I compared the cameras of Samsung and OnePlus' flagship phones - and it went down to the wire

3 days ago 7

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The OnePlus 15 has officially launched, little than a twelvemonth aft its predecessor, and I've been investigating it for respective weeks. As an Android flagship, it people draws comparisons with different flagships disposable successful the United States.

OnePlus has been peculiarly arrogant of its cameras successful caller years -- and rightfully so. The OnePlus 13, successful particular, was a large shooter, and 1 mightiness anticipation that this DNA continues for the OnePlus 15. But determination are immoderate differences from 10 months ago.

What's caller with the OnePlus 15 camera

First and foremost is the Hasselblad collaboration. The OnePlus 15 nary longer shares branding with the photography company. It comes with XPAN mode, which is thing we disquieted astir erstwhile we archetypal recovered retired that it was dropping its iconic partnership.

Also: I tested the OnePlus 15 during my travel to South Korea, and it did my Samsung dirty

Nevertheless, I've been moving with the OnePlus 15 reappraisal illustration provided by OnePlus to spot what the telephone is susceptible of. When you privation to find retired if a camera is the best, you pit it against the champion camera telephone of 2025 (so far) -- the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Here's the hardware that these phones are rocking.

First, the OnePlus 15 has a triple 50-megapixel camera setup connected the back. The main shooter has an f/1.8 aperture and a 1/1.56" sensor, the ultrawide sensor has a 116-degree tract of view, and the telephoto has a 3.5x optical zoom periscope lens.

Meanwhile, connected the Samsung, you get a 200-megapixel main camera with f/1.7 aperture and a 1/1.3" sensor and a 50-megapixel ultrawide with a 120-degree tract of view. For telephoto lenses, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has 2 of them.

There's a 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom lens and a 50-megapixel 5x optical zoom lens. Finally, connected the front, the OnePlus has a 32-megapixel selfie camera, and the Samsung has a 12-megapixel selfie shooter.

Right away, Samsung offers you much options, and the 200-megapixel main camera is peculiarly compelling. That being said, the 50-megapixel shooters crossed the committee should pb to a much accordant shooting acquisition with the OnePlus phone. So I headed to my section Six Flags Amusement Park to spot however things turned out. Here are the results.

1. Main camera (daytime)

On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra outshines the OnePlus 15's main sensor by astir 150 megapixels. That reflects reality. It's not that either of these shots is bad, per se, but the Samsung telephone manages to seizure much item successful the textures connected the partition and much accurately reflects the shows and dirt/grime connected the wall, whereas the OnePlus 15 smooths retired a batch of that.

It astir apt makes for a much presentable photo, but the S25 Ultra much accurately reflects the world of what's there.

2. Main camera (night)

The occupation with investigating cameras astatine nighttime astatine a Halloween-themed amusement parkland is that you're going to get varying amounts of fume successful the foreground, careless of however you sprout it. Nevertheless, the OnePlus 15 gets the motion for this photo. It whitethorn person been the other fume contiguous successful beforehand of the Rakshasa statue, but Samsung's changeable turned retired a tad blurry, portion OnePlus's photograph came retired over-sharpened.

Also: OnePlus 15 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: I compared the 2 champion Android flagships

When reduced to the size of a telephone screen, the OnePlus 15 appears much presentable. There's besides the substance of the "Warning: Keep out" motion to the near of our taxable -- you tin work it successful the OnePlus shot, but not successful the Samsung shot.

3. Ultrawide (daytime)

Right disconnected the bat, we person a mixed bag. The OnePlus 15 is the wide victor present -- pun intended -- due to the fact that its sensor is capable to seizure much item successful the maize stalks and the trees surrounding the carousel connected the midway. Both of those features connected the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are blurry and low-res.

Truth beryllium told, that astir apt won't substance overmuch connected a telephone surface -- you truly lone spot that erstwhile the photos are blown up onto a 32" machine monitor. On a telephone screen, the Samsung really captures much connected the sides since it's a wider tract of view, but overall, OnePlus gets the motion for this one.

4. Ultrawide (night)

Transitioning into night, this is typically wherever cameras volition commencement to suffer their effectiveness considerably, particularly erstwhile dealing with auxiliary cameras (read: not the main camera). In this case, neither of these photos is bad, but Samsung takes the crown here. The details successful the stairs and the handrail disposable successful the changeable are a spot much defined, whereas they look much blurry successful the OnePlus photo.

Also: The champion Android phones to bargain successful 2025

That being said, the smoothing of the darker areas is smoother successful the OnePlus shot, portion Samsung's photograph appears much pixelated and botched. This mightiness erstwhile again beryllium a lawsuit of Samsung catering to its assemblage -- the telephone surface crowd.

5. Telephoto (10x)

Going backmost to the carousel for a moment, this is simply a bully illustration of the OnePlus 15's photographic chops. These photos, taken broadside by broadside successful large lighting, amusement a flimsy vantage for the OnePlus telephone due to the fact that they were taken astatine 10x, which is not a autochthonal zoom solution for the OnePlus 15.

Yet, successful this case, the OnePlus telephone managed to nutrient a amended photograph with sharper contrasts and greater depth. The Samsung telephone looks overprocessed and bland, particularly successful the texture of the maize and the pumpkin man's face. This is simply a large photograph for OnePlus; good played.

6. Telephoto (100x and more)

Both phones transportation the quality to sprout triple-digit zoom. Samsung tops retired astatine 100x, portion the OnePlus 15 tin zoom up to 120x. Both of these cameras thin precise heavy connected AI erstwhile you get to these extremes, and the results are a small surprising. In some cases, the OnePlus 15 produced a clearer representation of some Foghorn Leghorn and the Six Flags Fright Fest flag, which was, by the way, 528 feet distant and connected apical of a 330-foot tower.

Also: These Samsung Galaxy S26 rumors suggest large changes that we didn't spot coming

Oh, and the emblem was waving successful the breeze. Despite each that, portion the Samsung changeable is small but a garbled mess, the OnePlus 15 not lone took a wide arsenic time photo, but besides managed to get the fonts close -- enactment the curl astatine the apical of the "g" and the jaggedy "R". This is, enactment simply, a singular shot, and OnePlus should beryllium precise proud. Of course, substance is comparatively easy.

Then there's the Foghorn Leghorn statue, which was astir 250 feet distant from me. Despite that, you tin intelligibly spot the explanation astir the character's head, and there's adjacent a small spot of extent from the plants that were springing up successful beforehand of him. Samsung, meanwhile, captured a akin definition, but the coloring is splotchy, and the photograph wide looks blurry. This is simply a wide triumph for OnePlus, and good played again.

The bottommost line

Overall, some phones connection an fantabulous camera setup, and portion the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra performs good successful astir usage cases, the OnePlus 15 excels successful the astir utmost scenarios. Both of these phones person superb main cameras, though the S25 Ultra gains a flimsy borderline owed to its quality to seizure much information.

But erstwhile it comes to telephoto, the OnePlus 15, successful astir cases, is hard to beat. That's surprising, considering Samsung has been offering AI-enhanced zoom for overmuch longer and adjacent has 2 dedicated telephoto lenses.

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