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Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Flagship throwdown

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends
galaxy unpacked 2025
This story is part of our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025 coverage
Updated less than 16 hours ago

With the new year comes Samsung’s launch of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which competes with Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Performance-wise, the Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, while Apple’s efficient A18 Pro chip powers the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

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As 2025 unfolds, these flagship phones promise to lead the market, each appealing to distinct user preferences. Take a look.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: specs

Specs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra iPhone 16 Pro Max
Size 162 x 77.6 x 8.2mm 163 x 77.6 x 8.25mm
Weight 218 grams 227 grams
Screen 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X

1440 x 3120 pixels

Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (1~120Hz)    

2,600 nits brightness

6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED

1320 x 2868 pixels

ProMotion with 120Hz dynamic refresh rate

2,000 nits brightness

Operating system Android 15

One UI 7

iOS 18
RAM and storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

12GB RAM

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

8GB RAM

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy Apple A18 Pro
Camera Rear:

200-megapixel primary

50MP ultrawide

50MP telephoto, 5x optical zoom

10MP telephoto, 3x optical zoom

Front:

12MP

Rear:

48MP primary

48MP ultrawide

12MP telephoto, 5x optical zoom

Front:

12MP

Connectivity Wi-Fi 7

Bluetooth 5.4

Wi-Fi 7, dual-band

Bluetooth 5.3

Water resistance IP68 (maximum depth of 1.5m up to 30 minutes) IP68 (maximum depth of 6m up to 30 minutes)
Battery & charging 5,000mAh battery

45W fast charging

Fast Wireless Charging 2.0

Wireless PowerShare

Qi wireless charging

4,685mAh battery

45W fast charging

25W wireless charging via MagSafe

15W Qi2 wireless charging

Colors Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Grey Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium
Price Starting at $1,299 Starts at $1,199
Review Galaxy S25 Ultra iPhone 16 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: design and display

iPhone 16 Pro Max screen on
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features a sleek, sophisticated design characterized by rounded corners and a thinner, lighter profile than its predecessor, the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

A key difference between old and new is its weight, now 15 grams lighter at 218 grams, making it feel more manageable. Despite its specs, it feels less cumbersome compared to the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Samsung has rounded the corners for better grip, but the flattened sides and sharp angles make it less comfortable to hold. Overall, the improvements in grip are offset by a poorer in-hand feel.

Meanwhile, the new Samsung device boasts a large 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, providing vibrant colors, deep blacks, and an immersive viewing experience. Like the previous model, the S25 Ultra offers a display with an impressive refresh rate of 120Hz, ensuring smooth scrolling and fluid animations. Peak brightness is 2600 nits. Additionally, it includes an in-display fingerprint sensor for secure and convenient unlocking.

It is also important to note that the Galaxy S25 Ultra includes an S-Pen, a feature unique to Samsung devices. While this pen has lost some functionality compared to previous models, it will continue to be a significant reason for many users to choose Samsung.

Taking the S Pen stylus out of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The iPhone 16 Pro Max features a refined design characterized by a titanium frame, contributing to its durability and lightweight nature. This choice of material enhances the device’s appearance while offering protection against everyday wear and tear. The phone maintains a flat-edged design, a recognizable Apple aesthetic aspect.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max also has a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display. This OLED screen provides vibrant colors, deep blacks, and clarity due to its high resolution (2868 x 1320 pixels). It also includes ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz for smoother scrolling and animations. With a peak brightness of up to 2000 nits, the display remains visible in bright conditions, and it is safeguarded by Apple’s Ceramic Shield for increased scratch and drop resistance.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: performance

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colors
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

Samsung has partnered with Qualcomm to create a special Snapdragon 8 Elite processor specifically for its Galaxy S25 series. During our review, we experienced exceptional performance and lightning-fast response times, demonstrating the processor’s impressive capabilities.

At first glance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite has a distinct advantage due to its innovative architecture that’s slightly newer. It has more CPU cores, enhanced multi-core performance, and a more powerful Adreno GPU. This combination significantly boosts capabilities in demanding tasks such as gaming, 3D rendering, and multitasking. Users can expect smoother gameplay and slower processing speeds when navigating resource-intensive applications.

In contrast, the A18 Pro shines in single-core performance. This makes it exceptionally efficient for everyday tasks such as web browsing, messaging, and using productivity apps. Users who value quick responsiveness in day-to-day activities may find the A18 Pro more appealing. The Snapdragon 8 Elite suits mobile gamers and users who regularly engage in demanding multitasking scenarios. Its higher core count and advanced GPU ensure that even the most graphically intense games run smoothly, providing an immersive experience without lag.

Conversely, if you are deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem and appreciate the seamless hardware and software integration, the A18 Pro remains an exemplary pick. It provides efficient performance and a user-friendly interface, making it a strong contender for those who prioritize optimization and ease of use in light computing tasks.

Ultimately, our hands-on testing of the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the real determining factor. Once we delve into its performance metrics in real-world scenarios, we will gain more insight into how the Snapdragon 8 Elite compares to the A18 Pro, paving the way for a clearer choice based on users’ unique needs and preferences.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: battery and charging

iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

The Galaxy S25 Ultra, like last year’s model, features a 5,000mAh battery. Samsung claims this will provide up to 31 hours of video playback on a single charge, one hour longer than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. We got up to two days of battery life with the S24 Ultra, which is quite impressive, and we anticipate similar performance from the newer model.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra promises a 65% charge in about 30 minutes when using a 45W adapter. It also supports Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 and Wireless PowerShare. We expect to learn more details on battery charging in the coming days, and when we do, we’ll adjust this post.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max offers impressive features when it comes to battery life and charging. It is equipped with a 4,685mAh battery, which is a significant upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This larger battery plays a key role in providing excellent battery life.

Apple claims that the device can deliver up to 33 hours of video playback and up to 105 hours of audio playback. This means it can easily last through a full day of regular use, even with heavy activity. In our tests, we found that the iPhone 16 Pro Max could last between a day and a half to two days on a single charge.

Regarding charging capabilities, the iPhone 16 Pro Max supports a maximum of 30W with a MagSafe charger. It can reach up to 50% battery in just 30 minutes when using a 20W adapter or higher with a wired USB-C connection. Additionally, the phone offers wireless charging at up to 25W with MagSafe and 15W with accessories that use the more common Qi2 standard. Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and its predecessor can also wirelessly charge accessories like AirPods.

Winner: Tie (for now)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra..
Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 200-megapixel main camera and two telephoto cameras similar to its predecessor, but the new 50MP wide-angle camera is a significant upgrade, offering excellent detail and color. While the main camera performs well in various lighting conditions, it doesn’t capture as much detail as the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, which shows room for improvement.

Telephoto shots at 3x and 5x are impressive, but the 10x hybrid zoom suffers from pixelation and smoothing, with the 30x zoom worsening this effect. The 100x zoom is more for novelty than quality. Overall, the S25 Ultra excels at 3x and 5x, while the editing suite offers user-friendly features similar to Apple’s.

However, for $1,300, the camera performance feels underwhelming compared to the S24 Ultra, with noticeable haziness in finer details. We miss the remote shutter feature of the Bluetooth-enabled S Pen, and while the new wide-angle is a positive change, the S25 Ultra doesn’t present enough advancements to be a must-have for serious mobile photographers.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max features a comprehensive camera system that aims to capture high-quality photos and videos in various environments. The rear setup includes a triple-lens configuration, highlighted by a 48MP primary camera equipped with a larger sensor and second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization. This combination is intended to enhance image clarity, particularly in low-light conditions. Accompanying the primary lens is a 48MP ultrawide camera that offers a generous 120-degree field of view, making it suitable for photographing expansive landscapes or large group shots. The third component of the camera system is a 12MP telephoto lens featuring 5x optical zoom, allowing for detailed close-up shots without losing quality.

Apple has incorporated a range of computational photography advancements into the camera system, including an upgraded Photonic Engine designed to enhance image quality across various lighting scenarios. The iPhone 16 Pro Max also allows for ProRAW capture, providing users with more editing options and flexibility in post-processing. Regarding video capabilities, the device supports recording in Dolby Vision HDR, which has resolutions up to 4K and frames reaching 120 frames per second. For self-portraits, the front-facing camera presents a 12MP sensor with autofocus and supports the Photonic Engine, contributing to improved image quality for selfies.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, like the other phones in the iPhone 16 series, includes a Camera Control button on one side to make it easier to take photos and videos in horizontal form.

Winner: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: software and updates

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's screen.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series becomes the first Samsung devices to support Android 15 and include the company’s new One UI 7 on the top. This combination should provide an improved user experience with enhanced privacy features, a redesigned quick settings panel, improved multitasking, and more. There are also enhanced AI capabilities and fresh or updated productivity and creativity tools.

In terms of software upgrades, Samsung has extended to seven years of guaranteed OS and security updates. Yes, seven years, which is impressive.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max operates on iOS 18, introducing various new features and enhancements, including improved personalization options, upgraded communication tools, and a more advanced Siri. A key addition is Apple Intelligence, an AI-powered feature providing systemwide writing tools to help refine your writing style, check for grammar errors, and summarize text.

Unlike Samsung, Apple does not guarantee specific years for operating system updates. However, Apple has a strong history of providing software updates for its devices, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to receive several years of iOS updates. This ensures your phone remains current with the latest features, security enhancements, and performance improvements. These updates are delivered wirelessly and are easy to install, keeping your iPhone 16 Pro Max running smoothly and securely for years.

Both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max are packed full of software features and should only get better over time as improvements are made. In particular, both offer the latest AI features from their respective companies. It’s safe to say even before testing Samsung’s newest phone, it will be next to impossible to pick a winner here. Assume that iPhone fans will stick with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, while Android fans will pick the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Winner: Tie

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: price and availability

iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

At launch, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage starting at $1,299. Like in past years, you can expect discounts directly from Samsung that will decrease prices.

Everywhere, the phone is available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver and Titanium Grey. The phone is also available on Samsung’s website in Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Jetblack, and Titanium Pinkgold.

The iPhone 16 series has been on the market since last fall. Therefore, these models are easy to find for purchase. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for a 256GB model. You can also purchase the phone with 512GB ($1,399) or 1TB ($1,599) of storage. It’s offered in all-new Desert Titanium, plus Black Titanium, White Titanium, and Natural Titanium.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: which should you buy?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max are powerhouse smartphones vying for the top spot. Under the hood, Samsung’s new phone uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, while Apple relies on its own A18 Pro chip — both promising blazing-fast performance. Samsung continues its megapixel race in the camera department, while Apple has improved its system with enhanced telephoto capabilities. A key differentiator remains the S Pen stylus, exclusive to the S25 Ultra, providing a unique advantage for productivity and creativity. The iPhone, however, boasts its Dynamic Island for fluid multitasking and interactive notifications.

Software-wise, it’s Android with One UI versus iOS 18 — a classic battle of personal preference. Ultimately, the “better” phone depends on your needs and priorities. The S25 Ultra appeals to those seeking cutting-edge camera tech, the versatility of the S Pen, and the flexibility of Android. The iPhone 16 Pro Max attracts users entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, valuing iOS simplicity and the raw power of Apple silicon.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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