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.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

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

Apple Confirms It’s Bringing Ads to Maps as Part of New Apple Business Platform

Apple is adding advertising to its Maps, Mail, Wallet and Siri services this summer.

Apple is moving forward with plans to roll out advertising on its Maps platform, appearing on devices like iPhones and the web version of the app as early as this summer.

Bloomberg first reported on Apple’s plans last October, and now Apple has confirmed it’s a reality and part of a new platform called Apple Business, launching April 14, offering advertising opportunities across not only Maps but also Mail, Wallet and Siri.

The advertising system, as far as Maps goes, would work similarly to Google Maps advertising. Slots would be available for brands or businesses to purchase and would be tied to search results in Maps.

The Business platform that Apple is launching will be available in more than 200 countries and regions, according to the company.

Ads in Maps will initially only roll out in the US and Canada this summer.

The move is part of a larger plan to keep growing Apple’s services business, which includes subscriptions like Apple TV Plus, as well as Apple News, iCloud and the App Store. While Apple’s advertising business is a smart part of the company’s revenue, services now account for a quarter of Apple’s annual sales, reportedly more than $100 billion a year, according to a Bloomberg update.

Apple Business will also include options for companies to buy upgraded iCloud storage and AppleCare Plus for Business; there will also be a dedicated Business app that lets companies manage Apple accounts and devices and assign apps and roles within an organization.

Technologies

Spotify’s New SongDNA Feature Tells You How a Song Was Made

The much-teased feature is rolling out now to Premium users on Android and iOS.

When Spotify releases its end-of-year Wrapped, detailing my listening history over the last year, I’m 0% surprised when it shows that I’ve logged over 100,000 minutes on the app. Music is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and I love researching everything about how a song was created, from start to finish.

If you do the same, you might enjoy Spotify’s new SongDNA feature.

The feature rolled out globally to Premium users on Tuesday, March 24. It shows you every person involved in making a song, plus other interesting facts, like covers, which samples the song used, and other music the song’s engineers or mixers have worked on.

How SongDNA works

For instance, I’ve been really enjoying the new BTS album Arirang, released last week, especially the song Body to Body. I’ve been loving the production, so I went for a snoop to see who was involved.

When I clicked on the song in the app and scrolled down to the SongDNA section, one of the first names I noticed among the collaborators was Ryan Tedder. Known as the lead singer of OneRepublic, he’s also responsible for composing, writing and producing some huge hits: Halo by Beyoncé, Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Sucker by the Jonas Brothers, many Adele songs, etc.

With SongDNA, you can now learn more about and give credit to the talented writers, producers, engineers and collaborators behind your favorite music.

«By bringing collaborators, samples and covers together in one place, we’re making it easier for fans to discover new music and see how songs connect and come to life,» said Jacqueline Ankner, Spotify’s head of songwriter and publisher partnerships. It also means that songwriters, producers and rightsholders get recognition for their role.

SongDNA has been rumored since the fall, and co-CEO Gustav Söderström recently teased the new feature during his SXSW panel.

SongDNA is finally rolling out in beta to Premium users on Android and iOS, with the launch expected to finish in April.

Technologies

iPhone Air vs. Galaxy S25 Edge: Thin Phone Battle

If you’re looking for a less-chunky phone to carry all day, Apple and Samsung have new slim options. Here’s how they compare.

Super-thin phones carry a lot of appeal without a lot of bulk. They’re lighter than many counterparts, more comfortable to hold and let’s not forget how great they look. And although they remain a niche category, the Apple iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge are also paving the way for the slim technology that makes the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and rumored iPhone Fold possible.

But are you giving up too much else for a slim phone? If you press them together, are they much thicker combined than a regular iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25 (or the new Galaxy S26)? And do they overcome trade-offs in battery life, camera and sound quality that come with a thinner design? I’m here to do the math and compare features for you.

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

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

iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge price comparison

iPhone Air: $999. The iPhone Air takes the place formerly held by the iPhone 16 Plus, making it the only model with a screen larger than the iPhone 17 that isn’t an iPhone 17 Pro.
Galaxy S25 Edge: $1,100. The S25 Edge joins the S25 and S25 Ultra in this year’s Galaxy lineup.

The iPhone Air includes fewer features than the iPhone 17, such as the number of cameras. However, it features a larger display, an A19 Pro processor, and is equipped with 256GB of storage to begin with. Additionally, Apple has consistently applied premium pricing for minor design changes. The original MacBook Air fit into an inter-office envelope and cost $1,799, despite being underpowered compared to the rest of the MacBook line. (Over a few generations, it would eventually become Apple’s entry-level affordable laptop at $999, where it still resides.)

The Galaxy S25 Edge’s higher price ($101) could be an attempt to capture more dollars from customers looking for a phone that sets them apart, but we’re already seeing occasional steep discounts on it.

In both cases, it’s worth noting that the pricing has held up against the Trump administration tariffs so far.

iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge dimensions and weight

Now it’s time to go deep — as in, just how thin is the depth of each phone?

No phone manufacturer describes its phones as bulky or chunky, even for extra-large models like the iPhone Pro Max. Yet, the difference between the depths of the iPhone Air and the S25 Edge, as well as the standard phones of each respective family, is stark.

Not counting the camera assembly, which Apple refers to as the «plateau,» most of the iPhone Air’s body is 5.64mm thick. The S25 Edge, at its narrowest point, is a hair thicker at 5.8mm. (Both companies list only the thinnest measurement, not including the cameras.) Compare that to 7.9mm for the iPhone 17 and 7.2mm for the Galaxy S25.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is actually thinner when open, at 4.2mm, but it also has a larger surface area to accommodate its battery and other components. Other foldables from Chinese companies, such as Huawei, Oppo and Honor, also boast thinner bodies than the iPhone Air or S25 Edge, but only when opened.

And when you press the two thin phones together, do they really match up to the typical phone slab you’re carrying now? Combined (and again, excluding the camera bumps), the iPhone Air and S25 Ultra are 11.44mm thick, which is thicker than either the iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25, and even the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 8.75mm. However, if you want to achieve a more vintage feel, the original first-generation iPhone, released in 2007, measured 11.6mm.

Surprisingly, the less depth translates to only a slight decrease in weight compared to the other models in each lineup. The iPhone Air weighs 165 grams versus 177 grams for the iPhone 17, while the S25 Edge pips in at just 163 grams but gets barely undercut by the Galaxy S25 at 162 grams.

How big is each phone in the hand? While both are similar, the iPhone Air is slightly shorter and narrower, measuring 156.2mm tall and 74.7mm wide, compared to the S25 Edge’s dimensions of 158.2mm tall and 75.6mm wide.

iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge displays

Apple calls the iPhone Air’s 6.5-inch OLED screen a Super Retina XDR display. It features a high resolution of 2,736×1,260 pixels at a density of 460 ppi (pixels per inch) and can output a maximum of 3,000 nits of brightness outdoors, as well as a minimum of 1 nit in the dark.

Samsung packed a larger 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen into the S25 Edge, which translates to a high-resolution display measuring 3,120×1,440 pixels at 513 ppi. Its brightness goes up to 2,600 nits.

Both phones’ screens feature adaptive 120Hz refresh rates for smoother performance.

Comparing the iPhone Air and S25 Edge cameras

So far, many of the specs have been close enough to weigh each phone fairly evenly. Then, we get to the cameras.

The iPhone Air includes a single rear-facing 48-megapixel wide camera with a 26mm-equivalent field of view and a constant f/1.6 aperture. In its default mode, the camera outputs 24-megapixel «fusion» photos that result from an imaging process where the camera captures a 12-megapixel image (using groups of four pixels acting as one larger pixel for improved light gathering, known as «binning») and a 48-megapixel reference for additional detail.

Apple also claims the iPhone Air can capture 2x-zoomed (52mm-equivalent) telephoto images that are 12 megapixels in dimension and represent a crop of the center of the image sensor.

The S25 Edge features two built-in rear cameras: a 200-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. There’s no dedicated telephoto camera, so the S25 Edge also offers a 2x-zoomed crop that shoots photos at 12 megapixels in size.

The front-facing selfie cameras on each phone differ significantly. The iPhone Air introduces a new 18-megapixel camera with an f/1.9 aperture. But the increased resolution over the S25 Edge’s 12-megapixel selfie camera isn’t what’s notable.

Apple calls it a Center Stage camera because it features a square sensor that can capture tall or wide shots without requiring the user to physically turn the phone, unlike the 4:3 ratio sensors found in typical selfie cameras. It can adapt the aspect ratio based on the number of people it detects in front of the camera: a traditional portrait orientation when you’re snapping a photo of yourself, for example, or switch to a landscape orientation when two friends stand next to you in the frame.

iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge batteries

When it comes to concerns, the battery life of thin phones is at the top of the list. The insides of most phones are packed with as much battery as will fit, so making a phone slimmer naturally means removing space for the battery. With either model, you end up sacrificing battery power for design. But how much?

Apple doesn’t list the iPhone Air’s battery capacity, but claims «all-day battery life» and up to 27 hours of video playback. It also sells a special iPhone Air MagSafe Battery add-on that magnetically snaps to the back of the phone and works only with the iPhone Air. In her review, CNET’s Senior Tech Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti drained the battery in 12 hours over a phone-intensive day, but did end a more typical day with 20% remaining.

The S25 Edge features a 3,900-mAh battery, which Samsung claims will support up to 24 hours of video playback. (Come on, phone manufacturers, our phones aren’t televisions left running in the background.)

In her S25 Edge review, Al-Heeti noted that the phone also generally lived up to Samsung’s own «all-day battery life» boast, saying, «Ultimately, you’ll get less juice out of that slimmer build, but S25 Edge offers just enough battery life to make me happy…But the S25 Edge has shifted my priorities. I’m enjoying the sleek form factor so much that I’m willing to make some compromises, even if that means I have to be sure to charge my phone each night, which is something I tend to do anyway.»

It’s worth noting that both phones support fast charging when used with a 20-watt or higher wired power adapter, allowing them to reach around 50% charge in 30 minutes from a completely discharged state.

iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge processor, storage and operating system

The iPhone Air is powered by Apple’s latest A19 Pro processor, the same one found in the iPhone 17 Pro models (compared to the A19 in the stock iPhone 17). Apple doesn’t list the built-in memory, but we suspect it includes 8GB of RAM (which is recognized as the minimum amount to run AI features such as Apple Intelligence). The base storage configuration is 256GB, with options to order the iPhone Air with 512GB or 1TB capacity. It ships with iOS 26, the latest version of the operating system that Apple released widely this week.

The S25 Edge is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the same one that powers the other S25 models. It includes 12GB of RAM and is available in storage capacities of 256GB and 512GB. The phone comes preinstalled with Android 15.

iPhone Air vs. S25 Edge all specs

Apple iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

	Apple iPhone Air	Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	6.5-inch OLED; 2,736 x 1,260 pixel resolution; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate	6.7-inch QHD+  AMOLED display; 120Hz refresh rate
Pixel density	460ppi	513 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	6.15 x 2.94 x 0.22 in	2.98 x 6.23 x 0.23 inches
Dimensions (millimeters)	156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64 mm	75.6 X 158.2 X 5.8mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	165 g (5.82 oz)	163g (5.75 oz)
Mobile software	iOS 26	Android 15
Camera	48-megapixel (wide)	200-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)
Front-facing camera	18-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	4K	8K
Processor	Apple A19 Pro	Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM + storage	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	12GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB
Expandable storage	None	No
Battery	Up to 27 hours video playback; up to 22 hours video playback (streamed).Up to 40 hours video playback, up to 35 hours video playback (streamed) with iPhone Air MagSafe Battery	3,900 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. Apple C1X cellular modem. Camera Control button. Dynamic Island. Apple Intelligence. Visual Intelligence. Dual eSIM. 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range. IP68 resistance. Colors: space black, cloud white, light gold, sky blue. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 20W adapter or higher via charging cable. Fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger.	IP88 rating, 5G, One UI 7, 25-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, Galaxy AI, Gemini, Circle to Search, Wi-Fi 7.
US price starts at	$999 (256GB)	$1,100 (256GB)