When asking photographers which Android takes the best photos, you’ll get different answers depending on your needs. Samsung and Google have flagship phones with great hardware, but with different approaches. Samsung has more lenses for wider coverage and more detail. Google focuses on computational photography and has a single, highly consistent main camera. For the average buyer, it really depends on the type of photos you take most frequently.
Hardware
The Galaxy S26 Ultra has 4 rear cameras, including a 200MP main camera, 50MP ultra wide-angle, 50MP 5x periscope telephoto and 10MP 3x telephoto lens. Whereas the Pixel 10 Pro’s 3-camera system includes a 50MP main, 48MP ultra wide-angle (with macro) and 48MP 5x telephoto lens. Samsung has more zoom lenses available giving more versatility, making it great for those wanting to capture images from afar. The Google phone is a simpler solution but has a highly consistent main camera to do most of the work.
Still images and low light
Google has some advantages when it comes to low-light photography. The Pixel 10 Pro was continuously praised by reviewers for producing brighter, cleaner images with less noise in low-light situations thanks to its Night Sight feature. The Pixel is also much more reliable for mixed lighting situations whereas the Samsung can suffer from overexposed highlights occasionally using its HDR settings. When using the phones in good daylight conditions, there isn’t a huge difference between the two so it would be difficult to choose.
Zoom capacity
Samsung has the advantage here due to having two telephoto lenses. When tested side-by-side multiple times, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 5x periscope lens produced slightly sharper images than the Pixel’s 5x lens. It also has a strong 10x digital zoom option. This makes it a better choice if you want to take images of wildlife, sports and portraits from a distance.
Video Quality
Samsung has the advantage due to its strong stabilisation and consistent colours. It also has 8K recording available. While Google’s Video Boost is impressive, Samsung has more comprehensive video tools.
Selfies Quality
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 12MP selfie camera produces better low-light video than the Pixel’s 42MP option, according to GSMArena. However, the Pixel has some strong selfie photos. It has one of the best selfie cameras in the Android world.
Which should you choose?
If you’re looking for a phone that will take general photos and low-light images with improving software, then the Pixel 10 Pro is the one for you. If you’re wanting more zoom, better video and the S Pen then the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a better purchase. Both phones are fantastic but the best way to decide would be to look at example photos. Try to find some examples using the lighting you use most frequently. A few photos will tell you more than any specifications.