Samsung has finally brought its Ultra design into line with the rest of the range, and with impressively sharp results. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is extremely powerful and long-lasting, with some of the most advanced AI applications yet.
For
- Biggest Samsung screen ever
- Powerful AI
- Excellent battery life
Against
- Generative AI doesn't always deliver
- Samsung still shies away from total photo-reality
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is Apple's biggest, most powerful phone to date, with a handy new dedicated camera control, brilliant cameras, and top-notch performance. It also houses Apple's first tentative stab at AI.
For
- Huge screen
- Superb battery life
- Camera Control functionality
Against
- Big and heavy
- Very expensive
If you're after the biggest and best phone on the market in 2025, money no object, then the choice likely comes to these two options: the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
There may be protestations from Google Pixel 9 Pro XL fans, while the likes of Oppo, Xiaomi, and OnePlus have also turned out some spectacular super-flagship phones of late. However, in terms of widespread reach and sheer year-on-year consistency, it's difficult to look past Apple and Samsung. These guys know how to make great phones on a scale that no one else can compete with.
We've now had a chance to put both of these mega-phones through their paces, and it's an extremely tight call. We awarded both devices 4.5-star scores in our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review and iPhone 16 Pro Max review, respectively, but which of the two is better?
Let's take it point by point, starting with a straightforward rundown of the key specifications. Strap in tight, this one's going to be a closely run thing.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: specs comparison
Before we delve into the finer details, here’s an overview of how the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max match up, spec for spec:
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra began shipping on February 7, 2025. That's almost five months later than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which first hit shops on September 20, 2024.
Pricing is pretty similar between these two phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra starts from $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149 for the 256GB model, moving up to $1,419 / £1,349 / AU$2,349 for 512GB and topping out at $1,659 / £1,549 / AU$2,749 for 1TB.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is priced at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149 for 256GB of storage, $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,499 for 512GB, and $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,849 for 1TB.
This puts Apple's phone in the somewhat unusual position of being the slightly cheaper of the two, at least for its entry-level variant in the US and UK. That remains so for the more expensive models in the US, but it's here that the iPhone becomes the more expensive phone in the UK and Australia.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: design
This is the year in which Samsung has abandoned the longstanding design set forth with its Galaxy Note range many years ago. It's a bit of a shame, as this means that the Galaxy S25 Ultra looks a little bland and generic.
Samsung's phone also looks way more iPhone-like than ever, with its dead-flat frame. However, it's not an identical look. The Galaxy S25 Ultra retains much sharper, pointier corners, giving it an even more industrial look than the iPhone.
Both phones are premium slabs of titanium and glass with IP68 water and dust resistance certification, and we wouldn't like to call a winner on how they feel in the hand. The Samsung phone is the lighter and (slightly) thinner of the two, though, at 218g (vs 227g) and 8.2mm (vs 8.3mm). Samsung's engineering team deserves credit for that feat, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra also has to cram in an S Pen stylus and a larger 5,000mAh battery.
The iPhone's squircular (it's a word) camera module is arguably a little more distinctive than Samsung's – we hanker for the days of the Galaxy S21 Ultra and its sleek Contour Cut camera design – but the truth is that neither manufacturer is ripping up any design rulebooks here.
On the positive side, these are two premium, beautifully built super-sized phones. Samsung has the edge with its lighter design, while Apple's is the more iconic-looking, to the point at which (almost) everyone else has copied it.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: display
Both phones feature huge, pixel-packed 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED displays with fluid refresh rates of between 1 and 120Hz.
Samsung's phone has the slightest of advantages when it comes to sharpness, with a 1440 x 3120 resolution just pipping the iPhone's 1320 x 2868 screen. However, you'll need to dive into the settings to activate this mode, as it's set to a less sharp FHD+ resolution by default.
Besides being a tad sharper, the Galaxy S25 Ultra wins brownie points for not having a distracting Dynamic Island notch that gets in the way of media content. The iPhone 16 Pro Max screen, for its part, has the slightly more natural and accurate color balance.
There are also the differing biometric authentication systems to consider. Samsung's phone places an advanced ultrasonic fingerprint sensor under the display, while Apple's relies on its peerless Face ID facial authentication system. The latter is the more convenient and reliable in our experience, though it's largely a matter of preference.
We should issue a quick shout-out to the Galaxy S25 Ultra's integrated S Pen stylus, too. It continues to be the only mainstream phone that features such a thing. On the one hand, this demonstrates what a niche feature it is, and it's certainly one that most people won't bother with day to day. On the other hand, if you're a committed note-taker or scribbler, there's only one choice.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: cameras
This is another tricky round to score, because these are two of the very best camera systems around, albeit in different ways. Both take brilliant photos in all conditions, but their fields of expertise differ somewhat.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the zoom king, with a pair of telephoto cameras dedicated to capturing 3x and 5x optical shots (the iPhone has just the one 5x telephoto), as well as staggeringly impressive hybrid zoom shots that capture well in excess of that.
The Samsung's main camera is the same impressive 200MP sensor as before, which captures pixel-binned 12MP shots with plenty of detail and depth – more detail, indeed, than the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 50MP equivalent can manage. If we had one criticism, it would be of Samsung's rather over-saturated color science, which isn't as nuanced as Apple's more naturalistic tone.
Indeed, the iPhone 16 Pro Max's strength is in the quality of the point-and-shoot experience. Its shots look beautifully 'as seen', at least in comparison to the Galaxy S25 Ultra's, and the new physical Camera Control even provides a convincingly tactile shooting process.
You can't beat the iPhone for video capture, either. Samsung may go up to 8K and 30fps, but for the kind of 4K/60fps footage we all actually want to capture, no one beats Apple – especially with new features such as Audio Mix, which lend pro-level audio recording to the mix.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: performance and software
These are two of the fastest phones on the market, and you're unlikely to be able to detect a difference through general use. Silky smooth performance is the order of the day, while both phones are up to the task of playing the most advanced games (such as console racer GRID Legends) smoothly on the highest graphical settings.
Apple used to hold a clear lead in performance terms with its custom silicon, but this is the first year where that's arguably no longer the case. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite – and an overclocked version at that – which is tearing up all the benchmark tests.
By a number of CPU and GPU testing metrics, the Snapdragon 8 Elite matches or even tops the iPhone 16 Pro Max's A18 Pro chip. Its multi-core CPU scores beat the iPhone, though Apple's single-core performance continues to hold sway.
It's not a resounding win either way, and these are quite clearly the two stand-out mobile processors on the market by some margin. None of the stragglers can get close.
For what it's worth, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has 50% more RAM than the iPhone 16 Pro Max – 12GB rather than 8GB. Thanks to the differing ways in which iOS and Android manage resources, however, that's not as consequential as it would be if we were comparing two laptops.
Talking of software, comparing iOS and Android is like comparing apples and oranges. You typically prefer one or the other. In Apple's favor is the fact that it has over-arcing control of both hardware and software, whereas Samsung is essentially tweaking the software that Google provides it.
To this end, iOS typically feels a little more cohesive than One UI. You won't find any duplicate web browsers or clashing personal assistant apps on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, as you do on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Conversely, Android is quite a bit ahead of iOS when it comes to implementing AI features, and Samsung is at the forefront of that. Not all of the AI features are useful, but things like Circle to Search, Gemini, and full-blown AI image manipulation are well ahead of Apple Intelligence right now.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: battery
Both of these phones boast epic battery life that will be able to see lighter users through a full two days in between charges.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra has the larger battery of the two at 5,000mAh (compared to the iPhone's 4,685mAh), but that doesn't mean much in itself. As we've already mentioned, iOS famously uses its resources a little more efficiently than Android.
In our Future Labs tests, both phones hit north of 17 hours, which is similarly impressive. There really is very little between the two when it comes to raw stamina.
There is more of a difference when it comes to charging standards, though it's tough to pick a straight-up winner. The Galaxy S25 Ultra supports up to 45W wired charging, which can get you from empty to 65% in 30 minutes. The iPhone 16 Pro Max supports up to 25W, which gets you to 50% in 30 minutes. It's a clear win for Samsung.
In wireless charging terms, both phones support 15W Qi charging, but only the iPhone packs genuine Qi2 support. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is listed as 'Qi2 Ready', but it doesn't have the required magnetic system built right into the phone, unlike Apple's champ.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: verdict
These two handsets are arguably the top picks if you're in the market for a money-no-object super-phone, with an honorable nod to the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.
We awarded both of these phones a score of 4.5 out of 5 within just a few months of one another, so this really is a perfectly balanced fight. Both phones are powerful, long-lasting, beautifully built, and pack brilliant camera systems. On the latter front, the iPhone gives you a more authentic and tactile point-and-shoot experience, while Samsung's camera is better at zoomed shots and AI editing tricks.
Camera set-ups aside, it might just come down to your current platform preference. If you're already invested in Samsung's (or indeed Google's) app and service ecosystem, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be a much better pick. Ditto if you're interested in what AI can do for you, as Samsung (or rather Google) is much further ahead than Apple right now, particularly with its integration of the Gemini AI assistant.
Conversely, if you're in the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is quite obviously the better pick. It's got the benefits of the best apps, a more cohesive OS, and peerless after-sales support.
