Head to head
Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S25+ leads 6 to 5 on the 11 rankable specs and costs $200 less, which makes it the straightforward pick.
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+$999iPhone 17 Pro$999iPhone Air$999Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6$1,099Google Pixel 9 Pro XL$1,099iPhone 16 Pro Max$1,199Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1,299Samsung Galaxy S25 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: 6 to 5
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.
- Leads 6 of 11 rankable overall specs; iPhone 17 Pro Max takes 5.
- Weight: 190 g vs 231 g
- Capacity: 4,900 mAh vs 4,850 mAh
- It is also $200 cheaper.
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Weight
Samsung
190 g (6.70 oz)
Apple
231 g (8.15 oz)
Size
Samsung
6.7 inches
Apple
6.9 inches
Chipset≠
Samsung
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
Apple
Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)
RAMsame
Samsung
12 GB
Apple
12 GB
Max optical zoom
Samsung
3x optical zoom
Apple
5x optical zoom (up to 25x digital zoom)
Capacity
Samsung
4,900 mAh
Apple
4,850 mAh
The 90-Day Owner Regret Check
Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.
Samsung: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Apple: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Body
leads 1-0| Dimensions | 158.4 × 75.7 × 7.3 mm | 163.4 × 78.0 × 8.75 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 190 g (6.70 oz) (wins this row: lower) | 231 g (8.15 oz) |
| Build | Enhanced Armor Aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back | Grade 5 Titanium frame with textured matte glass back |
| Water / dust rating | IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) | IP68 (up to 6m for 30 mins) |
| Colors | Silver Shadow, Midnight Black, Moon Night Blue, Sparkling Green | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium |
| Stylus | No | No |
Display
9 differences| Type | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X | Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.7 inches | 6.9 inches (wins this row: higher) |
| Resolution | 3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher) | 2868 × 1320 |
| Pixel density | 513 ppi (wins this row: higher) | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO) | 120 Hz (1–120Hz ProMotion) |
| Peak brightness | 2,600 nits peak | 3,000 nits outdoor peak / 1,000 nits typical (wins this row: higher) |
| HDR | HDR10+, HLG | HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Ceramic Shield (latest generation) |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes (Always-on display) |
Platform
5 differences| Operating system | Android 15 (One UI 7) | iOS 19 |
|---|---|---|
| Software support | 7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates | 5+ years estimated (typically 6-7 years) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) | Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) |
| CPU | 8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance) | 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | 6-core Apple GPU with hardware ray tracing |
Memory
1 differences| RAM | 12 GB | 12 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB (UFS 4.0) | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
| microSD | No | No |
Rear camera
6 differences| Main | 50 MP (f/1.8, 24mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) | 48 MP Fusion (f/1.78, 24mm, second-gen sensor-shift OIS, 100% Focus Pixels) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultrawide | 50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF) (wins this row: higher) | 48 MP (f/2.2, 13mm, 120° FOV, hybrid Focus Pixels) |
| Telephoto | 10 MP (f/2.4, 67mm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) | 48 MP 5x Telephoto (f/2.8, 120mm, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift OIS) (wins this row: higher) |
| Max optical zoom | 3x optical zoom | 5x optical zoom (up to 25x digital zoom) (wins this row: higher) |
| Stabilization | OIS on main and 3x telephoto cameras | 3D sensor-shift OIS on main and 5x telephoto cameras |
| Video | 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+ | 4K at 24/25/30/60/120 fps Dolby Vision HDR, ProRes LOG, Spatial Video |
Front camera
leads 1-0| Selfie camera | 12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF) | 24 MP TrueDepth with Center Stage (f/1.9, autofocus) (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Selfie video | 4K at 30/60 fps | 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision HDR |
Battery & charging
leads 1-0| Capacity | 4,900 mAh (wins this row: higher) | 4,850 mAh |
|---|---|---|
| Wired chargingNot on the official sheet | 45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min) | Fast charging up to 50% in 30 min (supports 30W+ peak charging) |
| Wireless charging | 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 | 25W MagSafe / 15W Qi2 |
| Reverse wireless | 4.5W Wireless PowerShare | 4.5W reverse wired charging via USB-C |
| Charger in box | No | No |
Audio
1 differences| Speakers | Stereo speakers tuned by AKG | Stereo speakers with Spatial Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Headphone jack | No | No |
Connectivity
5 differences| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave in US) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band) | Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1 wireless chip |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| NFC | Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay) | Yes (Apple Pay with Express Cards) |
| USB | USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out) | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps, DisplayPort out) |
| SIM | Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM | Dual eSIM (US model, no physical SIM tray) |
Features
3 differences| Biometrics | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock | Face ID (TrueDepth camera) |
|---|---|---|
| Extra controls | None | Action Button, Camera Control button with tactile force sensor |
| Standout features | Galaxy AI suite (Circle to Search, Now Brief, Live Translate, Note Assist), Samsung DeX desktop mode, UWB support | Apple Intelligence, Camera Control button, Action button, Apple N1 wireless chip, Second-gen UWB, Dynamic Island, Satellite Emergency SOS |
Which one should you buy
Pick this one if
Samsung Galaxy S25+
6.7-inch Galaxy S25+ featuring Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, QHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 12GB RAM standard, and upgraded 50MP ultrawide.
- Snapdragon 8 Elite custom 3nm performance with 12GB RAM standard
- Sharp QHD+ 120Hz LTPO screen with slim 7.3mm profile
- 7 years of full Android OS and security upgrades
What you give up
- No built-in S Pen stylus like the Ultra
- Telephoto zoom capped at 3x optical
Pick this one if
iPhone 17 Pro Max
6.9-inch flagship iPhone powered by A19 Pro chip, 48MP triple camera system with 5x optical zoom, ProMotion 120Hz, and Apple N1 wireless chip.
- A19 Pro chip with class-leading single-core and GPU compute
- All-48MP triple rear camera array with 5x optical zoom and 24MP Center Stage front camera
- Exceptional battery life up to 35 hours video playback
What you give up
- Premium starting price ($1,199)
- Large 6.9-inch frame requires two hands for most tasks
Best for each use
Photos
For photos, buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Battery & updates
Too close to call on battery & updates from the spec sheets. Only capacity is rankable here.
Games & video
For games & video, buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S25+ ↗ · iPhone 17 Pro Max ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
Samsung Galaxy S25+ costs $200 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or iPhone 17 Pro Max?
Both has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Which is better for photos, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
For photos, buy the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Leads 3 of 5 rankable photos specs; Samsung Galaxy S25+ takes 2. Max optical zoom: 5x optical zoom vs 3x optical zoom
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.