Head to head
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads 8 to 2 on the 10 rankable specs, but iPhone 17 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 16 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: 8 to 2
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Leads 8 of 10 rankable overall specs; iPhone 17 Pro Max takes 2.
- Weight: 219 g vs 231 g
- Capacity: 5,000 mAh vs 4,850 mAh
- iPhone 17 Pro Max is $100 cheaper. Pay the difference only if weight matters to you.
Deal-breakers
tick what would make you walk away
- Clear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)Trips:iPhone 17 Pro Max · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:iPhone 17 Pro Max · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:iPhone 17 Pro Max · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:iPhone 17 Pro Max · No
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Weight
Samsung
219 g (7.72 oz)
Apple
231 g (8.15 oz)
Sizesame
Samsung
6.9 inches
Apple
6.9 inches
Chipset≠
Samsung
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
Apple
Apple A19 Pro (3 nm)
RAM≠
Samsung
12 GB (16 GB option)
Apple
12 GB
Max optical zoom≠
Samsung
5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)
Apple
5x optical zoom (up to 25x digital zoom)
Capacity
Samsung
5,000 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 2-0| Dimensions | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm | 163.4 × 78.0 × 8.75 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 219 g (7.72 oz) (wins this row: lower) | 231 g (8.15 oz) |
| Build | Titanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and 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 | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium |
| Stylus | Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it) | No |
Display
leads 2-1| Type | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X | Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.9 inches | 6.9 inches |
| Resolution | 3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher) | 2868 × 1320 |
| Pixel density | 505 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 Armor 2 (anti-reflective) | 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
2 differences| RAM | 12 GB (16 GB option) | 12 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0) | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB |
| microSD | No | No |
Rear camera
leads 3-0| Main | 200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, 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, macro) (wins this row: higher) | 48 MP (f/2.2, 13mm, 120° FOV, hybrid Focus Pixels) |
| Telephoto | 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) | 48 MP 5x Telephoto (f/2.8, 120mm, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift OIS) |
| Max optical zoom | 5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) | 5x optical zoom (up to 25x digital zoom) |
| Stabilization | OIS on main and both telephoto cameras | 3D sensor-shift OIS on main and 5x telephoto cameras |
| Video | 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video | 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 | 5,000 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 | S Pen air gestures | Action Button, Camera Control button with tactile force sensor |
| Standout features | Built-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX | 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 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
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 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Battery & updates
Too close to call on battery & updates from the spec sheets. Only capacity is rankable here.
Games & video
Too close to call on games & video from the spec sheets. Only peak brightness is rankable here.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ↗ · iPhone 17 Pro Max ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
iPhone 17 Pro Max costs $100 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 17 Pro Max?
iPhone 17 Pro Max has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Which is better for photos, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 3 of 4 rankable photos specs; iPhone 17 Pro Max takes 1. Main: 200 MP vs 48 MP Fusion
What cannot be compared from spec sheets?
Of the 48 specs tracked here, 38 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.