New iPhone 17 Pro telephoto camera to put Galaxy S25 Ultra to shame with reportedly 44% more light intake

This year’s iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max are quite big upgrades over the iPhone 16 Pro models. In addition to a brand-new design, faster A17 Pro SoC, and Ceramic Shield 2 display protection, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max also bring three new 48 MP Fusion rear cameras. Apple made quite a big deal of these cameras in their presentation, and, according to a user on X, Cupertino could be cooking something special with the Telephoto sensor.

The iPhone 17 Pro’s Telephoto sensor is reportedly capable of 8x “optical-quality” zoom. This is made possible thanks to 7 micron pixels, an f/2.8 aperture, and, per Apple, a 56% larger sensor than the one on the iPhone 16 Pro (Available “Renewed” on Amazon). An X user @lafaiel has done some napkin math to show that the Telephoto sensor on the iPhone 17 Pro lets in around 44% more light than the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra (Available on Amazon).

This is a pretty big deal. Generally, the more light a sensor can capture, the better the photos. More light allows more data, less noise, and much more detailed images in low-light conditions. So, with 44% more light intake, the iPhone 17 Pro’s Telephoto sensor should deliver noticeably better zoom photos than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, at least in theory.

In reality, light intake is just one part of a big and complex puzzle. The end results also depend heavily on post-processing, lens quality, etc. So, we won’t know if the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will truly beat the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Telephoto photos until independent reviews drop.

That said, Samsung fans should be concerned regarding the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra. Leaks have suggested that Samsung could downgrade the Telephoto sensor of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Seeing this and the upgrades Apple has packed into the iPhone 17 Pro, Samsung fans could be in for a lot of disappointment in 2026.