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WhichPhoneToBuy

Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes out ahead on 9 counts and the Apple iPhone 16 Plus on 4.

Which should you buy?

Pick the Apple iPhone 16 Plus for

  • Faster wireless charging: 25 W vs 15 W
  • Lighter: 199 g vs 218 g (19 g less)
  • Thinner: 7.8 mm vs 8.2 mm
  • Cheaper at launch: $899 vs $1,300

Pick the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for

  • Bigger battery: 5,000 vs 4,674 mAh (7% more)
  • Bigger screen: 6.9" vs 6.7"
  • Smoother display: 120 Hz vs 60 Hz
  • Brighter display: 2,600 vs 2,000 nits peak
  • Higher-resolution main camera: 200 MP vs 48 MP
  • Optical zoom (5×), which the other lacks
  • More RAM: up to 16 GB vs 8 GB
  • More storage: up to 1 TB vs 512 GB
  • Newer: launched February 2025

Size comparison

The Apple iPhone 16 Plus is 1.9 mm shorter, 0.4 mm thinner and 19 g lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Its screen is 0.2" smaller.

  • Apple iPhone 16 Plus160.9 × 77.8 × 7.8 mm
  • Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm

Specs side by side

LaunchApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
AnnouncedSeptember 9, 20241January 22, 20251
ReleasedSeptember 20, 20241February 7, 20251
Launch price$8991 (better)$1,3001
BodyApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Size160.9 × 77.8 × 7.8 mm162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm
Thickness7.8 mm (better)8.2 mm
Weight199 g (better)218 g
Frame—Titanium
Backglass1—
Water resistanceIP68IP68
ColoursUltramarine, Teal, Pink, White, Black1Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Jetblack, Titanium Pinkgold1
DisplayApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Size6.7"6.9"
TypeSuper Retina XDR OLEDDynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
Resolution1290 × 27961440 × 3120 (better)
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hz (better)
Peak brightness2,000 nits12,600 nits (better)
Protection—Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Performance and softwareApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
ChipsetApple A18Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy
CPU6-core (2 performance + 4 efficiency)12x 4.47 GHz Oryon (Phoenix L) and 6x 3.53 GHz Oryon (Phoenix M)1
Process—3 nm1
Ships withiOS 18One UI 7
OS updates—7 years (to Feb 2032)
Security updates—7 years (to Feb 2032)
MemoryApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
RAM8 GB112 GB / 16 GB (better)
Storage128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB (better)
Card slot—No1
CamerasApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Rear48 MP Main, OIS 12 MP Ultrawide200 MP Main 50 MP Ultrawide 50 MP Telephoto (5× optical) 10 MP Telephoto (3× optical)
Main camera48 MP200 MP (better)
Optical zoomNone5× (better)
Front12 MP12 MP
Video4K at 60 fps18K at 30 fps
BatteryApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Capacity4,674 mAh15,000 mAh (better)
Wired charging—45 W
Wireless charging25 W (better)15 W1
Reverse wireless—Yes
ConnectivityApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
5GYes1Yes
Wi-FiWi-Fi 71Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be tri-band)
Bluetooth5.315.41
NFCYes1Yes1
USBUSB-C: USB 2.0 480 Mbit/sUSB Type-C 3.2 (5Gbps)
Headphone jack—No1
eSIMYes1Yes1
Satellite messagingYes1—
FeaturesApple iPhone 16 PlusSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Fingerprint—Ultrasonic under-display
Stereo speakers—Yes1
Stylus—Yes

Highlighted: the better value where one is clearly better. Sources for each phone are listed on the Apple iPhone 16 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra pages.

Quick answers

Is the Apple iPhone 16 Plus bigger than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus is 1.9 mm shorter, 0.4 mm thinner and 19 g lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Its screen is 0.2" smaller.
Which has the bigger battery, the Apple iPhone 16 Plus or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has the bigger battery: 5,000 mAh against 4,674 mAh. Real battery life also depends on the chip and screen.
Which was cheaper at launch?
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus launched at $899, against $1,300 for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (US launch prices; street prices drop over time).

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