Take a look at ZDNET’s record of the finest smartphones, and two names often high the record — Samsung and Apple. That is no exception with our most up-to-date picks, because the Galaxy S24 Extremely and the iPhone 16 Professional Max take the highest two spots. That record will possible be altering quickly although, because the Galaxy S25 Extremely is now obtainable.
Each the 16 Professional Max and the S25 Extremely are their model’s most spectacular telephones thus far. Each are full of premium options and high-end specs, and each are the most important of their lineups. All of them function a complete lot of AI, prefer it or not.
Additionally: Samsung’s new Galaxy AI options are what iPhone customers want they obtained with Apple Intelligence
Should you’re already locked into a selected ecosystem, the selection right here is straightforward. However in case you’re on the fence otherwise you’re contemplating switching sides, you’ve gotten a choice to make.
Happily, there’s sufficient of a distinction between these two gadgets that you could make a alternative. Should you’re deciding between the Galaxy S25 Extremely and the iPhone 16 Professional Max, this is what you might want to know.
Specs
|
Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely |
iPhone 16 Professional Max |
|
|
Show |
6.9″ QHD AMOLED 120Hz, 2600 nits peak |
6.8-inch AMOLED with 120Hz, 2000 nits peak |
|
Weight |
218 grams |
227 grams |
|
Processor |
Snapdragon 8 Elite |
A18 Professional |
| Dimensions | 77.6 X 162.8 X 8.2mm | 77.6 X 163 X 8.25 |
| RAM/Storage | 12GB with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 8GB with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Battery | 5000 mAh | 4685 mAh |
| Digital camera | 200MP vast / 50MP telephoto (5x) / 10MP telephoto (3x) / 50 MP ultrawide / 12MP entrance | 48MP Fusion / 48MP Extremely Huge / 12MP telephoto (5x) / 12MP entrance |
| Value | $1,299 | $1,199 |
You should purchase the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely if…
1. You need a greater (extra versatile) digicam system
Samsung recurrently tops our record of finest telephone cameras and the S25 Extremely isn’t any totally different. It brings again the 200MP primary sensor of the S24 Extremely, a lens that not solely tops the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s 48MP lens with ease (particularly in zoom) however went down as in all probability the perfect telephone digicam lens final 12 months. The opposite lenses are principally comparable, however the truth that Samsung provides a complete further lens offers it much more of an edge.
Additionally: Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely hands-on: 3 main upgrades I am wanting ahead to testing
Should you’re a photograph fanatic, the S25 Extremely additionally permits for extra handbook controls that method a DSLR whereas Apple focuses on ease of use, and the bigger sensors imply higher images in low gentle. As well as, the Galaxy has extra AI-driven enhancements like Generative Edit. The 16 Professional Max’s digicam is on no account a nasty one, and you can get loads of nice footage, but when the digicam is the primary enchantment and also you should have the perfect, you may wish to select the S25 Extremely.
2. You desire a sleeker, lighter telephone
It is simple to neglect that your telephone is one thing you are carrying in your hand rather a lot. If you’d like your telephone to have rather less heft, you need the S25 Extremely. The scale of those two gadgets are fairly shut to one another, and each are on the heavier and greater facet of telephones basically, however the S25 Extremely is barely thinner, extra slender, and somewhat lighter.
The 16 Professional is a heavy telephone, coming in at 227 grams in comparison with the S25 Extremely’s 218. That is even heavier than the Pixel 9 Professional XL.
3. You are all in on AI
Apple Intelligence comes with some huge guarantees, however a number of the finest options aren’t obtainable but. Galaxy AI already had pretty strong choices however Unpacked put much more on the desk. A number of new options are coming to Galaxy AI and One UI 7, and so they’ll be obtainable on the S25 Extremely’s launch.
Additionally: I’ll lastly swap from Google Pixel to Samsung Galaxy in 2025 – and {hardware} has little to do with it
The Private Knowledge Engine is a spotlight, basically a LLM that learns as you utilize your telephone and serves as an assistant that anticipates your wants. Multi-app instructions are additionally on the best way, that means you are able to do issues like, “Discover close by vegetarian, pet-friendly eating places and textual content them to Allison” or “Discover subsequent month’s Cubs’ video games and add them to my calendar.”
Apple Intelligence is rising, and can possible introduce related options, however for now, Samsung has the clear edge. If you wish to harness the newest AI, go together with the Galaxy S25 Extremely.
You should purchase the iPhone 16 Professional Max if…
1. Pace and fluidity issues
Each of those telephones have the perfect chips obtainable — the Galaxy with the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the iPhone with the A18 Professional. Both of those chips is sufficient to deal with most processing, and the 2 carry out pretty equally in benchmark exams. The S25 Extremely has 12GB of RAM in comparison with the 16 Professional Max’s 8GB, however 8GB is enough for many duties. Until you are doing a little heavy lifting, you in all probability will not discover the additional reminiscence.
Additionally: We examined the iPhone 16 Professional digicam system, and it is extremely underrated – with one tragic flaw
The explanation Apple will get the win right here is that a big a part of app efficiency comes all the way down to how builders optimize them. Since Apple’s chip solely runs Apple gadgets (the Snapdragon 8 Elite powers a number of telephones with extra to return) and builders are designing particularly for the iOS platform, there is a good likelihood apps will run extra easily. Because of this total, the 16 Professional Max may have a efficiency edge.
2. You wish to get monetary savings, even in case you’re shopping for at retail
It is not too usually that we get to make use of “Apple” and “saving cash” in the identical sentence, however right here it’s. Between the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely and the iPhone 16 Professional Max, the latter is cheaper by about $100. This is not contemplating the after-market gross sales that you’ll find on the iPhone, which has been out for about 4 months now, versus the newly launched S25 Extremely.
Admittedly, that is lower than 10% of both machine, nevertheless it’s a uncommon case when Apple is the cheaper choice. For 2 telephones with very related specs, if it comes all the way down to the cash, go together with the iPhone 16 Professional Max.
3. You propose on conserving your machine for some time after which promoting it
This is not particular to the iPhone 16 Professional Max, however as a common rule, iPhones hold their worth greater than some other telephone. Should you’re the kind of one who trades up yearly or two, there in all probability will not be a lot of a distinction right here.
However in case you have a tendency to carry on to your telephones for longer otherwise you wish to promote your telephone your self once you improve, you may get extra in your iPhone 16 Professional Max when the time comes to maneuver on. Just a few years in the past, information from a well-liked cellphone trade-in web site confirmed that over a three-year interval, flagship Android gadgets dropped twice as quick as iPhones.
Options to think about
