Las Vegas and Formula 1 are a perfect pairing for photography: bright colors, late-night lights and high intensity. So when I came here to cover the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which ran Nov. 20-22, I couldn't resist bringing three top camera phones to see how they perform against one another. Between the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, and the Apple iPhone 17 Pro, which would occupy spots P1, P2 and P3 at the event?
My plan quickly skidded on wet tarmac (matching the unexpectedly rainy weather in Vegas), because I discovered late that I wouldn't be allowed to take photos or videos in race areas. The Formula 1 organization, which owns and operates the Las Vegas Grand Prix, completed the press accreditation process well in advance of this opportunity; I was invited by T-Mobile, a co-sponsor of the event, a few weeks prior to the race.
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Although I couldn't capture any photos of the main event, there was still plenty to see in Las Vegas, which gets transformed each year for the Grand Prix. The Strip (South Las Vegas Blvd., where most of the big hotels are) and surrounding public streets are converted into the race track. That disrupts car traffic and walking routes, adding stress to everyone.
Here's a slice of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, shot on three cameras. Keep in mind that photo quality is subjective, and in many cases, the differences between them might be hard to spot. All photos were captured using default settings using each phone's camera app. For the iPhone 17 Pro images, the Standard photographic style was used to keep the processing as basic as possible. The photos were exported to JPEG format with no HDR (high-dynamic range) applied, no edits and resized using Apple's Photomator app.
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Enlarge Image iPhone 17 Pro, main camera Jeff Carlson/CNET
Enlarge Image Galaxy S25 Ultra, main camera Jeff Carlson/CNET
Enlarge Image Pixel 10 Pro XL, main camera Jeff Carlson/CNET
Although I couldn't publish any photos from the race or around the track, there were still opportunities to get up close to F1 cars. Several hotels had cars set up in their lobbies. This racer from the Haas team was in The Cosmopolitan Resort. It's awash in red, on the car itself, but also that carpet, which can sometimes be a challenge for small camera sensors. Plus, despite some spot lighting, you have to remember that this is in a generally dark, indoor environment.
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