iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung S25 Ultra: Which is Best?

With the new year comes a brand new smartphone release: the Galaxy S25 series.

Officially launched during the biannual Galaxy Unpacked event, the premium S25 Ultra looks set to be Samsung's most technically advanced device yet. From the latest Galaxy AI features to a new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the device is expected to continue Samsung's rivalry with the world's most valuable brand: Apple.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is Apple's biggest and best phone yet, thanks to its upgraded 6.9-inch display and range of Apple Intelligence features. But if you're in the market for a new smartphone, which of these premium powerhouses comes out on top?

In this article, we'll compare the key features that make the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max truly impressive, including design, battery life, camera setup, and AI capabilities.

Technical Specs

Check out our detailed comparison below to see the key technical differences between the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Galaxy S25 Ultra:

Design & Display

While the iPhone 16 maintains the signature Pro Max design, the sharp rectangular sides of the S24 Ultra have been replaced by softer, rounder corners for a more comfortable grip.

The S25 Ultra will keep the same titanium frame and be available in Titanium Silver Blue, White Silver, Gray, and Black colorways, plus web-exclusive designs. The 16 Pro Max follows a similar pattern, with White Titanium, Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium colors.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max screen size has also increased from 6.7 to 6.9 inches, making it the biggest iPhone yet. Apple's border reduction structure creates narrower 1.5mm bezels, so the display appears even larger and clearer.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra will see a similar, yet slightly smaller screen size increase to 6.86 inches to rival Apple's model. However, a key difference between the two displays is peak brightness. The 25 Ultra will follow previous generations and beat the 16 Pro Max with higher maximum nits, plus an anti-reflective coating.

A significant design upgrade for the new iPhone series is the Camera Control button, joining the Action Button and Dynamic Island screen notch. This works like a digital camera's shutter button, allowing users to quickly take photos, zoom in, and focus by detecting varying pressure levels.

Camera Performance

One area where both phones have seen several small changes is the camera setup.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are among the best phones for photography on the market. While the Pro Max features an Ultrawide lens upgraded from 12 to 48MP, the Ultra's lens will increase to 50 MP. These adjustments offer a sharper, clearer image quality.

Samsung's 200 MP Main Camera will remain for the S25 Ultra, offering much greater detail than the iPhone's 48 megapixels. However, the 16 Pro Max has a wide f/2.2 aperture that offers impressive light gathering, plus a great low-light performance.

Something else new to the iPhone 16 camera is Apple's enhanced Photographic Styles. These styles make photo editing easier, allowing you to adjust warmth, tones, and contrast.

Processors & Performance

Thanks to the inclusion of Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the S25 range is expected to deliver a superior performance – including the S25 Ultra. The previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip already has a better graphics performance compared to the A18 Pro, meaning the 8 Elite should be even better.

Snapdragon's 8 Elite features 6 powerful cores that offer a 45% single and multi-core performance boost. This means faster Galaxy AI processing, smoother scrolling, and studio-quality sound.

The A18 Pro, which is exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro range, has a larger die area than its predecessor to support improved Apple Intelligence features. The insides of the Pro Max have also been redesigned to prevent any overheating that could come as a result of this new chip.

In terms of storage, both devices share the same 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with 4GB more RAM.

Battery Life

The Galaxy S25 Ultra features the same 5,000 mAh battery size as other Samsung flagships. The iPhone 16 Pro Max's 4.685 mAh may be slightly smaller, but this is the largest battery size found on an iPhone so far, and offers an impressive 33 hours of video playback.

Despite no changes to the battery size, Snapdragon's 8 Elite chipset provides power savings of 27%, plus an overall 44% greater energy efficiency for the S25 Ultra.

Although Samsung offers new faster wireless charging of 15W, Apple's MagSafe technology means that users can benefit from 25W speeds.

Software & AI Features

The Galaxy S series' latest operating system is Android One UI 7, with a new version released especially for the S25 line-up. This supports Samsung's venture into artificial intelligence, which features everything from Circle to Search and Note Assist to FlexCam for a hands-free selfie experience.

Galaxy AI is Samsung's version of Apple Intelligence, which runs on the iOS 18 operating system. Enhanced language capabilities, priority notifications, Image Playground, and Genmoji are all key tools, which could see further upgrades when iOS 18.3 launches.

Which Phone Should You Choose?

As a completely new device that's only just launched, it's difficult to say whether the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will truly take the top spot that the iPhone 16 Pro Max currently holds. At first glance, its features seem pretty similar to the S24 Ultra, but the new Snapdragon chipset, upgraded Ultrawide camera, and fresh design could give Apple's device a considerable run for its money.

What's clear is that the iPhone 16 Pro Max is Apple's greatest phone to date, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra looks set to be an impressive, if not the best, addition to the Android line-up.

When purchasing any new phone, protection is key. Although made from strong titanium materials, the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max aren't immune from drops and other impacts that cause scratches, cracks, or damaged internal components. That's where shockproof phone cases come in.

Visit Ghostek today to discover durable phone cases that blend best-in-class engineering with sleek design to extend the lifespan of your new device – whichever model you choose.