Complete Comparison. Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro. Which is better?

Apple continues to enhance the integration between hardware and software with upgrades in AI and battery life. In this comprehensive comparison, we will explore the key differences between the two phones in terms of design, display, performance, camera, and software, helping you choose the best phone for your needs.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max. A Detailed Comparison to Determine the Best

Welcome to the 2025 Giants comparison! Today, we pit the two most powerful phones in the world, the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, face-to-face in a fierce battle that goes beyond technical specifications to reach the true user experience.

Complete Comparison. Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro

Both phones represent the pinnacle of technology in the Android and iOS camps, with an unprecedented focus on AI capabilities and advanced photography experiences. Let's discover together who truly deserves the title of Best Smartphone in 2025.

First: Design and Build Quality

Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra come with similar materials, despite the different terminologies. The S25 Ultra uses the second-generation Gorilla Glass Armor, which has proven its durability in the previous Galaxy S24 Ultra.

On the other hand, the iPhone uses the strengthened glass approved by Apple for years. Both phones boast a sturdy titanium frame that offers high scratch protection, with a lightweight design that makes the user experience more comfortable. Samsung has rounded the corners this time while maintaining the signature identity of its Ultra series phones.

• However, the iPhone 16 Pro Max features more rounded corners, making it more comfortable to hold in the hand compared to the Samsung phone.

• The S25 Ultra has a centered hole-punch camera, while the iPhone uses the Dynamic Island, which has become Apple's signature over the past two years. 

• The island houses the Face ID sensors and the front camera, while Samsung maintains an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

• Additionally, both phones feature the thinnest screen bezels of any phone on the market, providing users with a noticeably better content viewing experience.

At the back, Samsung has retained the four lenses along with the laser sensor, which protrudes from the rear without a combined lens window. This time, the lenses are surrounded by black frames, distinguishing this generation from the previous one.

On the other hand, the iPhone maintains the same classic camera window we've been accustomed to for five consecutive years. It’s also important to note that the lens protrusion on the iPhone is noticeably larger than that of the S25 Ultra.

The S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max both feature a completely flat body with similar dimensions. The two phones share the same height and width, but the Ultra is slightly thinner, which is hard to notice. However, when it comes to weight, the Samsung phone is noticeably lighter, making it much more comfortable for prolonged use.

Second: The Display

We’ve discussed how the thin bezels on both devices provide an exceptional viewing experience, but the core of the complete experience lies in the technical specifications of the displays. Both phones feature OLED screens, despite the different marketing terms used by each company, with a 6.9-inch size and a dynamic refresh rate ranging from 1 to 120 Hz for smooth usage while preserving battery life.

1. Resolution
2. Brightness
   
3. Protection Layer

• The S25 Ultra comes with a QHD+ resolution, offering a peak brightness of 2600 nits, and is protected by the second-generation Gorilla Glass Armor.

• On the other hand, the iPhone offers a 1.5K resolution with a peak brightness of 2000 nits and is protected by the second-generation Ceramic Shield glass manufactured by Apple.

• The higher resolution of the Samsung device makes a significant difference in the viewing experience, providing sharp details and high-quality content, especially with HDR content.

• Additionally, the new protection layer makes the screen less affected by external light. However, it’s important to note that the iPhone’s display is also good, despite the noticeable difference in resolution.

• Both phones support Dolby Vision and HDR10, and finally, both feature Always-On Display technology.

Third: Performance

Here, the competition intensifies. The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with the A18 Bionic chip, Apple’s most powerful chip yet, built on a 3nm architecture, paired with a 6-core GPU. On the other hand, the S25 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, optimized for Galaxy devices, with an extremely high clock speed of up to 4.47 GHz and an 8-core configuration built on a 3 nm architecture. 

It is also equipped with 12GB of RAM and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB. Unfortunately, the iPhone remains limited to 8GB of RAM, with the same three storage options as the S25 Ultra, in terms of general user experience.

There is no doubt that both are currently the best in the market, without competition. They offer a seamless user experience and fast task execution with no lag or slowdown in the system. According to the Geekbench 6 performance test, Samsung’s phone outperforms the iPhone by a noticeable margin.

The internal processor

• Talking about the software, the S25 Ultra comes with the new One UI 7 interface, based on Android 15, while the iPhone comes with iOS.

• Samsung promises seven years of system updates, while Apple hasn't committed to a specific update period, but it's expected to be no less than seven years.

Both phones feature a range of artificial intelligence capabilities. With the latest update, Apple Intelligence has transformed Siri into a more intelligent assistant, capable of interacting with apps and executing commands, such as describing a specific image to search for in the Photos app or the "Gen Emoji" feature to generate reactions similar to emojis using AI.

• Additionally, Apple introduced the "Image Background" feature to generate images by simply providing a detailed description of what you want.

• On the other hand, Samsung offers Galaxy AI with practical features like Circle-to-Search, which can now easily identify unknown phone numbers, emails, or links.

• You can also press the side button to activate Google Gemini and ask it questions to help you complete a variety of tasks, whether with Google apps or third-party apps like Spotify.

• The software still retains other productivity features, such as text summarization, better rephrasing, and real-time transcription of voice calls into text.

Fourth: Cameras

Both phones come with advanced and leading camera systems. The main camera on the S25 Ultra features an ISOCELL HP2 sensor with a 200 MP resolution and an f/1.7 aperture, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max's main camera has a 48 MP resolution with an f/1.78 aperture.

Both lenses come with pixel-binning technology for enhanced detail and accuracy in photos. You can activate full-resolution mode on both devices to get 200 MP photos on the Galaxy and 48 MP photos on the iPhone.

1. The first is a 10 MP lens with an f/2.4 aperture, offering 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom.
2. The second lens is a 50 MP with an f/3.4 aperture, supporting 5x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom. However, the user can achieve 10x high-quality zoom, similar to optical zoom, with the help of AI.

• The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a single 12 MP telephoto lens with an f/2.8 aperture, supporting 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom. The camera zoom can be easily controlled using the camera button.

• The iPhone also offers a higher resolution 48 MP wide lens with a wide f/2.2 aperture, making the photos brighter even in low-light conditions.

• The S25 Ultra also introduces a new 50 MP lens with an f/1.9 aperture, offering noticeable improvements in detail sharpness, high resolution, and low-light noise handling.

The judgment between the cameras will depend on practical experience. The S25 Ultra is equipped with a laser sensor that helps with more precise autofocus, while the iPhone Pro Max features a 3D LiDAR sensor to calculate depth and capture professional portrait images.

• Both devices can record video using the rear camera: the S25 Ultra offers 8K resolution at 30 frames per second, while the iPhone records in 4K with up to 120 frames per second.

• On the front, both phones feature a 12 MP camera, but with different aperture sizes. The S25 Ultra has an f/2.2 aperture, while the iPhone offers an f/1.9 aperture. 

• The iPhone integrates the Face ID depth sensor, which also helps in taking professional portrait photos with the front camera.

Fifth: Sound

• The Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max both support stereo sound with a main speaker and a call speaker. Neither phone has a 3.5mm jack for wired headphones.

• The headphone connection on both devices is made via a Type-C adapter, and the overall listening experience will be very good.

Sixth: Connectivity

• Both phones support 5G networks. The Galaxy S25 Ultra allows for dual SIM installation and also supports eSIM.

• The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes in various options depending on the market. If you purchase the phone from the U.S. market, you will receive a phone that supports only two eSIMs without a physical SIM slot.

• In the Chinese market, it comes with two physical SIM slots, while in the Middle East, it will have a slot for a physical SIM along with an eSIM.

  Connectivity	iPhone 16 Pro Max	Galaxy S25 Ultra
  SIM cards	SIM eSIM (The Middle East)	1or2 SIM cards + eSIM
  5G	Support	Support
  WiFi	WiFi7	WiFi
  Bluetooth	5.3	5.4
  NFC	Support	Support
  Infra Red Sensor	Does not Support	Does not Support

Seventh, Additional Features

1. The iPhone 16 Pro Max, as usual, offers a 3D sensor for device unlocking with the Face ID feature.
2. The Galaxy S25 Ultra provides an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor integrated under the display, offering quick response, enhanced productivity, and better interface interaction.
3. The S25 Ultra supports the S Pen for note-taking, drawing, and faster app access.
4. The iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a customizable button on the left, allowing quick access to various tasks such as voice note recording, opening the camera, and video recording. It also features a camera button on the right, making it easier for photographers to switch modes and zoom in or out with simple gestures.
5. The S25 Ultra supports the Dex feature, turning the phone into a desktop-like experience when connected to a screen.

Eighth, Battery, and Charging

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a battery capacity of 4685 mAh, with the charging power remaining the same at 27W. Wireless charging is 25W via MagSafe, which uses a circular magnet beneath the phone's glass back, or 15W with Qi 2 technology, along with reverse charging at 4.5W. Unfortunately, the charger is not included in the box.

• The Galaxy S25 Ultra offers a 5000 mAh battery with a wired charging power of 45W, wireless charging at 15W, and reverse charging at 4.5W. Unfortunately, like the iPhone, you will need to purchase the charger separately as it is not included in the box.

• The iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available in white, black, blue, and light brown. The Galaxy S25 Ultra offers more color options, including gold, green, and blue, in addition to black, gray, and white.

  Battery	iPhone 16 Pro Max	Galaxy S24 Ultra
  Battery Capacity	4685mAh	5000mAh
  Charging Speed	27W	45W
  Wireless Charging	25W Magsafe 15W Qi2	15W
  Reverse Charging	4.5W	4.5W
  Charging Port	USB-C	USB-C