Phones
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: The Battle for Supremacy
The competition for the title of the best smartphone heats up between Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple’s latest iPhone 16 Pro Max. Here’s a detailed look at how these two giants measure up, based on leaks, rumors, and the latest in tech trends.
Design:
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra:
- Samsung is rumored to maintain its signature sleek design with a large titanium frame, and glass on both sides. The S Pen remains a unique feature, providing exceptional functionality for note-taking and spontaneous sketching directly on the device.
- Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- Apple’s latest smartphone follows its tradition with a refined look, featuring a new titanium frame for durability and a slightly larger 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display compared to its predecessor. It has rounded corners for better handling and introduces a Camera Control button for an enhanced photo-taking experience.
Display:
- Galaxy S25 Ultra:
- The device is expected to come with a 6.8-inch or possibly 6.9-inch AMOLED display. Samsung’s displays have historically boasted higher peak brightness levels, making them excellent for outdoor use.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- It has a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display. With Apple’s focus on color accuracy and brightness, this display is optimized for both viewing and gaming.
Performance:
- S25 Ultra:
- It is likely to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. This chip promises significant boosts in CPU and GPU performance, particularly in multi-core processing and graphics, potentially outpacing the iPhone in raw power. The device is rumored to support up to 16GB of RAM.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- It is equipped with Apple’s A18 Pro chip, which aims at superior power efficiency and performance. However, early benchmarks suggest it might lag behind the S25 Ultra in multi-core performance. The 16 Pro Max has 8GB of RAM.
Camera:
- S25 Ultra:
- The device is rumored to retain or slightly enhance its setup with a 200MP main sensor, possibly introducing variable zoom features for smoother video transitions. It is likely to have the industry’s best zooming experience.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- The device features a triple rear-camera setup, including a 48MP main sensor, but lacks the megapixel count of Samsung’s offering. However, It does provide superior image quality in various conditions.
Battery:
- S25 Ultra:
- The Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to feature a 5,000 mAh battery, focusing on efficiency with the new chip for prolonged battery life. It is likely to support 45W charging speed.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- Known for its battery optimization, it has a 4685mAh battery but tends to offer a competitive battery life due to iOS’s efficiency. It has a slower charging speed as compared to the S25 Ultra.
Software:
- S25 Ultra:
- Samsung has committed to offering 7 years of One UI software support to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, a significant advantage for longevity and security updates, outmatching Apple’s typical 5-year iOS upgrade promise. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will run Android 15-based One UI 7 custom skin.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- The device is launched with iOS 18, and it also brought Apple Intelligence (AI) features, though currently, these are still in the pipeline for full rollout.
AI:
- S25 Ultra:
- Samsung has a lot better and improved Artificial Intelligence. With its advanced AI suite, Samsung is offering on-device and cloud-based AI enhancements for photography, productivity, and more.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- The device has recently received the Apple Intelligence feature. However, it is still in a very early stage. There’s no comparison between the Galaxy AI and Apple’s AI.
Price:
- Galaxy S25 Ultra:
- You might have to pay a higher price, based on rumors, the $1,399 for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 variant. Remember, the exact pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will only be confirmed once Samsung officially launches the device, expected in early 2025.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- It starts at $1,199 for the 256GB model in the US.
Conclusion:
If the rumors are right, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is set to be a super strong phone with big improvements, especially in AI and software updates. The iPhone 16 Pro Max keeps up Apple’s tradition of being easy to use, well-made, and works smoothly with other Apple devices.
Disclaimer: All information regarding the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is based on rumors and leaks. Official specifications and features might differ when the device is released.
Samsung is unlikely to use Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy S25 series. Qualcomm has increased the prices of the Snapdragon 8 Elite due to upgrades. However, MediaTek could help Samsung keep on evolving flagships as Snapdragon price soars.
Recently, it was reported that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 could be pricier than the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Samsung Foundry is in trouble and there’s no hope for Exynos 2600 to be used in 2026’s Galaxy S26 flagship smartphones.
Chipset price makes a great impact on smartphone pricing. Samsung managed to freeze pricing by utilizing Exynos in previous flagships. However, the game has changed as consumers don’t want Exynos and Snapdragon continues to be pricier.
Korean media (via Jukanlosreve) believes that MediaTek could help Samsung flagships keep on evolving further amid pricier Snapdragon. If Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is to be exclusively used in the S26 series, we may not see any display and camera upgrades.
Chinese phone makers aggressively utilize the Dimensity chips, that decently rival the latest Snapdragon chipset. Exynos is uncertain but MediaTek is doing a pretty good job with its flagship Dimensity chips.
In the case of no Exynos, opting for Dimensity in the Galaxy S series is a better alternative. MediaTek’s prices are way too lesser than Qualcomm’s. Meanwhile, flagship Dimensity chips offer better performance than Samsung’s Exynos.
Samsung skipped upgrading the display and zoom camera on the S25 Ultra, as far as the rumors are concerned. It could be forced to replace the same pursuit on the Galaxy S26 series otherwise, the price freeze would be unavoidable.
Global Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra surfaced on the FCC database. Earlier, we’ve seen the appearance of the US variants of the S25 series. The listing reveals the model number, connectivity specs, and some more info.
FCC listed Global Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra as model numbers SM-S931B, SM-S936B, and SM-S938B, respectively. The variants will be launched outside the US such as Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The input solidifies that the vanilla S25 won’t feature UWB tech. The fast and secure connectivity feature will be limited to the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. The US variants listing revealed the UWB configuration on the upcoming flagships.
Supporting documents suggest that the S25 and S25+ were tested with the EP-TA800 charging adaptor and EP-DN980 cable. Support for Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/a/ac/ax/be), GNSS, DP, and NFC are also mentioned.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is also listed with S Pen support. It will be the only model in the lineup that will be supporting stylus input. As far as the charging speed is concerned, the S25 Plus and S25 Ultra will bring 45W fast charging support.
The flagship will also feature Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n/a/ac/ax/be), GNSS, UWB, DP, and NFC connectivity. The supported 5G bands include n1/2/3/5/7/8/12/20/25/26/28/38/40/41/66/77/78.
Galaxy S25 Ultra Release Date
Samsung hasn’t yet officially announced the release date for the Galaxy S25 series. South Korea is currently facing political tension as the President has recently imposed Martial Law (Emergency) and lifted it shortly after.
Korean media previously reported that the Galaxy Unpacked may be held in late January next year. If things continue to go as planned, we can expect the S25 series to be unveiled on January 22, while release could happen in early February.
Samsung has just tested Exynos 2500 chipset on the Galaxy S25 Plus. Samsung’s unannounced SM-S936B was spotted on Geekbench 6. However, the retail model could be equipped with Snapdragon 8 Elite globally.
As spotted by Jukanlosreve, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus running Exynos 2500 scored up to 2358 and 8211 points in single-core and multi-core tests. The model number refers to the European variant of the Galaxy S25 Plus smartphone.
In early November, the chipset was spotted on the same handset with similar Geekbench scores. That time, the Exynos 2500 reached 2,359 points and 8,141 points in Geekbench 6’s single-core and multi-core CPU tests.
The current Exynos 2500 benchmark scores are far from its rivals. The Snapdragon 8 Elite manages to reach up to 3127 and 9509, while Dimensity 9400 reaches 2711 and 8632 points in single and multi-core tests, respectively.
It is said that the Exynos 2500 may not power the Galaxy S25 series. The Korean tech giant has reportedly commenced mass production. The next year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 could be equipped with a 3nm-based Exynos 2500 processor.
Geekbench reveals that the Exynos 2500 features a 10-core CPU, with the prime CPU core clocked at 3.3GHz, two high-performance cores at 2.75GHz, and three at 2.36GHz. The platform has two power-efficient CPU cores, running at 1.8GHz.
Samsung’s in-house chip is speculated to get Xclipse 950 GPU based on AMD’s RDNA architecture. It could also be supported by Vulkan 1.3, additional dynamic state, device profiles, dynamic rendering, and improved sync API.
The Foundry division is currently facing yield issues with the 3nm process. Industry observers estimate that the yield rate is extremely low (around 20%). Given the yield concerns, Exynos 2500 is unlikely in the Galaxy S25 series next year.