Head to head

iPhone 16 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S25+

Samsung Galaxy S25+ leads 12 to 0 on the 12 rankable specs, but iPhone 16 Plus costs $100 less.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Weight: iPhone 16 Plus lists 199 g (7.03 oz) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 190 g (6.70 oz) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02).
Chipset: iPhone 16 Plus lists Apple A18 (3 nm) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02).
RAM: iPhone 16 Plus lists 8 GB (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 12 GB (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02).
Max optical zoom: iPhone 16 Plus lists 2x (sensor crop) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 3x optical zoom (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02).
Capacity: iPhone 16 Plus lists 4,674 mAh (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02); Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 4,900 mAh (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02).

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your phone.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 0 to 12

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Leads 12 of 12 rankable overall specs.
Weight: 190 g vs 199 g
RAM: 12 GB vs 8 GB
iPhone 16 Plus is $100 cheaper. Pay the difference only if weight matters to you.

0 iPhone 16 Plus12 rankable of 48 specsSamsung Galaxy S25+ 12

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No stylusrow
No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Trips:iPhone 16 Plus · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · No
No headphone jackrow
Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.
Trips:iPhone 16 Plus · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · No
No charger in the boxrow
Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.
Trips:iPhone 16 Plus · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · No
60 Hz screenrow
Scrolling looks noticeably less smooth than a 120 Hz rival.
Trips:iPhone 16 Plus · 60 HzClear:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · 120 Hz
No microSD slotrow
Storage is fixed at what you buy.
Trips:iPhone 16 Plus · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · No

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

5 of 6 differ

Weight

Apple

199 g (7.03 oz)

Samsung

190 g (6.70 oz)

Sizesame

Apple

6.7 inches

Samsung

6.7 inches

Chipset≠

Apple

Apple A18 (3 nm)

Samsung

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)

RAM

Apple

8 GB

Samsung

12 GB

Max optical zoom

Apple

2x (sensor crop)

Samsung

3x optical zoom

Capacity

Apple

4,674 mAh

Samsung

4,900 mAh

True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Upfront price + 3 years of consumables, fees & essential add-ons

iPhone 16 Plus

Upfront list price$899

Essential add-ons (20W USB-C charging brick (no charger in box))+$29

3-Year Estimated Total$928

Samsung Galaxy S25+

Upfront list price$999

3-Year Estimated Total$999

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

Apple: What to watch for

Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Samsung: What to watch for

Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

iPhone 16 Plus$8990 wins

Samsung Galaxy S25+$99912 wins

Body Display Platform Memory Rear camera Front camera Battery & charging Audio Connectivity Features

43 of 48 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Body

leads 1-0

Body specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Dimensions	160.9 × 77.8 × 7.8 mm	158.4 × 75.7 × 7.3 mm
Weight	199 g (7.03 oz)	190 g (6.70 oz) (wins this row: lower)
Build	Aluminum frame with color-infused glass back	Enhanced Armor Aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
Water / dust rating	IP68 (up to 6m for 30 mins)	IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
Colors	Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine	Silver Shadow, Midnight Black, Moon Night Blue, Sparkling Green
Stylus	No	No

Display

leads 5-0

Display specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Type	Super Retina XDR OLED	Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
Size	6.7 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution	2796 × 1290	3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher)
Pixel density	460 ppi	513 ppi (wins this row: higher)
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO) (wins this row: higher)
Peak brightness	2,000 nits outdoor peak / 1,000 nits typical	2,600 nits peak (wins this row: higher)
HDR	HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG	HDR10+, HLG
Protection	Ceramic Shield (latest generation)	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Always-on display	No	Yes (wins this row: has it)

Platform

5 differences

Platform specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Operating system	iOS 18	Android 15 (One UI 7)
Software support	5+ years estimated (typically 6-7 years)	7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates
Chipset	Apple A18 (3 nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
CPU	6-core (2 performance + 4 efficiency)	8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance)
GPU	5-core Apple GPU	Adreno 830

Memory

leads 2-0

Memory specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
RAM	8 GB	12 GB (wins this row: higher)
Storage	128 GB	256 GB (wins this row: higher)
Storage options	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB	256 GB, 512 GB (UFS 4.0)
microSD	No	No

Rear camera

leads 3-0

Rear camera specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Main	48 MP (f/1.6, 26mm, sensor-shift OIS, 2x telephoto crop)	50 MP (f/1.8, 24mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher)
Ultrawide	12 MP (f/2.2, 13mm, 120°, autofocus macro)	50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF) (wins this row: higher)
Telephoto	None (2x optical-quality sensor crop via 48MP main)	10 MP (f/2.4, 67mm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom)
Max optical zoom	2x (sensor crop)	3x optical zoom (wins this row: higher)
Stabilization	Sensor-shift OIS on main camera	OIS on main and 3x telephoto cameras
Video	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, Dolby Vision HDR, Spatial Video	8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+

Front camera

2 differences

Front camera specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Selfie camera	12 MP TrueDepth (f/1.9, autofocus)	12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF)
Selfie video	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, Dolby Vision HDR	4K at 30/60 fps

Battery & charging

leads 1-0

Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Capacity	4,674 mAh	4,900 mAh (wins this row: higher)
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet	Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W+ adapter (up to 27W peak)	45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min)
Wireless charging	25W MagSafe (with 30W adapter) / 15W Qi2	15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
Reverse wireless	4.5W wired reverse charging via USB-C	4.5W Wireless PowerShare
Charger in box	No	No

Audio

1 differences

Audio specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers tuned by AKG
Headphone jack	No	No

Connectivity

6 differences

Connectivity specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Cellular	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave in US)	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.4
NFC	Yes (Apple Pay)	Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay)
USB	USB-C 2.0 (up to 480 Mbps)	USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out)
SIM	Dual eSIM (US model, no physical SIM tray)	Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM

Features

3 differences

Features specifications. Middle column is iPhone 16 Plus, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25+.
Biometrics	Face ID (TrueDepth camera)	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock
Extra controls	Action Button, Camera Control button	None
Standout features	Camera Control button, Action button, Apple Intelligence, Dynamic Island, Emergency SOS via satellite	Galaxy AI suite (Circle to Search, Now Brief, Live Translate, Note Assist), Samsung DeX desktop mode, UWB support

Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

iPhone 16 Plus source Samsung Galaxy S25+ source

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

iPhone 16 Plus

6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus with A18 chip, Camera Control, 48MP Fusion camera, and extended battery life.

Outstanding multi-day battery endurance
Large 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR screen
A18 chip and Camera Control button

What you give up

60Hz display refresh rate (no ProMotion)
No dedicated optical telephoto camera

Full iPhone 16 Plus specs →

Pick this one if

Samsung Galaxy S25+

6.7-inch Galaxy S25+ featuring Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, QHD+ 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 12GB RAM standard, and upgraded 50MP ultrawide.

Snapdragon 8 Elite custom 3nm performance with 12GB RAM standard
Sharp QHD+ 120Hz LTPO screen with slim 7.3mm profile
7 years of full Android OS and security upgrades

What you give up

No built-in S Pen stylus like the Ultra
Telephoto zoom capped at 3x optical

Full Samsung Galaxy S25+ specs →

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Leads 3 of 3 rankable photos specs.
Max optical zoom: 3x optical zoom vs 2x
Main: 50 MP vs 48 MP
iPhone 16 Plus is $100 cheaper. Pay the difference only if max optical zoom matters to you.

Battery & updates

All-day battery, fast top-ups and years of software support

Too close to call on battery & updates from the spec sheets. Only capacity is rankable here.

Wired charging: Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W+ adapter vs 45W fast wired charging
Wireless charging: 25W MagSafe vs 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0

Games & video

Games and streaming: chip, refresh rate, brightness, speakers

For games & video, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Leads 3 of 3 rankable games & video specs.
RAM: 12 GB vs 8 GB
Refresh rate: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
iPhone 16 Plus is $100 cheaper. Pay the difference only if ram matters to you.

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

iPhone 16 Plus spec sheet Samsung Galaxy S25+ spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: iPhone 16 Plus ↗ · Samsung Galaxy S25+ ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the iPhone 16 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S25+?

iPhone 16 Plus costs $100 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the iPhone 16 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S25+?

Both has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

Which is better for photos, the iPhone 16 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S25+?

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+. Leads 3 of 3 rankable photos specs. Max optical zoom: 3x optical zoom vs 2x

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 48 specs tracked here, 36 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

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