Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: The Messi vs. Ronaldo of smartphones

The Galaxy Unpacked event—where Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S25 Ultra—felt more like a One UI 7 launch event. Most of the upgrades on the latest Samsung phones were all software-based, with very few hardware upgrades.

With this launch, we have two giant flagship smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, in the market. Now, the question of which is better is bound to arise in smartphone buyers’ minds.

So, let’s dive in to see how these flagships compare and which one to consider if you’re looking to buy one.

Specifications: A quick head-to-head

Design and Build: Titanium sandwiches

One of the noteworthy changes that Samsung made to the S25 Ultra compared to its predecessor was a subtle design tweak: It slightly rounded off the corners and flattened the sides.

When stacked against the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which has rounded corners, the chassis is still quite boxy and squarer than the 16 Pro Max. Now, design is subjective. So, if you like a boxy design, go with the S25 Ultra. Otherwise, if you prefer rounded-off edges, then the 16 Pro Max is the way to go. 

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is also ever so slightly thinner, lighter, and shorter than the 16 Pro Max; the difference is, however, negligible.

Both phones use the same Titanium (grade 5) frame and Corning-made glass on the front and back. Samsung says it uses Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on the S25 Ultra, while Apple calls its glass the second-generation Ceramic Shield.

On paper, both devices seem built solidly, and you can’t go wrong with either. Both cover the basics pretty well, as both come with an IP68 rating. 

Samsung gets extra points for adding stylus support with an included S Pen, though it now lacks Bluetooth support. I would also give bonus points to Apple for the Action Button and Camera Control on the 16 Pro Max. 

Display: Top of the line

The Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max got an upgrade in display size this year, as they slightly trimmed down the bezels. You get a 6.9-inch LTPO OLED panel with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz on both devices.

Going by the track record, both displays should be great for viewing content, outputting amazing colors, and giving out excellent brightness even for outdoor usage. 

That said, Samsung might have the edge in one aspect: anti-reflective properties. With its improved Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective coating, the display on the S25 Ultra is likely to provide better outdoor and indoor visibility with lots of artificial lighting than the 16 Pro Max. 

Performance: How the tables have turned

Samsung’s S25 Ultra is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset. On paper, it seems to perform better than the A18 Pro chip on the 16 Pro Max. 

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is based on TSMC’s 3nm process and gets around a 30% boost in performance compared to the previous generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is a huge upgrade, considering the 8 Gen 3 was already a very powerful chip. 

The Apple A18 Pro is also based on a 3nm processor but doesn’t get as much of a performance upgrade from the previous A17 Pro as its Snapdragon counterpart—sitting at around 15%. 

Going by the Geekbench score comparison by 9to5Mac, here are the scores of each phone.

As you can see, while the iPhone scores higher in single-core performance, Samsung comfortably beats it in multi-core performance. However, benchmarks are not enough to judge a phone’s performance; there are several other aspects to look at before concluding. Considering these are the flagship devices from two of the trusted smartphone brands, they will surely breeze through everyday tasks and should also handle power-heavy tasks pretty well. 

On the software front, the S25 Ultra runs on One UI 7 out of the box, whereas you get iOS 18 on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. As for the updates, Samsung will offer seven years of Android upgrades to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. While Apple did not give a specific number for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, going by the track record, we can expect it to get at least five iOS upgrades.

Battery: Equal juice

Samsung kept the same 5000 mAh battery on the S25 Ultra as last year. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a slightly bigger battery than the 15 Pro Max, with a 4685 mAh capacity. 

However, battery life totally depends on software optimization and chip efficiency. You might need to wait and watch the real-world reviews to get a proper understanding and comparison of battery life on both these devices. 

When it comes to charging, Samsung supports up to 45W fast charging, 25W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. On the other hand, Apple lags behind with only up to 27W wired charging. It does support wireless charging speeds of up to 25W with MagSafe when using a 30W adapter and up to 15W with Qi2. Reverse wireless charging is unavailable.

Camera: Quad vs. Triple face-off

The S25 Ultra packs a quad camera setup: 200MP primary, 10MP telephoto with 3X optical zoom, 50MP periscope telephoto with 5X optical zoom, and new 50MP ultrawide camera with 120° field of view. 

On the other hand, the 16 Pro Max gets a triple camera setup: a 48MP primary camera, a 12MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom, and a new 48MP ultrawide camera with a 120° field of view.  

You will notice both phones have an upgraded ultrawide camera. Apart from that, they have the exact same cameras as the last generation phones, which were pretty good.  

If we go by the on-paper specs, the S25 Ultra appears to be a more versatile camera system, with a great ultrawide sensor and impressive zoom capabilities. The 16 Pro Max might still perform better in the video department. That said, it’s important to note that the S25 Ultra now supports log and 10-bit HDR video. 

As the cameras have more or less remained the same from the previous gen, you can assume that they would perform as well, maybe even better, as the newer and better ISP on both the processors would improve image processing.  

AI features: Who is more intelligent?

Samsung and Apple both focused heavily on AI in their flagship devices. Samsung calls its AI suite Galaxy AI and was the first to the AI race, introducing them on the S24 series last year. Apple, on the other hand, has Apple Intelligence, which is slowly catching up to the Galaxy AI. Here are some of the notable AI features on both phones.  

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra:

• The Galaxy AI on S25 Ultra combines the power of Bixby and Google Gemini to provide features like cross-app actions, where you can tell the assistant to perform a task that involves interaction with two apps.   
• You also get features like Now Brief, which provides a personalized summary on your phone.   
• There is also Audio Eraser that removes unwanted noise from the videos. 

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:

• Apple Intelligence on the 16 Pro Max also got a powerful partner for Siri with ChatGPT. Apple Intelligence added features like new Writing Tools, photo Clean Up, and Notification Summaries.   
• You can also generate images and emojis with Image Playground and Genmoji, respectively. 

To learn more about all the Apple Intelligence features that Apple has announced, check out our article on Apple Intelligence.  

There is also a much-improved Siri, but I still don’t know when it’s coming. This is the problem with Apple Intelligence, most of its features are still being released in phases even after four months of launch. That is why I am leaning towards Galaxy AI here, as you get all the features out of the box.  

Pricing: Remains unchanged

Pricing remains the same as last year for both phones.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1299, and you can pre-order one from the Samsung website. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1199. Head to Apple’s website to buy one.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: Which one should you buy?

With the differences between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max out of the way, you may wonder which phone to get. Well, it depends on two major aspects:  

1. Operating system: It’s pretty straightforward. If you prefer iOS, get the iPhone. If you prefer Android, then maybe compare the S25 Ultra to a few other Android flagships, like the newly-launched OnePlus 13, before making a decision.   
2. Your current device: If you own a flagship phone of either brand from the last two years, it makes very little sense to upgrade. There have been very few changes in the phones in this period, and you most likely won’t notice any difference if you upgrade. 

What if you are a new buyer looking for a flagship phone, and the OS doesn’t matter? Then, you should take into account your use case and preferences before buying. If you need an overall versatile phone with robust AI features, get the S25 Ultra. Meanwhile, if you shoot a lot of videos and use many social media apps, then 16 Pro Max is a better choice.

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