Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Why pay more?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra offers a more complete and customizable Android experience with a superior display and camera details, often at a lower price, despite the iPhone 17 Pro Max excelling in video stabilization and MagSafe convenience.

• Galaxy S25 Ultra offers superior customization, display quality, and camera detail over iPhone 17 Pro Max.

• iPhone 17 Pro Max excels in video stabilization and MagSafe integration.

• S25 Ultra provides a more complete experience at a notably lower price point.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is presented as a strong competitor to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, offering a premium Android experience without the iOS lock-in. While the iPhone has advantages like MagSafe and superior video stabilization, the S25 Ultra stands out for its customizable One UI 8, an immersive display, and generally more accurate camera colors and detail. Crucially, the S25 Ultra can now be acquired for significantly less than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Design & Features

• 00:00:50 The design of both the S25 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max is comparable, though the S25 Ultra is considered to look more premium despite its consistent design over the years. While the iPhone offers smoother, rounder corners and the highly desired MagSafe feature, the S25 Ultra counters with its S Pen, DeX mode, and extensive customization options via One UI 8 and Good Lock, making it feel like a more feature-rich phone overall.

Display & Daily Use

• 00:01:45 Both phones feature a 6.8-inch display, but the S25 Ultra's is deemed superior due to its immersive, almost edge-to-edge design and significantly better anti-reflective coating. For everyday use, One UI 8 on the S25 Ultra offers greater customization and a smoother experience compared to the 'no thrills' iOS 26. While the iPhone has better benchmark numbers, real-world performance differences between the A19 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite are negligible, and Galaxy AI is currently considered more advanced than Apple Intelligence.

Camera Performance

• 00:04:43 The S25 Ultra boasts a 200-megapixel main camera and multiple optical zoom ranges, outperforming the iPhone's 48-megapixel camera in maximum resolution detail and natural color accuracy, although its shadows can exhibit more noise. The S25 Ultra's 5x telephoto lens generally captures better detail and more accurate colors compared to the iPhone's 4x, but the iPhone often has better dynamic range for telephoto and less warping on its ultrawide lens.

Video & Value

• 00:06:39 The iPhone maintains its longstanding lead in video performance, offering superior stabilization across all lenses compared to the S25 Ultra's noticeable jittering. However, both phones offer Log recording options, with Samsung's Log files being significantly smaller and editable directly in the gallery app. Despite the iPhone's video advantage and slightly better battery life, the S25 Ultra offers a comparable experience with more customizability and is available at a considerably lower price point than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, making it a tempting and more complete package.