Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max scores 8.1 in our rating, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra scores 8.0. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max leads in battery and value for money, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is ahead in design and software support. At launch in the US, the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max cost $100.99 less ($1,199 vs $1,299.99). The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is the newer phone, announced Sep 9, 2025.
Key differences
Why choose the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Bigger battery 5,088 mAh vs 5,000 mAh
- Brighter screen 3,000 nits vs 2,600 nits
- Lower launch price $1,199 vs $1,299.99
- Newer model Sep 9, 2025 vs Jan 22, 2025
- Faster wireless charging 25 W vs 15 W
- More storage 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB vs 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
Why choose the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
- Faster wired charging 45 W vs 40 W
- Longer optical zoom 5× vs 4×
- More RAM 12 GB / 16 GB vs 12 GB
- Lighter 218 g vs 233 g
- Thinner 8.2 mm vs 8.75 mm
- Higher-resolution video 8K@30 vs 4K@120
PhoneRanked scores
Calculated from specs, relative to phones from the same year and price range. How we rate phones
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Overall
8.1
8.0
Display
8.5
8.4
Performance
8.7
8.5
Camera
8.6
8.6
Battery
7.2
6.2
Design
8.4
8.8
Software support
7.4
9.2
Value for money
6.1
5.5
Display
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Size
6.9 inches
6.9 inches
Type
OLED, Super Retina XDR
OLED, Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Resolution
1320 × 2868 px
1440 × 3120 px
Pixel density
460 ppi
498 ppi
Refresh rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
Adaptive refresh
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Peak brightness
3,000 nits
2,600 nits
HDR
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
HDR10, HDR10+
Protection
Ceramic Shield 2
Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Performance
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Process
3 nm
3 nm
GPU
Apple 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators
Adreno 830
RAM
12 GB
12 GB / 16 GB
Storage
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB
256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB
Storage type
—
UFS 4.0
microSD slot
✕ No
✕ No
Cameras
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Main camera
48 MP, f/1.78
200 MP, f/1.7, 1/1.3"
Optical stabilization
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Ultrawide
48 MP
50 MP
Telephoto
48 MP, 4× optical, periscope
50 MP, 5× optical, periscope
Optical zoom
4×
5×
Rear cameras
3
4
Rear video
4K@120
8K@30
Front camera
18 MP
12 MP
Front video
4K@60
—
Battery and charging
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Capacity
5,088 mAh
5,000 mAh
Battery type
Li-Ion
Li-Ion
Wired charging
40 W
45 W
Wireless charging
25 W
15 W
Reverse wireless
✕ No
✓ Yes
Charger in box
✕ No
✕ No
Design and build
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Dimensions
163.4 × 78 × 8.75 mm
162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm
Thickness
8.75 mm
8.2 mm
Weight
233 g
218 g
Form factor
Bar
Bar
Frame
Aluminum
Titanium
Back
Metal
Glass
Water resistance
IP68
IP68
Fingerprint
None
Under-display ultrasonic
3D face unlock
✓ Yes
✕ No
SIM
eSIM only
—
Colors
Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, Silver
Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Pinkgold
Connectivity and features
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
5G
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth
6.0
5.4
USB
USB-C 3.x
USB-C 3.x
NFC
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
3.5 mm jack
✕ No
✕ No
Stereo speakers
✓ Yes
✓ Yes
Satellite
✓ Yes
✕ No
IR blaster
✕ No
✕ No
Software
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
OS at launch
iOS 26
Android 15
Interface
—
One UI 7
OS updates
—
7 years
Security updates
5 years
7 years
Launch and price
Spec
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Announced
Sep 9, 2025
Jan 22, 2025
Released
Sep 19, 2025
Feb 7, 2025
Status
Discontinued
Released
US launch price
$1,199
$1,299.99
Green marks the stronger value in a row. Specs come from official manufacturer data, cross-checked with established tech media; each phone page lists its sources. Report an error
vs
vs
vs
vs