iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

If you have a lot of cash to spend and want the best of the best when it comes to flagship smartphones, Apple and Samsung both have intriguing options on offer this year.

I’m referring, of course, to the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. These are the highest-end and most expensive traditional (read: non-foldable) phones Apple and Samsung currently manufacture. While a lot of competing smartphones can feel a little similar at times, these two handsets actually have some interesting points of divergence from one another.

Here’s how they compare.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Price

Our first difference has to do with sticker price. The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra starts at $1,299.

You’d think that would be the end of the conversation as far as price is concerned, but it should be noted that there is one variant of the iPhone 17 Pro Max that’s far more expensive than even the priciest S25 Ultra. Specifically, if you get it with the highest storage capacity available, the Pro Max will run you $1,999. That’s two grand. By comparison, the biggest storage capacity model of the S25 Ultra is “merely” $1,659. There’s a reason for that, as we’ll discuss momentarily.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Specs

Here are the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s basic specs:

• 6.9-inch display with 2868×1320 resolution and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

• 3,000 nits peak brightness

• A19 Pro chip

• 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB storage

• Battery rated for up to 33 hours

• Rear cameras: 48MP wide/48MP ultrawide/48MP telephoto with 8x optical zoom

• Front camera: 18MP

And here are the equivalent specs for Galaxy S25 Ultra:

• 6.9-inch AMOLED display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and 3120×1440 resolution

• 2,600 nits peak brightness

• Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor

• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage

• 5,000mAh battery

• Rear cameras: 200MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom

• Front camera: 12MP

Alright, there’s a decent amount to discuss here. Let’s start with the displays. Both are pretty similar in terms of size, resolution, and refresh rate, though it must be acknowledged that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s screen is brighter at peak brightness. If you’re an outdoorsy type, the iPhone might be a better option in that regard.

Beyond that, the main reason why the most expensive iPhone 17 Pro Max costs so much more than the most expensive S25 Ultra is storage capacity. Apple’s handset goes all the way up to 2TB of internal storage, while Samsung’s tops out at 1TB. That’s a pretty big feather in Apple’s cap this year and Samsung can’t really compete with that yet. Hardcore mobile photographers and videographers might lean towards iPhone for that reason.

One extremely noteworthy advantage that Samsung can claim over Apple is the inclusion of the S-Pen stylus with every S25 Ultra phone. The phone has a built-in charging slot for the stylus, and it works natively and smoothly with apps and interface elements. Apple does not include a stylus with any iPhone models at this time. If you prefer to use a stylus, the choice here is easy.

There are also some pretty big differences in terms of cameras, but hold onto that thought for now.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design

How do you like the new look?
Credit: Apple

The Galaxy S25 Ultra looks a lot like its predecessors. The rear camera array is three lenses stacked vertically on top of each other without any kind of bump housing them, just like previous S-series phones. Samsung did round the edges for S25 Ultra, which makes it a more pleasant phone to hold than the previous model was. S25 Ultra comes in seven colors: Grey, Whitesilver, Silverblue, Black, Pinkgold, Jadegreen, and Jetblack. Officially, those all also have the word “Titanium” in front of them, but you get what I mean.

Apple went back to the drawing board for the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s physical appearance. It still has the same triangular camera array as before, but now the lenses live in a big, rectangular bump called the “plateau.” This has been controversial since the phone was announced, as many find it unpleasant to look at. Of course, that’s a matter of personal taste. The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in just three colors: Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Performance and battery life

It’s not really possible to directly compare performance on these two phones right now because we haven’t properly tested the Pro Max yet. They also have totally different chipsets, with Samsung relying on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip while Apple’s phone is fueled by the in-house A19 Pro. Samsung’s phone performs just fine and, if history is any indication, Apple’s will, too. There may be marginal differences, but we can’t say that for sure just yet.

Battery life is also an interesting topic here. Apple has not revealed exactly how big the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s battery is, but it is rated for as many as 33 hours on a single charge. Samsung’s phone has a 5,000mAh cell inside of it that is rated for as many as 31 hours on a charge, though it topped out at around 27 hours in my testing. Your mileage may vary.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Cameras

Meet the new camera plateau.
Credit: Apple

Since we haven’t properly tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max in any capacity yet, it’s not possible to say for sure which handset has a better set of cameras. Numerically, though, there are some interesting differences.

Apple packed a trio or 48MP lenses onto the rear array of the Pro Max this year. Notably, the telephoto lens offers up to 8x optical zoom and what Apple calls 16x “optical-quality” zoom range. The selfie camera has also gotten a boost to 18MP with a wider field of view than previous models, enabling selfies with larger groups of people.

Samsung wins the numbers game this year, if nothing else. Its main shooter is a whopping 200MP, while the other two come in at 50MP. The selfie cam is only 12MP, though. Samsung’s optical zoom only goes up to 5x, though you get up to 100x digital zoom. In my testing, I found that zoom shots looked good up to around 30x on the S25 Ultra. We’ll see how the iPhone 17 Pro Max compares when it’s in our hands.