Everything aligned for this camera comparison. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra returned from our video team, I was still on a high from the Oppo Find X9 Ultra’s camera, I had a ticket for my first evening Porsche meet of the season, and the weather was exactly right.
It’s a comparison I really wanted to do. The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera was decent but not outstanding, while the Find X9 Ultra’s camera seemed to capture scenes exactly to my liking.
Surely the Find X9 Ultra would blow the S26 Ultra away? Let’s find out.
These 5 new Galaxy S26 camera features made an immediate difference to my photos and videos
The S26 features that improved my shots
Camera spec comparison
What are we working with?
It’s hard to ignore the Oppo Find X9 Ultra’s incredible specs. The main 200-megapixel camera has a massive 1/1.12-inch sensor, optical image stabilization (OIS), and an f/1.5 aperture.
It’s joined by a 200MP periscope telephoto for a 3x optical zoom, and another 50MP periscope telephoto for a 10x optical zoom. Finally, there’s a 50MP wide-angle camera.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra also has a 200MP main camera with OIS, but a 1/1.3-inch sensor and an f/1.4 aperture.
The 50MP periscope telephoto has a 5x optical zoom, the 10MP telephoto has a 3x optical zoom, and you can select a 10x optical quality zoom.
Finally, there’s also a 50MP wide-angle camera, just like the Oppo phone.
Samsung doesn’t have a camera partner for its phones, while Oppo works with Hasselblad on the software and the tuning.
I didn’t use the optional Oppo photography kit for this test, as the Samsung doesn’t have an equivalent. All photos were shot in auto and have not been edited. I examined them on a color-calibrated monitor.
In the image comparison galleries below, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra’s photo is on the LEFT, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s photo is on the RIGHT.
Taking photos with the main camera
Is this going to be a personal preference?
It’s inevitable that one person will like the photos taken by one main camera over the other, and the first photo really highlights the different treatments of the same scene each camera produces.
The Oppo Find X9 Ultra’s colors are deep and rich, with strong contrast levels, which results in it not handling shadows very well in some cases. It’s a little less capable in harsh daylight than the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera has a natural tendency to reduce vibrancy, to the point that its photos look slightly washed out next to the Find X9 Ultra.
In the photo above, the grey of the GT4 RS is flatter, while the Ruby Star GT4 RS pops out of the X9 Ultra’s photo.
What about technical differences? The second photo highlights the Find X9 Ultra’s superior performance.
From the Porsche emblem on the alloy wheels to the brickwork on the building, the detail is sharp and defined in the X9 Ultra’s photo, but pixelated and processed in the S26 Ultra’s.
I also really like the colors in the Find X9 Ultra’s photo, which are rich and glossy, and the S26 Ultra goes a little too far into natural territory for me.
Editing solves this, but the detail in the Find X9 Ultra’s photo makes me want to tweak that image more.
To finish, here’s a non-car photo which brings it all together.
The S26 Ultra’s photo lacks the fine detail, sharpness, and definition of the X9 Ultra’s photo.
The brickwork and roof tiles are an overprocessed mess in the S26 Ultra’s photo, while the Oppo’s camera brings out all the age and weathering naturally.
Telephoto shots
More differences show up
Switching to the telephoto cameras, the first shows a huge difference I spotted multiple times in different photos.
In this case, I tapped to focus on the steering wheel of the car in the foreground. Just look at the depth of field created by the Find X9 Ultra at 3x zoom compared to the S26 Ultra.
While some won’t want this stylistic choice, I think it looks fantastic.
Another 3x zoom photo shows how the S26 Ultra often takes brighter photos than the X9 Ultra in difficult lighting.
The car’s interior is far more visible than in the X9 Ultra’s photo. However, you can once again see the depth of field created by Oppo’s camera, and it’s arguably more accurate to the environment, too.
Next is a 10x photo of a black 981 S. Remember, the Find X9 Ultra has an optical zoom at this level, but it’s optical quality on the S26 Ultra.
Interestingly, neither is a fantastic photo. The S26 Ultra’s image is noisy and full of obvious digital processing. The X9 Ultra’s photo is smoothed out, but sharper. Both suffer from haloing and flare.
A second 10x zoom photo of a red GT3 RS shows off the Find X9 Ultra’s sharper, more defined photos.
Look at the rear tires and see how easy it is to read the Goodyear branding in Oppo’s photo, compared to the messy pixelated writing in the S26 Ultra’s photo. Then examine the definition in the tree trunks in the background.
Special circumstances
Macro and night shots
Outside of the Porsche meet, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra’s macro mode has impressed, too.
The Oppo phone’s macro mode allowed me to get closer to the flower, and it kept more of the subject in focus than the S26 Ultra.
The Samsung mode didn’t inspire confidence, and the resulting photo is drab by comparison.
At night, some interesting differences show up.
The first photo of the car headlight demonstrates how the Oppo camera goes heavy on the blue at night. The car was silver, as shown in the S26 Ultra’s photo, rather than blue/silver in the Find X9 Ultra’s image.
In general, the S26 Ultra took better photos in low light.
The image of the building shows how it exposes the sky better and gets the color and tone on the brickwork right. Zoom in, and the Find X9 Ultra’s photo still has sharper detail than the S26 Ultra’s photo, though.
Wide-angle camera performance is similar, with the Oppo camera once again boosting colors compared to the S26 Ultra, but detail and balance are almost identical. Both take great wide-angle shots.
Which phone has the best camera?
The Oppo Find X9 Ultra wins
It’s impossible not to be impressed with the Oppo Find X9 Ultra’s camera. It takes detailed, sharp, and vibrant photos in almost all environments, and it has so much versatility that you can experiment and have fun with it, too.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra can’t keep up. It’s certainly not a bad camera, but many of its faults — a lack of sharpness, stabilization issues — have been there since the Galaxy S24 Ultra, so it’s frustrating to see them today.
It gives the Oppo Find X9 Ultra an easy win here. The camera is absolutely fantastic. However, take a look at the photo above, taken at 3x. I think it illustrates that a lot of times, the pair took really similar photos, and I’d have been happy with either.
Availability, and how much you’ll have to pay
One is easier to buy than the other
How you feel about color, pop, contrast levels, and things like depth of field and macro modes may influence which camera you prefer, but the availability and price of the phones will affect any purchasing decisions.
8/10
- SoC
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- Display type
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Dynamic AMOLED 2X
- Display dimensions
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6.9-inch
Oppo does not officially sell its smartphones in the US, while the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is available just about everywhere. In the UK, both phones can be officially purchased.
8.5/10
- SoC
-
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- Display type
-
AMOLED / 144Hz
- Display dimensions
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6.82-inches
- Display resolution
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3168 x 1440
The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,299 or £1,279. The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is a lot more expensive, starting at £1,449, which converts to about $1,950.
