Samsung and Apple have been battling it out for dominance over the smartphone market since both companies started developing smartphones. Per the latest research, Samsung has the biggest share of the market with 19.7%, with Apple in second place with 15.7%, so it’s no surprise that their respective flagship smartphones are among the buyer favorites.

But which one is better? Can you even answer that question when so much of smartphone usage depends on personal preferences? We can’t tell you whether you should buy a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or an iPhone 17 Pro Max, but we can give you a rundown of their key features.

Key Comparisons

We all have different expectations from our smartphones— some people focus on battery life and display quality, while others seek out top-tier camera quality and expansive memory storage. To give you a well-rounded and clear insight into Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max, we focused on the following features.

Dimensions

Smartphone manufacturers have had to learn to toe the line between making the screen as big as possible while not sacrificing the phone’s mobile nature. That doesn’t mean they have always gotten it right. But, with these two flagships, both Samsung and Apple nail the balance between large screen size and compactness.

On one hand, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has dimensions of 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm with 218g in weight and a 92.5% screen-to-body ratio. On the other hand, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has dimensions of 163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm with 233g in weight, and 90.7% screen-to-body ratio.

Display

The iPhone 17 Pro Max display relies on LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED of 120Hz, which is the industry standard. But it also includes HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits typically, which determines the screen brightness, with 1600 nits on the HBM level and 3000 nits at its peak.

Compared to that, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra display relies on Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X with 120Hz in power. It can go up to 480Hz with power width modulation, along with an HDR10+ level, and 2600 nits in brightness at its peak.

Platform

The platforms these smartphones use are the standard in the industry, and they have been for over a decade. The popular iPhone utilizes the iOS 26, with an Apple A19 Pro chipset, as well as a Hexa-core CPU, and an Apple 6-core GPU. While this setup is pretty powerful, we have to note that the Samsung model has the edge here.

Samsung utilizes Android 15, up to 7 major Android upgrades, and the One UI 7 operating system. On top of that, it runs on a Qualcomm SM8750-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. This phone operates with an Octa-core CPU— widely regarded as the best in the business, and an Adreno 830 (1200 MHz) GPU.

Memory

When it comes to storage memory, these smartphones are on pretty equal footing, giving you an option to choose whether you prefer 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB. Here are the internal and RAM options:

So, as you can see, Apple has the edge with the option of internal memory of up to 2TB, while Samsung shines through with the 16GB RAM option.

Camera

One of the biggest benefits of always having a smartphone in your pocket is the powerful camera you have access to. You can take professional pictures on the go, without having to lug around a pro camera and its accessories everywhere, especially when traveling. That is exactly why the cameras are one of the main selling points of these flagship models.

Main Camera

The S25 Ultra smartphone has 4 main cameras, with the centerpiece being the 200 MP camera. Of course, that is not a knock against the two 50 MP cameras— one with ultrawide and one with periscope telephoto lens, as well as the 10 MP camera with the telephoto lens. The video option allows you to choose between recording with 8K quality, 4K quality, or 1080p quality, with HDR included.

Compared to that, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has three main cameras, each of which has 48 MP quality. Specifically, one camera has a wide lens, one has an ultra-wide lens, and one has a periscope telephoto lens. The video option on the iPhone model only offers 4K and 1080p quality, though it does include HDR too.

Selfie Camera

The iPhone 17 Pro Max definitely wins the battle of the selfie cameras. It triumphs with an 18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, 20mm camera that includes HDR and Dolby Vision. This camera also enables filming in 4K and 1080p with stereo sound.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts a 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide) selfie camera. This camera has a  1/3.2″, 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF lens that includes HDR and HDR10+. You even have the option to film in both 4K and 1080p.

Battery

Apple has two different battery options, depending on whether you get the Nano SIM or the eSIM model. The Nano SIM model comes with a Li-Ion 4823 mAh battery, while the eSIM model has a Li-Ion 5088 mAh battery. Regardless of the model, the charging capabilities are the same for the iPhone:

• Wired, PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 min
  25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W – China)
  4.5W reverse wired

Correspondingly, Samsung offers only one battery option for its flagship smartphone— the Li-Ion 5000 mAh battery. This battery comes with charging capabilities that are right in the industry standard ballpark:

• 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min
  15W wireless (Qi2 Ready)
  4.5W reverse wireless

Price

The price is one of the biggest points of difference between these two smartphones. While the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 1TB 16GB RAM model costs $1,659.99 at the Samsung store, the iPhone is pricier.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB 12GB RAM model costs $1,999 at the Apple Store. This is a price difference of almost $340— definitely not negligible.

Conclusion

All in all, Samsung and Apple are the standard in the smartphone industry for a very good reason. They keep pushing the boundaries forward, implementing new tech, and making your life easier in the process. Whether you want to focus on the camera quality, available internal storage, or even on the features like Face ID and fingerprint scan, these two models take smartphone usage to the next level.

Ultimately, whether you choose a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or an iPhone 17 Pro Max is entirely up to your preferences, because these two phones are so closely matched.