Smartphone photo comparison: Shots taken in the Bavarian Forest National Park using two of the best camera phones of 2025

[Redaktion]

On the south-eastern edge of Germany lies the Bavarian Forest National Park, a vast mountain forest. We took the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro to see which smartphone captures animals, plants, and sweeping landscapes more effectively.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Smartphone-photo-comparison-Shots-taken-in-the-Bavarian-Forest-National-Park-using-two-of-the-best-camera-phones-of-2025.996405.0.html

[Lmkt]

Hello, thanks for the great article. What intelligent optimization setting did you use on the Samsung? Maximum, medium, minimum? Did you also use Scene optimizer?
Thanks

[heffeque]

I'm missing the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in that comparison...

[beege]

Always read biased reviews as if Samsung and Apple are the only worthy phones. I have a friend who bought the S25, and I just received my Xiaomi ultra 15, and the photo quality isn't even close.

[Ronald Campos]

Foliage presentation on the iPhone is horrible. It attempts to denoise that destroys individual tree branch yet leaving behind traces of noise that make for a mushy photo.

However, it excels in color performance. Its contrasty look makes for a dehazed photo and more perceived as clearer. But, there are times that its contrast can obscure details in the shadow region.

My two-cents as an amateur photographer: maintain its black level to produce a cleaner photo while not crushing shadows—maybe dial back its contrast.

[Rica]

Vivo X200 Pro

[Florian Schmitt]

I'm missing the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in that comparison...

Hi,

in this format, we only compare 2 different smartphones, but we have a comparison with the Xiaomi 15 Ultra in Barcelona, please find the article here: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Smartphone-camera-showdown-Testing-two-of-2025-s-best-phones-in-Barcelona.980477.0.html

 Thanks

[Florian Schmitt]

Hi, we just used the factory settings, so we just started up the phone for the first time and started shooting. I wanted to see what it feels like for someone who is not as experienced with smartphone photography.

Hello, thanks for the great article. What intelligent optimization setting did you use on the Samsung? Maximum, medium, minimum? Did you also use Scene optimizer?
Thanks