Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and iPhone 17 Pro Max put side-by-side to show the difference in how both their cameras handle extreme zoom

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 have gone head-to-head in plenty of camera comparisons, but one new side-by-side extreme zoom test takes things much further.

A Douyin video has put the two flagship phones through an extreme zoom test, focusing on a close-up of a girl’s eye.

At first glance, both phones appear to be doing a pretty impressive job, but once you look closely, the differences between them become much harder to ignore.

And the result isn’t quite what you might expect.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 and iPhone 17 Pro Max go head-to-head

When it comes to these two gadgets known for their extreme zoom capabilities, the comparison is particularly interesting because the two phones take very different approaches to smartphone photography.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a triple 48MP camera setup, including wide, ultra-wide and telephoto cameras, while Samsung gave the Galaxy Z Fold 7 a 200MP main camera inherited from the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The Fold 7 pairs that with a 10MP telephoto camera offering 3x optical zoom, but the iPhone, meanwhile, has a 4x telephoto camera and can reach up to 40x digital zoom.

That would appear to give Apple the advantage when the subject is a long way away.

YouTube star Matthew Moniz decided to put both phones to the test, and the reviewer actually found that the iPhone generally produced cleaner results once the zoom went beyond around 4x.

Both phones were also capable of producing excellent daylight photos, with the reviewer saying it was often difficult to tell them apart without looking closely; maybe the iPhone picture looked slightly more dull.

But extreme zoom is where things start to get interesting.

A popular Douyin video showed off the extreme zoom of both cameras to the limit by zooming in dramatically onto a girl’s eye, creating a particularly unforgiving test for detail retention.

And while the two images initially look relatively similar, one phone starts to pull ahead as the zoom gets closer.

One phone produces a surprisingly clearer eye

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 ultimately appears to have the advantage in this particular comparison.

The eye captured by the Fold 7 looks noticeably clearer and more defined, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s version appeared softer and blurrier when viewed at the same extreme level of zoom.

It was a surprising result given that the iPhone was considered the stronger overall camera phone in Matthew Moniz’s testing.

There are several reasons why the result shouldn’t necessarily be taken as proof that Samsung has a better camera system overall.

Smartphone cameras rely heavily on computational photography, meaning the final image is shaped by software processing as well as the physical camera hardware.

The way the Douyin video was shot, compressed and displayed could also affect how much detail is visible.

Still, it demonstrates why camera specifications alone don’t always tell the whole story.

Moniz found that the iPhone generally had the edge for consistency, video and zoom performance, while Samsung’s 200MP main camera produced excellent detail in many situations.

The iPhone also has some significant advantages for creators, including its 18MP front camera, Apple Log support and the ability to switch between lenses while recording.

Samsung, meanwhile, offers a much more versatile form factor, with the Fold 7’s giant inner display making it particularly useful for viewing and editing photos.

So while the iPhone 17 Pro Max may still be the safer choice for someone looking for an all-round camera and video phone, this extreme zoom comparison gives the Galaxy Z Fold 7 a pretty compelling moment.

And if you’re the kind of person who likes zooming in far enough to inspect every tiny detail, it might be worth looking twice at Samsung’s foldable, even if you’re an Apple diehard.