Phones
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: The Battle for Supremacy
The competition for the title of the best smartphone heats up between Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple’s latest iPhone 16 Pro Max. Here’s a detailed look at how these two giants measure up, based on leaks, rumors, and the latest in tech trends.
Design:
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra:
- Samsung is rumored to maintain its signature sleek design with a large titanium frame, and glass on both sides. The S Pen remains a unique feature, providing exceptional functionality for note-taking and spontaneous sketching directly on the device.
- Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- Apple’s latest smartphone follows its tradition with a refined look, featuring a new titanium frame for durability and a slightly larger 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display compared to its predecessor. It has rounded corners for better handling and introduces a Camera Control button for an enhanced photo-taking experience.
Display:
- Galaxy S25 Ultra:
- The device is expected to come with a 6.8-inch or possibly 6.9-inch AMOLED display. Samsung’s displays have historically boasted higher peak brightness levels, making them excellent for outdoor use.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- It has a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display. With Apple’s focus on color accuracy and brightness, this display is optimized for both viewing and gaming.
Performance:
- S25 Ultra:
- It is likely to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. This chip promises significant boosts in CPU and GPU performance, particularly in multi-core processing and graphics, potentially outpacing the iPhone in raw power. The device is rumored to support up to 16GB of RAM.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- It is equipped with Apple’s A18 Pro chip, which aims at superior power efficiency and performance. However, early benchmarks suggest it might lag behind the S25 Ultra in multi-core performance. The 16 Pro Max has 8GB of RAM.
Camera:
- S25 Ultra:
- The device is rumored to retain or slightly enhance its setup with a 200MP main sensor, possibly introducing variable zoom features for smoother video transitions. It is likely to have the industry’s best zooming experience.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- The device features a triple rear-camera setup, including a 48MP main sensor, but lacks the megapixel count of Samsung’s offering. However, It does provide superior image quality in various conditions.
Battery:
- S25 Ultra:
- The Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to feature a 5,000 mAh battery, focusing on efficiency with the new chip for prolonged battery life. It is likely to support 45W charging speed.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- Known for its battery optimization, it has a 4685mAh battery but tends to offer a competitive battery life due to iOS’s efficiency. It has a slower charging speed as compared to the S25 Ultra.
Software:
- S25 Ultra:
- Samsung has committed to offering 7 years of One UI software support to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, a significant advantage for longevity and security updates, outmatching Apple’s typical 5-year iOS upgrade promise. The Galaxy S25 Ultra will run Android 15-based One UI 7 custom skin.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- The device is launched with iOS 18, and it also brought Apple Intelligence (AI) features, though currently, these are still in the pipeline for full rollout.
AI:
- S25 Ultra:
- Samsung has a lot better and improved Artificial Intelligence. With its advanced AI suite, Samsung is offering on-device and cloud-based AI enhancements for photography, productivity, and more.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- The device has recently received the Apple Intelligence feature. However, it is still in a very early stage. There’s no comparison between the Galaxy AI and Apple’s AI.
Price:
- Galaxy S25 Ultra:
- You might have to pay a higher price, based on rumors, the $1,399 for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 variant. Remember, the exact pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will only be confirmed once Samsung officially launches the device, expected in early 2025.
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- It starts at $1,199 for the 256GB model in the US.
Conclusion:
If the rumors are right, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is set to be a super strong phone with big improvements, especially in AI and software updates. The iPhone 16 Pro Max keeps up Apple’s tradition of being easy to use, well-made, and works smoothly with other Apple devices.
Disclaimer: All information regarding the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is based on rumors and leaks. Official specifications and features might differ when the device is released.
Google and Apple priced their latest flagship smartphones around $1000. In a new report, the BoM (bill of materials) revealed that the Google Pixel 9 Pro costs $162 less to build than the Apple iPhone 16 Pro.
Before we dive into the details, do note that the bill of materials indicates approximate costs. It doesn’t mean that the smartphone vendor got the unit manufactured at the same estimation of the bill of materials.
A Japanese report (via PhoneArena) breaks down the bill of materials for Google Pixel 9 Pro and Apple iPhone 16 Pro. It has been revealed that Google’s flagship is way cheaper to produce than Apple’s, in terms of parts.
Google’s Pixel 9 Pro costs 11% less than the Pixel 8 Pro to make. The Tensor G4 chip costs $80 to Google, while the M14 display is priced at $75 and the camera components cost $61.
However, it’s a crime to compare the Pixel 9 Pro component cost with the Pixel 8 Pro’s despite knowing the fact that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the real successor to the Pixel 8 Pro.
Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly spending 6% more on components for the iPhone 16 Pro. The new OLED with M14 material set allegedly costs $110, camera components cost around $91, while the A18 Pro chipset is priced at $135.
The Pixel’s BOM comes in at $406, while the iPhone’s is reportedly $568. It means, the Pixel 9 Pro costs $162 less to build than the Apple iPhone 16 Pro. Despite this price difference, both flagships are priced around $1000 in the United States.
Google often announces sleek discounts on the Pixel 9 Pro in the US. The company sometimes slashes the flagship price down by $150. However, Apple only brings occasional and festive discounts on iPhone models of marginal price reduction.
The recent Exynos 2500 benchmark brought a storm on the internet. Galaxy fans started discussing the potential arrival of Exynos in the S25 series. However, Samsung will likely use Snapdragon 8 Elite across all Galaxy S25 models.
According to Jukanlosreve, Samsung will stick to Snapdragon 8 Elite for the Galaxy S25 series. The benchmark test of the S25 Plus with Exynos 2500 was only for testing purposes. The move doesn’t reportedly align with the possibility of commercialization.
Snapdragon 8 Elite:
- US variant of Samsung’s S25 Ultra running Snapdragon 8 Elite scored a whopping 3,148 and 10,236 points on Geekbench.
Exynos 2500:
- Samsung’s 10-core Exynos 2500 running on Galaxy S25 Plus reached 2,359 points and 8,141 points in 6’s single-core and multi-core tests.
Exynos 2500 scored far better than the upcoming Tensor G5 of the Pixel 10 series. However, the chipset lags behind the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which would power the Galaxy S25 Ultra in all countries, even if the Exynos 2500 comes out.
Samsung ships its flagship lineup with Snapdragon SoC in the US and Canada. Other countries get Exynos across Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The S25 line’s chipset controversy seems not to be ending quite soon.
Exynos is dead, Foundry to be blamed?
Samsung is reportedly planning to spin-off the Foundry business. That said, the Foundry division will split from Samsung Electronics and become a new firm. The company has reportedly established a task force to make it happen in the next 5 years.
The company’s Foundry business lost many major clients for contract manufacturing. After Qualcomm, Google also switched to TSMC for the next Tensor. 3nm-based Exynos 2500 is also allegedly canceled due to a poor yield rate.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Series Release
Samsung could launch the Galaxy S25 series early next year. The flagships are being designed for enhanced user experience. The software part is also getting revamped to bring Galaxy experiences to a whole new level.
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Samsung fans are eagerly waiting for the Galaxy S25 Ultra specifications and price to be officially revealed. The company may unveil the S25 series in January next year, given the S24 series was introduced in the first month of this year.
Galaxy S25 Ultra is eagerly awaited by Samsung fans due to potential upgrades. The flagship will have a greatly refined design, upgraded camera system, powerful chipset, and radically revamped software in the history of Samsung.
About Page
The page is dedicated to tracking all the latest and authentic info about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5G’s specifications and price.
We follow a reader-centric approach to keep you updated with the best possible intakes, picked from a big bay of rumors.
Galaxy S25 Ultra is said to sport a slightly larger screen with a narrower width. The middle frame could also lack curves to make the phone look flat. The iconic boxy design will continue but with marginally rounded corners all sides.
Samsung has also worked on reducing the weight, resulting in, the S25 Ultra will be lighter than iPhone 16 Pro Max and S24 Ultra. The frame could make use of even better titanium material for enhanced durability and protection.
The camera department could get a fruitful upgrade for landscape photography lovers. The current 12MP ultrawide is rumored to be replaced with a new 50MP sensor. All other sensors including the front camera could remain intact. You can read our regular reporting here.
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5G Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Body |
|
| AI Modal | Gemini Nano (v2) |
| Display | 6.86-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2x with HDR10+ and 120Hz variable refresh rate
M13 OLED material set with 2600 nits peak brightness |
| Rear Camera |
|
| Front Camera | 12-megapixel selfie snapper |
| Battery and Charging | 5000mAh @ 45W wired and 15W wireless |
| Operating System | Android 15-based One UI 7(.1) |
| RAM and Storage | 12GB RAM + 256GB / 512GB, 16GB RAM + 1TB |
| Colors | Titanium Black, Titanium Blue, Titanium Gray, and Titanium Silver |
| Price | $1299 (256GB) | $1419 (512GB) | $1659 (1TB) |
Note: The specifications sheet is prepared based on leaked information. If any new input comes from a credible source, we will refresh the sheet with a bolded marking.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus Price:
Unlike the S25 and S25 Plus, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be available in three storage configurations. The flagship could start at $1299 in the US for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, while the 1TB variant could reach up to a whopping $1659.
