I’ve been spending quite a deal of time with the iPhone 17 Pro ever since it launched a few weeks back. One thing I haven’t been able to do more of is putting the phone’s video camera performance to the test, so I thought I’d take it to the beach for an iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera shootout.
Without a doubt, these two particular models are two of the best camera phones around. After all, the iPhone 17 Pro shares the same set of cameras as the iPhone 17 Pro Max , and in my 200 photo shootout with the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra, Apple’s flagship won more categories on its way to victory. However, you shouldn’t discount Samsung’s flagship just yet because of its impressive zoom camera performance and robust camera interface.
For me to better compare the iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra with this quick video camera shootout at the beach, I decided to record the videos below in 4K 30fps with HDR enabled on both. That way, it’s a fair comparison despite both phones supporting faster frame rates and higher resolutions. Here’s what I found.
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: specifications
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
iPhone 17 Pro |
Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|
Rear Cameras |
48MP main (f/1.78), 48MP ultrawide (f/2.2), 48MP 4x telephoto (f/2.8) |
200MP main (f/1.7), 50MP ultrawide (f/1.9), 10MP 3x telephoto ( f/2.4), 50MP 5x telephoto (f/3.4) |
|
Front Camera |
18MP (f/1.9) |
12MP (f/2.2) |
|
Max Video Capture |
4K 120fps |
8K 30fps |
|
Slow Motion |
1080p 240fps, 1080p 120fps, 4K 120fps |
1080p 240fps, 1080p 120fps, 4K 120fps |
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: what you need to know
Before I jump into the comparisons, I want to detail how I recorded video with both phones. Even though there are better video capture modes available on both phones, — for instance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra tops out at 8K 30fps while th iPhone 17 Pro goes up to 4K 120fps — I kept them both at 4K 30fps because that’s what most people end up using. That also means more manageable file sizes.
Secondly, I enabled HDR recording on both phones because that helps out with their dynamic range performances. I’ve also kept their color profiles to their default settings, even though both phones have their own flat color profile options.
Finally, I shot all of the footage handheld without any help from stabilizers, tripods, or gimbals. That way, you get an idea of how they handle real life situations.
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: Stabilization
The first thing I did on the boardwalk was to test out the stabilization of both phones. In the side-by-side shots above I’ve taken handheld, you can see how they both mitigate shakes with optical image stabilization. Despite holding both phones tightly, I can see just a smidgen more movement with the iPhone 17 Pro. It all pretty much disappears when I switch over to the ultrawide camera, but it’s definitely noticeable with the main camera.
Although the footage from the Galaxy S25 Ultra doesn’t make it look like I’m hovering through the air, it does the better job of minimizing the shakes and movements with my gait. If you’re really looking for that airy look, I’d suggest getting something like the Hohem iSteady V3 Ultra that I’ve used with my iPhone 17 Pro — or even the DJI Pocket 3 if you want something smaller.
Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: Ultrawide
When it comes to capturing more of the scene, you’ll want to switch over to the ultrawide cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra. In terms of coverage, they’re both identical with their 120-degree field of view — but after looking at the footage on my computer, I’d want to stick with the iPhone 17 Pro.
Right away at the start of the clips, the iPhone 17 Pro’s footage looks way crisper, like how there’s more definition to the wooden rails and the faraway dunes. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s footage looks much softer, and as a result, doesn’t capture as much fine detail.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: Dynamic range
Dynamic range performance is very similar with both phones, as they manage to cast an even exposure across the entire frame. In order to test this one out, I started recording video with the sun directly in front of me — with the homes in the distance casting shadows over their facades.
Initially I’m inclined to say they’re identical, but that’s until I pan to the left when the wooden walkway comes into view more. The Galaxy S25 Ultra appears to have a lower contrast from the start, which helps out when I pan over to the walkway because the areas in shadow are brighter compared to the iPhone 17 Pro.
Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: Vlogging
I really thought the iPhone 17 Pro’s new 18MP Center Stage camera was going to win this one by some distance, but that’s not the case. In fact, the two manage to have very similar results when it comes to vlogging with their front-facing cameras.
One thing I realize is that you’re stuck to just one framing option with both of them, which is odd because you’re offered standard and wide options with still photos. Despite this, the amount of detail the front cameras capture is pretty impressive — especially when the sun hits my face and exposes those fine details.
Even though the Galaxy S25 Ultra gets a lot of things right, including my skin tone, the iPhone 17 Pro still has a smidge more detail. On top of that, it doesn’t suffer from the same lens flare that ends up being produced when I move so that the sun’s behind me.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: Macro
I had to shoot this test differently from the rest because there’s just no way I could illustrate the phones’ performance unless I shoot the clips separately. Additionally, I started off by getting as close as I could to the subject without losing focus.
I will say that you can get really close with both of them, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s footage suffers from being more over-exposed. This causes the detail loss around the wooden grain structure.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: Zoom
Showing off the zoom performances of the iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra is a bit tricky because of having to keep my hand as steady as possible to show off each phone at different zoom levels. At 2x zoom, I don’t see much difference in how they capture the seagulls down by the water’s edge.
Moving onto 3x zoom, however, gives the Galaxy S25 Ultra its first advantage because of how it switches over to its dedicated 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom — whereas the iPhone 17 does this through sensor cropping and digital zoom using its main camera. As a result, the footage looks fuzzier.
However, the advantage then flips over to the iPhone 17 Pro at 4x zoom because now the iPhone is relying on its dedicated 48MP telephoto sensor with 4x optical zoom. The footage of the seagulls is much sharper due to this change, especially when I look at the trees and church spire way off in the background.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra, on the other hand, is now at a disadvantage because it’s forced to apply a digital zoom with its 3x optical zoom camera to reach 4x zoom.
Things get interesting at 5x zoom because I expected the Galaxy S25 Ultra to show better results switching over to its 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro needs a bit of digital zoom to get to 5x. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s footage looks a tiny bit sharper, but the iPhone 17 Pro manages to keep up here.
At 8x zoom, I like the iPhone 17 Pro’s footage better because the rocks behind the seagulls have better definition. That’s still the same sentiment I have moving up to 10x zoom, as the iPhone 17 Pro again has the advantage.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra video camera: Bottom line
Even though this daytime trip to the beach yields a win for the iPhone 17 Pro, I don’t want to definitively say it’s the better video camera phone just yet because there’s still more I’d want to test — like how they perform under low light, how well they deal with portrait video mode, and more.
But I will say that if you’re going to be recording when it’s sunny out, the iPhone 17 Pro certainly proves a point that it’s equipped for the occasion. It’s not just the hardware that’s boosting the performance, it could also be due to the image processing algorithms it’s using to draw out more detail.
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