smartphones · Tool Face-Off

iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25

Quick answer

Both are flagship phones that'll make your wallet cry equally, but they serve different masters: iPhone 16 for the Apple ecosystem devotee, Galaxy S25 for the Android power-user who loves tweaking everything.

Our pick

iPhone 16

Apple's everyday flagship, now with a Camera Control button and Action button.

4.4★

Samsung Galaxy S25

Snapdragon-powered Android flagship with Galaxy AI baked in everywhere.

4.2★

Starting Price

$799

Display Size

6.1-inch OLED

6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED

Refresh Rate

60 Hz

1-120 Hz adaptive

Chipset

Apple A18

Snapdragon 8 Elite

RAM

8 GB

12 GB

Base Storage

128 GB

Rear Cameras

Dual (48 MP main + 12 MP ultra-wide)

Triple (50 MP main + 12 MP ultra-wide + 10 MP telephoto)

Optical Zoom

None (digital crop only)

3× optical

Battery Capacity

3,561 mAh

4,000 mAh

Fast Charging

30W (wired)

25W (wired)

OS Updates Guaranteed

6+ years iOS

7 years Android

Headphone Jack

iPhone 16

Ease of Use★★★★★

Performance★★★★½

Battery Life★★★½☆

Camera Quality★★★★½

Value for Money★★★½☆

Software & Updates★★★★★

Ecosystem & Integrations★★★★★

Samsung Galaxy S25

Ease of Use★★★★☆

Performance★★★★½

Battery Life★★★★☆

Camera Quality★★★★½

Value for Money★★★★☆

Software & Updates★★★★½

Ecosystem & Integrations★★★★☆

Worth knowing

iPhone 16 introduces a dedicated Camera Control button — a physical slider/shutter on the frame — that Galaxy S25 has no equivalent of.
Galaxy S25 ships with Snapdragon 8 Elite globally, ending Samsung's Exynos split that frustrated buyers in Europe and Asia for years.
Apple's A18 chip consistently beats Snapdragon 8 Elite in single-core benchmarks, but real-world daily tasks feel neck-and-neck.
Galaxy S25 offers 7 years of OS and security updates, edging out Apple's promised 6+ years — a rare win for Android longevity.
iPhone 16 has no telephoto lens at the base price; you must jump to the $1,099 Pro to get optical zoom.

The Galaxy S25 has 12 GB of RAM — the same amount as a mid-range laptop from 2021. Your phone is officially smarter than your old work computer.

If you want

You're already deep in Apple ecosystem (Mac, iPad, AirPods)

Seamless Handoff, AirDrop, iMessage, and Continuity features make switching painful for a reason.

→ Pick iPhone 16

If you want

You want a telephoto zoom camera without paying Pro prices

Galaxy S25 includes 3× optical zoom at the base $799 — iPhone 16 forces you to spend $300 more for that privilege.

→ Pick Samsung Galaxy S25

If you want

You want the fastest raw chip performance for gaming and heavy apps

Apple's A18 leads in GPU benchmarks and has superior on-device ML acceleration for demanding workloads.

→ Pick iPhone 16

If you want

You prefer Android flexibility, customization, and sideloading apps

Samsung's One UI on top of Android gives you widgets, default app freedom, and file system access Apple simply won't allow.

→ Pick Samsung Galaxy S25

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iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25

iPhone 16

Samsung Galaxy S25

Worth knowing

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