Technologies

Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which Android Camera Wins?

Can Google’s latest flagship unseat Samsung’s premiere smartphone? I took hundreds of photos to find out.

A top-tier smartphone camera needs to perform, but also make it look like it’s not trying very hard. We expect a tap of the shutter button to create a great image in any circumstance, regardless of whether the person making the image knows anything about photography.

Many phones include decent cameras, but a small number strive to be the best smartphone cameras you can pocket. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is one that we’ve stacked up against both the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro, and now it’s time to see how that Android phone fares against its newest competition, Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL.

I took both phones to Seattle and nearby Mukilteo, Washington, to compare how each performed. Over hundreds of photos, I kept the camera settings as close to the defaults as possible, occasionally switching between the 12-megapixel shooting modes and the high-res 50-megapixel modes where available.

Because we’re talking about photography, my personal preferences as to which are the «best» photos might not be the ones you choose, and that’s fine. With either camera, you’re going to get good photos. But if you’re in the market for a new phone and pondering which high-end camera system is for you, or you want to check out the current state of the art for Android cameras, follow along.

And for even more Pixel 10 Pro XL photos, be sure to follow along with CNET’s Andrew Lanxon on his first-look photo walk through Paris.

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Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Overall performance

I wandered around Pike Place Market, a haven for local shopkeepers and scores of late-summer tourists, where snapping smartphone pictures is part of the fabric of the experience. This nook — a bend in a stairway — is one of my favorite spots at the market in the morning when light comes through the window. Both cameras have done a good job balancing the exposure between the bright day outside the window and the mixture of bright sunlight and shadowy corners on the inside. Of the two, I prefer the Pixel 10 Pro XL because it’s a bit warmer.

Seattle is known more for its clouds than its sunny days, so when the sky is blue, the bright light can feel harsh. Here, the S25 Ultra photo pops more by lightening the shadow areas of the car, but almost too much. The Pixel 10 Pro XL image looks more natural, even though the car is darker.

Just down the street, though, the contrast between the cameras swings in the other direction. The Pixel 10 Pro XL brings out all the vibrant colors of the flowers, the orange awnings and the bright red umbrellas. The S25 Ultra’s shot is more muted. I couldn’t tell if perhaps some of the sunlight was hitting the lens from the side and causing that washed-out appearance. Both cameras still did a fine job of keeping details in the shadows, though.

Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Zoom quality

To be honest, zooming much past 10x on a phone always seemed like a futile gesture to me. Pushing past the optical range of the telephoto camera (5x on both cameras) puts you into digital zooming territory, where the camera upscales a small portion of the sensor so it fills the frame. Although digital upscaling has improved in recent years, when you get past 20x or so, photos tend to become a mess of fuzzy enlarged pixels — it’s rarely worth it.

Google decided to take a different approach to extreme zooming on the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL. Up to 30x zoom, it uses Google’s Super Res Zoom technology to upscale and sharpen the results, which generally turn out well.

In the extreme range from 30x to 100x, though, the Pixel 10 Pro uses generative AI to rebuild the image based on the original capture. It takes a few seconds for the processing to happen, and it’s all done on-device, not with assistance from cloud resources. The results can be impressive, particularly for static subjects like buildings or landscapes. But when you view them with any scrutiny, it’s almost always obvious that the photo has been treated with AI, with a flat, angular look — and it doesn’t handle most text in a photo at all. But that’s also me scrutinizing the image; it won’t look good printed or viewed on a large screen, but it comes across perfectly fine on a phone screen.

The Pixel 10 Pro keeps both versions of the image: The original capture and the AI-generated one.

Google says that if the camera detects people in a Pro Res Zoom image, it won’t attempt to use generative AI on them — it could easily create a person that looks nothing like the actual person in the image. When that happens, you can tell: In this shot, the sailboat has been rendered (complete with a nonsensical guess about lettering on the sail), but the people on board are sharpened but still fuzzy.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra shots at 100x are also a hot mess, but to be honest, not as bad as I expected. They’re heavily processed to compensate for the upscaling, but… not terrible? I feel like I’m giving the S25 Ultra a «good job, buddy!» for showing up and not face-planting when, in fact, the photos are objectively not great, but they’re better than I expected.

Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Low-light situations

Pike Place Market is a maze of levels and long, shop-lined corridors and alleys that don’t get a lot of direct light. The notorious Gum Wall — yes, an alleyway where people stick used gum on the brick walls — is dark at one end and brighter at the other depending on the sun’s position in the sky. Neither phone fell back into its respective night mode, and both made acceptable shots in the midst of a lot of color and texture. Here again, I give the edge to the Pixel 10 Pro XL for its warmth and brighter overall tone. However, in both shots, the details on the wall suffer — note the pixelated «Extra» wrapper at top left. My apologies if you’ve just lost your appetite; at least photos don’t include the specific aroma of an alley filled with thousands of fruity gum globs.

Speaking of colors and textures, this barbershop in a muted hallway lit by what look to be fluorescent ceiling bulbs and a prominent ring light is another example of each camera taking a mixed-light situation and making a good exposure. I give the edge to the Pixel 10 Pro because the neon Open sign hasn’t been turned into a flat red, as in the S25 Ultra photo.

Leaving the bustle of downtown Seattle for the beach near the Mukilteo Lighthouse about half an hour north, this beach at sunset looks much better using the ultrawide camera on the Pixel 10 Pro XL compared with the ultrawide on the S25 Ultra. And in this case, I can’t say that either picture impresses. The S25 Ultra shot is almost too dark, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL image is too bright, and the bro on the edge doesn’t survive the wide-angle edge of the frame too well.

But what about engaging the actual night modes? Here, back in Seattle, this guardian troll by Danish artist Thomas Dambo at the National Nordic Museum retains a lot of detail on the Pixel 10 Pro XL, while the S25 Ultra photo comes out a little soft and saturated. (The lights inside the museum change color, hence the blue versus purple hues behind it.) Advantage Pixel.

And for a true night test, I put both phones on a tripod to capture this section of Shilshole Marina. Once more, the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s Night Sight mode does a better job of getting a balanced exposure that mixes the artificial lights in the foreground and the darkness of the sky with some stars peeking through. The S25 Ultra looks like it’s throwing as much processing at the image as possible, making the brighter areas look overexposed and introducing a lot of noise in the sky.

Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Portrait modes

One of the improvements Google is touting for the Pixel 10 Pro is in the quality of portrait mode photos, specifically high-res 50-megapixel shots.

In this indoor cafe with screened window light, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is really trying to contain the flyaway wisps of hair, but it’s made them ghostly and more evident instead. Everything else about the photo looks good, from the colors to the soft background — in fact, the hair at her shoulders shows better separation than on top of her head.

On the other hand, the S25 Ultra’s Portrait mode photo has made the top hairs nicely distinct, but the falloff at her shoulders and the general smudge of background make the depth of field in this photo more obviously synthetic. Also, once again, I prefer the tone and warmer temperature of the Pixel photo.

Outside, the S25 Ultra’s Portrait mode is improved, with more natural blurred areas — note the hair over the subject’s left shoulder that’s slightly blurry but not as soft as the foliage in the background. The flyaway hairs at the top of their head also look natural. The high-resolution Portrait mode version from the Pixel 10 Pro looks entirely natural to my eye, with a soft background and all of their curly hair in focus. Once again, I prefer the Pixel’s version, but they both look good. (Although I probably should have tried Camera Coach to compose the portraits better in the frame without so much space above their head.)

Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which is the better camera?

I’ve certainly come down on the side of the Pixel 10 Pro XL for most of these photos, largely due to the warmer white balance and better color fidelity. But as you can see, none of the photos are outright bad. If you’re looking for a new flagship Android phone, both models will fill that need. And if you specifically want a great camera system, right now the Pixel 10 Pro has pushed into the lead.

OK, iPhone 17 Pro, it’s your turn. Let’s see how you compare to the Pixel 10 Pro XL.

I Still Love the Look of Google’s New Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL

+20 More

See all photos

Technologies

San Diego Comic-Con Draws a Line: No AI Art Allowed at 2026 Event

The long-running fan convention is banning AI-created works from its popular art show.

Like Sarah Connor in The Terminator, San Diego Comic-Con is fighting back against AI. The prestigious, long-running pop culture convention has banned all artwork created by artificial intelligence from the 2026 Comic-Con art show. Rules posted on the Comic-Con website now state that AI-generated art won’t be shown in any form.

«Material created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) either partially or wholly, is not allowed in the art show. If there are questions, the Art Show Coordinator will be the sole judge of acceptability,» the website reads.

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A representative for San Diego Comic-Con did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the past, the convention allowed participants to display AI artwork, provided it was clearly marked as such and wasn’t sold. But now, those artists can’t even bring it through the door. The rule change is a response to artist-led pushback, according to a 404 Media report. San Diego Comic-Con is one of the world’s most famous pop culture conventions, uniting comics, movies, television, gaming, cosplay and collectibles.

Jim Zub, writer for the Conan the Barbarian and Dungeons and Dragons comic book series, told CNET he supports Comic-Con’s decision and hopes other conventions will follow their lead.

«Hundreds of thousands of people attend San Diego Comic-Con each year, and the excitement that generates isn’t because they’re eager to meet a computer spitting out homogenized slop,» Zub said.

Zub, who’s also an artist, is scheduled to appear at Comic-Con in 2026.

Entertaining AI

The use of generative AI in comic book and pop culture art has generated controversy in recent years as AI programs have become more skilled at imitating creators.

A central focus of the 2023 actor’s strike involved backlash against the use of AI in movies and television. The issue has continued to roil Hollywood, as actors, special effects designers, and other film workers see the technology as a threat, while some movie studios view AI as a way to reduce production costs.

Netflix has already begun using AI-generated imagery in at least one series, Argentine sci-fi show El Eternauta. CEO Ted Sarandos praised the technology during a 2025 earnings call.

«We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,» Sarandos said at the time.

AI is also an issue in the video game industry, with publishers facing swift backlash whenever fans discover AI was used in a game. The Indie Game Awards rescinded two awards for the hit RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, after they found out that AI-made placeholder assets were included when the game launched. The game developer quickly patched the assets out.

While the movie and video game industries appear to have mixed views on using AI, Comic-Con has taken a firm stance, at least for now.

«Artists, writers, actors and other creatives gather and celebrate the popular arts in person because the people part of the equation is what matters most,» Zub said.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Jan. 24

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 24.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s a long one, as per usual on Saturday. 1-Down made me awfully hungry! Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Snow day vehicle
Answer: PLOW

5A clue: Steam room alternative
Answer: SAUNA

6A clue: Show on which Jon Hamm had his breakout role
Answer: MADMEN

7A clue: Subject of negotiations with a 3-year-old
Answer: BEDTIME

8A clue: Respected veteran, in slang
Answer: OLDHEAD

9A clue: Gain back, as trust
Answer: REEARN

10A clue: Spooky
Answer: EERIE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Noodle dish garnished with lime wedges and crushed peanuts
Answer: PADTHAI

2D clue: Singing candlestick in «Beauty and the Beast»
Answer: LUMIERE

3D clue: ___ band
Answer: ONEMAN

4D clue: Decreased in size, as the moon
Answer: WANED

5D clue: More blue
Answer: SADDER

6D clue: Chaotic fight
Answer: MELEE

7D clue: Total snoozefest
Answer: BORE

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Technologies

iPhone 17 Pro Max Specs vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: The Best Top-Tier Phones, Compared

The top premium phones from Apple and Samsung have the best specs, cameras, battery life and more among their lineups.

Apple’s full iPhone 17 lineup offers great phones that meet different needs, but one that rises above the rest for specs and sheer size: the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The company’s priciest top-tier iOS handset goes toe-to-toe with the top Android phones, and at the top of that list is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, that company’s highest-end conventional phone.

Both phones live up to their names, with nearly 7-inch screens, advanced cameras and the most powerful specs to date. While they have a lot in common, they follow slightly different approaches for assembling the most premium phone on the market.

Here’s how the iPhone 17 Pro Max specs match up to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Looking to order the iPhone 17 Pro Max? Check out our deals guide to learn if you can get it free and other great offers.

Want to buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra? Find out which carriers and retailers have the best deals on Samsung’s slim phone.

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iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra price comparison

iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB of storage): $1,199
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (256GB of storage): $1,299

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is $100 cheaper than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which has been the same price gap between these phones in prior years. Samsung’s phone does have a notable hardware extra with its S Pen stylus (stored within the handset), but it’s also far more likely to go on sale than Apple’s big handset, assuming prior years’ trends continue.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra design and displays

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Heat-dispersing focus. This year’s Pro Max reverts to an aluminum frame and introduces a vapor chamber to better vent heat.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Best screen yet. The display’s new anti-reflective coating on the Ultra may be its best feature.

These are the biggest and densest phones beyond foldables, so they stack up pretty well, at least on the outside.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch OLED display, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 6.8-inch screen (both have 1-120Hz variable refresh rates). In Jan. 2025, when the Ultra was released, CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland called it «the best I’ve seen» on a phone, thanks to its new antireflective coating that makes the phone more usable under direct light, along with 2,600-nit top brightness. For its part, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is easier to see in daylight with its 3,000-nit maximum brightness (up from 2,000 nits in last year’s iPhones).

Thanks to its titanium frame, Samsung’s phone is slightly lighter at 218 grams and potentially more durable than the aluminum frame on Apple’s premium phone (which is heavier at 233 grams).

But interestingly enough, it seems Apple reverted from the titanium frame on the iPhone 16 Pro Max back to aluminum in its new top-tier phone in favor of better thermal regulation. To handle heat even better, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a vapor chamber filled with deionized water sitting over the CPU and other chips to disperse heat away from the silicon. The S25 Ultra has its own vapor chamber (40% larger than its predecessor’s, Samsung said).

The S25 Ultra also has the advantage of its own stylus that tucks into a dedicated slot on the phone’s underside. Unfortunately, it’s not as smart as the S Pen of previous S-series Ultra models. Samsung removed the remote Bluetooth controls, which the company said were only used by barely 1% of Ultra owners, but it’s still disappointing to see tech revert.

Like all iPhones since last year’s models, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a Camera Control button on its right side. This button launches the Camera app, allows you to take photos and tweaks settings while shooting. The button can also activate Visual Intelligence, which lets you do a Google image search or prompt ChatGPT using what the camera is pointed at.

Comparing iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra cameras

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Nearly all cameras are now sharper. Everything but the main camera got a megapixel upgrade.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Better ultrawide camera. The 50-megapixel ultrawide captures more light and detail.

From the outside, not much looks different with either phone’s array of cameras compared to their predecessors, though the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s rear camera bump has been extended across the width of the phone. But the big changes are packed inside that «plateau,» as Apple calls it, with improvements to nearly all of its cameras.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 48-megapixel main and ultrawide cameras are largely untouched, but the telephoto camera is now also 48 megapixels (up from 12 megapixels in last year’s Pro Max). All three are «dual fusion» cameras that can zoom in twice at 12-megapixel resolution using sensor cropping. This effectively means the telephoto can go to the equivalent of 8x optical zoom, or up to 40x digital (up from 25x).

There’s the big upgrade for selfie lovers: The front-facing camera is now 18 megapixels (up from 12 megapixels in last year’s model), which is nice but less important than the larger sensor behind the lens. It’s square in shape, which allows users to switch between taking selfies in either horizontal or vertical orientation without rotating their phone. It also enables Center Stage, the video chat feature that first debuted on iPad Pro and Mac devices, which keeps the focus on the user even if they move around and can adjust the orientation if more people enter the frame.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra retains its four rear camera setup, fronted by an impressive 200-megapixel main shooter. But it’s the 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (up from 12 megapixels in the S24 Ultra) that delighted CNET reviewer Holland, who felt the larger sensor afforded crisper shots with more light in both very wide and close-up macro shots. The phone also has a 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom paired with a 50-megapixel 5x optical zoom for different levels of telephoto shots, topping out at 100x «Space Zoom.»

Both phones have dueling AI-assisted tools for video. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the Audio Mix feature introduced in its predecessor that isolates desired audio sources (like subjects talking) and cancels other ambient noise. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has its own tool, Audio Eraser, which trims away wind, music, street noise or other disturbances. As a last difference, the Galaxy S25 Ultra can shoot footage in 8K while the iPhone 17 Pro Max tops out at 4K video.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specs compared

iPhone 17 Pro Max: Better specs, bigger battery. The Pro Max gets a new chip, better performance and longer battery life.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Great performance. The S25 Ultra boasts better performance than any other phone we’d tested.

Both phones are at the absolute top of their lineups and are in the running for the most powerful phone on the market anywhere in the world. Unsurprisingly, they’re pretty competitive in terms of specs and performance, with each edging out the other in specific ways.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max packs a new A19 Pro chip that, combined with the improved heat management, results in 40% better sustained performance compared to last year’s Pro Max, Apple said during the new phone’s launch presentation. Apple has continued not to state how much RAM the phone packs (conventional wisdom suggests at least 8GB to run AI features).

The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes with configuration tiers for 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and the new 2TB option. That max storage pushes the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s overall price to around $2,000. Apple also doesn’t release exact battery capacity, but did suggest the Pro Max has an even bigger one this year.

In CNET’s battery tests, the iPhone 17 Pro Max scored better than any phone we’ve tested, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It has a top wired charging speed of 40 watts or wireless at 30 watts, and built-in MagSafe magnetic attachment capability.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a Samsung-customized Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 12GB of RAM, both of which enable more on-device AI that runs smoother than the hybrid and cloud AI tools used in prior Galaxy Ultra models. In benchmark tests, the Galaxy S25 Ultra outperformed other leading smartphones, including the OnePlus 13 and last year’s iPhone 16 Pro, but we’ll have to wait for our tests on the iPhone 17 Pro Max to truly compare both. Samsung’s premium phone has 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage options.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 5,000-mAh battery, 45-watt maximum wired charging and Qi2 wireless charging up to 15 watts, though it doesn’t support magnetic attachments (unless you get a case with built-in magnets).

Of course, both phones have their own suites of generative AI technology. Apple didn’t introduce any new features this year, relying on the Apple Intelligence suite of assistive tech that debuted with last year’s iPhone 16 series. Samsung’s phone has its own suite of Galaxy AI features, like answering requests with info from apps and Google’s Circle to Search feature that can now recognize audio in videos and social media posts (or even tunes you hum yourself, supposedly).

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

	Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max	Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness	6.9-inch OLED; 2,868×1,320 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate	6.8-inch AMOLED; 3,120×1,440 pixels; 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Pixel density	460ppi	501ppi
Dimensions (inches)	6.43 x 3.07 x 0.34 in	6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in.
Dimensions (millimeters)	163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm	162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm
Weight	233g (8.22 ounces)	218g (7.69 ounces)
Mobile software	iOS 26	Android 15
Camera	48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide) 48-megapixel (4x, 8x telephoto)	200-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 50-megapixel (5x telephoto)
Front-facing camera	18-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	4K	8K
Processor	Apple A19 Pro	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM/storage	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Expandable storage	None	None
Battery	Up to 39 hours video playback; up to 35 hours video playback (streamed).	5,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	None (Face ID)	Under display
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None
Special features	Apple N1 wireless networking chip (Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread. Action button. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. ProRes Raw video recording. Genlock video support. 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range. IP68 resistance. Colors: silver, cosmic orange, deep blue. Fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger.	Titanium frame, 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water and dust resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Armor cover glass; ultrawideband
US price off-contract	$1,199 (256GB)	$1,300 (256GB)
UK price	£1,199 (256GB)	£1,249 (256GB)
Australia price	AU$2,199 (256GB)	AU$2,149 (256GB)