Las Vegas during Formula 1 weekend presents the ultimate photographic challenge: neon-drenched darkness, rapid motion, and unpredictable weather. To determine which flagship camera phone truly leads the pack, I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Apple iPhone 17 Pro across the most demanding visual environments Sin City could offer. While race access restrictions altered my original plan, the resulting comparison reveals how each device handles real-world extremes that separate exceptional mobile photography from mere marketing claims.
Indoor Challenge: Capturing F1 Showcars in Dim Hotel Lighting
The first test involved photographing Formula 1 showcars in hotel lobbies a scenario combining poor lighting, complex reflections, and challenging color palettes. The Haas team car at The Cosmopolitan, bathed in red against dark surroundings, proved revealing. While all three phones produced competent images, the iPhone 17 Pro. Leaned toward excessive warmth and saturation, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL delivered superior white balance. The Mercedes showcase presented even greater difficulty with mixed lighting sources. Where the iPhone surprisingly excelled by balancing interior and exterior exposures more naturally than its competitors. Which sacrificed foreground detail for background clarity.
Night Performance: Concerts and Neon Challenges
T-Pain’s concert performance created near-impossible conditions: complete darkness punctuated by rapidly changing colored lights and constant performer movement. Using telephoto lenses to isolate the artist, all phones struggled with focus and motion blur expected limitations given the environment. The Pixel 10 Pro XL produced the most compelling image despite these challenges, demonstrating Google’s computational photography advantage in extreme low-light scenarios. Later tests at the Flamingo’s iconic neon signs revealed the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s particular strength with reflected neon. Capturing both color vibrancy and textual clarity that surpassed its competitors in this signature Vegas environment.
Camera Phones: Architectural and Atmospheric Comparison
The F1 Arcade’s classical columns and the Heavy Metal Holiday-themed Ski Lodge bar presented contrasting challenges of scale, detail, and atmospheric rendering. The iPhone consistently produced warmer, more saturated images that sometimes enhanced atmospheric shots but distorted more accurate architectural documentation. The Pixel excelled in architectural details but occasionally suffered from softer focus in low-light interiors. The Galaxy demonstrated remarkable versatility across scenarios. Though its tendency to prioritize background over foreground focus in certain compositions revealed ongoing autofocus calibration questions.
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