A top-tier smartphone camera needs to perform, but also make it look like it's not trying very hard. We expect a tap of the shutter button to create a great image in any circumstance, regardless of whether the person making the image knows anything about photography.

Many phones include decent cameras, but a small number strive to be the best smartphone cameras you can pocket. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is one that we've stacked up against both the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro , and now it's time to see how that Android phone fares against its newest competition, Google's Pixel 10 Pro XL .

I took both phones to Seattle and nearby Mukilteo, Washington, to compare how each performed. Over hundreds of photos, I kept the camera settings as close to the default

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