Head to head
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads 14 to 1 on the 15 rankable specs, but iPhone 16 costs $500 less.
Catalog as of September 1, 2026
Why, in numbers
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Compare a different phone
Google Pixel 8a$499OnePlus 12$799Google Pixel 9$799Samsung Galaxy S24$799Samsung Galaxy S25$799iPhone 17$799ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra$899iPhone 16 Plus$899OnePlus 13$899iPhone 16 Pro$999Google Pixel 9 Pro$999Samsung Galaxy S24+$999Samsung Galaxy S25+$999iPhone 17 Pro$999iPhone Air$999Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6$1,099Google Pixel 9 Pro XL$1,099iPhone 16 Pro Max$1,199iPhone 17 Pro Max$1,199Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra$1,299Xiaomi 14 Ultra$1,399OnePlus Open$1,699Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold$1,799Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6$1,899Buying for
Your devices
Straight answer
Overall: 1 to 14
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Leads 14 of 15 rankable overall specs; iPhone 16 takes 1.
- Size: 6.9 inches vs 6.1 inches
- RAM: 12 GB vs 8 GB
- iPhone 16 is $500 cheaper. Pay the difference only if size matters to you.
Deal-breakers
tick what would make you walk away
- Trips:iPhone 16 · NoClear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)
- Trips:iPhone 16 · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
- Trips:iPhone 16 · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
- Trips:iPhone 16 · 60 HzClear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · 120 Hz
- Trips:iPhone 16 · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Weight
Apple
170 g
Samsung
219 g (7.72 oz)
Size
Apple
6.1 inches
Samsung
6.9 inches
Chipset≠
Apple
Apple A18 (3 nm)
Samsung
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
RAM
Apple
8 GB
Samsung
12 GB (16 GB option)
Max optical zoom
Apple
2x optical quality crop (10x digital)
Samsung
5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)
Capacity
Apple
3,561 mAh
Samsung
5,000 mAh
True 3-Year Cost of Ownership (TCO)
iPhone 16
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Pocket, Palm & Desk Usability Check
One-handed reachability, pocket weight, and table wobble when typing without a case.
One-Handed Palm Reach
6.1" display with 71.6mm width (easy one-handed thumb reach)
Standard smartphone width
Desk Typing Table Wobble
Vertical pill camera bump causes minor tilt on flat surfaces
Corner camera bump causes minor wobble
Pocket Weight & Heft
170g (featherweight in pocket)
Standard phone weight
The 90-Day Owner Regret Check
Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.
Apple: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Samsung: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Body
6 differences| Dimensions | 147.6 × 71.6 × 7.8 mm | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 170 g (wins this row: lower) | 219 g (7.72 oz) |
| Build | Ceramic Shield front, color-infused glass back, aluminum frame | Titanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back |
| Water / dust rating | IP68 (6 m / 30 min) | IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) |
| Colors | Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver |
| Stylus | No | Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it) |
Display
leads 6-0| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.1 inches | 6.9 inches (wins this row: higher) |
| Resolution | 1179 × 2556 | 3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher) |
| Pixel density | ~460 ppi | 505 ppi (wins this row: higher) |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO) (wins this row: higher) |
| Peak brightness | 2,000 nits outdoor / 1,000 nits typical | 2,600 nits peak (wins this row: higher) |
| HDR | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | HDR10+, HLG |
| Protection | Latest-generation Ceramic Shield | Corning Gorilla Armor 2 (anti-reflective) |
| Always-on display | No | Yes (wins this row: has it) |
Platform
5 differences| Operating system | iOS 18 | Android 15 (One UI 7) |
|---|---|---|
| Software support | Typically 6+ years of major iOS versions | 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| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB (16 GB option) (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 128 GB NVMe | 256 GB (wins this row: higher) |
| Storage options | 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0) |
| microSD | No | No |
Rear camera
leads 3-0| Main | 48 MP Fusion, f/1.6, 26 mm, sensor-shift OIS, 2x in-sensor zoom | 200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Ultrawide | 12 MP with Macro photography, f/2.2, 13 mm, 120° | 50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF, macro) (wins this row: higher) |
| Telephoto | None (2x optical-quality crop from main sensor) | 50 MP 5x periscope (f/3.4, 115mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 50 MP 3x (f/2.4, 67mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) |
| Max optical zoom | 2x optical quality crop (10x digital) | 5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) (wins this row: higher) |
| Stabilization | Sensor-shift OIS on main camera | OIS on main and both telephoto cameras |
| Video | 4K 24/25/30/60 fps Dolby Vision, Spatial video capture | 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video |
Front camera
2 differences| Selfie camera | 12 MP TrueDepth with autofocus, f/1.9 | 12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF) |
|---|---|---|
| Selfie video | 4K 60 fps Dolby Vision | 4K at 30/60 fps |
Battery & charging
leads 2-0| Capacity | 3,561 mAh | 5,000 mAh (wins this row: higher) |
|---|---|---|
| Wired chargingNot on the official sheet | ~20–25 W USB-C | 45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min) (wins this row: higher) |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe up to 25 W, Qi2 | 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 |
| Reverse wireless | No | 4.5W Wireless PowerShare |
| Charger in box | No | No |
Audio
1 differences| Speakers | Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers tuned by AKG |
|---|---|---|
| Headphone jack | No | No |
Connectivity
6 differences| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 + mmWave) | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | 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 (480 Mbps) | USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out) |
| SIM | eSIM (US) / nano-SIM + eSIM | Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM |
Features
3 differences| Biometrics | Face ID | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Extra controls | Action Button, Camera Control | S Pen air gestures |
| Standout features | Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Spatial audio and video capture | Built-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX |
Which one should you buy
Pick this one if
iPhone 16
Standard flagship featuring A18 chip, Camera Control button, Action button, and 48MP Fusion camera.
- Powerful Apple A18 processor built for Apple Intelligence
- Camera Control button and Action button included on standard tier
- Vibrant saturated color-infused back glass designs
What you give up
- Display still restricted to 60Hz refresh rate
- No dedicated optical telephoto camera lens
Pick this one if
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Flagship titanium smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, built-in S Pen, 200MP quad camera with 50MP ultrawide and 50MP 5x telephoto, and Galaxy AI.
- Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm custom Galaxy performance
- Upgraded 50MP ultra-wide and dual 50MP telephoto sensors with 200MP main
- Corning Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective display and built-in S Pen stylus
What you give up
- Premium $1,299 starting price
- Wired charging remains at 45W
Best for each use
Photos
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Battery & updates
For battery & updates, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Games & video
For games & video, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: iPhone 16 ↗ · Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the iPhone 16 or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
iPhone 16 costs $500 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the iPhone 16 or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
iPhone 16 has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Which is better for photos, the iPhone 16 or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 3 of 3 rankable photos specs. Max optical zoom: 5x optical zoom vs 2x optical quality crop
What cannot be compared from spec sheets?
Of the 48 specs tracked here, 33 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.