Galaxy S21 Ultra triumphs with a very narrow win in our blind camera comparison

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the latest and greatest phone to come out of Samsung's conveyor belt. We've already compared its main and selfie cameras against the venerable Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the Google Pixel 5. You can check out the comparisons right below to check out for yourselves, but the consensus is that the Galaxy S21 Ultra is a welcome improvement over last year's Galaxy S20 series and stacks very well against its top competitors.

But what is your take on the Galaxy S21 Ultra's camera prowess? Can you spot which of the photos below have been taken on Samsung's new pride and glory? We've taken some pictures with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, Note 20 Ultra, Pixel 5, and iPhone 12 Pro Max in a variety of lighting scenarios. All the pictures in the galleries can be zoomed and inspected to your desire, but rest assured that no EXIF data is present, so playing dirty won't yield you any gains here.

The Good

The longest, cleanest zoom on a phone, and most versatile camera set
The best battery life in its class
Brightest display with the most granular adaptive refresh rate
Stylish Contour Cut design and richer variety of colors
Unique 12-bit color RAW capture at 108MP
S Pen stylus support
Next-gen Wi-fi 6E standard support

The Bad

Still big and bulky to carry and use, especially with an S Pen case on
$1200 gets you just 128GB, no charger, earbuds, or memory card slot
The new ultrasonic finger scanner is still comparatively slow
Softness in the main camera sample edges

Deal $1200 at BestBuy Deal $1200 at AT&T Deal $33 at Verizon

Scene 1: Playground

It seems that the iPhone has won your hearts in our first scene, leaving Android's finest behind.

Which photo do you like best?

A - iPhone 12 Pro Max

38.08%

B - Google Pixel 5

21.23%

C - Galaxy S21 Ultra

26.38%

D - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

14.31%

Scene 2: 3X zoom

When it comes to zooming, the Galaxy S21 Ultra crushes the competition and wins with an overwhelming vote.

Which photo do you like best?

E - Galaxy S21 Ultra

52.74%

F - iPhone 12 Pro Max

21.55%

G - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

7.71%

H - Google Pixel 5

18%

Scene 3: Rainbow girl

This one is a toss up between the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Pixel 5. And rightly so, as both photos look great!

Which photo do you like best?

I - Google Pixel 5

30.15%

J - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

21.7%

K - iPhone 12 Pro Max

29.42%

L - Galaxy S21 Ultra

18.73%

Scene 4: Sunset

This beautiful sunset scene goes to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but the rest of the phones have done a mighty fine job and share the remaining votes quite evenly.

Which photo do you like best?

M - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

27.21%

N - Galaxy S21 Ultra

36.22%

O - Google Pixel 5

18.16%

P - iPhone 12 Pro Max

18.41%

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

$1099 ⁹⁹ Buy at BestBuy

$1099 ⁹⁹ Expired

$1099 Buy at Apple

$1099 ⁹⁹ Buy at Verizon

Scene 5: Storefront

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has done a commendable job in this particular scene, beating the iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Which photo do you like best?

Q - Galaxy S21 Ultra

21.12%

R - Google Pixel 5

21.19%

S - iPhone 12 Pro Max

19.35%

T - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

38.34%

Scene 6: Toy

I was certain the Pixel 5 will win this one as it captured an excellent photo. There's no way of you knowing that, but it also got the colors just right, unlike its competitors. Great job, folks.

Which photo do you like best?

U - Google Pixel 5

54.52%

V - iPhone 12 Pro Max

17.27%

W - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

8.03%

X - Galaxy S21 Ultra

20.18%

Scene 7: Night mode #1

Surprisingly to me, the Note 20 Ultra overwhelmingly gets this round. Personally, my preferences are in Galaxy S21 Ultra's favor, but vox populi, vox dei.

Which photo do you like best?

Y - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

53.59%

Z - Google Pixel 5

11.66%

A1 - Galaxy S21 Ultra

30.78%

B2 - iPhone 12 Pro Max

3.98%

Scene 8: Night mode #2

Android's finest steal this round from the iPhone, and you seem to like the Galaxy S21 Ultra the most in this specific scenario. Personally, I'd go with the Pixel 5, but both photos are excellent.

Which photo do you like best?

C3 - Galaxy S21 Ultra

38.29%

D4 - iPhone 12 Pro Max

4.08%

E5 - Google Pixel 5

28.83%

F6 - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

28.8%

Scene 9: Night mode #3

When the scene is better lit and tons of artificial light is involved, the iPhone does a much, much better job. This seems to be the general consensus here.

Which photo do you like best?

K11 - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

23.36%

L12 - Google Pixel 5

17.33%

M13 - iPhone 12 Pro Max

39.88%

N14 - Galaxy S21 Ultra

19.44%

Scene 10: Selfie

Once again, despite people liking more realistic selfies, the iPhone's slightly warmer and more vivid auto-portraits win the popular vote.

Which photo do you like best?

G7 - Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

17.01%

H8 - Galaxy S21 Ultra

12.16%

I9 - Google Pixel 5

29.8%

J10 - iPhone 12 Pro Max

41.02%

Final results

To sum it up:

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra - 27.6%

Google Pixel 5 - 25.1%

Samsung Note 20 Ultra - 24%

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max - 23.3%

That's a pretty close win by the new Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it's worth noting that all votes are quite even and spread evenly among the phones we've tested in this here blind comparison. There's a pretty logical reason explanation: all phones we've tested have great cameras and are unlikely to disappoint you. Of course, as evident by the results, some perform more appealing to most people in specific situations, but overall, any of these devices will be an admirable photography sidekick.