The Galaxy S21 Ultra has the best camera Samsung has made yet, and it remains one of our favorite camera phones. Its biggest rival for the crown of “best camera on a smartphone,” the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, has now been replaced in the range by the iPhone 13 Pro, making it essential to put the two cameras up against each other.
Samsung’s hard work paid off on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but will it now have to play catch-up to Apple’s newer iPhone? The 13 Pro’s camera has generated plenty of hype, but as you'll see, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is not only still a winner, it has the new iPhone beaten in several important areas.
The cameras and the test
All photos taken for this comparison were shot over the course of a single day, with all using the standard Photo mode on both phones, and without any editing afterward. Do be aware the photos have been resized to make them suitable for viewing online. Before they were resized, the photos were compared on a color-calibrated monitor.
