The iPhone 17 Pro Max showcases a bold design and an upgraded camera setup, but is that sufficient to outshine Samsung?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has arrived, featuring the first significant redesign in five years — but is that enough to surpass Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Both leading flagship devices share some similarities, including 6.9-inch displays and top-of-the-line chipsets for iOS and Android, respectively. It’s time to assess whether the iPhone 17 Pro Max can sway long-standing Android users or if the opposite holds true.
Apple is reverting to aluminum with a new unibody design for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while Samsung reinforces its commitment to titanium with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Let’s examine how these two smartphones stack up against each other to guide you in making the right choice.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design and display
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a design that significantly deviates from previous iPhone models — though one might mistakenly think it resembles an iPhone 16 Pro Max with a rectangular camera bump. Apple refers to this as the camera plateau, which is integrated into an aluminum unibody structure. The chassis is now a single unit, with a glass insert at the back for wireless charging.
This latest build of the iPhone 17 Pro Max aims to bolster the phone’s durability and lower its temperature, rectifying some issues associated with the titanium used in earlier models. It remains IP68-certified and now incorporates Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the front, enhanced with an anti-reflective coating. This design clearly draws inspiration from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which introduced a revolutionary anti-glare screen earlier this year.
From a design perspective, both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Galaxy S25 Ultra feature 6.9-inch displays, but the latter boasts a slimmer and flatter profile. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is only 8.2mm thick, while the iPhone measures 8.75mm. Additionally, Apple’s device is 15 grams heavier, suggesting that the Galaxy S25 Ultra may offer a more comfortable grip.
Both smartphones feature OLED displays with a 120Hz LTPO variable refresh rate capability. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is marginally brighter, achieving a peak brightness of 3,000 nits in outdoor environments. In contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra reaches a maximum of 2,600 nits, which is still very bright.
Importantly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra includes an S Pen, which can be utilized for quick sketches or note-taking. There are various AI features that enhance the S Pen experience, such as Sketch to Image. In short, the iPhone 17 Pro Max lacks a counterpart to this functionality, be it from Apple or third-party developers.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Hardware and specs
The Apple A19 Pro and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy are the two most robust mobile processors available, found in the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra, respectively. Both smartphones employ vapor chambers to cool these high-performance chips and include optimizations to balance speed and efficiency. They come with 12GB of RAM as standard, but only the Galaxy S25 Ultra offers a 16GB RAM variant with the 1TB storage option.
While both devices begin with 256GB of storage, the iPhone 17 Pro Max introduces a 2TB storage option for the first time. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, however, is limited to a maximum of 1TB. Therefore, the top-tier iPhone provides more storage, while the top-tier Galaxy offers more RAM.
Connectivity favors the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which supports Bluetooth 6 and Thread alongside 5G and Wi-Fi 7. In contrast, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is restricted to Bluetooth 5.4. Samsung excels in biometric features, providing an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and facial recognition.
Battery longevity and charging capabilities seem to lean in the iPhone’s favor at last. The iPhone 17 Pro Max houses a 5,088mAh battery, slightly surpassing the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery. It can also charge up to 50% in just 20 minutes. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra supports Qi 2.1 Ready and requires a case to utilize magnets, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has them integrated and supports Qi2.2 25W.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a more advanced USB-C port, capable of USB 3.2 Gen 1, compared to the iPhone.
