stepped back into my far more humble daily driver.
At long last, I could summon Siri and ask it to play a specific song (or just a band) and have it pulled up on Spotify. Since Apple’s assistant now has access to climate controls, I asked to turn up the AC, and it went full blast. I asked to find tacos and it suggested several fast food restaurants — well, it’s not perfect, but at least it’s listening.
To my relief, Aston Martin retained the physical knobs by the gearshift to control fan speed, temperature, stereo volume and the car’s myriad roadway options (like driving assistance) in case the driver likes traditional controls, but almost all of them could also be altered in the interface. Now, things like radio controls (AM/FM and satellite) and car settings are nestled in their own recognizable apps in CarPlay’s interface.
Ultimately, that’ll be one of CarPlay Ultra’s greatest advantages: If you enter an unfamiliar vehicle (like a rental), you still know exactly where everything is. No wrestling with a carmaker’s proprietary software or trying to figure out where some setting or other is located. It’s not a complete replacement — in the Aston Martin’s case, there were still a handful of settings (like for ambient light projected when the doors open) that the luxury automaker controlled, but they were weaved into CarPlay so you could pop open those windows and go back to Apple’s interface without visibly changing apps.
The dependable ubiquity of Apple’s CarPlay software will likely become even more essential as cars swap out their analog instrument clusters for screens, as Aston Martin did. There’s still a touch of the high-end automaker’s signature style as the default screen behind the wheel shows two traditional dials (one for the speedometer, one for RPMs) with Aston Martin’s livery. But that can be swapped out for other styles, from other dials with customizable colors to a full-screen Maps option.
Each of the half-dozen or so dashboard options was swapped out via square touchpads smaller than a dime on the wheel next to the other touch controls. On the dual-dial display types, I swiped vertically to rotate between a central square (with Maps directions, current music or other app information) or swiped horizontally to switch to another dashboard option. No matter which one you choose, the bottom bar contains all the warning lights drivers will recognize from analog cars — even with digital displays, you’re not safe from the check engine light (which is a good thing).
Apple CarPlay Ultra doesn’t yet do everything I want. I wish I could also ask Siri to roll down the windows (as Google Built-In can — more on that later) and lock or unlock specific doors. If Apple is connected to the car enough to be able to read the pressure in each tire, I wish it could link up with the engine readout and be able to tell me in plain language what kind of maintenance issue has sprung up. Heck, I wish it could connect to the car remotely and blast the AC before I get in (or fire up the seat warmer), as some proprietary car apps can do. And while Apple Maps and Waze will be included at launch, Google Maps support is not, but it’s coming later.
These aren’t huge deficiencies, and they do show where CarPlay Ultra could better meet driver needs in future updates, notwithstanding the potentially dicey security concerns for using CarPlay Ultra for remote climate or unlocking capabilities. But it shows where the limits are today compared to Google’s more in-depth approach.
Google Built-In: Deeper car integrations — and, of course, Gemini AI
The day after Google I/O’s keynote was quieter back in May, as attendees flitted between focused sessions and demos of upcoming software. It was the ideal time to check out Google Built-In, which was appropriately shown off in a higher-end Volvo EX90 electric SUV (though not nearly as pricey as an Aston Martin).
As mentioned above, Google Built-In has deeper integrations with vehicles than what I saw in Apple CarPlay Ultra, allowing users to change the climate through its interface or access other systems, including through voice requests. For instance, it can go beyond AC control to switch on the defroster, and even raise and lower specific windows relative to the speaker’s position: cameras within the car (in the rearview mirror, if I remember right) meant that when my demonstrator asked to «roll down this window» pointing over his left shoulder, the correct window rolled down.
Google Built-In is also connected to Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, for what the company is calling «Google Live,» a separate and more capable version of the Android Auto assistant experience in cars right now. With a Live session, I could request music or directions much like I could with Siri — but my demo went further, as the demonstrator tasked Gemini with requests better suited for generative AI, such as asking, «Give me suggestions for a family outing» and telling it to send a specific text to a contact.
The demonstrator then asked Gemini for recipe advice — «I have chicken, rice and broccoli in the fridge, what can I make?» — as an example of a query someone might ask on the drive home.
Since you’re signed into your Google account, Gemini can consult anything connected to it, like emails and messages. It’s also trained on the user manuals from each car-maker, so if a warning light comes on, the driver can ask the voice assistant what it means — no more flipping through a dense manual trying to figure out what each alert means.
There are other benefits to Google Built-In, like not needing your phone for some features. But there are also drawbacks, like the need to keep car software updated, requiring more work on Google’s end to make sure cars are protected from issues or exploits. They can’t just fix it in the most current version of Android — they’ll need to backport that fix to older versions that vehicles might still be on.
This deeper integration with Google Built-In has a lot of the benefits of Apple CarPlay Ultra (a familiar interface, easier to access features), just cranked up to a greater degree. It surely benefits fans of hands-off controls, and interweaving Gemini naturally dovetails with Google’s investments, so it’s easy to see that functionality improving. But a greater reliance on Android within the car’s systems could be concerning as the vehicle ages: Will the software stop being supported? Will it slow down or be exposed to security exploits? A lot of questions remain regarding making cars open to phone software interfaces.
Technologies
A Samsung Tri-Fold Phone Could Be in Your Future, if This Leak Is to Be Believed
UI animations might have revealed the imminent release of a so-called «Galaxy G Fold» device with three screens.

Samsung has been showing off mobile display concepts with three screens at trade events such as CES for several years, but it might finally bring one to market soon if a leaked UI animation is any indicator.
As reported by Android Authority, an animated image from a software build of One UI 8 appears to show what some are dubbing a «Galaxy G Fold» device with three display panels. The screens would be capable of displaying different information or working in unison as one large display. The new phone model could debut as early as next week at Samsung’s Unpacked event on July 9 in Brooklyn.
Huawei released a tri-folding phone in February, the Mate XT Ultimate Design.
Some websites have gone into overdrive trying to uncover details on what Samsung’s new device might include and how much it may cost, with Phone Arena reporting that according to a Korean media report, it could be priced at about $3,000.
Samsung didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
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