So, you are on the market for a powerful compact flagship cellphone, and also you’re capable of dig deep in your pocket for one among many world’s heavy-hitters, the Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Apple iPhone 16 Skilled? In case, in spite of everything, you are not basically invested in each ecosystem.
Properly, the two models are very utterly totally different on the subject of {{hardware}}, software program program and value. The one widespread flooring they share is footprint. These are the newest and finest compact premium choices from Samsung and Apple, so it’s solely pure to put them nose to nose.
Desk of Contents:
For starters, you probably can consider the entire specs sheets or immediately proceed with our editor’s analysis throughout the following textual content material.
Dimension comparability
If portability is a chief priority, then the Galaxy S25 is the clear reply proper right here. Sure, it properties a barely smaller present, 0.1″ smaller, nevertheless it is considerably additional compact in precise life. It’s shorter, narrower and thinner, so it seems like a quite a bit smaller system in hand. To not level out lighter.
The Galaxy S25 is bigger than 30 grams lighter than its competitor, and although that doesn’t sound like quite a bit, it is a gigantic distinction in hand.
Assemble quality-wise, the iPhone has a slight profit as a result of it choices the newest and finest Apple can present (titanium physique and Ceramic Defend glass), whereas the Galaxy S25 is a step down from the S25 Extraordinarily with an aluminum physique and Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Ingress security is matched at IP68, though Apple certifies their models to resist immersion at a quite a bit higher depth than Samsung (6m vs 1.5m).
Present comparability
Every models present superb reveals and are very comparable in measurement too. Nonetheless, the iPhone takes the lead with Dolby Imaginative and prescient help, barely larger determination (not that it points quite a bit) and might be brighter. Don’t get us incorrect, the S25’s panel is totally optimistic even throughout the brightest of days, nevertheless the iPhone 16 Skilled’s max brightness is tough to ignore – mid 1,700 nits vs. just about 1,400 nits.
Take into consideration the notch, though. Though Apple makes use of it as a perform, it takes considerably additional show precise property than the punch-hole for the selfie cam on the S25.
Battery life
If we strictly take a look on the Vigorous Use Ranking, one might argue the iPhone 16 Skilled has solely marginally increased battery life. The Galaxy S25 even has an prolonged title runtime and barely increased gaming ranking, nevertheless the 16 Skilled outperforms the S25 in web looking/social neighborhood scrolling by a landslide whereas offering a barely increased video streaming ranking too, which can be arguably the precept two makes use of for modern-day smartphones.
Charging velocity
Neither system has a robust charging cost, and it’s also exhausting to seek out out the winner proper right here. In response to our checks, the Galaxy S25 is the clear winner of the entire charging cycle by outpacing the iPhone 16 Skilled by spherical 21 minutes.
Conversely, the iPhone 16 Skilled beats the S25 to the first two checkpoints at 15 and half-hour by quite a lot of percentages. Nonetheless, we’d give the Galaxy S25 the win as a result of it is meaningfully faster on the tip, whereas the iPhone is barely negligibly sooner throughout the first half-hour.
Speaker check out
The Galaxy S25 and the iPhone 16 Skilled commerce blows on this class, with the earlier worthwhile throughout the loudness comparability and the latter by offering increased tuning or sound prime quality, however you want to title it.
We uncover the iPhone 16 Skilled’s tuning hotter with additional expressive bass, so tracks sound fuller and livelier.
Effectivity
The Galaxy S25 depends upon Qualcomm’s latest and finest Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, with the “for Galaxy” designation suggesting barely larger clocks on the precept CPU cores and the GPU as compared with the same old chipset utilized in numerous Android telephones.
The iPhone 16 Skilled, nevertheless, runs on an in-house designed chip, Apple A18 Skilled, which historically has outperformed its opponents, nevertheless not this 12 months.
Every models present 128GB of internal storage by default, which is pretty low for a high-end smartphone, nevertheless whereas the S25 might offer you 512GB at biggest, the 16 Skilled has a 1TB mannequin. The 16 Skilled’s NVMe storage is notably faster than the S25’s UFS 4.0 too. The 128GB mannequin of the Galaxy moreover perhaps makes use of slower storage than that as UFS 4.0 is barely on the market in sizes 256GB and up.
Notably, all iPhone 16 Skilled configurations have 8GB of RAM, whereas the S25 runs on 12GB, no matter the storage.
Benchmark effectivity
As we recognized earlier, Apple’s silicon has historically been additional extremely efficient than its associates, nevertheless this 12 months, Qualcomm outdid itself and launched a significantly additional extremely efficient chip. The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy outperforms the A18 Skilled in multi-core conditions by 21%, on the very least on this specific comparability between the Galaxy S25 and the iPhone 16 Skilled. In GPU-heavy workloads like 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme, the S25 beats the iPhone 16 Skilled by spherical 38%.
Digicam comparability
The two models perform very utterly totally different digicam {{hardware}}. Judging solely by the specs sheet, the iPhone 16 Skilled is the clear winner proper right here. It has a a lot larger main 48MP sensor, a 12MP telephoto digicam with 5x optical zoom, and a stronger 48MP ultrawide digicam.
The Galaxy S25 sits throughout the reverse nook with a 50MP main digicam, 10MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom and 12MP ultrawide snapper.
The selfie recreation of every handsets is great – 12MP front-facing shooter with autofocus for the Galaxy S25 and 12MP selfie, autofocus-enabled unit for the iPhone 16 Skilled.
Image prime quality
Off to the exact digicam comparability, we see an similar prime quality with a slight good thing about the iPhone 16 Skilled. In just about all circumstances, the iPhone 16 Skilled gives you sharper stills with a bit additional factor and a wider dynamic fluctuate. That’s true in every daylight and low-light conditions. And that’s even sooner than you activate the 24MP mode.
Galaxy S25: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x
iPhone 16 Skilled: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x
The one case by means of which the S25 outperforms the iPhone 16 Skilled is throughout the 3x zoom, which is to be anticipated provided that the iPhone should crop from the precept digicam, whereas the Galaxy S25 has a faithful 3x telephoto unit. Nevertheless, the 16 Skilled has a 5x digicam, which produces nicer photos at its corresponding focal measurement. We had been shocked by the Galaxy S25’s talent to shoot in 5x, though, as a result of it can get pretty close to the iPhone 16 Skilled in daylight conditions.
Galaxy S25: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x
iPhone 16 Skilled: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x
Video prime quality
Beneath, we’ve got now quite a lot of framegrabs from the films taken by the two telephones at each focal measurement so it’s easier to match to 1 one different.
Galaxy S25 video framegrabs: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x
iPhone 16 Skilled video framegrabs: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x
Video recording is the place the iPhone 16 Skilled excels. The 16 Skilled delivers noticeably increased films night and day aside from the ultrawide digicam, the place the two models produce significantly comparable films and throughout 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 Skilled video framegrabs: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x
Verdict
The Galaxy S25 and the iPhone 16 Skilled are positively among the many many biggest compact flagship telephones available on the market. Nonetheless, the iPhone 16 Skilled seems like the upper cellphone whole, with its brighter present, increased digicam system, longer battery life and better-sounding audio system. Nevertheless it is moreover the dearer cellphone too. It sells for a bit over €1,000 in Europe and $1,000 throughout the US, so it costs as quite a bit as a Galaxy S25+ (when you equate for storage), whereas the Galaxy S25 asks €800/$800. That could be a 200 bucks distinction, which could hardly go unnoticed.
Together with the outlined advantages, the iPhone has UWB help, satellite tv for pc television for computer messaging and a additional premium assemble. These aren’t basically game-changer choices, nevertheless a couple of of you possibly can admire them.
Nevertheless, the Galaxy S25 is lighter and further compact than the two, it’s barely faster to value, packs additional raw horsepower beneath the hood and is notably cheaper. And when you’re into that AI stuff, you probably can get pleasure from quite a lot of the choices on Samsung’s One UI software program program immediately, whereas Apple is however to ship all of its deliberate AI-powered choices, to not point out launch them in Europe.
- The additional lightweight and compact design.
- The marginally faster charging.
- The under-display fingerprint reader.
- The additional extremely efficient chipset.
- The obtainable AI choices.
- The cheaper price ticket.
- The 3x optical zoom digicam.
Get the Samsung Galaxy S25 for:
- The brighter present with Dolby Imaginative and prescient.
- The additional premium assemble.
- The longer battery life.
- The upper audio system.
- Face ID for authentication.
- The stronger digicam system.
- The UWB and satellite tv for pc television for computer messaging help.
- The 5x optical zoom digicam.
Get the Apple iPhone 16 Skilled for:
Provide hyperlink
