Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 16 Pro

So, you’re available in the market for an impressive compact flagship telephone, and you’re ready to dig deep for your pocket for one of the most international’s heavy-hitters, the Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Apple iPhone 16 Pro? In case, after all, you don’t seem to be essentially invested in both ecosystem.

Well, the 2 gadgets are very other with regards to {hardware}, device and value. The handiest not unusual flooring they proportion is footprint. These are the most recent and largest compact top rate answers from Samsung and Apple, so it is only herbal to position them face to face.

Table of Contents:

For starters, you’ll be able to examine the whole specifications sheets or at once proceed with our editor’s review within the following textual content.

Size comparability

If portability is a most sensible precedence, then the Galaxy S25 is the transparent solution right here. Sure, it properties a rather smaller exhibit, 0.1″ smaller, however it is significantly extra compact in actual lifestyles. It’s shorter, narrower and thinner, so it appears like a way smaller tool in hand. Not to say lighter.

The Galaxy S25 is greater than 30 grams lighter than its competitor, and even supposing that does not sound like a lot, it is a massive distinction in hand.

Build quality-wise, the iPhone has a slight benefit because it options the most recent and largest Apple can be offering (titanium body and Ceramic Shield glass), whilst the Galaxy S25 is a step down from the S25 Ultra with an aluminum body and Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Ingress coverage is matched at IP68, despite the fact that Apple certifies their gadgets to resist immersion at a far better intensity than Samsung (6m vs 1.5m).

Display comparability

Both gadgets be offering very good presentations and are very an identical in measurement too. However, the iPhone takes the lead with Dolby Vision strengthen, rather upper solution (now not that it issues a lot) and could also be brighter. Don’t get us unsuitable, the S25’s panel is completely fantastic even within the brightest of days, however the iPhone 16 Pro’s max brightness is difficult to forget about – mid 1,700 nits vs. virtually 1,400 nits.

Keep in thoughts the notch, despite the fact that. Even despite the fact that Apple makes use of it as a function, it takes significantly extra display screen actual property than the punch-hole for the selfie cam at the S25.

Battery lifestyles

If we strictly have a look at the Active Use Score, one may argue the iPhone 16 Pro has handiest marginally larger battery lifestyles. The Galaxy S25 even has an extended name runtime and rather larger gaming rating, however the 16 Pro outperforms the S25 in internet surfing/social community scrolling via a landslide whilst providing a rather larger video streaming rating too, which can be arguably the primary two makes use of for modern day smartphones.

Charging pace

Neither tool has an outstanding charging fee, and additionally it is exhausting to resolve the winner right here. According to our checks, the Galaxy S25 is the transparent winner of the total charging cycle via outpacing the iPhone 16 Pro via round 21 mins.

Conversely, the iPhone 16 Pro beats the S25 to the primary two checkpoints at 15 and half-hour via a couple of percentages. Still, we might give the Galaxy S25 the win since it is meaningfully sooner on the end, whilst the iPhone is handiest negligibly faster within the first half-hour.

Speaker take a look at

The Galaxy S25 and the iPhone 16 Pro business blows on this class, with the previous successful within the loudness comparability and the latter via providing larger tuning or sound high quality, then again you favor to name it.

We to find the iPhone 16 Pro’s tuning hotter with extra expressive bass, so tracks sound fuller and livelier.

Performance

The Galaxy S25 depends on Qualcomm’s newest and largest Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, with the “for Galaxy” designation suggesting rather upper clocks at the major CPU cores and the GPU in comparison to the usual chipset utilized in different Android telephones.

The iPhone 16 Pro, however, runs on an in-house designed chip, Apple A18 Pro, which traditionally has outperformed its competition, however now not this 12 months.

Both gadgets be offering 128GB of inside garage via default, which is beautiful low for a high-end smartphone, however whilst the S25 can come up with 512GB at best possible, the 16 Pro has a 1TB model. The 16 Pro’s NVMe garage is significantly sooner than the S25’s UFS 4.0 too. The 128GB model of the Galaxy additionally most certainly makes use of slower garage than that as UFS 4.0 is handiest to be had in sizes 256GB and up.

Notably, all iPhone 16 Pro configurations have 8GB of RAM, whilst the S25 runs on 12GB, regardless of the garage.

Benchmark efficiency

As we identified previous, Apple’s silicon has traditionally been extra tough than its friends, however this 12 months, Qualcomm outdid itself and presented a considerably extra tough chip. The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy outperforms the A18 Pro in multi-core situations via 21%, no less than on this specific comparability between the Galaxy S25 and the iPhone 16 Pro. In GPU-heavy workloads like 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme, the S25 beats the iPhone 16 Pro via round 38%.

Camera comparability

The two gadgets function very other digicam {hardware}. Judging only via the specifications sheet, the iPhone 16 Pro is the transparent winner right here. It has a larger major 48MP sensor, a 12MP telephoto digicam with 5x optical zoom, and a stronger 48MP ultrawide digicam.

The Galaxy S25 sits within the reverse nook with a 50MP major digicam, 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom and 12MP ultrawide snapper.

The selfie recreation of each handsets is superb – 12MP front-facing shooter with autofocus for the Galaxy S25 and 12MP selfie, autofocus-enabled unit for the iPhone 16 Pro.

Image high quality

Off to the real digicam comparability, we see a an identical high quality with a slight benefit of the iPhone 16 Pro. In virtually all instances, the iPhone 16 Pro provides you with sharper stills with slightly extra element and a much wider dynamic vary. This is correct in each sunlight and low-light situations. And that is even prior to you flip at the 24MP mode.

Galaxy S25: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

iPhone 16 Pro: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

The handiest case by which the S25 outperforms the iPhone 16 Pro is within the 3x zoom, which is to be anticipated for the reason that the iPhone must crop from the primary digicam, whilst the Galaxy S25 has a devoted 3x telephoto unit. On the opposite hand, the 16 Pro has a 5x digicam, which produces nicer pictures at its corresponding focal period. We have been stunned via the Galaxy S25’s talent to shoot in 5x, despite the fact that, because it will get beautiful just about the iPhone 16 Pro in sunlight situations.

Galaxy S25: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

iPhone 16 Pro: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Video high quality

Below, we’ve got a couple of framegrabs from the movies taken via the 2 telephones at each and every focal period so it is more straightforward to match to each other.

Galaxy S25 video framegrabs: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

iPhone 16 Pro video framegrabs: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Video recording is the place the iPhone 16 Pro excels. The 16 Pro delivers noticeably larger movies night time and day aside from for the ultrawide digicam, the place the 2 gadgets produce fairly an identical movies and within the 3x zoom mode, the place the Galaxy S25 has an edge because of its bodily zoom cam.

Galaxy S25 video framegrabs: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

iPhone 16 Pro video framegrabs: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Verdict

The Galaxy S25 and the iPhone 16 Pro are indisputably among the finest compact flagship telephones available in the market. However, the iPhone 16 Pro turns out like the easier telephone total, with its brighter exhibit, larger digicam machine, longer battery lifestyles and better-sounding audio system. But additionally it is the dearer telephone too. It sells for somewhat over €1,000 in Europe and $1,000 in the USA, so it prices up to a Galaxy S25+ (while you equate for garage), whilst the Galaxy S25 asks €800/$800. That’s a 200 greenbacks distinction, which will infrequently pass overlooked.

In addition to the defined benefits, the iPhone has UWB strengthen, satellite tv for pc messaging and a extra top rate construct. These don’t seem to be essentially game-changer options, however a few of you could respect them.

On the opposite hand, the Galaxy S25 is lighter and extra compact than the 2, it is rather sooner to rate, packs extra uncooked horsepower beneath the hood and is significantly inexpensive. And if you’re into that AI stuff, you’ll be able to experience lots of the options on Samsung’s One UI device straight away, while Apple is but to ship all of its deliberate AI-powered options, let on my own liberate them in Europe.