I put the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra through a 7-round face-off — here’s the winner

Finally, this is the matchup I’ve been waiting for all year. Now that the top-of-the-line flagship models from Apple and Samsung are both available, my iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra face-off will determine which is truly the best phone out there.

Samsung certainly raised the bar very high when it launched the Galaxy S25 Ultra earlier in the year. As we’ve pointed out in our Galaxy S25 Ultra review, Galaxy AI continues to make it a standout for the amount of helpfulness it offers in getting stuff done. And of course, the S25 Ultra's quadruple camera system and robust shooting modes have kept it to be the best camera phone around.

Apple’s hitting back hard now that its flagship is here, complete with a fresh new makeover that evolves the phone’s design language. If that’s not enough, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has proven to be an endurance champ and a processing powerhouse in our iPhone 17 Pro Max review. But now that my colleagues and I have put them both to the test, there can only be one winner.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Specifications

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Price and availability

Both phones are available right now, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra launching earlier on February 7, 2025. The iPhone 17 Pro Max went on sale September 19.

The price advantage in the U.S. goes to Apple because the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 with 256GB of storage. That’s $100 less than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s $1,299 cost. Both models are available with 512GB and 1TB storage options, but Apple also sells an iPhone 17 Pro Max with 2TB of storage.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design

This one’s no contest with this one. Thanks to its redesign, the iPhone 17 Pro Max not only looks way more stunning with its two-toned design, but it also has that solid feel in the hand. It could be the result of the phone weighing a smidge more (and thicker too), but the aluminum frame and Ceramic Shield 2 covers combine nicely together. I also like how the edges are contoured more than previous designs, making it easier to hold.

Samsung has kept to the same design language it’s leaned on for years now with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. While this year’s model benefits from a titanium frame that makes it more durable than previous models, the design just looks boring by comparison. Also, it doesn’t help that the S25 Ultra edges are flat, which does make it feel a bit sharp.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Display

Both phones pack 6.9-inch displays that make them perfect for just about anything, like catching up on my favorite shows. Since they also both offer 120Hz refresh rates, I love the smooth and silky look of how games run on both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Diablo Immortal, in particular, looks really fluid thanks in part to those fast refresh rates.

In testing out their displays, it reveals that the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the brighter panel with its peak brightness of 1,899 nits. Against the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s mark of 1,860 nits, it’s nearly imperceptible to the eye which one is brighter when I bring both phones outside with the sun out.

However, there’s one thing that makes the iPhone better — it’s the anti-reflective coating on it that reduces glare. I put the two phones side-by-side, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max clearly doesn’t have as many reflections on it as the Galaxy S25 Ultra does.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Cameras

This is my favorite part of this face-off because I’m a camera nerd, and having tested out both phones, they both have their perks. Starting off with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it features a 48MP main camera, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP 5x telephoto, and 18MP Center Stage selfie shooter. The latter two are new upgrades over the previous iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a quadruple camera system: a beefy 200MP main sensor, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x telephoto, and a 50MP 5x telephoto. Around the front, there’s a 12MP selfie camera.

Between them, I much prefer the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera app, largely due to the amount of shooting modes I have at my disposal. The S25 Ultra gives me true manual modes for photo and video. If that’s not enough, it has more AI-assisted editing tools that I find more valuable, like Instant Slo-Mo, Generative Edit, Sketch to Image, and more.

Comparing zoom lenses, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is clearly ahead in terms of detail and definition, particularly around the face where the finer details are better represented. Apple does a nice job at getting "optical-quality" performance at this 10x range, but it does lose some definition.

I see similar results with this zoomed shot of the street sign from across 6th Avenue by Bryant Park in New York City, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra captures more detail in the numbers and the textures of the pole. I think it’s also important to mention that if zooming is a top priority on your list, the S25 Ultra can zoom all the way to 100x — whereas the iPhone 17 Pro Max tops out at 100x.

The main cameras on both phones work really well across a broad range of scenes, but I notice how the higher resolution sensor of the Galaxy S25 Ultra has an edge with a little bit of zooming. At 2x zoom, it does deliver a sharper image and better contrast. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the richer colors, though.

It’s a close one with their ultrawide cameras, as they cover just about the same range with the beach shots above. Really, the winning shot could go either way based on your preference, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max adding a bit of moodiness with the darker clouds versus the slightly cooler look of the sky with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

I think the Galaxy S25 Ultra is better suited for macros, as the close-up of the zinnia flower above has way more detail. In contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro Max looks a bit softer, but it does accentuate the flower by boosting its exposure.

Thanks to its square shaped sensor, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s new Center Stage camera makes it even easier (and more hassle-free) to capture selfies. That’s because no matter how I hold the phone, vertical or horizontal, I have access to the same four framing options. Plus, the iPhone's camera will automatically zoom to fit the appropriate amount of faces into the scene.

When it comes to quality, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the edge with more details with my colleague’s shirt above. Plus, his skin tone looks more accurate versus the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s muted tone.

Finally, Apple is still untouchable when it comes to low light performance. In the shot above, not only is it brighter, but it’s sharper with more details captured of the skull on top of the books.

There are clearly areas of strength with both phones, but I would have to give the overall nod to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It shows better performance from its telephoto and ultrawide cameras against the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while also offering the richer and more diverse shooting modes that appeal to enthusiasts.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Performance

Samsung and Apple have continually been neck-and-neck with their performances, and this year’s no different as both phones show off their impressive muscle power.

Apple claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max has 40% better sustained performance with its new A19 Pro chip, which manages to operate efficiently thanks to the introduction of a new vapor cooling system. Samsung has offered a vapor chamber cooling system ever since the S23 Ultra, but the S25 Ultra gets its power from the impressive Snapdragon 8 Elite system-on-chip.

While the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s performance has been nearly untouchable for most of the year, the iPhone 17 Pro Max finally ends that streak according to the results of our synthetic benchmark test results. In GeekBench 6, the A19 Pro beats the Snapdragon 8 Elite on both the single and multi-core tests — while also finishing way faster at video transcoding with Adobe Rush Premiere.

What’s even more impressive is the GPU performance of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which manages to produce smoother frame rates with 3DMark’s Solar Bay Unlimited test. Its average frame rate of 46.6 fps is ahead of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s mark of 42.4 fps.

Although these test scores indicate the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the better performance, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is just as responsive with everyday tasks.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Battery life and charging

In the Tom’s Guide’s battery benchmark test, the iPhone 17 Pro Max lasts longer on a single charge than the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The A19 Pro’s power efficiency is really on display here, as the iPhone reaches a time of 17 hours and 54 seconds — which is epic compared to the 14 hours and 27 minutes achieved by the Galaxy S25 Ultra. (Note that the Ultra's number comes from a recently upgraded version of the test; when we originally tested the Ultra back in January on an older version, it posted a 17-hour time.)

Although our testing is done with specific conditions, you can still expect all-day battery life with either phone — but you won’t have to top off the iPhone 17 Pro Max as frequently. Even though it comes up second best on our endurance test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 45W charging speed gives back more juice back to the battery.

After 15 minutes of charging, the Galaxy S25 Ultra gets to 37% capacity — while 30 minutes yields 71% capacity. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max gets to 35% and 64% respectively.

However, it’s worth noting that the iPhone 17 Pro Max gets updated with 25W wireless charging speed courtesy of Qi 2.2 support. The Galaxy S25 Ultra supports an earlier version of Qi 2, but lacks the necessary magnets to take full advantage of wireless charging.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Software and AI

Similar to its physical design change, the software on the iPhone 17 Pro Max also gets an overhaul in the form of iOS 26. Apple’s latest mobile software features a new Liquid Glass material design language that makes the interface look slicker than ever before thanks to the transparent effects it overlays with different elements across the platform.

At the same time, iOS 26 introduces some new features, like Call Screening, Live Translation, and redesigned camera app, though the total number of upgraded features feels lighter compared to previous iOS versions.

Furthermore, the lack of more Apple Intelligence capabilities really puts the iPhone 17 Pro Max at a disadvantage. Technically, there are a couple additions, like how Visual Intelligence gets integrated into screen shots for more searching capabilities, but the suite of AI tools on the iPhone just pales in comparison to what Samsung offers.

What I like about the One UI 7 experience running on top of Android 16 with the Galaxy S25 Ultra is that it has the features that adhere to power users. I’ve already mentioned the multitasking prowess of the S25 Ultra, but the experience is amplified by the addition of the S Pen and the utility that comes along with it.

The biggest difference with the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the amount of AI features that Samsung offers for S25 owners, like cross-app actions that make it a breeze to perform complex tasks with a simple voice command. There’s also the Now Brief that offers insightful information about my day, like keeping me updated with the Yankee’s standing in the playoff race. And then there’s all the other Galaxy AI features it offers, like Writing Assist, Note Assist, Audio Eraser, and much more.

Frankly, I much prefer the richer software package that Samsung offers — including things like Samsung DeX that gives me access to a desktop PC-like experience. That’s something you won’t find with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra: Verdict

After tallying up the results, the undisputed winner in this iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra face-off is Apple’s flagship phone. Not only does it cost less, but its brighter display, more attractive design, outstanding processing power, and longer battery life really drive the point of how much better it is.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s run as the best phone ends here, but I can’t overlook how it’s remained at the top spot for so long. In fact, I still prefer its cameras and software way more, but there are clearly areas where Samsung can improve with the Galaxy S26 Ultra when that phone arrives in 2026.

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