Price: A Matter of Cents
Apple iPhone Air in black and white (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Eight phones are available between the Apple iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S25 lineups, with the iPhone ranging from $799 to $1,999 and the Galaxy S25 line from $799.99 to $1,659.99 for the top S25 Ultra.
Here are the starting prices for this octet:
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Apple iPhone 17, $799; iPhone Air, $999; iPhone 17 Pro, $1,099; iPhone 17 Pro Max, $1,199
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Samsung Galaxy S25, $799.99; S25+, $999.99; S25 Edge, $1,099.99; Galaxy S25 Ultra, $1,299.99
Adding storage increases the price of each phone. The two lineups are priced similarly at most tiers, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max with 2TB of storage is the most expensive model at nearly $2,000. Also, the base iPhone 17 ships with 256GB of storage, whereas the base S25 has half of that at 128GB.
If dollars and cents are what matters to you most, the Apple iPhone 17 is the lowest-cost phone (even if only by 99 cents). But it’s potentially a better value than the Galaxy S25 because it has twice the storage.
Winner: iPhone 17
Here’s Where You Can Buy a New iPhone 17
Design: Styles and Colors Galore
Generally, smartphone design has settled on the rounded rectangle with a screen dominating the front and a front-facing camera interrupting it. A power button, volume rocker, USB-C port, and a camera bump are also typical design elements. All of this is true of every iPhone 17 and Galaxy S25 phone.
Apple iPhone Air (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The iPhone 17 relies on the Dynamic Island to contain its selfie camera and Face ID for biometrics. The Galaxy S25 phones have a punch hole front-facing camera and use an under-display fingerprint sensor for security, which is positioned near the bottom of the screen.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The rear panels stand out the most. The iPhone 17 looks like a modern iPhone with two rear cameras, while the Air features a Google Pixel-like horizontal bar with just one camera. The iPhone 17 Pro has a large rectangular plateau to contain its three main cameras.
Left to right: Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Meanwhile, the Samsung S25, S25+, and Ultra feature a flat back with circular camera rings lined up vertically in the top left corner. The S25 Edge’s two rear cameras are stacked atop a vertical pill-shaped island.
Please see our detailed charts (above) for each phone’s measurements. The Galaxy S25 is the smallest and lightest phone of the group at 5.78 by 2.78 by 0.28 inches (HWD) and 5.71 ounces. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the heaviest at 8.22 ounces, while the Air is the thinnest at 0.22 inches thick, just beating the 0.23-inch thickness of the S25 Edge.
Left to right: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, Apple iPhone Air (Credit: Eric Zeman)
All iPhone 17s and Galaxy S25s have an IP68 rating to protect them from dust and water. Apple uses aluminum for the iPhone 17’s frame and the 17 Pro’s unibody chassis, and titanium for the Air. The iPhones’ screens are all protected by Apple’s anti-reflective Ceramic Shield 2, which the company says is three times more scratch-resistant than the previous version. Every phone’s back, except the iPhone 17, is protected with the first-generation Ceramic Shield.
Left to right: Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Samsung builds the S25 and S25+ with aluminum frames and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back. The S25 Ultra has a titanium frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, and the anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on the front. Colors? Too many to list.
With so many sizes, shapes, materials, and colors, surely one will speak to you. Design is subjective, so it’s your call.
Winner: Tie
Get a Deal on a Samsung Galaxy S25
Display: You Really Can’t Go Wrong
All eight phones have high-resolution, pixel-dense OLED displays, which provide sharp details and excellent contrast. For the first time, the entire iPhone lineup supports an adaptive refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz and supports the always-on display feature, just like every Galaxy S25.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro (Credit: Eric Zeman)
For brightness, the iPhone 17 line reaches 3,000 nits at its peak, while all the S25 models reach a peak of 2,600 nits. Brighter screens are easier to see in sunlight. Apple has also applied an anti-reflective coating to all of the new iPhones to ward off glare, while the S25 Ultra is the only S25 with that feature.
Left to right: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, S25+, S25 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Various screen sizes are available. Please look at our charts for all the relevant details. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and S25 Ultra have the largest screens at 6.9 inches, while the S25 has the smallest at 6.2 inches.
Each device in this comparison has a top-notch screen. Which one is best for you? That depends mostly on size rather than on any of the specs here. They are all bright and sharp enough to see and use most anywhere you take them.
Winner: Tie
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Speed and Performance: How Fast Is Fast Enough?
Genshin Impact on the S25 Edge (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)
Traditionally, Apple’s home-made chips outperform Qualcomm’s top silicon in synthetic benchmarks. The iPhone 17 is powered by the new Apple A19, while the Air and Pros use the A19 Pro (the iPhone Pro has one more GPU core than the iPhone Air).
The S25 series runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. This processor handles multitasking like a champ, while providing handy on-device AI features like real-time translations and transcriptions.
Here is how the phones compare on several benchmarks. The iPhones generally run faster in CPU performance, but the Galaxies can push more frames per second in GPU tests.
Both lineups provide a lot of power and should be great in daily use. Moreover, all the devices ran smoothly in testing, handled complex AI tasks without issue, and blasted through AAA games without dropping a frame. You’re going to get great power no matter which device you pick.
Winner: Tie
Cameras: The Best Phones for Photography Live Here
Every year, Apple and Samsung try to one-up each other with camera performance and features, which is great for consumers. With eight phones, there are a lot of cameras to cover.
Apple iPhone 17 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The standard iPhone 17 has a 48MP main shooter with an f/1.6 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS). It also has a 48MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. Meanwhile, the iPhone Air has a single 48MP main camera with an f/1.6 aperture and OIS. Apple says this camera is capable of 12MP optical-quality 2x telephoto images.
Recommended by Our Editors
Apple iPhone Air camera plateau (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The iPhone 17 Pro features a 48MP main shooter with an aperture of f/1.78 and OIS, a 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a 48MP telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom.
Left to right: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, S25+, S25 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Samsung’s S25 and S25+ feature a 50MP f/1.8 main camera with OIS, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The S25 Ultra has a 200MP f/1.7 main shooter, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, a 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. The thin S25 Edge has two rear cameras: a 200MP f/1.7 main shooter and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Front-facing cameras are typically not as exciting, but Apple may have changed that. The iPhone 17 lineup has an 18MP Center Stage selfie camera that can take vertical and horizontal images no matter how you hold it. No more turning your phone to get a wider selfie. The entire S25 line uses the same 12MP f/2.2 selfie cam, which performs well, but does not have this new iPhone flex-capture capability.
For video, the iPhone 17 and Air can capture up to 4K60 footage, and the Pros ramp that up to 4K120. The S25 series can locally record 8K resolution video at 30fps and 4K60. If you’re looking at resolution, the S25 beats the iPhone 17 line. However, the iPhone Pro line can shoot in ProRes RAW, which gives content creators more flexibility in post-production.
Let’s not forget that photos are no longer just about the number of megapixels or the reach of the lens. Image signal processing determines each photo’s default look. After extensive testing, you’re going to get a great camera no matter which phone you choose. That said, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra are unmatched in their focal range flexibility.
Winner: Tie (iPhone 17 Pro Max/Galaxy S25 Ultra)
Battery Life: iPhones Trounce Galaxies
Apple iPhone Air (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Apple’s new iPhones deliver stunning battery life. The Air pushes through 19 hours, the 17 runs for 24 hours, the 17 Pro handles 27 hours, and the 17 Pro Max crushes every phone with a massive 32 hours of battery life. That’s more than twice what the Galaxy S25 Ultra can handle.
In our Galaxy S25 battery rundown tests, we stream a 1080p video with the display set at full brightness. The S25 and its 4,000mAh battery lasted 14 hours and 15 minutes. The S25+ with a 4,900mAh battery ran for 14 hours and 40 minutes. The S25 Edge with a 4,000mAh battery lasted 16 hours and 15 minutes. And the S25 Ultra with a large 5,000mAh battery pushed through 14 hours and 15 minutes. These are reasonable numbers for Android-based phones, but they clearly fall well short of the iPhones.
All the new iPhones support MagSafe, Qi2, and Qi wireless charging. The iPhone 17 and Pro models support up to 25W wireless charging via MagSafe, while the Air charges at up to 20W when on a wireless puck. Samsung does not have its own magnetic charging solution, but its phones still support Qi wireless charging.
Winner: Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
All the Rest: Even the Smallest Details Are Critical
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (Credit: Eric Zeman)
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AI: Apple was quiet about AI during the iPhone 17 launch, while Samsung crowed loudly about the S25’s AI features. Samsung has more mature AI at the moment with its Galaxy AI platform.
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Heating and Cooling: Samsung learned its lesson on how to cool phones with a spotless record after its Note 7 disaster. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPhone Pro line features a new vapor chamber, the first-ever for an iPhone, to keep its chip running at peak speeds for longer. Does it work? Testing shows yes.
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Trade-in Value: Traditionally, iPhones retain their value longer than Android phones—even those made by Samsung. If you’re coming from an older iPhone, you may get a good deal by turning in your phone.
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Accessories: Apple and Samsung have strong first- and third-party accessory ecosystems for their flagship phones, but the balance seems to be in Apple’s favor. Additionally, Apple has the MagSafe-branded line, while the S25 lineup does not.
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Thin Products: The Apple iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge are the first of their kind for both manufacturers, so there are compromises to consider before buying, such as battery life and performance.
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The S Pen: Of the eight phones, only the S25 Ultra comes with its own stylus.
Verdict: Which iPhone or Galaxy Is Right For You?
Based on our in-depth testing, here’s what we recommend:
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If you live in a world full of Apple products, like an Apple TV, MacBook, or iPad, the iPhone 17 is a natural fit that will work well with your other devices.
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If you want the smallest phone with the most power, the Galaxy S25 (5.75 ounces) is more petite than the iPhone Air (5.82 ounces).
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If you want to shoot a movie with your phone, the iPhone 17 Pro line is your best bet.
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If you need the absolute longest-lasting battery, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the leader by hours and hours.
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If megapixels matter, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 200MP main camera has the others beat.
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If you place style over substance, the iPhone Air is a slick phone that covers basic performance in a 0.22-inch device.
Still can’t decide? Check out which phones we rank above the competition.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: How Do Their Specs Compare?
