The Giant Killer: Samsung’s Mid-Ranger Crushed the S26 Ultra in Our Selfie Video Test

A little over a week ago, we challenged you to a blind test. We put five of the hottest phones on the market head-to-head to see which one actually produces the best selfie video quality. These weren’t just any random devices; we picked them because they’d already turned heads during our initial reviews—for better or for worse.

We tracked your votes across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and our own homepage poll. Now that the dust has settled, the results are in, and they are honestly shocking. One brand took home both the gold medal and the wooden spoon. Let’s break down how it all went down.

The Unlikely Champion: Samsung Galaxy A37

If you had “budget phone beats top-tier flagship” on your bingo card, you’re a winner. The Samsung Galaxy A37 didn’t just win; it dominated. Despite being the most affordable phone in the lineup—retailing for under €300—it secured the top spot by a massive margin. It effectively outperformed three “Ultra” flagships that cost several times its price.

People often throw around the term “flagship killer,” but it’s rarely applied to a mid-range Galaxy A-series device. However, when it comes to 4K selfie videos, the A37 is the real deal. Its sibling, the Galaxy A57, followed closely in second place. Samsung deserves serious credit for what they’ve achieved with the A-series image processing this year.

The Secret Sauce? Mature Processing

You might be wondering how a phone with a modest 12MP sensor and an Exynos 1480 chipset outclassed the heavy hitters. The answer likely lies in maturity. The Exynos 1480 has been around since 2024 (debuting in the Galaxy A55), giving Samsung plenty of time to fine-tune the image signal processing (ISP). In contrast, the newer chips in the more expensive flagships are still in their early, unpolished phase.

The Polarization: Oppo and vivo

The Oppo Find X9 Ultra managed to snag third place, but it was a “love it or hate it” situation. While its 50MP sensor sounds impressive on paper, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processing hasn’t quite been dialed in yet. The vivo X300 Ultra faced a similar fate, with its video output receiving more negative feedback than positive, proving that high-end specs don’t always translate to a better look.

The Biggest Disappointment: Galaxy S26 Ultra

This is the part that hurts. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra—a phone that sits at the pinnacle of Samsung’s mobile engineering—came in dead last. A significant number of voters specifically identified its video as the worst of the five. This should have been an easy win considering it features Phase Detection Autofocus, whereas the A37 and A57 rely on fixed-focus lenses.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The 12MP ISOCELL sensor is a known quantity that Samsung has used for generations. It seems the transition to a new chipset required a total rework of the image processing, and it clearly isn’t ready for prime time. This was a flawless victory for the underdog, proving that you don’t always need to spend €2,000 to get the best results for your social media content.

Final Standings Stills

• Oppo Find X9 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy A57
• Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy A37
• vivo X300 Ultra

Thanks to everyone who participated in the experiment. It’s a great reminder that specs on a sheet aren’t nearly as important as the final image on your screen.