Adam Doud/ZDNET
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
One of the key components of a modern-day phone is the camera setup. Most phones have multiple cameras, and their quality can vary, which is why, when we get the opportunity, we like to take multiple phones out and shoot side by side.
While photos and photo quality are often subjective, it helps us determine which phones can really deliver, from a megapixel perspective.
Also: I compared Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T 5G coverage on a road trip - and the winner surprised me
So when Honor gave me the opportunity to shoot with the Magic 8 Pro in one of the most scenic places in the world -- the Grand Canyon -- I jumped at the opportunity, and I brought a couple of phones along with me. It was there at CES when I found myself at Maverick Helicopter Tours, just south of the strip, ready to cross two items off my bucket list (and get a little work done along the way).
Dana, our very capable pilot whose playlist game is also extremely on point, flew us on our 80-mile round-trip at about 120 mph and 1,800 feet.
Meet the contenders
The phones I brought are the Honor Magic 8 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL. All of these phones have excellent photographic reputations, so I wanted to see how they compare. For its part, the Honor is packing 50-megapixel sensors for its main, ultrawide, and selfie cameras, while the 200-megapixel telephoto sensor offers 3.7x optical zoom.
The Samsung goes a different way, with a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, a 5x optical zoom camera, and a 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom camera, plus a 12-megapixel selfie camera on the front.
... continue reading