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Samsung announced its new flagship smartphones quite recently. The company introduced three Galaxy S25 series phones, and in this article, we’ll talk about the most powerful one. We’ll be comparing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. In other words, the best of Samsung meets the best of Apple. There are a lot of differences here, ranging from design to cameras.
As per usual, you’ll see a spec comparison first, and then we’ll move to compare the two phones across a number of other categories. We’ll be comparing their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. This article will hopefully help you make a purchasing decision, in case you’re on the verge of getting one of the two phones. With that being said, let’s get down to it.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, respectively
– Screen size:
6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (flat, 120Hz, 2,600 nits max brightness)
6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display (flat, 120Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
3120 x 1440
2868 x 1320
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Apple A18 Pro (3nm)
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5X)
8GB
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
200MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, multi-directional PDAF, 1/1.3-inch sensor, 0.6um pixel size), 50MP (ultrawide, 120-degree FoV, f/1.9 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF 0.7um pixel size), 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, 1/3.52-inch sensor size, Dual Pixel PDAF, 1.12um pixel size, 3x optical zoom), 50MP (periscope telephoto, OIS, 1/2.52-inch sensor size, PDAF, 5x optical zoom)
48MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.28-inch sensor, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS), 48MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF), 12MP (periscope telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 1/3.06-inch sensor, 1.12um pixel size, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 5x optical zoom).
– Front cameras:
12MP (wide, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 22mm lens)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, OIS)
– Battery:
5,000mAh
4,685mAh
– Charging:
45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included)
38W wired, 25W MagSafe, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm
163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm
– Weight:
218 grams
227 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic), facial scanning
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
– OS:
Android 15 with One UI 7
iOS 18
– Price:
$1,299+
$1,199+
– Buy:
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (Samsung.com)
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (BestBuy)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Design
As you can see, the two phones look quite different. They both use titanium for their frames, and glass on the back, but that’s basically where the similarities end. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra does have sharper corners, even though they’re less sharp than on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It also includes a flat display, thin bezels, and a centered display camera hole. The iPhone 16 Pro Max also has a flat display and thin bezels, but its cutout on the display is pill-shaped, the so-called Dynamic Island. It’s considerably bigger than the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra includes power/lock and volume up and down buttons on the right, and no buttons on the left. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has its power/lock and Camera Control buttons on the right. On the left, you’ll find the volume up and down buttons, along with the Action Key. Samsung’s flagship also includes an S Pen stylus, which is docked at the bottom of the device.
You’ll notice five small protrusions on the back of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Four of those are the phone’s cameras. The iPhone 16 Pro Max’s rear cameras are all a part of the same camera island, and there are three of them back there. These two phones are almost identical in terms of height, they’re exact same in terms of width, and basically the same when it comes to thickness. Apple’s handset is slightly heavier, though.
Both phones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Both of them are quite slippery too, which is not surprising considering the build materials these two companies used. Using a case is highly recommended.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Display
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 6.9-inch 3120 x 1440 Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display. That panel is flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz. HDR10+ content is supported, and the peak brightness is 2,600 nis. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 92%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. Corning’s Gorilla Armor 2 protection is used to protect the phone’s display.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the flip side, has a 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That display is also flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. HDR10 is supported, as is Dolby Vision. The peak brightness is at 2,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 91%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. This display is protected by the Ceramic Shield Glass.
Both of these smartphones have great displays, needless to say. They’re both big, bright, and beautiful. The touch response is good, as are the viewing angles. They’re also more than sharp enough. The Galaxy S25 Ultra does have one major advantage, though, the Gorilla Armor 2. It fights glare like no other display overlay, it’s night and day difference. Neither display supports high-frequency PWM dimming, though, unfortunately.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Performance
Qualcomm’s 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy fuels the Galaxy S25 Ultra. That chip is slightly overclocked in comparison to the regular one. It’s Qualcomm’s most powerful chip. It’s combined with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, though chances are you can get it with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM in your market. The 16GB RAM model is available in specific markets only. UFS 4.0 flash storage is also used here
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is fueled by the Apple A18 Pro processor. That is Apple’s 3nm chip and the most powerful one the company has to offer. The phone includes 8GB of RAM and uses NVMe flash storage. The storage in both smartphones is not expandable, in case you were wondering. Both of these devices look very powerful on paper, and the same actually goes for performance in real life.
They’re both buttery smooth in terms of usage. It takes a lot to bog them down in any way. You can jump between apps with ease, the same goes for multitasking, and so on. Even if you’re playing games on your phones frequently, both of these devices can take it, with ease. At this point in time we haven’t fully tested the Galaxy S25 Ultra yet, but it sure looks promising when it comes to gaming. So you’re basically good to go either way, performance-wise.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery
A 5,000mAh battery sits inside the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. On the flip side, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 4,685mAh battery. The thing is, Apple’s iPhone usually have smaller batteries than their Android counterparts, due to iOS, most of all. That doesn’t mean that they offer inferior battery life, though. In fact, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has some of the best battery life results that we’ve seen in any flagship.
What about the Galaxy S25 Ultra? Well, we haven’t really had the time to fully test the battery, but based on what we’ve seen thus far, the battery life is great and very promising. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the iPhone 16 Pro Max once all the tests have been run, and we get more days of use with the phone. Thus far, as I said, things are looking very, very good, despite the fact Samsung did not boost the battery capacity.
Neither one of these two phones supports extremely fast charging. Samsung comes with 45W wired charging, which is slower than it seems. It also supports 15W wireless charging, and Qi2 (25W wireless) charging with the supported case. 4.5W reverse wireless charging is also on offer. The iPhone 16 Pro Max supports 38W wired charging, 25W MagSafe wireless charging, 15W Qi2 wireless charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. The thing is neither phone ships with a charger in the box.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras
Samsung’s new flagship has four cameras on the back. The main camera is a 200-megapixel snapper (1/1.3-inch sensor size). A 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV) is also included, as is a 10-megapixel telephoto unit (1/3.52-inch sensor, 3x optical zoom). The fourth camera is a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (1/2.52-inch sensor, 5x optical zoom).
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, has three cameras on the back. A 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor) is supported by a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera. A 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (1/3.06-inch sensor, 5x optical zoom) is also included in the package.
Both of these smartphones are capable of producing nice and balanced images. The iPhone 16 Pro Max leans a bit more toward warmer colors, but the difference is not that big. They’re both capable of capturing great photos during the day, with plenty of detail, good dynamic range, and nice colors. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has less of a tendency to artificially boost colors. Samsung definitely worked on that yet again.
When there’s less light around, they can both capture good shots and retain plenty of detail. Based on the testing we’ve done with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, we can say that we don’t really see either of these phones as the best snappers for low-light conditions, but they’re up there, that’s for sure. Their periscope telephoto cameras are also quite capable, but noticeably less so in low light.
Audio
Both of these phones have a set of stereo speakers, and they’re both actually good in that department. They’re more than loud enough, and the audio quality is high. There’s even some bass coming from both phones.
You will not find an audio jack on either of the two devices. You can utilize their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones, though, if you want. For wireless audio connections, the Galaxy S25 Ultra supports Bluetooth 5.4, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers Bluetooth 5.3.