I had the opportunity to get an early hands-on experience with the new Samsung S25 lineup, particularly the S25 Ultra. I was eager to compare the best of Samsung with its Apple counterpart, the iPhone 16 Pro Max. What struck me the most about these phones is that we seem to have reached a pinnacle in terms of form factor. The rectangular candy bar design shares many similarities across both devices, as do the internal specifications. So, the only aspect left for comparison is the software, user experience, and, of course, their AI capabilities. Let’s delve into it.
If you’re interested in a hands-on comparison between the S25 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I highly recommend watching the video below.
Design comparison
Once again, from a design perspective, you’ll notice numerous similarities between these two phones. Samsung made some alterations to their new S25 Ultra compared to last year. They slightly reduced the bezels from 6.8 inches to 6.9 inches on the screen (sound familiar?). They also slightly curved the side railings to make it easier to hold. Moreover, Samsung managed to decrease the weight of the device by about 15g, which is quite noticeable.
Both phones use titanium materials for the chassis, feature high-quality glass, have a triple camera array, and feel extremely premium in hand. The most significant visual difference is that the S25 Ultra has more squared-off corners while the iPhone has rounded edges. Therefore, it ultimately boils down to visual preferences.
A18 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
I wanted to provide a quick breakdown of the internal specifications of each of these devices.
| S25 Ultra | iPhone 16 Pro Max | |
| Single Core Geekbench | 3049 | 3539 |
| Multi Core Geekbench | 9793 | 8772 |
| Total Cores | 8 | 6 |
| Total RAM | 12GB | 8GB |
| Operating System | OneUI 7 | iOS 18.X |
At first glance, it’s evident that these devices are quite similar. The iPhone excels in the single-core score, while the S25 Ultra leads in the multicore score due to its additional cores. However, in real-world scenarios, both phones perform excellently in day-to-day tasks, app loading speed, and image capturing. The viewing experience on both devices is top-notch. Therefore, the choice between them ultimately boils down to personal preference and familiarity. Both chips enable a wide array of AI features that are on the horizon.
Here are some additional specs of the S25 Ultra:
- 3NM processor
- 40% NPU Increase
- 37% CPU increase
- 30% GPU Increase
- 40% increase in ray tracing
- 18% FPS increase
Galaxy AI vs Apple Intelligence
I must note that Apple Intelligence is still in its early stages at the time of writing. With iOS 18.2, only a few Apple Intelligence features are available, and many promised features from WWDC 2024 are still missing, especially the capability to take action on your behalf. This is where Galaxy AI shines.
Cross-App actions
One of the most exciting features of Galaxy AI is its ability to perform cross-app actions. While there are only a few examples provided, the essence is that you can invoke the Galaxy AI assistant to carry out tasks involving multiple applications.
- Example: Looking for the next football game, you can say, “Hey, find when the next football game is, put it in my calendar, and text it to my friends.”
In this scenario, the assistant will guide you through each step, up
