Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.9-inch Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite) that was released on January 22, 2025, against the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is powered by Apple A19 Pro and came out 8 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Price Comparison: Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max

Model	Storage	Launch Price (US)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra	256 GB	$1,299
	512 GB	$1,419
	1 TB	$1,659
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max	256 GB	$1,199
	512 GB	$1,399
	1 TB	$1,599

Key Differences

Feature	Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra	Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Rear Camera Zoom	Equipped with a 5x optical zoom for sharper close-ups	–
Fingerprint Scanner	Offers an in-display fingerprint scanner for secure unlocking	Relies on Face ID, no fingerprint sensor
Performance (AnTuTu)	Scores 32% higher (2758K vs 2094K), making it faster in overall tasks	Slightly lower AnTuTu performance
CPU Cores	Comes with a higher number of CPU cores (+2), improving multitasking	–
Bluetooth	–	Supports newer Bluetooth v6.0, ensuring better connectivity and efficiency
GeekBench Single-Core	–	24% faster in single-core performance (3895 vs 3147), meaning stronger peak speed

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Type	Dynamic AMOLED	OLED
Size	6.9 inches	6.9 inches
Resolution	1440 × 3120 pixels	1320 × 2868 pixels
Aspect ratio	19.5:9	19.5:9
Pixel density (PPI)	498 ppi (sharper)	460 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	Yes (1–120 Hz)	Yes (1–120 Hz)
Max brightness (typical)	–	3000 nits
Max brightness (HDR)	2600 nits	1600 nits
HDR support	HDR10+	Dolby Vision
Touch sampling rate	240 Hz (very responsive)	–
Protection	Gorilla Armor 2	–
Screen-to-body ratio	92.4%	91.6%
Extras	DCI-P3, AOD, DC Dimming	DCI-P3, AOD

Design & Build

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Height	162.8 mm	163.4 mm
Width	77.6 mm	78 mm
Thickness	8.2 mm	8.75 mm
Weight	218 g	233 g
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Cooling	Vapor chamber	Vapor chamber
Materials	Glass back, metal frame	Glass back, metal frame
Colors	Black, Silver, Gray, Blue	Silver, Blue, Orange
Biometrics	In-display fingerprint	Face ID (no fingerprint)

Performance

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Chipset	Snapdragon 8 Elite	Apple A19 Pro
Max clock speed	4470 MHz	4260 MHz
CPU cores	8 (2+6)	6 (2+4)
GPU	Adreno 830 (1536 units)	Apple A19 GPU (768 units)
GPU FLOPS	~3379 GFLOPS	~2488 GFLOPS
Geekbench 6 Single-core	3147	3895 (+24%)
Geekbench 6 Multi-core	9750	9746 (similar)
Geekbench Compute (GPU)	25,681	45,657
AnTuTu 10 Total	2,758,993 (+32%)	2,094,047

Memory & Storage

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
RAM	12 GB (LPDDR5X, 5333 MHz, dual-channel)	12 GB (LPDDR5X, quad-channel)
Storage	256 GB (UFS 4.0)	256 GB (NVMe)
Expandable	No	No

Software

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
OS	Android 15 (One UI 7.0)	iOS 26
OS footprint	30.4 GB	N/A

Battery – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Capacity	5000 mAh	5088 mAh
Charging (wired)	45 W (72% in 30 min, full in 59 min)	40 W (50% in 20 min)
Wireless charging	25 W	25 W
Reverse charging	Yes (wireless)	Yes
Battery life (tests)	Web: 11h10, Video: 19h32, Gaming: 6h22, Standby: 160h	n/a
Overall endurance	~31h10	n/a

Cameras

Main Camera – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Main sensor	200 MP, f/1.7, 23 mm	48 MP, f/1.6, 24 mm
Telephoto	50 MP, 5x optical zoom	48 MP, 4x optical zoom
Ultra-wide	50 MP	48 MP
Video	8K @ 30 fps, 4K @ 120 fps, 1080p @ 240 fps	4K @ 120 fps, 1080p @ 240 fps
Camera features	Pro mode, RAW, Bokeh, OIS	Pro mode, RAW, Bokeh, OIS
DxOMark score	Photo: 144, Video: 143, Overall: 146	n/a

Selfie Camera – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Resolution	12 MP	18 MP
Aperture	f/2.2	f/1.9
Stabilization	Digital	Optical
Video	4K @ 60 fps	4K @ 60 fps
Depth Sensor	No	Yes (TOF 3D)

Connectivity – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 7	Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth	5.4	6.0
USB	Type-C 3.2, DP 1.2	Type-C 3.2, DP 1.2
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS	+ NavIC support
NFC	Yes	Yes
SIM	Nano + eSIM	eSIM only
5G	Yes	Yes

Sound – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Speakers	Stereo, Dolby Atmos	Stereo, Dolby Atmos
Headphone jack	No	No
FM Radio	No	No
Max loudness	93 dB	n/a

Other Info – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Feature	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 17 Pro Max
Category	Flagship	Flagship
Launch Price (MSRP)	$1299	$1199
Announced	Jan 2025	Sep 2025
Release	Feb 2025	Sep 2025
Sensors	Full suite + fingerprint	Full suite + Face ID
Charger in box	Not included	Not included

FAQs – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Q1. Which phone has the better display?
Both have 6.9″ OLED panels with 120Hz refresh, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max reaches 3000 nits brightness and supports Dolby Vision, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra peaks at 2600 nits HDR with HDR10+ and Gorilla Armor 2 protection.

Q2. Which device performs better in benchmarks?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra scores 32% higher in AnTuTu (2.75M vs 2.09M), while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 24% faster in Geekbench single-core. The S25 Ultra leads in multitasking, the iPhone in single-core efficiency.

Q3. Which has the better camera setup?

• Galaxy S25 Ultra: 200MP main, 50MP + 12MP telephoto (5x zoom), 50MP ultrawide, 8K video.
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: Triple 48MP setup with 4x optical zoom, 4K up to 120fps.
  If you want higher resolution and 8K video, the Galaxy wins; for consistent Apple video quality, the iPhone is strong.

Q4. Which has better battery performance?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra: 5000mAh, 45W fast charging (full in ~59 mins), reverse wireless charging.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max: 5088mAh, 40W fast charging (50% in 20 mins).
Galaxy lasts longer in endurance tests; iPhone charges faster to 50%.

Q5. Which phone is lighter?
Galaxy S25 Ultra weighs 218g, while iPhone 17 Pro Max is heavier at 233g.

Q6. Which has better connectivity?

• Galaxy S25 Ultra: Bluetooth 5.4
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: Bluetooth 6.0
  Both support Wi-Fi 7 and USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort.

Q7. What about price?

• Galaxy S25 Ultra: $1299 (launch price)
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1199 (launch price)