When you have a whole lot of money to spend and need the very best of the very best relating to flagship smartphones, Apple and Samsung each have intriguing choices on supply this yr.
I am referring, in fact, to the iPhone 17 Professional Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely. These are the highest-end and most costly conventional (learn: non-foldable) telephones Apple and Samsung at present manufacture. Whereas a whole lot of competing smartphones can really feel just a little related at instances, these two handsets even have some fascinating factors of divergence from each other.
Here is how they examine.
iPhone 17 vs. Pixel 10: Which telephone has the higher show, worth, and specs?
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely: Value
Our first distinction has to do with sticker worth. The iPhone 17 Professional Max begins at $1,199, whereas the Galaxy S25 Extremely begins at $1,299.
You’d suppose that might be the top of the dialog so far as worth is anxious, but it surely must be famous that there’s one variant of the iPhone 17 Professional Max that is far dearer than even the priciest S25 Extremely. Particularly, should you get it with the best storage capability out there, the Professional Max will run you $1,999. That is two grand. By comparability, the largest storage capability mannequin of the S25 Extremely is “merely” $1,659. There is a purpose for that, as we’ll focus on momentarily.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely: Specs
Samsung rounded the corners this yr.
Credit score: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
Listed here are the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s primary specs:
6.9-inch show with 2868×1320 decision and 120Hz adaptive refresh charge
3,000 nits peak brightness
A19 Professional chip
256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB storage
Battery rated for as much as 33 hours
Rear cameras: 48MP large/48MP ultrawide/48MP telephoto with 8x optical zoom
Entrance digicam: 18MP
And listed here are the equal specs for Galaxy S25 Extremely:
6.9-inch AMOLED show with adaptive 120Hz refresh charge and 3120×1440 decision
2,600 nits peak brightness
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor
256GB/512GB/1TB storage
5,000mAh battery
Rear cameras: 200MP large, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom
Entrance digicam: 12MP
Alright, there is a respectable quantity to debate right here. Let’s begin with the shows. Each are fairly related by way of dimension, decision, and refresh charge, although it have to be acknowledged that the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s display screen is brighter at peak brightness. If you happen to’re an outdoorsy kind, the iPhone could be a greater possibility in that regard.
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Past that, the primary purpose why the costliest iPhone 17 Professional Max prices a lot greater than the costliest S25 Extremely is storage capability. Apple’s handset goes all the way in which as much as 2TB of inside storage, whereas Samsung’s tops out at 1TB. That is a reasonably large feather in Apple’s cap this yr and Samsung cannot actually compete with that but. Hardcore cell photographers and videographers may lean in direction of iPhone for that purpose.
One extraordinarily noteworthy benefit that Samsung can declare over Apple is the inclusion of the S-Pen stylus with each S25 Extremely telephone. The telephone has a built-in charging slot for the stylus, and it really works natively and easily with apps and interface parts. Apple doesn’t embody a stylus with any iPhone fashions at the moment. If you happen to want to make use of a stylus, the selection right here is simple.
There are additionally some fairly massive variations by way of cameras, however maintain onto that thought for now.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely: Design
How do you want the brand new look?
Credit score: Apple
The Galaxy S25 Extremely seems so much like its predecessors. The rear digicam array is three lenses stacked vertically on high of one another with none sort of bump housing them, similar to earlier S-series telephones. Samsung did spherical the sides for S25 Extremely, which makes it a extra nice telephone to carry than the earlier mannequin was. S25 Extremely is available in seven colours: Gray, Whitesilver, Silverblue, Black, Pinkgold, Jadegreen, and Jetblack. Formally, these all even have the phrase “Titanium” in entrance of them, however you get what I imply.
Apple went again to the drafting board for the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s bodily look. It nonetheless has the identical triangular digicam array as earlier than, however now the lenses dwell in an enormous, rectangular bump referred to as the “plateau.” This has been controversial because the telephone was introduced, as many discover it disagreeable to take a look at. In fact, that is a matter of private style. The iPhone 17 Professional Max is available in simply three colours: Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely: Efficiency and battery life
It is not likely doable to immediately examine efficiency on these two telephones proper now as a result of we have not correctly examined the Professional Max but. In addition they have completely totally different chipsets, with Samsung counting on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip whereas Apple’s telephone is fueled by the in-house A19 Professional. Samsung’s telephone performs simply nice and, if historical past is any indication, Apple’s will, too. There could also be marginal variations, however we will not say that for certain simply but.
Battery life can be an fascinating subject right here. Apple has not revealed precisely how massive the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s battery is, however it’s rated for as many as 33 hours on a single cost. Samsung’s telephone has a 5,000mAh cell inside it that’s rated for as many as 31 hours on a cost, although it topped out at round 27 hours in my testing. Your mileage might differ.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Galaxy S25 Extremely: Cameras
Meet the brand new digicam plateau.
Credit score: Apple
Since we have not correctly examined the iPhone 17 Professional Max in any capability but, it isn’t doable to say for certain which handset has a greater set of cameras. Numerically, although, there are some fascinating variations.
Apple packed a trio or 48MP lenses onto the rear array of the Professional Max this yr. Notably, the telephoto lens provides as much as 8x optical zoom and what Apple calls 16x “optical-quality” zoom vary. The selfie digicam has additionally gotten a lift to 18MP with a wider subject of view than earlier fashions, enabling selfies with bigger teams of individuals.
Samsung wins the numbers recreation this yr, if nothing else. Its essential shooter is a whopping 200MP, whereas the opposite two are available at 50MP. The selfie cam is just 12MP, although. Samsung’s optical zoom solely goes as much as 5x, although you stand up to 100x digital zoom. In my testing, I discovered that zoom pictures seemed good as much as round 30x on the S25 Extremely. We’ll see how the iPhone 17 Professional Max compares when it is in our fingers.
