I ran 5 tests on iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL to see which has the best display

Everyone takes phone displays for granted, including me. Just over a week ago, my colleague Philip Michaels performed an unconventional test on some of the best phones — by testing out the display performance of the iPhone 17, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Pixel 10 Pro. (After all, the iPhone 17 now essentially has the same display as the more expensive iPhone 17 Pro.)

Needless to say, I was a bit surprised by the results, so I thought I’d put three other flagship devices to the test. I performed five different tests to see how the displays of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Pixel 10 Pro XL all behave.

These are big phones with gigantic screens, which make them more suited for different taks we all do on the daily. That’s why I want to see which of them has the best screen by pitting these three phones against each other in the categories below. I’ll be awarding them points, which I’ll tally up in the end to determine a winner. Here’s what I found.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: What you need to know

Before I tell you how the phones perform in each category below, just know that I’ve set their displays to auto-brightness. I recommend this because it’s what I personally set on all of the phones that I test. Auto-brightness does exactly what it says by automatically adjusting the screen’s brightness based on the ambient lighting conditions.

Secondly, I’ve also set refresh rates on each phone to adaptive — yet another thing for me to manage. By doing this, your phone will adjust the display refresh rate depending on what you’re doing. For example, most phones try to set the refresh rate to the maximum when gaming to reduce latency and improve the fluidness of the graphics.

I'll assigning each phone a point based on how they perform in each test. The best performing display will earn three points, two for second place, and one for last. At the end, I’ll tally them up to proclaim a winner.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Specifications

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Lab tests

To get a better idea of how each display performs, I think it’s good to look at the lab test results for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL. It’s an objective way to tell which is the better display, as the tests look at their brightness levels (measured in nits), color accuracy (Delta-E), and color gamut (DCI-P3).

Looking at the results, there’s no arguing that the Pixel 10 Pro XL has the brightest screen of the bunch with its peak brightness output of 2,555 nits. That score is significant because the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra trail behind at less than 1,900 nits. Don’t get me wrong, those scores prove they’re potent, but the Pixel 10 Pro XL is just in a league of its own.

When it comes to color accuracy, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has the widest color gamut with its DCI-P3 color spectrum result — followed by the Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 Pro Max. I’m color blind to a certain degree, so while it’s fantastic that the Galaxy S25 Ultra can produce more colors, you might find it difficult to tell.

Lastly, the most color accurate display is the Pixel 10 Pro XL. This means that when it’s displaying a specific color, it reproduces it with more accuracy than the rest.

While these objective tests give us clues, I value their real world performances more — for example, how they look on a bright sunny day outside.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Reading test

I want to start this display comparison to see how each phone shows text by reading an article. After all, that's what I spend a lot of time doing each day on my phone. I loaded up one of my colleague’s articles on Tom’s Guide using the default web browser on each device, and almost immediately one phone got my attention.

That’s the Pixel 10 Pro XL because on auto-brightness, the screen looks substantially brighter which inevitably makes the page easier to read. I’m not fighting the glare or the sun like I do with the rest. Secondly, I like to point out the larger display of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which makes the font much easier to see from a proper reading distance.

Rankings (points): Pixel 10 Pro XL (3), Galaxy S25 Ultra (2), iPhone 17 Pro Max (1)

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Video testing

Through the YouTube apps, I pulled out a 4K HDR clip I frequently use to test out phone displays because of its colorful looks and smooth animations. Yet again, the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s brighter tone draws my attention. Unlike reading, the gap with its brightness isn’t as wide — but still noticeable.

While the photo above doesn’t necessarily illustrate this point, — I was fighting the glare from the nearby tree — I’m able to make this determination after holding each device individually in my hand as I watched the short clip. When I play them full screen, which results in a bit of cropping, I like how the Galaxy S25 Ultra has less rounded corners. This allows Samsung's phone to show a smidge more of the video.

Even though the iPhone 17 Pro Max comes in last here, I’ll say that there’s nothing wrong with its display because the OLED panel delivers the same wide viewing angles and punch colors as the other two.

Rankings (points): Pixel 10 Pro XL (3), Galaxy S25 Ultra (2), iPhone 17 Pro Max (1)

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Game test

With adaptive refresh rate turned on all three phones, I can instantly tell they’re reaching 120Hz due to the amount of smoothness I see from running Asphalt Legends. Out of the bunch, I really like the iPhone 17 Pro Max the most because of how it looks way more fluid than the other two devices. Even when I crash and burn, the game remains furiously fast-paced.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra pulls in a good performance because just like the iPhone, it maintains a smooth frame rate. Small details like how the lighting on my car changes depending on the angle I’m drifting doesn’t do much to hamper its performance.

Despite having the brightest screen in our lab testing, it doesn’t do much for the Pixel 10 Pro XL when it comes to gaming. In fact, the brightness levels of all three phones were about the same.

Rankings (points): iPhone 17 Pro Max (3), Galaxy S25 Ultra (2), Pixel 10 Pro XL (1)

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Photo test

Another frequent thing I do with my phone is to preview photos I’ve just shot, so it’s important that it looks good enough for me to make out details. I pulled up a photo of a flower I captured the other day when I was at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

On auto-brightness, the iPhone 17 Pro Max appears to be the brightest of the bunch — but it’s honestly by a small fraction. The next thing I want to look at is the colors in the image, which I think is a perfect example of why I don't place a lot of emphasis on objective testing.

All three phones produce the saturated pink tones that make the zinnia flower pop out from the screen, along with the bright yellow coming from the middle of the flower. As for the green leaves in the background and surrounding the flower, I can tell there’s a little bit of yellow cast by the iPhone.

Regardless, I think all three look fantastic — but I’m giving it to the iPhone since it looks the brightest. Both the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Galaxy S25 Ultra are tied.

Rankings (points): iPhone 17 Pro Max (3), Galaxy S25 Ultra (2), Pixel 10 Pro XL (2)

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Camera test

The last test I want to perform is to see how the phones' displays behave while taking a photo with their cameras, but in a low light situation. I’m doing this test because often a phone’s display gets so dim under these extreme conditions that it makes it practically impossible for me to see the controls not to mention what I’m capturing.

Right away, I can tell the Galaxy S25 Ultra retains the brightest picture followed by the Pixel 10 Pro XL. I have to point out that all three phones remained on auto-brightness, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the dimmest screen. Even though I personally know that the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the best camera performance under low light, it would really help out more if Apple could make its viewfinder brighter to see in these circumstances.

Rankings (points): Galaxy S25 Ultra (3), Pixel 10 Pro XL (2), iPhone 17 Pro Max (1)

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL display test: Verdict

Tallying up the scores makes it a tie for the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max trailing by a couple of points. As I’ve shown, these three phones have their strengths and weaknesses. But if you’re to ask me which one I like the most, I’d have to turn to the Pixel 10 Pro XL for the single fact that it has the brightest-looking screen where it matters most to me — surfing the web and watching video.

But at the same time, its potent brightness does come at a cost. Specifically, our testing shows that the Pixel 10 Pro XL has the shortest battery life of these three specific phones. Is that a trade-off mind making? Not really, though I understand the downside of a brighter screen that inevitably drains the battery.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra strikes the balance in my opinion, as it has a potent brightness paired with wide color gamut. Additionally, it has the highest resolution that crams more pixels than the other phones.

As for the iPhone 17 Pro Max? It’s a good looking display that’s perfect for gaming, as it delivers the buttery smooth look with its 120Hz refresh rate.

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.

More from Tom's Guide

• I took the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL to a botanic garden for a macro photography shootout — here’s the winner
• I've been using the iPhone 17 for a month — here's my pros and cons
• iOS 26.1 beta just landed — and it fixes two super annoying iPhone problems