YouTube channel Max Tech ran a blind camera showdown between Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL.
The channel shot 30 scenes (in Maui at the Snapdragon event)—daylight landscapes, portraits, ultrawide, macro, 5–30x zoom, selfies, and night photos and video—then asked two judges (host Vadim’s wife and sister in law) to pick their favourites without knowing which phone took which image.
In bright scenes and standard portraits, the iPhone 17 Pro Max frequently came out on top thanks to warmer tones and steadier HDR. The Pixel 10 Pro XL landed notable wins with its ultrawide colour and detail and pulled ahead in some very dark shots, including a tough 5x night scene.
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra dominated long-range telephoto, looking sharper and more consistent at 10–30x than the others. For night video and night portraits, the iPhone drew repeated praise for holding highlight detail and keeping colours natural.
Scores were close. Annette tallied Pixel 10 XL first with 12 picks, the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 11, and the S25 Ultra at 7. Stacie put the iPhone 17 Pro Max first with 12, while the Pixel 10 XL and S25 Ultra tied at 9 each.
The takeaway is less about a single winner and more about strengths: the iPhone looks best for night shooting and portraits, Samsung leads when zoom really matters, and the Pixel quietly posts balanced results across a lot of everyday shots.
Check out the full video below–you can tally up your own picks and see how they compare. What’s your pick for the best camera in this test?
