iPhone 17 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S25

iPhone 17 Pro

The 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display matches the Pro Max with 3,000-nit peak brightness and ProMotion 120Hz in a more compact package.

• 3,000 nits peak brightness matches the Pro Max exactly — no display compromises in the smaller model
• ProMotion 120Hz with always-on display provides a smooth, responsive experience identical to the larger sibling

Samsung Galaxy S25

The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display delivers outstanding brightness, color accuracy, and smoothness. Anti-reflective coating ensures excellent outdoor visibility.

• 120Hz LTPO display is butter smooth with class-leading brightness
• Anti-reflective coating makes it the most sunlight-readable compact phone available

iPhone 17 Pro

Identical triple 48MP camera system to the Pro Max — no feature or quality cuts in the smaller phone, which is a first for the Pro line.

• For the first time, the smaller Pro gets the exact same camera hardware as the Pro Max — no telephoto compromise
• Low-light photography improvements are consistent across both Pro models with the new computational pipeline
• ProRes and LOG video recording match the Pro Max, making this the most capable compact video phone

Samsung Galaxy S25

The 50MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x telephoto setup delivers reliable results. AI photo editing tools add genuine value, though hardware improvements over S24 are minimal.

• Camera experience is just okay — display is excellent, performance is on point, but cameras need more attention
• Galaxy AI photo editing features like Generative Edit genuinely improve the experience
• Hardware is largely unchanged from S24 — feels like Samsung is coasting on software improvements alone

iPhone 17 Pro

A19 Pro chip with vapor chamber cooling delivers identical benchmark scores and sustained performance as the Pro Max.

• Benchmark scores are virtually identical to the Pro Max — the smaller form factor imposes no performance penalty
• Sustained performance under load is excellent thanks to the vapor chamber, though the smaller chassis runs slightly warmer

Samsung Galaxy S25

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip brings significant performance and efficiency gains. Galaxy AI features run smoothly on-device, and daily performance is exceptional.

• After three years making essentially the same phone, Samsung has nailed it — better than its predecessors in almost every way, beating the iPhone 16 in performance
• Galaxy AI features are genuinely useful and well-integrated into the daily experience
• On-device AI processing is noticeably faster than cloud-based alternatives