Robert Triggs / Android Authority
It’s the perfect time of the year to take snaps of pretty, colorful things. But as we know, not every camera captures the same scene in quite the same way. Often, the differences are small, but when it comes to color science, every brand has its own take on what the perfect picture looks like. Despite years of innovation and brand partnerships, it seems impossible to please everyone. Whether it’s Samsung’s historic oversaturation or more modern issues with bland photos from the Pixel 9 Pro, it just goes to show that taking the best photo every time remains a dark art.
So, for today’s camera shootout, let’s look at how this year’s best smartphone cameras see the world — not to declare a winner but out of simple curiosity. To test, I grabbed the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, OnePlus 13, and Xiaomi 15 Ultra. If you want, you can follow along with the full-res pictures in this Google Drive folder.
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Let’s start by looking at the main cameras, which are usually our best bet for image quality and color consistency.
The first thing to note is that none of these phones are widely different in terms of quality. Exposure, white balance, and even levels of detail are all reasonably similar, especially when looking at the full-frame picture. Still, the Pixel 9 Pro XL and OnePlus 13 are the most conservative in terms of color when it comes to landscapes, though the latter leans into a slightly brighter exposure. By comparison, Samsung adds a bit more vibrancy to the first scene, and the postbox shot is definitely a bit cooler than the others. Xiaomi is clearly the odd one out, adding considerably more saturation to the sunflower’s yellows, but is then more subdued with deeper shadows and more contrast in the second picture — let’s call it a more dynamic approach to color science.
Galaxy S25 Ultra Pixel 9 Pro XL OnePlus 13 Xiaomi 15 Ultra Galaxy S25 Ultra Pixel 9 Pro XL OnePlus 13 Xiaomi 15 Ultra Galaxy S25 Ultra Pixel 9 Pro XL OnePlus 13 Xiaomi 15 Ultra
When it comes to the brighter flowers, these themes remain, only more exaggerated. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is certainly the blandest in terms of saturation. The Galaxy is more colorful but is also rather dull in terms of exposure. The OnePlus 13 is considerably brighter and more vivid than the other two. While the colors are bright, they aren’t skewed too heavily, and it arguably captures the feel of the scene best of all. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra, by comparison, is too saturated, too heavy on the contrast, and verges on blown out.
Already we have three sets of pictures with quite different approaches to color science, but what about some trickier lighting with dark foregrounds and bright backgrounds?
Galaxy S25 Ultra - HDR Pixel 9 Pro XL - HDR OnePlus 13 - HDR Xiaomi 15 Ultra - HDR Galaxy S25 Ultra - HDR Pixel 9 Pro XL - HDR OnePlus 13 - HDR Xiaomi 15 Ultra - HDR
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