The iPhone 17 Pro Max has superb battery life and some handy camera upgrades, along with an attractive new design, and all-round great specs and performance. But it can't match the Ultra for lens numbers.
Pros
- Useful camera upgrades
- Superb battery life
- A bright screen
Cons
- Fewer cameras than the Ultra
- A lower resolution
- Big and heavy
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra beats Apple's phone for resolution and camera numbers, while more or less matching it in most other areas. It's also a slimmer, lighter handset, but its battery life may be worse.
Pros
- Higher resolution screen
- An extra camera
- Light for its size
Cons
- Worse battery life than the Pro Max
- No Center Stage
- Lower screen brightness
The most high-profile and powerful Android and Apple phones of the year have now launched, in the form of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
One of these phones is quite a lot newer than the other, but they both represent the pinnacle of what’s possible on each operating system, so they’re inevitably competitors.
Below then, we’ve compared the iPhone 17 Pro Max with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in detail, so you can see how they stack up.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: specs comparison
Before we look closely at the various features of these two phones, first here’s just a brief overview of their key specs.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
Dimensions and weight: | 163.4 x 78 x 8.8mm, 233g | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm, 218g |
Display: | 6.9-inch 120Hz | 6.9-inch 120Hz |
Peak brightness: | 3,000 nits | 2,600 nits |
Chipset: | A19 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
RAM: | 12GB | 12GB |
Rear cameras: | 48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto | 200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 50MP telephoto, 10MP telephoto |
Front camera: | 18MP | 12MP |
Battery: | 5,088mAh / 4,832mAh | 5,000mAh |
Storage: | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: price and availability
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has been available since September 19, 2025, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra launched back in February, and both are widely available around the world.
Both phones are priced high, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max starting at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149. That gets you 256GB of storage, but there’s also a 512GB model for $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,599 for 512GB, a 1TB model for $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,999, and a 2TB model for $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,799.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149, which again gets you 256GB of storage. Or you can pay $1,419 / £1,349 / AU$2,349 for 512GB, or $1,659 / £1,549 / AU$2,749 for 1TB.
So the starting price of the Galaxy S25 Ultra is $100 / £50 higher, with both phones having the same starting price in Australia. That said, since the Ultra has been out for a while now you might be able to find it at a slight discount.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max – unless you find the Ultra at a big discount
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: design
These two phones look quite different, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max having a large rectangular camera block running across its back, curvy corners, and a big Dynamic Island cut-out in the screen, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has individual lenses on the rear with no block housing them, less curvy corners, and a smaller cut-out in its screen.
Beyond that, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has an aluminum frame and a mix of aluminum and glass on the back, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a titanium frame and a glass back.
And their dimensions and weights also differ, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max coming in at 163.4 x 78 x 8.8mm and 233g, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra is 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm and 218g. So Apple’s phone is slightly taller, wider, thicker, and heavier.
Of course, the colors are one of the biggest visual differences, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max coming in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra is sold in Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Black, Titanium White Silver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Jade Green, Titanium Jet Black, and Titanium Pink Gold.
But both phones have an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, and while they look quite different to each other, both are stylish handsets. Our iPhone 17 Pro Max review describing it as having “an incredibly unified feel”, while our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review stated that we “like the new look and feel.”
Winner: tie
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: display
The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are more similar when it comes to their screens, as they both have a large 6.9-inch OLED display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate.
Both also have an anti-reflective coating, and are tougher than they look, thanks to Ceramic Shield 2 in the case of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 in the case of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
They do have some differences though. Samsung’s phone has a higher resolution and pixel density, coming in at 1440 x 3120 and 498 pixels per inch, to the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 1320 x 2868 and 460 pixels per inch. But Apple’s phone can get brighter, with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, compared to 2,600 nits on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Overall though these are both very good displays. Our iPhone 17 Pro Max review described its screen as “excellent”, while our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review called that phone’s screen “responsive, bright and color-rich”.
Winner: tie
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: cameras
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has three cameras on the back, specifically a 48MP f/1.6 wide camera (which can also take optical-quality 2x zoom photos), a 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a 48MP f/2.8 telephoto camera offering 4x optical zoom and 8x optical-quality zoom.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra meanwhile has four rear cameras, so one more than the iPhone. It has a 200MP f/1.7 wide camera, a 50MP f/1.9 ultra-wide (with a 120-degree field of view), a 50MP f/3.4 telephoto capable of 5x optical zoom, and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto that can take 3x zoom shots. Between its lenses it’s also capable of 2x and 10x optical-quality zoom.
On the front, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has an 18MP f/1.9 camera, with a Center Stage feature that allows it to rotate between portrait and landscape as needed, without physically turning the phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 12MP f/2.2 selfie camera without this feature.
So Samsung’s phone is capable of more zoom levels, but Apple’s front-facing camera likely has the edge, and both of these phones excel for photography overall, with our iPhone 17 Pro Max review saying that “three fantastic cameras produce eye-popping images across a range of shooting styles”, while our Galaxy S25 Ultra review said it offers “excellent photography capabilities” and can capture “exquisitely detailed imagery.”
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – unless you care about selfies more than the rear cameras
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: performance and software
Both of these phones are immensely powerful, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max having a top-end A19 Pro chipset, 12GB of RAM, and a vapor chamber to keep it cool, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a similarly impressive Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 12GB of RAM, and a vapor chamber of its own.
As for which is the most powerful, well, the A19 Pro tends to beat the Snapdragon 8 Elite in Geekbench tests, meaning its performance in most tasks is likely to be better, but 3Dmark suggests the Snapdragon might be better for gaming, as we found during extensive benchmarking of these two phones.
That said, whether you’re a gamer or not, you shouldn’t feel either of these phones are lacking for power, as they’re both among the fastest phones on the planet.
There are bigger differences when it comes to the software of course, because while the iPhone 17 Pro Max runs iOS 26, the Galaxy S25 Ultra uses Android 15 – with an update to Android 16 gradually rolling out at the time of writing.
Which operating system is best will largely be a matter of personal preference, and you probably already know whether you’re more in the Android or iOS camp.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max – unless you're big on mobile games
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: battery
In a surprising turn of events, the iPhone 17 Pro Max actually has a higher capacity battery than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – or at least it does in the US, where Apple’s latest phone is eSIM-only, leaving room for a 5,088mAh battery that’s slightly higher capacity than Samsung’s 5,000mAh one.
Outside the US, iPhone 17 Pro Max models have a slightly smaller 4,832mAh battery. Still, with Apple rarely offering as big batteries as Android rivals, this is a notable situation.
In our Future Labs testing, the iPhone 17 Pro Max managed 17 hours and 54 minutes, whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra came in at 14 hours and 27 minutes (it's worth nothing that this is an updated test compared to the one we did earlier this year on the phone, where it lasted 17 hours and 14 minutes, but the new test was conducted in tandem with the iPhone 15 Pro Max).
As such, Apple's phone is the clear winner here, but the Samsung's flagship is hardly lacking in battery life stamina.
In our charging testing, the iPhone 17 Pro Max reached a 35% charge in 15 minutes and 64% in 30 minutes, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra charges faster (thanks to its 45W charger and compatibility) reaching 37% charge in 15 minutes and 71% charge in 30 minutes.
The iPhone has the edge with wireless charging though, as it supports up to 25W, compared to 15W with the Galaxy.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: verdict
The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are both exceptional phones, so you should be happy with either, but there are some notable differences.
Their operating systems differ, and the iPhone has better battery life, faster wireless charging, a more versatile front-facing camera, and a brighter screen. The Galaxy though has an extra rear camera and a slightly higher resolution display.
Beyond that, there’s little to choose between them, other than aesthetics, though note that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely to land in early 2026, so the S25 Ultra’s successor is fast approaching, while we probably won’t see the iPhone 18 Pro Max until next September.
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