Head to head

Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs iPhone 17

Samsung Galaxy S25+ leads 10 to 2 on the 12 rankable specs, but iPhone 17 costs $200 less.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Weight: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 190 g (6.70 oz) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 17 lists 177 g (6.24 oz) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Size: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 6.7 inches (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 17 lists 6.3 inches (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Chipset: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm) (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 17 lists Apple A19 (3 nm) (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
RAM: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 12 GB (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 17 lists 8 GB (Apple sheet, 2026-09-02).
Max optical zoom: Samsung Galaxy S25+ lists 3x optical zoom (Samsung sheet, 2026-09-02); iPhone 17 lists 2x (sensor crop) (Apple 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: 10 to 2

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Leads 10 of 12 rankable overall specs; iPhone 17 takes 2.
Size: 6.7 inches vs 6.3 inches
RAM: 12 GB vs 8 GB
iPhone 17 is $200 cheaper. Pay the difference only if size matters to you.

10 Samsung Galaxy S25+12 rankable of 48 specsiPhone 17 2

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

No stylusrow
No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone 17 · No
No headphone jackrow
Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone 17 · No
No charger in the boxrow
Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone 17 · No
No microSD slotrow
Storage is fixed at what you buy.
Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25+ · NoTrips:iPhone 17 · No

At a glance

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

6 of 6 differ

Weight

Samsung

190 g (6.70 oz)

Apple

177 g (6.24 oz)

Size

Samsung

6.7 inches

Apple

6.3 inches

Chipset≠

Samsung

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)

Apple

Apple A19 (3 nm)

RAM

Samsung

12 GB

Apple

8 GB

Max optical zoom

Samsung

3x optical zoom

Apple

2x (sensor crop)

Capacity

Samsung

4,900 mAh

Apple

3,600 mAh

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

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

Post-Purchase Truths

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.

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 Galaxy S25+$99910 wins

iPhone 17$7992 wins

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

42 of 48 attributes differ. Identical rows are dimmed.

Body

leads 1-0

Body specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Dimensions	158.4 × 75.7 × 7.3 mm	149.6 × 71.5 × 7.95 mm
Weight	190 g (6.70 oz)	177 g (6.24 oz) (wins this row: lower)
Build	Enhanced Armor Aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back	Aluminum frame with color-infused glass back
Water / dust rating	IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)	IP68 (up to 6m for 30 mins)
Colors	Silver Shadow, Midnight Black, Moon Night Blue, Sparkling Green	Black, White, Lavender, Mist Green, Ultramarine
Stylus	No	No

Display

leads 4-0

Display specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Type	Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X	Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion
Size	6.7 inches (wins this row: higher)	6.3 inches
Resolution	3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher)	2556 × 1179
Pixel density	513 ppi (wins this row: higher)	460 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO)	120 Hz (ProMotion)
Peak brightness	2,600 nits peak (wins this row: higher)	2,500 nits outdoor peak / 1,000 nits typical
HDR	HDR10+, HLG	HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2	Ceramic Shield (latest generation)
Always-on display	Yes	Yes

Platform

5 differences

Platform specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Operating system	Android 15 (One UI 7)	iOS 19
Software support	7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates	5+ years estimated (typically 6-7 years)
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)	Apple A19 (3 nm)
CPU	8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance)	6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency)
GPU	Adreno 830	5-core Apple GPU with hardware ray tracing

Memory

leads 2-0

Memory specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
RAM	12 GB (wins this row: higher)	8 GB
Storage	256 GB (wins this row: higher)	128 GB
Storage options	256 GB, 512 GB (UFS 4.0)	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
microSD	No	No

Rear camera

leads 3-0

Rear camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Main	50 MP (f/1.8, 24mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher)	48 MP Fusion (f/1.6, 26mm, sensor-shift OIS, 2x telephoto crop)
Ultrawide	50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF) (wins this row: higher)	48 MP (f/2.2, 13mm, 120° FOV, autofocus macro)
Telephoto	10 MP (f/2.4, 67mm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom)	None (2x optical-quality sensor crop via 48MP main)
Max optical zoom	3x optical zoom (wins this row: higher)	2x (sensor crop)
Stabilization	OIS on main and 3x telephoto cameras	Sensor-shift OIS on main camera
Video	8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, Dolby Vision HDR, Spatial Video

Front camera

leads 1-0

Front camera specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Selfie camera	12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF)	24 MP TrueDepth with Center Stage (f/1.9, autofocus) (wins this row: higher)
Selfie video	4K at 30/60 fps	4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, Dolby Vision HDR

Battery & charging

leads 1-0

Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Capacity	4,900 mAh (wins this row: higher)	3,600 mAh
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet	45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min)	Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W+ adapter
Wireless charging	15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0	25W MagSafe / 15W Qi2
Reverse wireless	4.5W Wireless PowerShare	4.5W wired reverse charging via USB-C
Charger in box	No	No

Audio

1 differences

Audio specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Speakers	Stereo speakers tuned by AKG	Stereo speakers with Spatial Audio
Headphone jack	No	No

Connectivity

5 differences

Connectivity specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Cellular	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave in US)
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band)	Wi-Fi 7 with Apple N1 wireless chip
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.4	Bluetooth 5.4
NFC	Yes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay)	Yes (Apple Pay)
USB	USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out)	USB-C 2.0 (up to 480 Mbps)
SIM	Dual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM	Dual eSIM (US model, no physical SIM tray)

Features

3 differences

Features specifications. Middle column is Samsung Galaxy S25+, right column is iPhone 17.
Biometrics	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock	Face ID (TrueDepth camera)
Extra controls	None	Action Button, Camera Control button
Standout features	Galaxy AI suite (Circle to Search, Now Brief, Live Translate, Note Assist), Samsung DeX desktop mode, UWB support	120Hz ProMotion screen, Apple N1 chip, Camera Control button, Action button, Apple Intelligence, Dynamic Island

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

Samsung Galaxy S25+ source iPhone 17 source

Which one should you buy

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 →

Pick this one if

iPhone 17

6.3-inch iPhone 17 with Apple A19 chip, 48MP dual Fusion cameras, 120Hz ProMotion display, and Apple N1 wireless chip.

Upgraded 120Hz ProMotion display on the base model
Apple A19 3nm chip with Apple Intelligence integration
New 24MP Center Stage selfie camera and Apple N1 Wi-Fi chip

What you give up

No dedicated optical telephoto zoom lens (2x in-sensor crop)
USB 2.0 transfer speed over USB-C port

Full iPhone 17 specs →

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+.

Leads 3 of 4 rankable photos specs; iPhone 17 takes 1.
Max optical zoom: 3x optical zoom vs 2x
Main: 50 MP vs 48 MP Fusion
iPhone 17 is $200 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: 45W fast wired charging vs Up to 50% in 30 min with 20W+ adapter
Wireless charging: 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 vs 25W MagSafe / 15W Qi2

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
Size: 6.7 inches vs 6.3 inches
iPhone 17 is $200 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.

Samsung Galaxy S25+ spec sheet iPhone 17 spec sheet

Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S25+ ↗ · iPhone 17 ↗

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or the iPhone 17?

iPhone 17 costs $200 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or iPhone 17?

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

Which is better for photos, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ or the iPhone 17?

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25+. Leads 3 of 4 rankable photos specs; iPhone 17 takes 1. 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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