With the iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple has made some major changes to the camera hardware. For the first time, the company has introduced a variable aperture on the iPhone 18 Pro series, allowing the main camera to switch between f/1.48 and f/4.0.
This means the camera can physically control how much light enters the sensor, which should result in better photos across different lighting conditions. Or at least that's the theory.
But as Android smartphones have shown us time and again, iPhones don't necessarily take the best smartphone photos. I've had the chance to use the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max for the past two weeks, and after capturing more than 200 photos with both phones, I think it's pretty clear that despite the new hardware, Apple still has quite a bit of catching up to do.
Oppo Find X10 Pro Max vs. iPhone 18 Pro Max: A closer look at the hardware
Before we get into the camera samples, it's worth quickly going through the camera hardware on both the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Oppo Find X10 Pro Max.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max features a new 48MP Fusion main camera with a variable aperture ranging from f/1.48 to f/4.0. Alongside that, you get a 48MP ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view and a 48MP telephoto camera offering up to 4x optical zoom.
The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max, on the other hand, is the first smartphone to feature a triple 200MP camera setup. This includes a 200MP f/1.5 main camera using a sensor co-developed with Samsung, a 200MP ultrawide sensor with a 124-degree FoV, and a 200MP periscope telephoto camera offering up to 3x optical zoom.
Of course, the Oppo also benefits from Hasselblad camera tuning. The company has introduced its new LUMO True Image Engine as well, which Oppo claims processes photos to reproduce colors and details as naturally as possible.
Purely in terms of hardware, the Find X10 Pro Max seems to have an advantage with its triple 200MP camera system, although megapixels alone don't tell the whole story. The iPhone, meanwhile, has the advantage of a variable aperture, which should give it more control over light and depth of field in different shooting conditions.
So, to see how much of a difference all this hardware actually makes, I captured nearly 200 photos using both phones across different scenarios and here's what I found.
It's worth noting that all the photos in this comparison were taken in the default point-and-shoot mode on both phones, without manually adjusting any Pro camera controls.
Daylight Shots
Starting with daylight shots, I believe both phones do an excellent job of capturing photos. But there are some noticeable differences in how the two phones handle colors and exposure.
In the first set of photos above, both phones capture plenty of detail in the buildings and the surrounding scene, but I personally prefer how the Oppo handles the overall exposure.
If you look closely at the trees, the iPhone 18 Pro Max tends to underexpose them slightly, making the darker areas look more shadowy than they should. The Find X10 Pro Max, on the other hand, does a better job of balancing the exposure, bringing out more detail in the trees without making the brighter parts of the image look washed out.
The second set of photos, however, is where the iPhone fights back. Looking at the colorful buildings, I actually prefer how the iPhone 18 Pro Max handles the scene. The colors look a little more balanced, particularly on the red and yellow buildings, while the geometric patterns on the central building have slightly better contrast.
The Oppo still produces an excellent photo, but its punchier processing doesn't necessarily work in its favor here. The iPhone's slightly more restrained approach makes the overall image look more natural to my eyes. Ultimately, this is a pretty close contest, and both phones have their strengths.
Winner: Tie
Against bright light
When the subject is against the bright light, such as above, the iPhone 18 Pro Max takes the lead. It seems to do a better job of exposing the face itself, with more even lighting. The Oppo Find X10 Pro Max also produces a bright image, but it seems to overexpose the subject slightly, particularly around the T-shirt.
Looking at the background, both phones manage to retain the blue sky and the details of the sunlit building. Neither phone completely blows out the highlights, which is impressive considering the lighting conditions. That said, I do prefer the overall outcome of the iPhone 18 Pro Max here.
Winner: iPhone 18 Pro Max
Portrait
Moving on to portrait shots, the Find X10 Pro Max produces a stronger, creamier bokeh effect that separates the subject from the background much better than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, although both phones produce pretty close results.
I also prefer how Oppo handles skin tones and overall exposure. The Find X10 Pro Max produces a slightly warmer, softer look, while the iPhone's image appears a little brighter and more contrast-heavy. The iPhone does retain excellent detail, and its sharper processing might appeal to some people. However, I find the Oppo's rendering a little more flattering.
Winner: Oppo Find X10 Pro Max
Ultra-wide
Now, on paper, the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max has a clear advantage here, thanks to its 200MP ultra-wide sensor and a wider 124-degree field of view. And to be fair, that advantage does show up in the photos, with the Oppo capturing slightly better details. That said, I personally prefer how the iPhone 18 Pro Max processes its ultra-wide photos.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max produces a slightly warmer image, particularly when you look at the stone walls and intricate carvings, while the Oppo takes a more neutral approach. Interestingly, despite the iPhone's warmer processing, I actually prefer how its photos look overall, with the building appearing a little more visually pleasing.
That said, the Oppo does have an advantage in terms of detail. If you zoom in on the intricate carvings, the Find X10 Pro Max retains slightly more detail, which is where its higher-resolution ultrawide camera comes into play. The difference isn't particularly noticeable when viewing the photos normally, but it becomes more apparent when you start looking closely.
Winner: iPhone 18 Pro Max
Selfie
Selfies are another area where I think the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max has a clear advantage over the iPhone 18 Pro Max. In the first set of photos, where I'm wearing sunglasses against a bright yellow wall, I much prefer how the Oppo handles the overall image.
The skin tones look closer to how they appear in real life, while the iPhone tends towards slightly red-toned processing. The Oppo also does a better job of balancing the exposure between my face and the bright background.
The second set of photos, taken inside a stone archway, tells a similar story. Once again, the iPhone produces a brighter image, particularly around my face, while the Oppo keeps the exposure more controlled and the skin tones more natural.
Winner: Oppo Find X10 Pro Max
Zoom
On paper, the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max comes with a 3x telephoto zoom lens, which can also crop in to deliver 6x zoom, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a slightly longer 4x telephoto lens that can crop in to offer 8x zoom. But as we've seen plenty of times, zoom photography isn't just about how far a camera can zoom in, but also how much detail it can retain.
Starting with the first set of photos, taken of a beautifully detailed building in Lisbon, I prefer what Oppo has done here. The intricate patterns around the windows, the colorful tiles, and even the flowers along the balcony look a little more defined. The Oppo also produces slightly punchier colors, while the iPhone's image looks more contrast-heavy.
The second set, featuring a statue in Lisbon, is a much closer contest. Both phones capture plenty of detail, but Oppo produces a slightly brighter image with more pleasing colors. The iPhone isn't far behind, though, and does a good job of preserving details around the statue and rooftops, but leans slightly towards warmer tones.
Overall, though, Oppo takes this round for its slightly better detail retention and more vibrant processing.
Winner: Oppo Find X10 Pro Max
Low light
Low-light photography is another area where the competition is pretty close, but I think the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a slight advantage over the Find X10 Pro Max.
Starting with the first set of photos taken inside a dimly lit restaurant, I prefer how the iPhone handles the overall exposure. It does a better job of preserving the restaurant's warm lighting and atmosphere without unnecessarily brightening the scene. The Oppo also captures plenty of detail, but its slightly brighter processing makes some parts of the image look less natural.
The difference becomes more noticeable in the second set of photos, taken outdoors at night. The Oppo produces a noticeably brighter portrait, but I think it goes a little too far with the exposure. The iPhone, on the other hand, keeps the lighting more controlled, with better contrast and more natural-looking skin tones.
Winner: iPhone 18 Pro Max
Food shots
Food photography is another area where I think the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max has a slight advantage, and this photo of a pizza is a good example of why.
The first thing that stands out is how differently the two phones handle colors. Oppo's AI optimizations kick in, producing slightly warmer and more vibrant images that make the food look more lively. The iPhone 18 Pro Max, on the other hand, takes a slightly cooler approach, making the overall image look a little... less lively.
Winner: Oppo Find X10 Pro Max
Verdict
After taking more than 200 photos with both devices, I can tell you that the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max comes out as the clear winner in this camera face-off.
Apple has undoubtedly done a great job with the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the photos coming out of both phones are closer than ever. However, the Find X10 Pro Max, with its large camera sensors and new Luna image processing that aims to keep photos looking as natural as possible, manages to pull ahead in several key areas.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is still one of the best camera phones you can buy, but despite Apple's latest hardware upgrades, I think Oppo has shown that there's still plenty of room for improvement.