When it comes to flagship phones, few battles are as hotly contested as Samsung and Apple.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max represent the best of Android and iOS, pushing boundaries in performance, design, and innovation.
Here’s a breakdown of their strengths and weaknesses to help you decide which one deserves your pocket.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max both sport massive 6.9-inch screens, but they approach visual experiences quite differently.
Samsung continues its legacy of OLED excellence with a 1440 x 3120 AMOLED panel that hits a peak brightness of 2600 nits.
What sets the S25 Ultra apart is the Corning Gorilla Armour 2, which reduces reflections and boosts durability, making the screen more readable outdoors.
Luke Baker
The iPhone 16 Pro Max’s Super Retina XDR OLED display offers a slightly lower resolution at 1320 x 2868 pixels but with stunning colour accuracy and HDR support.
Its peak brightness of 2000 nits is lower than Samsung’s, but Apple’s night-friendly 1-nit Always-On Display and seamless iOS animations enhance the experience.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
Ultimately, the Galaxy S25 Ultra wins for outdoor readability and resolution, especially if you consume a lot of media.
Performance
The Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, paired with 12GB of RAM. It’s a performance beast, effortlessly handling demanding games and apps.
Samsung’s vapour chamber cooling also helps maintain peak performance during extended gaming sessions, although the frame can still get quite warm.
Luke Baker
The iPhone 16 Pro Max counters with its A18 Pro chip, which outpaces even some Apple laptops in benchmarks.
While it only has 8GB of RAM, Apple’s hardware-software integration makes it blisteringly fast, from editing 4K video to gaming with ray tracing.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
In our Geekbench 6 multi-core test, the S25 Ultra edged out the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 9413 points, leaving the latter behind with only 8387 points.
Given that, Samsung’s flagship is the better choice when it comes to raw performance and if you’re looking for the best gaming phone.
Cameras
Samsung continues its megapixel dominance with a 200Mp main camera, complemented by a 50Mp ultrawide and dual telephoto lenses offering 3x and 5x optical zoom.
The S25 Ultra’s colours and skin tones are more natural than before, thanks to its AI-powered ProVisual Engine. However, the 3x telephoto is underwhelming with its ageing 10Mp sensor, and low-light performance remains noisy.
Luke Baker
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max takes a different route with 48Mp sensors for both the main and ultrawide cameras, plus a 12Mp 5x telephoto lens.
Portrait shots, low-light images, and video recording (including 4K at 120fps) are simply stunning, with Apple maintaining its edge in colour accuracy and natural-looking results.
The new Camera Control button adds a handy tactile way to shoot, zoom and more without tapping the screen.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
While Samsung offers versatility with its dual telephoto lenses, Apple leads with superior low-light and portrait capabilities, ultimately proving to be the better camera phone between the two.
Other Differences
The iPhone 16 Pro Max packs a 4685mAh battery (according to GSMArena) and can get from 0-50% in 28 minutes of charging.
However, the S25 Ultra not only features a more capacious 5000mAh cell but can also go from fully flat to around 70% charged in just half an hour. Both support reverse wireless charging.
Meanwhile, the S25 Ultra’s S Pen remains a unique productivity tool, but its loss of Bluetooth functionality is a letdown.
Luke Baker
The S25 Ultra runs on Android 15, known for deep customisation, a wide range of third-party apps, and easy sideloading. Samsung’s own One UI 7 skin also adds a refined interface with Galaxy AI integrations.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, powered by iOS 18, offers a tightly integrated ecosystem with features like AirDrop, iMessage, and FaceTime, as well as prioritising security and privacy.
As for supporting the system with updates, both Samsung and Apple promise seven years of update support.
Price & Availability
The Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at £1,249/$1,299 for the 256GB model and rises to £1,349/$1,419 for the 512GB version. Additionally, the 1TB model is priced at £1,549/$1,659.
You can buy it directly from Samsung UK and Samsung US, as well as Amazon UK, Amazon US, and other third-party retailers.
$1,067.99
The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at £1,099/$1,099 for the base model with 256GB of storage. The 512GB version costs £1,399/$1,399, while you’ll pay £1,599/$1,599 for 1TB of storage.
The phones are available outright from Apple UK and Apple US, but also via a range of third-party retailers.
$1199
$1199.99
Verdict
Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra emerges as the winner. That is, if you’re choice isn’t simply between Android and iOS.
It offers a more feature-rich experience, with superior display tech, better performance, a bigger battery, faster charging and productivity tools like the S Pen.
While the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a powerhouse within the Apple ecosystem, has great cameras, and is the best option for anyone already using an older iPhone, the S25 Ultra provides better value and versatility.
Even though its base price is more expensive, all the above make Samsung’s flagship the top pick for those who want the ultimate flagship experience, especially if you can get it with a discount which is easier to come by than on the iPhone side of the fence.
