Head to head
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads 11 to 0 on the 11 rankable specs, but iPhone 16 Pro Max costs $100 less.
Catalog as of September 1, 2026
Why, in numbers
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Compare a different phone
Google Pixel 8a$499OnePlus 12$799iPhone 16$799Google Pixel 9$799Samsung Galaxy S24$799Samsung Galaxy S25$799iPhone 17$799ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra$899iPhone 16 Plus$899OnePlus 13$899iPhone 16 Pro$999Google Pixel 9 Pro$999Samsung Galaxy S24+$999Samsung Galaxy S25+$999iPhone 17 Pro$999iPhone Air$999Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6$1,099Google Pixel 9 Pro XL$1,099iPhone 17 Pro Max$1,199Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1,299Xiaomi 14 Ultra$1,399OnePlus Open$1,699Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold$1,799Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6$1,899Buying for
Your devices
Straight answer
Overall: 0 to 11
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Leads 11 of 11 rankable overall specs.
- Weight: 219 g vs 227 g
- RAM: 12 GB vs 8GB
- iPhone 16 Pro Max is $100 cheaper. Pay the difference only if weight matters to you.
Deal-breakers
tick what would make you walk away
- Trips:iPhone 16 Pro Max · NoClear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)
- Trips:iPhone 16 Pro Max · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
- Trips:iPhone 16 Pro Max · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
- Trips:iPhone 16 Pro Max · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Weight
Apple
227 g (8.0 oz)
Samsung
219 g (7.72 oz)
Sizesame
Apple
6.9 inches
Samsung
6.9 inches
Chipset≠
Apple
Apple A18 Pro (3 nm)
Samsung
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
RAM
Apple
8GB
Samsung
12 GB (16 GB option)
Max optical zoom≠
Apple
5x optical (25x digital)
Samsung
5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)
Capacity
Apple
4,685 mAh (typical)
Samsung
5,000 mAh
True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Pocket, Palm & Desk Usability Check
One-handed reachability, pocket weight, and table wobble when typing without a case.
One-Handed Palm Reach
6.9" display with 77.6mm width (strictly 2-handed for most hands)
Standard smartphone width
Desk Typing Table Wobble
Prominent corner camera plateau rocks when typing on desk
Corner camera bump causes minor wobble
Pocket Weight & Heft
227g (heavy pocket presence)
Standard phone weight
The 90-Day Owner Regret Check
Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.
Apple: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Samsung: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Body
leads 2-0| Dimensions | 163 × 77.6 × 8.25 mm | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 227 g (8.0 oz) | 219 g (7.72 oz) (wins this row: lower) |
| Build | Grade 5 titanium frame, Ceramic Shield front, textured matte glass back | Titanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back |
| Water / dust rating | IP68 (6 m up to 30 min) | IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) |
| Colors | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver |
| Stylus | No | Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it) |
Display
leads 3-0| Type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.9 inches | 6.9 inches |
| Resolution | 2868 × 1320 | 3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher) |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 505 ppi (wins this row: higher) |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz ProMotion | 120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO) |
| Peak brightness | 2,000 nits peak (outdoor) | 2,600 nits peak (wins this row: higher) |
| HDR | HDR10, Dolby Vision | HDR10+, HLG |
| Protection | Latest-generation Ceramic Shield | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 (anti-reflective) |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes |
Platform
5 differences| Operating system | iOS 18 | Android 15 (One UI 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Software support | 7 years (estimated based on Apple track record) | 7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates |
| Chipset | Apple A18 Pro (3 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) |
| CPU | 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency) | 8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance) |
| GPU | 6-core Apple GPU with ray tracing | Adreno 830 |
Memory
leads 1-0| RAM | 8GB | 12 GB (16 GB option) (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0) |
| microSD | No | No |
Rear camera
leads 3-0| Main | 48 MP Fusion, f/1.78, 24 mm, sensor-shift OIS | 200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultrawide | 48 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120° FOV, autofocus macro | 50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF, macro) (wins this row: higher) |
| Telephoto | 12 MP, f/2.8, 120 mm, 5x optical zoom, 3D sensor-shift OIS | 50 MP 5x periscope (f/3.4, 115mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 50 MP 3x (f/2.4, 67mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) |
| Max optical zoom | 5x optical (25x digital) | 5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) |
| Stabilization | 3D Sensor-shift OIS on main and telephoto | OIS on main and both telephoto cameras |
| Video | 4K at 24/25/30/60/120 fps Dolby Vision, ProRes, Log, spatial video | 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video |
Front camera
2 differences| Selfie camera | 12 MP TrueDepth, f/1.9, autofocus | 12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF) |
|---|---|---|
| Selfie video | 4K 60 fps, Cinematic mode 4K 30 fps | 4K at 30/60 fps |
Battery & charging
leads 2-0| Capacity | 4,685 mAh (typical) | 5,000 mAh (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Wired chargingNot on the official sheet | ~25 W USB-C (no charger in box) | 45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min) (wins this row: higher) |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe up to 25 W, Qi2 up to 15 W | 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 |
| Reverse wireless | 4.5 W wired reverse charging | 4.5W Wireless PowerShare |
| Charger in box | No | No |
Audio
1 differences| Speakers | Stereo (bottom + earpiece) | Stereo speakers tuned by AKG |
|---|---|---|
| Headphone jack | No | No |
Connectivity
6 differences| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 + mmWave, region-dependent) | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes (Apple Pay) | Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay) |
| USB | USB-C 3 (up to 10 Gbps) | USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out) |
| SIM | eSIM (US) / dual nano + eSIM (many other regions) | Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM |
Features
3 differences| Biometrics | Face ID | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Extra controls | Action Button, Camera Control | S Pen air gestures |
| Standout features | Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, MagSafe, Emergency SOS via satellite | Built-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX |
Which one should you buy
Pick this one if
iPhone 16 Pro Max
Apple's top-tier 6.9-inch smartphone with A18 Pro chip, 5x optical telephoto camera, and Camera Control button.
- Massive 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display with ultra-thin borders
- Longest battery life ever on an iPhone with up to 33 hours video
- 4K 120 fps ProRes video capture and dedicated Camera Control button
What you give up
- Large and heavy in one-handed use
- Wired fast charging capped around 25W
Pick this one if
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Flagship titanium smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, built-in S Pen, 200MP quad camera with 50MP ultrawide and 50MP 5x telephoto, and Galaxy AI.
- Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm custom Galaxy performance
- Upgraded 50MP ultra-wide and dual 50MP telephoto sensors with 200MP main
- Corning Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective display and built-in S Pen stylus
What you give up
- Premium $1,299 starting price
- Wired charging remains at 45W
Best for each use
Photos
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Battery & updates
For battery & updates, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Games & video
For games & video, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: iPhone 16 Pro Max ↗ · Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
iPhone 16 Pro Max costs $100 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
iPhone 16 Pro Max has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Which is better for photos, the iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 3 of 3 rankable photos specs. Main: 200 MP vs 48 MP Fusion, f/1.78, 24 mm, sensor-shift OIS
What cannot be compared from spec sheets?
Of the 48 specs tracked here, 37 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.