Head to head
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads 11 to 2 on the 13 rankable specs, but iPhone 17 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$799iPhone 16$799Google Pixel 9$799Samsung Galaxy S24$799Samsung Galaxy S25$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: 11 to 2
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
- Leads 11 of 13 rankable overall specs; iPhone 17 takes 2.
- Size: 6.9 inches vs 6.3 inches
- RAM: 12 GB vs 8 GB
- iPhone 17 is $500 cheaper. Pay the difference only if size matters to you.
Deal-breakers
tick what would make you walk away
- Clear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)Trips:iPhone 17 · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:iPhone 17 · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:iPhone 17 · No
- Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · NoTrips:iPhone 17 · No
At a glance
The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.
Weight
Samsung
219 g (7.72 oz)
Apple
177 g (6.24 oz)
Size
Samsung
6.9 inches
Apple
6.3 inches
Chipset≠
Samsung
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
Apple
Apple A19 (3 nm)
RAM
Samsung
12 GB (16 GB option)
Apple
8 GB
Max optical zoom
Samsung
5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)
Apple
2x (sensor crop)
Capacity
Samsung
5,000 mAh
Apple
3,600 mAh
The 90-Day Owner Regret Check
Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.
Samsung: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Apple: What to watch for
- Hidden Cost
No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.
Body
6 differences| Dimensions | 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm | 149.6 × 71.5 × 7.95 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 219 g (7.72 oz) | 177 g (6.24 oz) (wins this row: lower) |
| Build | Titanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and 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 | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver | Black, White, Lavender, Mist Green, Ultramarine |
| Stylus | Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it) | No |
Display
leads 4-0| Type | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X | Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.9 inches (wins this row: higher) | 6.3 inches |
| Resolution | 3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher) | 2556 × 1179 |
| Pixel density | 505 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 Armor 2 (anti-reflective) | Ceramic Shield (latest generation) |
| Always-on display | Yes | Yes |
Platform
5 differences| 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| RAM | 12 GB (16 GB option) (wins this row: higher) | 8 GB |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 256 GB (wins this row: higher) | 128 GB |
| Storage options | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0) | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB |
| microSD | No | No |
Rear camera
leads 3-0| Main | 200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, 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, macro) (wins this row: higher) | 48 MP (f/2.2, 13mm, 120° FOV, autofocus macro) |
| Telephoto | 50 MP 5x periscope (f/3.4, 115mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 50 MP 3x (f/2.4, 67mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) | None (2x optical-quality sensor crop via 48MP main) |
| Max optical zoom | 5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) (wins this row: higher) | 2x (sensor crop) |
| Stabilization | OIS on main and both telephoto cameras | Sensor-shift OIS on main camera |
| Video | 8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video | 4K at 24/25/30/60 fps, Dolby Vision HDR, Spatial Video |
Front camera
leads 1-0| 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| Capacity | 5,000 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| Speakers | Stereo speakers tuned by AKG | Stereo speakers with Spatial Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Headphone jack | No | No |
Connectivity
5 differences| 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| Biometrics | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock | Face ID (TrueDepth camera) |
|---|---|---|
| Extra controls | S Pen air gestures | Action Button, Camera Control button |
| Standout features | Built-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX | 120Hz ProMotion screen, Apple N1 chip, Camera Control button, Action button, Apple Intelligence, Dynamic Island |
Which one should you buy
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
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
Best for each use
Photos
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Battery & updates
Too close to call on battery & updates from the spec sheets. Only capacity is rankable here.
Games & video
For games & video, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Done deciding?
Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.
Manufacturer pages: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ↗ · iPhone 17 ↗
Common questions
Which is cheaper, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the iPhone 17?
iPhone 17 costs $500 less at list price.
What is the biggest catch with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 17?
iPhone 17 has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.
Which is better for photos, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or the iPhone 17?
For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 3 of 4 rankable photos specs; iPhone 17 takes 1. Max optical zoom: 5x optical zoom vs 2x
What cannot be compared from spec sheets?
Of the 48 specs tracked here, 35 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.