iPhone 16 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Apple announced iPhone 16 Pro on 9 September 2024 at $999. Samsung followed with Galaxy S25 Ultra on 22 January 2025 at $1,299.99, and it went on general sale on 7 February 2025. By 19 September 2026 neither was current: Samsung’s Ultra is now Galaxy S26 Ultra, Apple’s Pro is iPhone 18 Pro, and Apple was no longer selling iPhone 16 Pro as a current model. That makes this a choice between two used or discounted phones, or between keeping yours and switching.

The launch prices look about $300 apart, but they don’t buy the same thing: the Ultra started at 256GB and the iPhone at 128GB, so compare at the same storage before deciding the Ultra costs more.

How they compare

Spec	iPhone 16 Pro	Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
US launch	$999, 9 September 2024, 128GB	$1,299.99, 22 January 2025, 256GB
Display	6.3-inch, 2622 × 1206, 460 ppi, ProMotion	6.9-inch QHD+ full rectangle; 6.8-inch with rounded corners
Brightness	1000 typical, 1600 HDR, 2000 outdoor	Not published
Chip	A18 Pro	Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM	Not published	12GB on 256GB, 512GB and 1TB
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Battery	27 hours video, 22 streamed, 85 audio	5,000 mAh typical, 4,855 mAh rated
Wide camera	48MP, 24 mm, f/1.78	200MP, F1.7, optical image stabilization
Telephoto	12MP, 120 mm, 5x	10MP 3x and 50MP 5x
Front camera	12MP, f/1.9	12MP, F2.2, 80-degree field of view
Stylus	None	S Pen
Water	IP68, 6 meters, up to 30 minutes	IP68, 1.5 meters of freshwater, up to 30 minutes
Size	149.6 × 71.5 × 8.25 mm, 199 g	162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm, 218 g
Software	iOS; introduced 2024	Android 15, One UI 7

Size, screen and build

The iPhone is much the smaller phone. iPhone 16 Pro is 149.6 × 71.5 × 8.25 mm and 199 grams, in a titanium frame with Ceramic Shield on the front and a textured matte glass back, in Black, White, Natural and Desert Titanium. Its 6.3-inch screen is 2622 × 1206 at 460 pixels per inch, with ProMotion, Always-On and Dynamic Island, 1,000 nits typical, 1,600 for HDR, 2,000 outdoors and a 1-nit minimum.

Galaxy S25 Ultra is 162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm and 218 grams: taller, wider, 19 grams heavier and a fraction thinner. Samsung measures its Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen at 6.9 inches as a full rectangle and 6.8 inches with the corners rounded, calls it QHD+, and gives it a 1–120Hz refresh rate and Vision Booster, but no pixel count or brightness rating. It sits under Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung’s glass-ceramic with an anti-reflective treatment. The frame is titanium too, in Titanium Silverblue, Whitesilver, Gray and Black, plus Pinkgold, Jetblack and Jadegreen from Samsung.com.

Both are IP68, but tested differently: Apple to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes, Samsung to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes, and dust-tight.

Cameras: more lenses on the Ultra, more video tools on the iPhone

The Ultra has four rear cameras: a 200MP wide camera at F1.7 with optical image stabilization and an 85-degree view, a 50MP ultrawide at F1.9 with a 120-degree view, a 10MP telephoto at F2.4 for 3x optical zoom with a 36-degree view, and a 50MP telephoto at F3.4 for 5x with a 22-degree view. Samsung says the ultrawide moved up to 50MP from a 12MP ultrawide on the previous model, and that 10-bit HDR video recording is on by default. The front camera is 12MP at F2.2 with an 80-degree view.

iPhone 16 Pro has three: a 48MP Fusion camera at 24 mm and f/1.78 with second-generation sensor-shift stabilization, which also gives a 12MP 2x crop at 48 mm; a 48MP ultrawide at 13 mm, f/2.2 and 120 degrees; and a 12MP tetraprism telephoto at 120 mm and f/2.8 with 3D sensor-shift stabilization. That’s 5x optical in, 2x optical out, a 10x optical range and digital zoom up to 25x. The front camera is 12MP at f/1.9, and LiDAR is on board.

Where the iPhone leads is video. It shoots 4K Dolby Vision at up to 120 frames per second on the Fusion camera, ProRes up to 4K at 120 to external storage, Log and ACES, plus Cinematic mode in 4K at 30, Action mode at 2.8K and 60 fps, and spatial video in 1080p at 30. Only the Ultra has a 200MP camera and a second telephoto; only the iPhone lists ProRes.

The S Pen, and what the iPhone has instead

Samsung mentions the S Pen only in passing: its water-resistance notes cover the pen right after the Ultra’s IP68 rating, and its recycled-materials notes name the S Pen alongside the case rear, the key and the SIM tray. If you’re buying a used Ultra, make sure the pen is in the box. iPhone 16 Pro has no stylus. It has Camera Control, a button for exposure, depth, zoom, switching cameras, styles and tone, and an Action button.

Battery and charging

Samsung gives the Ultra a 5,000mAh typical capacity (4,855mAh rated) but no playback hours. Wired, it reaches 65 percent in around 30 minutes on a 45W adapter, sold separately, and it’s compatible with QC2.0 and AFC and PD chargers. Wireless, it has Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 and Wireless PowerShare. Samsung doesn’t give a wireless charging wattage or a USB speed.

Apple does the opposite for iPhone 16 Pro: no capacity, but playback ratings of up to 27 hours of video, 22 hours streamed and 85 hours of audio. Wired, it reaches 50 percent in around 30 minutes on a 20W adapter or higher. MagSafe runs up to 25W with a 30W adapter, Qi2 up to 15W and Qi up to 7.5W. Its USB-C port carries DisplayPort and USB 3 at up to 10Gb/s with a USB 3 cable, and the iPhone ships with only a 1-meter cable in the box. A capacity and a playback rating aren’t the same measure, so neither phone can be called the longer-lasting one from these figures.

Software, updates and radios

Galaxy S25 Ultra shipped with Android 15 and One UI 7, and Samsung promises seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates from its global launch date. Apple gives iPhone 16 Pro no such term, and its spec page for the phone still marks Apple Intelligence as a beta from the iOS 18 era, so don’t assume every newer iPhone feature reaches it.

The Ultra runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy, which Samsung describes as customized beyond the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite, with 12GB of RAM in every storage size. Samsung claims 40 percent NPU and 37 percent CPU gains over its previous generation; those are Samsung’s numbers against its own older phone, not a score against A18 Pro.

iPhone 16 Pro unlocks with Face ID and has Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, second-generation ultra-wideband, Thread, NFC and dual-frequency GPS that includes NavIC. It adds Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite, plus Crash Detection. Its models, A3083 and A3084, are activated with eSIM and don’t take a physical SIM, though Apple shows a SIM tray on phones bought outside the United States.

The Ultra has Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth 5.4. Samsung doesn’t list its GPS systems, unlock method, NFC, crash detection or SIM options, beyond naming a SIM tray among the recycled parts.

What they cost

iPhone 16 Pro started at $999 on 9 September 2024 for 128GB, with 256GB, 512GB and 1TB above it. Galaxy S25 Ultra started at $1,299.99 on 22 January 2025 for 256GB, with 512GB and 1TB above it. That’s a $300.99 gap at launch. Both are older models now, so used and discounted prices are what matter; check Apple and Samsung, and the seller, before you buy.