Google Pixel 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Google Pixel 10

The Pixel 10 gains a 5x telephoto zoom for the first time on the standard model, with computational photography remaining class-leading. However, the main sensor swap from the Pixel 9 has drawn some criticism.

• Google has done a great job tuning the cameras on this less-expensive Pixel, to the point where it takes photos that look remarkably like images captured with the Pixel 10 Pro XL
• The addition of 5x telephoto zoom to the standard Pixel is a significant upgrade that closes the gap with the Pro models for most photography scenarios
• If you had a Pixel 9 and upgraded to a Pixel 10, you are sacrificing some camera quality to get the rest of the upgrades — Google swapped in the 9a sensor for the main camera
• AI-powered features produce final edited images in under 20 seconds, and computational photography keeps low-light results among the best in any smartphone

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The only new hardware is a 50MP ultrawide with an f/1.9 aperture and autofocus — the 200MP main, 10MP 3x and 50MP 5x telephoto lenses all carry over from the S24 Ultra. Reviewers agree the ultrawide is a genuine improvement and low-light video processing is noticeably cleaner, but colors still skew saturated and shutter lag persists — a complaint echoed on Reddit by would-be switchers. Samsung's imaging is now slightly behind the Vivo X200 Pro and Xiaomi 15 Ultra but remains top-tier.

• The new 50MP ultrawide delivers more fine detail than the S24 Ultra's sensor, and the wider f/1.9 aperture helps keep noise low.
• Some low-light ultrawide shots are sharper than both the Google Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the rest of the cameras feel static.
• Samsung's penchant for slightly overboard sharpening is still visible, though the new ultrawide beats what the Pixel 9 Pro can do.
• Photos straight from the camera are a little too natural-looking, and most shots need editing to look their best.
• The 3x optical zoom uses a small, outdated sensor and is now a weak point of the camera setup.
• All cameras stay the same as on the S24 Ultra except the ultrawide, and Samsung is relying on the new ISP to improve quality.
• The S25 Ultra takes better zoom and ultrawide photos than last year with cleaner skin tones, and shutter lag is finally put to bed.
• Samsung has aimed for consistency, and after six months the stills are vibrant yet muted — pictures up to 15x zoom remain tack-sharp.
• The shutter activation is slow and not as instant as competing phones — a persistent Galaxy flaw Samsung should address.

Google Pixel 10

The Tensor G5 on TSMC 3nm delivers improved CPU efficiency and better thermals, but GeekBench scores still trail Samsung and Apple competitors, and GPU performance remains a weak point.

• The Tensor G5 promises a 34% faster CPU and 60% faster TPU for AI tasks, with significantly improved thermals thanks to TSMC's 3nm fabrication replacing Samsung's process
• While GeekBench scores are much improved over last year's Tensor G4, they still trail the results of the Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16 in raw benchmarks
• The Mali GPU has been replaced with a PowerVR one, but GPU performance remains roughly half of what Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers — not a gaming phone
• Despite the lackluster benchmark scores, real-world performance is smooth and responsive for everyday tasks, with AI processing completing quickly

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy delivers a meaningful generational jump in both CPU and GPU, rivaling Apple's A18 Pro and outscoring the iPhone 16 Pro Max in multi-core. The 40 percent larger vapor chamber keeps the phone cool even under sustained gaming loads. The r/apple thread citing a 36% GPU lead over the iPhone 16 Pro Max generated heated discussion, with most commenters conceding the Snapdragon chip is genuinely fast even if they still wouldn't switch.

• The phone benchmarks crazy high, rivaling Apple's A18 Pro — a little lower in single core but higher in multi-core.
• Samsung's 40 percent larger vapor chamber keeps the phone from warming up in normal use and benchmarks are up 30-40 percent depending on the task.
• Playing Genshin Impact at max settings for nearly an hour produced no stutters and no hot spots — a noticeable improvement over the S24 series.
• Multi-core Geekbench hits 9,793 versus the iPhone 16 Pro Max at 8,772 — the S25 Ultra pulls ahead thanks to extra cores and 12GB of RAM.
• The Snapdragon 8 Elite is the most welcome generational upgrade this year, with a boosted 'for Galaxy' variant delivering more CPU headroom than the standard chip.
• Under heavy loads the S25 Ultra becomes a bit power-hungry, which can cause faster-than-expected battery drain when multitasking or running demanding apps.
• Everyday tasks run smoothly and there was no meaningful performance difference versus the OnePlus 13 running the same chip.
• Apple users on r/apple concede Apple has fallen behind on GPU performance, saying 'competition is good' after the S25 Ultra posted a roughly 36% GPU lead in benchmarks.