Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battle Of Top-Tier Flagships

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With the launch of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung is taking on one of the most capable smartphones of 2025, the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Given that the phones offer the best hardware and software from their respective companies, it makes sense to look at a detailed comparison before buying one. To help you make an informed decision, here’s a detailed comparison between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, comparing all the aspects of the smartphones, including their design, display, performance, optics, software, and more.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Design

Dimensions

  • Galaxy S25 Ultra: 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm; 218 grams
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max: 163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm; 227 grams

While the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max share their dimensions, Samsung’s flagship is nine grams lighter than the iPhone.

Design

The Galaxy S25 Ultra features more rounded corners than its predecessor, giving it a slightly different look than the S24 Ultra, which had a more boxy appearance. On the front, the smartphone has minimal bezels with a tiny punch-hole camera at the top. The screen is protected by the Corning Gorilla Armor 2, which offers protection against scratches while reducing the reflections from the screen.

On the back, the phone features Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and protruding camera sensors (like we’ve seen on the S24 Ultra). Last but not least, the phone’s frame is made of titanium, adding more strength and a premium feel to the smartphone.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, like its predecessor, features rounded corners, thin bezels on the front, a Dynamic Island at the top of the screen, and the latest-generation Ceramic Shield front protection. On the back, the phone features a textured matt glass back, along with a square-shaped camera island that houses the three sensors, the LiDAR sensor, and the flash module.

Like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s frame is also made of titanium.

Colors

  • Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Pinkgold, Titanium Jetblack, and Titanium Jadegreen
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium

IP Rating

Both the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max feature an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. However, while the S25 Ultra is rated to survive 1.5m of submersion for up to 30 minutes, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is rated to survive up to 6m of depth for up to 30 minutes.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 16 vs. Pixel 9: Which One Should You Buy?

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Display

Out of the box, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x QHD+ screen that supports a Super Smooth 120Hz refresh rate (1-120Hz) and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits. Samsung’s flagship also comes with an S-Pen, which unlocks several useful features like note-taking, ease of editing pictures, etc.

On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max also features a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display that supports ProMotion technology (1-120Hz variable refresh rate) and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. However, the iPhone can also reach a minimum brightness of 1 nit.

While both phones feature a similar screen size, they also offer the Adaptive Color Tone (Samsung) or the True Tone (Apple) feature, which adjusts the temperature of the phone’s screen according to the ambient lighting.

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Performance

Snapdragon 8 Elite

On the one hand is the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which houses the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) SoC that offers exceptional CPU, GPU, and NPU performance. Regarding the CPU, the processor features two 4.47 GHz prime cores and six 3.53 GHz performance cores. For added graphical performance, the Adreno 830 can now utilize the Vulkan Engine API along with improved ray tracing.

Regarding memory and storage options, the Galaxy S25 Ultra should ship with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. Most recently, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy appeared on the GeekBench 6 benchmark on the Galaxy S25 Plus, where it scored 2,721/9,435 points in the single/multi-core performance test.

In addition, the exceptionally powerful NPU on the chipset is capable of running features like Generative Edit (which were previously dependent on cloud processing) entirely on the device. Moreover, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a performance beast, and that should be evident while playing video games, editing videos, or multitasking between several apps.

Also Read: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Launched: Specs, Features, and Upcoming Phones

In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max features Apple’s A18 Pro (3nm) chipset, which has two 4.05 GHz prime cores and four 2.42 GHz balanced cores. The chipset also features a hexa-core GPU, which is capable of handling AAA video games with hardware-accelerated ray tracing. For prolonged gaming sessions, the phone also features a new internal design that is better at dissipating heat.

Regarding memory and storage, the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers 8GB of RAM and up to 1TB of NVMe storage. When it comes to benchmarks, the top-tier iPhone scores 3,490/8,606 points in the single/multi-core GeekBench 6 performance test. In addition to the advanced CPU and GPU, the A18 Pro chip also has a capable Neural Engine that enables the Apple Intelligence features.

While the A18 Pro offers better single-core performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite offers a higher multi-threaded performance, implying that it should be better at handling more demanding tasks that require multiple processor cores. Even so, both smartphones should provide excellent performance.

Also Read: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Apple A18 Pro Benchmark Comparision: Which Chip Crushes the Competition?

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Optics

Galaxy S25 Ultra Camera Configuration

  • 200MP (f/1.7, OIS) primary camera with autofocus
  • 50MP (f/1.9, 120°) ultrawide camera with autofocus
  • 50MP (f/3.4, OIS) camera sensor with a 5x telephoto sensor
  • 10MP (f/2.4, OIS) camera sensor with 3x optical zoom
  • 12MP (f/2.2) selfie shooter

Additional camera features include 100x Space Zoom, 8K video recording at 30 fps, 4K video recording at 120 fps, macro photography, Log Video, and AI-based editing features.

iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Configuration

  • 48MP (f/1.8) primary camera with sensor-shift optical image stabilization
  • 48MP (f/2.2) ultrawide camera
  • 12MP (f/2.8) sensor with 5x periscope telephoto lens and sensor-shift optical image stabilization
  • 12MP (f/1.9) selfie shooter with OIS

Additional camera features include 25x digital zoom, 4K Dolby Vision recording at up to 120 fps, Smart HDR 5, next-generation Photographic Styles, Apple ProRAW recording, four studio-quality microphones, wind noise reduction, and Audio Mix.

Also Read: Reno 13 Pro vs. OnePlus 13R: Which Is The Better Android ‘Flagship Killer’ Below Rs. 50,000?

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Software

The Galaxy S25 Ultra features One UI 7, which comes with Galaxy AI at its core. With a better understanding of natural language, the smartphone can offer tailored AI experiences. It is not just better at processing text, speech, photos, and videos, but it is better at executing tasks that include accessing multiple apps (thanks to Gemini’s on-screen awareness).

The Circle to Search feature can now pick up any phone numbers or email IDs on the screen. Apart from a deep AI integration, One UI 7 also brings a couple of visual and performance tweaks to improve the overall user experience. Last but not least, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will receive seven years of major Android updates (along with security updates).

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy AI Features Explained: All Game-Changing Features That Are A Galaxy S24 First

On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max ships with iOS 18, offering many additions for iPhone users. For instance, it comes with a revamped Control Center, a dedicated Game Mode, native call recording, and so on.

For now, the company focuses on Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools, Webpage Summaries, ChatGPT-integrated Siri, Visual Intelligence, Genmoji, and Image Playground. However, Samsung has clearly beaten Apple by integrating on-screen awareness into its AI chatbot. Even otherwise, Galaxy AI offers more features than Apple Intelligence (at least at the moment).

Although Apple doesn’t commit to a fixed number of software updates, the company has had an excellent track record of supporting older devices for a prolonged period (five to six years, seven years in some cases), and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is no different.

Also Read: Apple Intelligence India: How to Access on iOS 18.1

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery Life And Charging

The Galaxy S25 Ultra ships with a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 45W fast wired charging (charges up to 65% in around 30 minutes), Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, and Wireless PowerShare. Per the official website, the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers up to 31 hours of video playback hours.

In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max sports a 4,685 mAh battery that supports 20W fast wired charging (up to 50% in around 30 minutes), MagSafe wireless charging (up to 25W with 30W adapter), Qi2 wireless charging (up to 15W), and Qi wireless charging (up to 7.5W). The iPhone 16 Pro Max is rated to provide up to 27 hours of video playback (offline) and up to 22 hours of video playback (streamed).

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Connectivity

The Galaxy S25 Ultra offers connectivity options like Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.4, NFC, ultra-wideband for Google’s Find My Device network, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 port.

In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max also provides Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.3, NFC, a second-generation ultra-wideband chip for a better Find My range, and a USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port.

Also Read: OnePlus 13 vs. Pixel 9: Which Is The Better Android Flagship In 2025?

Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Price And Conclusion

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Pricing

Given that Samsung is offering a free storage upgrade to those who pre-book the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it makes more sense to purchase the smartphone. You’d pay for the 256GB variant but get the 512GB at no additional cost. Further, the smartphone also offers the S-Pen for added functionality, a more comprehensive set of AI-based features, and a larger battery life.

On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the best iPhone money can buy right now. It offers a ProMotion display, Dynamic Island, iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence, and one of the most powerful chipsets on a smartphone, A18 Pro. Even the camera can zoom in optically up to 5x, which is enough for most cases. Those who’ve been using an iPhone for a long time and don’t want to switch to Android can definitely go with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

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Smartprix StaffSmartprix Staff
The SM Staff team consists of tech-savvy writers and editors adept at simplifying complex tech into easily understandable information.



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