I Compared The Best Samsung Galaxy And Iphone Model In 2025: The Winner Is Not So Obvious

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

A speedy scan done ZDNET's database of nan best phones, and 2 names usually apical nan database -- Samsung and Apple. That's nary objection pinch our astir caller picks, arsenic nan Galaxy S25 Ultra and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max return nan apical 2 spots. That database will apt beryllium changing soon, though, arsenic Apple is expected to unveil a successor that is nan iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Also: Should you bargain nan iPhone 16 aliases iPhone 17? How to determine which exemplary to buy

Both nan 16 Pro Max and nan S25 Ultra are their brand's astir awesome phones to date, pinch each handset packed pinch premium features and high-end specs, and some being nan largest of their lineups. They besides characteristic a full batch of AI, for illustration it aliases not.

If you're already locked into a circumstantial ecosystem, nan prime present is simple. But if you're connected nan obstruction aliases you're considering switching sides, you person a determination to make. Fortunately, there's capable of a quality betwixt these 2 devices that you tin make a choice. Here's what you request to know. 

Specifications

You should bargain nan Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra if...

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

1. You want a amended (more versatile) camera system

Samsung regularly tops our list of champion telephone cameras, and nan S25 Ultra is nary different. It brings backmost nan 200MP main sensor of nan S24 Ultra, a lens that not only easy tops nan iPhone 16 Pro Max's 48MP lens (especially successful zoom) but besides went down arsenic astir apt nan champion telephone camera lens past year. The different lenses are mostly comparable, but nan truth that Samsung adds an full other lens gives it moreover much of an edge. 

Also: The champion Samsung phones to bargain successful 2025

If you're a photograph enthusiast, nan S25 Ultra besides allows for much manual controls that attack a DSLR while Apple focuses connected easiness of usage (especially pinch nan latest iOS 26 update), and nan larger sensors mean amended photos successful debased light. In addition, nan Galaxy has much AI-driven enhancements for illustration Generative Edit. The 16 Pro Max's camera is by nary intends a bad one, and you'll beryllium capable to get plentifulness of awesome pictures, but if nan camera is nan main entreaty and you have to have nan best, you'll want to take nan S25 Ultra.   

2. You want a sleeker, lighter phone 

It's easy to hide that your telephone is thing you're carrying successful your manus a lot. If you want your telephone to person a small little heft, you want nan S25 Ultra. The dimensions of these 2 devices are beautiful adjacent to each other, and some are connected nan heavier and bigger broadside of phones successful general, but nan S25 Ultra is somewhat thinner, much narrow, and a small lighter. 

The 16 Pro is simply a dense phone, coming successful astatine 227 grams compared to nan S25 Ultra's 218. That's moreover heavier than nan Pixel 9 Pro XL. 

3. You're each successful connected AI

Apple Intelligence comes pinch immoderate large promises, but immoderate of nan champion features aren't disposable yet. Galaxy AI already had reasonably robust offerings but caller Unpacked events person put moreover much connected nan table. Several caller features are coming to Galaxy AI and One UI 8, and they'll beryllium wide disposable connected Samsung's latest handsets.

Also: 5 bloatware apps you should delete from your Samsung telephone ASAP

The Personal Data Engine is simply a highlight, fundamentally an LLM that learns arsenic you usage your telephone and serves arsenic an adjunct that anticipates your needs. Multi-app commands are besides connected nan way, meaning you tin do things like, "Find adjacent vegetarian, pet-friendly restaurants and matter them to Allison" aliases "Find adjacent month's Cubs' games and adhd them to my calendar." 

Apple Intelligence is growing, and will apt present akin features, but for now, Samsung has nan clear edge. If you want to harness nan latest AI, spell pinch nan Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

You should bargain nan iPhone 16 Pro Max if...

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

1. Speed and fluidity matters

Both of these phones person nan champion chips disposable -- nan Galaxy pinch nan Snapdragon 8 Elite and nan iPhone pinch nan A18 Pro. Either of these chips is capable to grip astir processing, and nan 2 execute reasonably likewise in benchmark tests. The S25 Ultra has 12GB of RAM compared to nan 16 Pro Max's 8GB, but 8GB is capable for astir tasks. Unless you're doing immoderate dense lifting, you astir apt won't announcement nan other memory.

 Also: We tested nan iPhone 16 Pro camera system, and it's highly underrated - pinch 1 tragic flaw

The logic Apple gets nan triumph present is that a ample portion of app capacity comes down to really developers optimize them. Since Apple's spot only runs Apple devices (the Snapdragon 8 Elite powers aggregate phones pinch much to come) and developers are designing specifically for nan iOS platform, there's a bully chance apps will tally much smoothly. This intends that overall, nan 16 Pro Max will person a capacity edge.

2. You want to prevention money, moreover if you're buying astatine retail

It's not excessively often that we get to usage "Apple" and "saving money" successful nan aforesaid sentence, but present it is. Between nan Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and nan iPhone 16 Pro Max, nan second is cheaper by astir $100. This isn't considering nan after-market income that you tin find connected nan iPhone, which has been retired for astir 4 months now, versus nan recently released S25 Ultra.

Admittedly, that's little than 10% of either device, but it's a uncommon lawsuit erstwhile Apple is nan cheaper option. For 2 phones pinch very akin specs, if it comes down to nan money, spell pinch nan iPhone 16 Pro Max.

3. You scheme connected keeping your instrumentality for a while and past trading it

This isn't circumstantial to nan iPhone 16 Pro Max, but arsenic a general rule, iPhones support their worth much than immoderate different phone. If you're nan type of personification who trades up each twelvemonth aliases two, location astir apt won't beryllium overmuch of a quality here. 

But if you thin to clasp connected to your phones for longer aliases you want to waste your telephone yourself erstwhile you upgrade, you'll get much for your iPhone 16 Pro Max erstwhile nan clip comes to move on. A fewer years ago, data from a celebrated compartment telephone trade-in site showed that complete a three-year period, flagship Android devices dropped doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic iPhones.   

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