Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera shootout

Once we speak about Android’s greatest digicam flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely finds its manner towards the highest of the record. Samsung continues to pack in a well-rounded digicam setup that’s recognized for its versatility, and the telephone’s reputation world wide provides it a deserved win. However when you aren’t afraid to interrupt away from the gang and check out one thing completely different, there are arguably different higher digicam flagships round. I had the prospect to make use of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely at a photograph stroll in Singapore, and to me, it’s a greater digicam smartphone than the Galaxy S24 Extremely.

Each the Galaxy S24 Extremely and the Xiaomi 14 Extremely have spectacular digicam setups. Nonetheless, the spec sheet is tilted closely in Xiaomi’s favor.

Samsung has prioritized a excessive megapixel depend for the first digicam and a very good sensor for the second telephoto however is slacking off a bit for the primary telephoto and ultrawide lenses.

However, the Xiaomi 14 Extremely goes for 50MP sensors throughout the board, with the first digicam being a 1-inch-type Sony LYT-900 sensor and the opposite three being Sony IMX858 sensors with broad apertures all through. Even for the entrance digicam, the Xiaomi 14 Extremely is forward by a very good margin.

However how do these specs translate in actual life? I’ve used each Samsung and Xiaomi’s Extremely flagships for the previous few generations, and in my expertise, the latter have at all times been a step forward. Samsung prides itself on versatility, however the efficiency of the person cameras didn’t maintain up when in comparison with Xiaomi up to now. So when Xiaomi can also be in a position to match up in versatility, Samsung’s lead dries up.

With the Galaxy S24 Extremely vs the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, my expertise has been extra of the identical. Within the photos under, I’ve used each cameras in a easy point-and-shoot method, with out stopping by to deal with a topic purposefully. On the Galaxy S24 Extremely, I used the default 12.5MP mode, whereas the Xiaomi 14 Extremely can also be set to the default picture mode with the Leica Vibrant colour profile. Each telephones have HDR set to auto.

To be clear, we’re pixel-peeping these photos. For those who had both telephone in your hand and clicked photographs and posted straight to social media, you wouldn’t instantly discover any shortcomings. However if you wish to be referred to as the perfect, you need to stand as much as scrutiny in opposition to your rivals.

With that stated, let’s dive into the digicam samples!

Within the first set of photos, we will see the distinction in how Samsung and Xiaomi deal with lights. The Xiaomi 14 Extremely will get the scene’s brightness proper and diffuses the sunshine higher. The Galaxy S24 Extremely, however, renders the scene’s brightness somewhat weirdly, dimming it past actuality. Regardless of the dim gentle, the wall graffiti seems brighter within the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s picture, whereas the Xiaomi 14 Extremely doesn’t shrink back from protecting issues darker for a extra harmonious look.

Within the subsequent pattern, the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s picture is enjoyable and social media-ready, however it isn’t correct. The tough midday daylight in Singapore had stripped a whole lot of colour from actuality, which is healthier highlighted within the Xiaomi 14 Extremely’s samples. You may also discover this harsh daylight constant throughout the primary picture, from the pores and skin tones to the crimson warning signal, the yellow marking on the highway, and the white constructing throughout. Samsung’s picture is a bit in all places, with the crimson on the signal muted, whereas the yellow marking on the highway is brighter, and the white constructing has a yellow solid to it.

Arguably, Samsung has the higher picture within the inexperienced bicycle and white constructing samples, although once more, the solar did truly blow out the aspect of the constructing. Xiaomi’s picture is nearer to what I used to be seeing with my very own eyes and doesn’t artificially compensate for the cruel daylight with aggressive HDR.

The yellow-green solid from the Galaxy S24 Extremely is noticeable on this subsequent set of photos, each throughout the partitions and ground. The Xiaomi 14 Extremely’s scenes are extra correct whereas nonetheless pleasing the attention. It additionally managed to eke out some particulars in contrasted areas, just like the retailers on the precise edges within the first set of photographs, the place the S24 Extremely struggled a bit.

Within the second set of photos, Samsung seems to make the picture brighter, whereas Xiaomi doesn’t flinch away from enjoying with shadows. Due to this, the perceived colours in darker areas are extra precisely represented by the Xiaomi 14 Extremely than by the Galaxy S24 Extremely. Samsung gave the doorways an virtually beige-like colour, whereas they had been nearer to a caramel brown in actual life.

On this flower shot, the Xiaomi 14 Extremely’s bigger sensor helps it obtain a softer bokeh impact. The variable aperture is at play right here, however I let the telephone deal with every little thing for these point-and-shoot clicks. The result’s a pleasant shot that’s correct in colours. The Galaxy S24 Extremely has extra of the foliage in focus, because the smaller 200MP sensor doesn’t create any pure bokeh. Additionally, the yellow highway indicators are exaggerated as soon as once more, ignoring the cruel daylight that washed the colour away in actual life.

These are fascinating pictures for auto mode, because the cameras would take a second to determine the place to focus amidst the glass. Samsung centered on the Leica emblem within the first shot, whereas Xiaomi centered on the digicam figurine (whereas nonetheless protecting the brand sharp). Within the subsequent snaps, Samsung seemed to be attempting to find people mirrored within the glass, whereas Xiaomi managed to acknowledge the picture’s topic because the white digicam with out obsessing over any faces.

Within the softer night gentle, the inexperienced tint on my Galaxy S24 Extremely turns into obvious, particularly when in comparison with the outcomes from the Xiaomi 14 Extremely. I noticed the identical throughout the ultrawide, major, and 3x optical zoom cameras, indicating that it’s a trait of software program processing somewhat than a {hardware} concern.

Whereas the Galaxy S24 collection touted its Galaxy AI options, Xiaomi additionally packs a number of AI options together with an AI Extremely Zoom, which claims to dramatically enhance photos which can be zoomed to 30x. Nonetheless, you do want to remain nonetheless for greater than a second or two, and the function works greatest throughout landscapes/buildings, per my expertise.

However the outcomes with Xiaomi’s AI Extremely Zoom on the Xiaomi 14 Extremely are value it, trumping what you may get from the Galaxy S24 Extremely at that zoom vary. Take a look at the 30x samples above, and notice that each telephones optically max out at 5x zoom.

As I discussed, although, AI Extremely Zoom falters with individuals, as you may see within the above pictures the place it fumbles each face. So it’s best that you just keep on with inanimate objects for it.

As gentle turns into sparse, the Galaxy S24 Extremely presents a darker picture, whereas the Xiaomi 14 Extremely continues to seize extra gentle. The top result’s that the photographs look dramatically completely different. As soon as once more, the picture from the Xiaomi 14 Extremely is nearer to the scene on the time, and the Galaxy S24 Extremely makes it seem like it’s one hour past sundown than it truly is.

In darkish circumstances, you may see how the Galaxy S24 Extremely handles gentle bleed on the signages and the reflections within the water. I discover the Xiaomi 14 Extremely’s outcomes extra pleasing, albeit a bit exaggerated within the reflections, so opinions can differ.

The Xiaomi 14 Extremely was a helpful companion on this media photowalk via Singapore, and I discovered myself clicking much more portrait pictures than I often do. Listed below are extra digicam samples from the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, together with portraits, landscapes, metropolis snaps, and — in fact — a cute canine!

Xiaomi’s watermark can also be such a temper. It’s tastefully accomplished and captures all the data I would wish to hunt in a photograph. It is usually simple so as to add and take away with the inventory gallery app after you might have clicked a photograph.

My expertise with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely has been nice however not wonderful, which is a disgrace for a flagship thought-about one of many very best.

Whereas I recognize the flexibility of Samsung’s setup, the 200MP major sensor has left me wanting for extra. For one, I can’t get correct colours off my telephone, and the photographs I click on virtually at all times have a yellow-green tint that I’ve to appropriate with post-processing virtually on a regular basis. The telephone additionally wants me to be very nonetheless for each shot, particularly of individuals and animals. My colleague Rita received so pissed off by this, she ended up discovering a repair for the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s shutter lag.

This isn’t to say that the photographs from the Galaxy S24 Extremely are dangerous. They only aren’t what I paid $1,300 for. The delta between the experiences from the Galaxy S24 Extremely and different flagships has been the best this yr, and Samsung feels prefer it’s slacking.

I’ve been ready for Samsung to roll out updates that repair my points, however the updates thus far (together with one which supposedly fastened the white steadiness) haven’t given me a lot motive to cheer. As somebody who has personally bought and used all of the Galaxy Ultras because the Galaxy S21 Extremely, I’m assured in saying that Samsung has fallen behind the competitors and that 200MP major digicam is now not the winner that it as soon as was. The one silver lining on the Galaxy S24 Extremely digicam is that the 5x zoom digicam has extra utility for me than the S23 Extremely’s 10x zoom.

However, I’ve additionally used all of Xiaomi’s Extremely flagships because the Mi 11 Extremely. For each technology, I’ve most popular Xiaomi’s method to the digicam over Samsung’s, and this digicam shootout is an effective abstract of why I accomplish that.

Xiaomi not solely matches Samsung’s versatility but in addition pairs it with technical experience within the type of a stable spec sheet and an truly helpful collaboration with Leica for digicam optics and tuning. Each telephones let me get down and soiled with handbook settings if I have to, however I discover myself needing it much less and fewer on the Xiaomi 14 Extremely as in opposition to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely. After I have to point-and-shoot, the Xiaomi 14 Extremely has not let me down, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely has on a number of events, which is unacceptable for a top-tier flagship.

If I needed to take only one picture with one telephone, selecting between the Xiaomi 14 Extremely and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely, I’d select Xiaomi’s telephone. I hope Samsung takes notice of this suggestions for its subsequent technology of flagships. On the identical notice, good job Xiaomi, and stick with it!