Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 4,685 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 20W | 45W |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.9 in | 6.9 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 48 MP | 200 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 227 g | 218 g |
| Released | Sep 2024 | Feb 2025 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is ahead on battery, wired charging, main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
Display
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, ProMotion technology (1-120Hz), Always-On display, HDR | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.9 inches | 6.9 inches |
| Resolution | 2868 x 1320 pixels, 460 ppi | 1440 x 3120 pixels |
| Brightness | 1000 nits (typical), 1600 nits (peak HDR), 2000 nits (peak outdoor) | — |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass, Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating | Corning Gorilla Glass Armor (rumored) |
| Features | Dynamic Island, True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch | — |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS 18 (upgradable to iOS 26.6.1 as of August 2026) | Android 15, One UI 7.0 |
| Chipset | Apple A18 Pro (3 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 for Galaxy (global) / Exynos 2500 (select regions) |
| CPU | 6-core (2x P-cores @ 4.02 GHz + 4x E-cores @ 2.42 GHz) | Octa-core (configuration varies by chipset) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (6-core graphics) | Adreno (for Snapdragon) / Xclipse (for Exynos) |
| Neural Engine | 16-core | — |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR5X | 12GB, 16GB |
| Internal Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB NVMe | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Storage | — | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Card slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.78, 24mm (wide), 2nd-gen sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF; 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), Hybrid Focus Pixels, autofocus; 12 MP, f/2.8, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 5x optical zoom, 3D sensor-shift OIS, PDAF | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Cinematic mode, ProRes video, Spatial Video, Photographic Styles, Macro photography | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps (Fusion), 1080p@24/25/30/60/120/240fps, Dolby Vision HDR, ProRes, Cinematic mode, stereo sound rec. | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Quad | — | 200 MP, f/1.7, 23mm (wide), multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 50 MP, f/3.4, 115mm (periscope telephoto), 5x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS; 10 MP, f/2.4, 69mm (telephoto), 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS; 50 MP, f/1.9, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), PDAF, OIS | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Features | HDR, Cinematic mode | Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+ |
| Video | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@24/25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 4685 mAh (18.17 Wh), non-removable | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging (50% in 30 min with 20W adapter), 15W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0, 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm (6.42 x 3.06 x 0.325 in) | Approximately 162.3 x 79 x 8.2 mm (slightly smaller than S24 Ultra) |
| Weight | 227 g (8.01 oz) | 218g - 219g |
| Build | Titanium frame, Ceramic Shield front, Textured matte glass back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Armor), glass back, titanium frame |
| SIM | Dual eSIM (US); Dual nano-SIM (Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China); nano-SIM and eSIM (elsewhere) | Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by) |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) | — |
| Stylus | — | S Pen support |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 7 (tri-band) | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | Yes | 5.4, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, up to 10Gbps) | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2024, September 09 | January 2025 |
| Status | Available. Released 2024, September 20 | Available |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — 4,685 mAh for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max versus 5,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — 227 g for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max versus 218 g for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra — Sep 2024 for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max versus Feb 2025 for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Is the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 9/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 9/10.