Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 80 Ultra: Sample Photos Comparison

The new Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with upgraded cameras, faster lenses and Samsung’s promise of even better “nightography.” But can it beat the company that practically defined night photography on smartphones?

To find out, we put the S26 Ultra head-to-head against Huawei’s latest camera powerhouse, the Pura 80 Ultra.

Over the past few days, we captured photos in all kinds of situations, from bright daylight, indoor office scenes and of course plenty of challenging low-light shots. We tested every camera using the default settings to see how these phones perform straight out of the box, and some of the results might surprise you.

Galaxy S26 Ultra: pre-order for up to $900 off

$399
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$1299
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$900 off (69%)

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has been announced, bringing a Privacy Screen feature, insanely fast processor, and multiple Galaxy AI enhancements. Right now, you can pre-order the flagship for up to $900 off with eligible trade-ins. For a limited time, you also get an exclusive $30 Samsung credit with your S26 pre-order.

Pre-order at Samsung

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 80 Ultra Camera Specs:

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra	Huawei Pura 80 Ultra

Main camera
200 MP (OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung ISOCELL HP2 Aperture size: F1.4 Focal length: 23 mm Sensor size: 1/1.3″ Pixel size: 0.6 μm	50 MP (OIS, Laser and PDAF) Aperture size: F1.6/F4.0 Focal length: 22.5 mm Sensor size: 1″
Second camera
50 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF) Sensor name: Samsung JN3 Aperture size: F1.9 Sensor size: 1/2.5″ Pixel size: 0.7 μm	40 MP (Ultra-wide) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm
Third camera
10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX754 Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Sensor size: 1/3.94″ Pixel size: 1.12 μm	50 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, Sensor-shift OIS, OIS) Optical zoom: 3.7x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 83 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28″
Fourth camera
50 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX854 Optical zoom: 5.0x Aperture size: F2.9 Focal Length: 115 mm Sensor size: 1/2.52″ Pixel size: 0.7 μm	12.5 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, Sensor-shift OIS) Optical zoom: 9.4x Aperture size: F3.6 Focal Length: 212 mm
Front
12 MP (PDAF, HDR)	13 MP

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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Huawei Pura 80 Ultra specs comparison

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While the Galaxy has a wide f/1.4 aperture for the main camera lens, it still uses a smaller sensor than the Huawei, so technical advantage is still on Huawei’s side.

Huawei’s innovative lens switching technology also allows it to juggle between a 3.7X and 9.4X lossless quality, while the Galaxy has a 3X and 5X telephoto lens, but not quite the reach of the Pura 80 Ultra.

Let’s see if those specs translate into superior photos for the Huawei camera phone, or if the Galaxy can actually do a better job.

Also read:

Main Camera

Zoom

Ultra-wide Camera

Selfie