Samsung’s newest smartphone launch, the Galaxy S25, is the South Korean tech firm’s newest try to win the cell AI warfare. This is how the entry-level mannequin compares in opposition to Apple’s iPhone 16.
On January 22, Samsung launched an replace to its flagship smartphone line. The Samsung Galaxy S25, together with the Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 Extremely, are set to grow to be the largest smartphones on Android, and presumably in AI.
In the course of the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked occasion, Samsung promoted its smartphones as a means for anybody to shortly use AI whereas on the transfer. Guarantees had been product of pure context-aware cell experiences, an intuitive interface, and excessive efficiency.
With Apple Intelligence being Cupertino’s massive push, the Galaxy S25 represents the iPhone 16’s greatest rival.
Trying out the specs lists of every, it must be a detailed combat.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – SpecificationsSpecificationsiPhone 16Samsung Galaxy S25Price (beginning)$799Best iPhone 16 costs$799.99Deals accessible at SamsungDimensions (inches)5.81 x 2.82 x 0.315.78 x 2.78 x 0.28Weight (ounces)65.7ProcessorA185-core GPUQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for GalaxyAdreno 830 GPUStorage128GB, 256GB, 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GBDisplay type6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X DisplayResolution2,556 x 1,179 at 460ppi2,340 x 1,080 at 416ppiBiometricsFace IDUnder-display fingerprint, Face recognition Connectivity5G (Sub-6GHz and mmWave),Gigabit-class LTE,Wi-Fi 7,Bluetooth 5.3,Second-gen Extremely WidebandNFCEmergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc,Roadside Help by way of Satellite tv for pc,USB-C (USB 2),Thread support5G (Sub-6GHz and mmWave),LTE,Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4,NFC,USB-C (USB 3.2)Rear Cameras48MP Fusion,12MP Extremely Extensive with Macro50MP Extensive,12MP Extremely Wide10MP Telephoto, 3x Optical ZoomVideo4K 60fps,4K 60fps HDR with Dolby Imaginative and prescient,1080p 240fps Slo-Mo,Cinematic Mode,Spatial Video,Macro Video,Sensor-shift optical picture stabilization,Motion Mode8K 30fps,4K 60fps,1080p 240fps,10-bit HDR, HDR10+Gyro-EISFront Camera12MP TrueDepth,Autofocus12MPBattery SizeUp to 22 hours of video playback4,000mAh ColorsBlack,White,Teal,Pink,UltramarineNavy, Icy Blue, SIlver Shadow, Mint Blue Black, Coral Crimson, Pink GoldiPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Bodily Dimensions
The 2024 iPhone 16 launched in a reasonably acquainted type to shoppers, measuring 5.81 inches lengthy and a couple of.82 inches large. Unusually for Apple, it is a totally different dimension to the Professional counterpart, with the usual model being a bit shorter however wider.
The Galaxy S25’s base mannequin will not be that far off the iPhone’s dimensions, with it being barely smaller general. It is 5.78 inches lengthy, 2.78 inches large.
On the subject of thickness, the iPhone loses out to the Samsung, at 0.31 inches to 0.28 inches.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25: Facet views of the Galaxy S25 – Picture Credit score: Samsung
Each smartphones have a broadly comparable exterior look, with an edge-to-edge show, flat sides, and rounded corners on an aluminum body. On the entrance, the important thing distinction is on the high, with the Galaxy S25 utilizing a punch-hole digicam on the high, whereas Apple makes use of the Dynamic Island to cover its TrueDepth digicam.
On the perimeters, Apple has extra seen buttons, together with quantity controls, one to wake the iPhone, the Motion Button, and the newest addition, Digital camera Management.
Samsung has gone for a extra relaxed choice, with one facet having quantity controls and a facet button whereas the opposite facet is naked.
Across the again is a extra apparent distinction. Apple has two rear cameras in a nook bump, whereas Samsung consists of three separate lens protrusions.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Show
On the subject of the show, it is anticipated that Samsung ought to have a substantial benefit over the iPhone, just because it is concerned within the provide chain. It actually performs to that benefit right here.
The iPhone sports activities a 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show, an all-screen OLED panel able to displaying HDR content material. It has a decision of two,556 by 1,179, giving it a pixel density of 460 pixels per inch.
The Galaxy S25 has a bigger 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X show, which has a decision of two,340 by 1,080 pixels, marginally decrease than the iPhone. This drags the pixel density all the way down to 416ppi, which remains to be completely acceptable for a smartphone.
Apple’s show has TrueTone assist, and covers the Extensive Coloration (P3) gamut. Samsung presents what it refers to as an “Adaptive Color Tone.”
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25: Samsung opts for a small gap punch digicam – Picture Credit score: Samsung
What Samsung does win at is refresh price, with the Galaxy S25 having a SuperSmooth 120Hz refresh price that may go down to only 1Hz. Whereas that is akin to ProMotion within the iPhone 16 Professional, the iPhone 16 is proscribed to only 60Hz.
When it comes to distinction, the iPhone 16 has a distinction ratio of two million to 1. Brightness maximums fluctuate between 1,000 nits for typical content material, 1,600 nits at a peak for HDR content material, and a couple of,000 nits for peak brightness when used outside.
Samsung hasn’t revealed the distinction ratio for the Galaxy S25, however it might handle a most brightness of two,600 nits at peak. That is significantly brighter for outside use than the iPhone, although it is questionable as as to if that is sufficient of a bonus versus decision.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Cameras
One space Samsung has a substantial benefit with the Galaxy S25 are the cameras. That each one begins with amount, with Samsung merely placing extra on its system.
The rear of the Galaxy S25 has three cameras, beginning off with a 50-megapixel Extensive digicam, with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS. It additionally has a 10-megapixel Telephoto digicam, an f/2.4 shooter with a 3x optical zoom and OIS, and a 12MP F/2.2 Extremely-Extensive digicam with a 120-degree discipline of view.
Apple’s counter to this pairing is its 48MP Fusion digicam with an f/1.6 aperture and a sensor-shift optical picture stabilization system. It additionally has a 12MP Extremely Extensive sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree discipline of view.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25: Three cameras on the Galaxy S25 – Picture Credit score: Samsung
Whereas Apple has fewer bodily cameras on the again, it does try to compete with a digital 12MP Telephoto digicam. In actuality, it is a crop of the 48MP Fusion digicam that ends in a 2x magnification, which Apple can declare is technically an optical zoom, not digital.
Across the entrance of the Galaxy S25 is a 12-megapixel digicam with an f/2.2 aperture and an 80-degree discipline of view. Apple’s reply to that is the 12MP TrueDepth array with an f/1.9 aperture.
On the subject of video, Apple presents customers 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient recording at 60fps, 1080p Slo-Mo at 240fps, a 6x digital zoom, Spatial video recording at 1080p, and varied cinematic recording choices. Computational images remains to be an enormous factor, enhancing the picture of not simply images however video too.
Samsung’s counter is to easily report extra pixels. The rear digicam, able to HDR10+ video, dietary supplements its 4K60 recording with 8K30 video. Slo-Mo at 1080p can also be provided at 240fps.
Apart from the higher video, lots of deciding which digicam system is one of the best will probably be subjective, with computational changes additionally taking part in a serious half.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Processing and Efficiency
On the subject of how the smartphones work, lots of it’ll come all the way down to the chipset driving the expertise.
In a single nook, Apple’s self-designed A18 chip is extraordinarily succesful, due to its six-core CPU with two efficiency cores and 4 effectivity cores. There’s additionally a 5-core GPU of Apple’s personal design, and the Neural Engine for dealing with machine learning-based duties.
Within the Galaxy S25, Samsung has gone for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Cellular Platform for Galaxy. Because the identify implies, it is a model of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Cellular Platform, tweaked and customised for Samsung.
It is an octa-core CPU utilizing two high-performance cores and 6 different lower-speed cores. It is supported by the Hexagon NPU for dealing with AI workloads, and the Adreno GPU able to ray tracing and with Vulkan Engine assist.
Samsung’s additionally utilizing vapor chamber cooling on its system-on-chip. It is a thermal administration method that Apple has been rumored to be wanting into, with the potential to maintain chips operating for longer with out throttling.
Whereas we cannot know precisely how briskly Samsung’s chipset will probably be, we are able to a minimum of examine the Snapdragon 8 Elite utilized in different units with Apple’s A18. We may use the Asus ROG Cellphone 9 Professional for instance right here.
Searches for Geekbench outcomes for the Asus smartphone point out it might attain single-core scores of round 2,000, and multi-core scores round 8,030. The present iPhone 16 Geekbench rating for the iPhone 16 lists the single-core take a look at at 3,309 and the multi-core at 8,137.
We may fairly assume Samsung’s Galaxy S25 will probably be in the identical ballpark, chipset tweaks apart. Theoretically, this implies the iPhone ought to nonetheless win out in the case of single-core duties, as used for on a regular basis app utilization, whereas issues stage out for multi-core apps.
Talking of efficiency, Samsung did lots to play up the Galaxy S25’s AI capabilities. This mainly is a Google Gemini affair, offering the whole lot from textual content interpretation, context-aware recommendations, and “Circle to Search” to writing and drawing help and the “Personal Data Engine” for customized AI options utilizing on-device information evaluation.
Samsung even breaks out the impressive-sounding “post-quantum cryptography,” which Apple has expertise with too.
Whereas Apple does have Apple Intelligence, it is a bit onerous to compete in opposition to Google Gemini right now. Apple is slowly rolling out its varied components of Apple Intelligence, with Siri but to be made a lot smarter, except for handing some queries over to ChatGPT.
For the second, Apple is catching up in the case of AI, and that is an issue.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Connectivity
On the subject of connectivity, it is protected to say that it is a stage taking part in discipline. It is within the minor factors the place there are variations.
Each smartphones have 5G connectivity over mmWave and sub-6GHz bands, with LTE as a backup. Wi-Fi 7 assist can also be equal, although Samsung does pull forward with Bluetooth 5.4 versus 5.3.
NFC and USB-C connectivity can also be provided by each, however once more Samsung’s bodily connection is the sooner USB 3.2 versus the sluggish USB 2 pace on the iPhone.
Apple does pull forward with the additional connectivity choices, although. This consists of Thread assist for sensible houses, second-gen Extremely Wideband, and companies like Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Energy and Battery
Formally, Apple does not reveal the capability of the battery contained in the iPhone 16 as a quantifiable determine, however as a substitute by what you are able to do with it. This consists of as much as 22 hours of video playback, as much as 18 hours if streamed, and as much as 80 hours of audio playback.
Samsung as a substitute says its battery is 4,000mAh. Based mostly on detailed teardowns and evaluation, we all know it is bought a much bigger capability than the iPhone 16’s 3,561mAh quantity.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25: For of Samsung’s new launches – Picture Credit score: Samsung
It is protected to consider the Galaxy S25 will supply all-day battery life. As for what precisely that interprets to in real-world utilization, it is too early to inform.
On the subject of charging, each iPhone and Galaxy have fast-charging capabilities, getting 50% of battery life from a 30-minute USB-C cost.
Wi-fi charging is obtainable on each, with the iPhone utilizing MagSafe at as much as 25W. Samsung additionally does wi-fi charging at a slower 15W underneath Qi2.
Nevertheless, its Wi-fi PowerShare function means the Galaxy S5 can be utilized to wirelessly cost one other system, one thing the iPhone does not supply.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Different Options
On the subject of biometric safety, Apple depends on Face ID, the 3D depth-mapping system that may scan the person’s face. Samsung additionally presents facial recognition, nevertheless it largely depends on an under-display fingerprint reader.
Each units are rated to IP68 ranges of mud and water resistance.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Capability, Coloration, and Pricing
The iPhone 16 is on the market in a selection of 5 colours: Black, White, Teal, Pink, and Ultramarine. It begins from $799 for 128GB of storage, with 256GB and 512GB choices accessible for $899 and $1,099 respectively.
Samsung presents the Galaxy S25 in 4 most important colours: Navy, Icy Blue, Silver Shadow, and Mint. Different colours can be found in sure unique sale instances, together with Blue Black, Coral Crimson, and Pink Gold.
Pricing begins from $799.99 with 128GB of storage, with the 256GB choice at $859.99, and a 512GB capability additionally accessible exterior america.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25 – Which to purchase?
Samsung’s newest effort, arriving months after Apple’s most-recent iPhone launch, follows the remainder of the trade in focusing closely on AI. It is a highly regarded subject, and it is smart for Samsung to take action.
It additionally has the main benefit of leaning on Google Gemini for the heavy lifting. That, and Google’s relative lead over Apple Intelligence that has a glacial roll-out schedule.
If we put apart the entire AI-promotion factor and take a look at simply the specs, it turns into a significantly nearer match general.
Sure, Samsung has a custom-made Qualcomm chipset, nevertheless it looks like it will be in the identical ballpark because the iPhone 16 in the case of multi-core efficiency.
iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S25: the again of the Galaxy S25 – Picture Credit score: Samsung
Samsung additionally has three cameras on the rear, which is greater than Apple’s two. This is a bonus, however contemplating Apple’s crop-based “telephoto camera” is comparable in spec to the separate sensor of the S25’s telephoto, it isn’t as massive as you’d assume.
The shows are additionally fairly shut, spec-wise. Apple’s is increased decision and extra pixel-dense, however both can be acceptable for finish customers.
What we in the end have listed here are two very comparable smartphones from two bitter rivals, that supply shoppers just about the identical factor. Broadly talking, in fact.
To the typical person, the iPhone 16 and the Galaxy S25 are nice entry-level smartphones of their generations.
However, for the second a minimum of, Apple’s going to search out it onerous to compete in opposition to Samsung’s AI bluster.
The place to purchase the iPhone 16 and Samsung Galaxy S25
The Samsung S25 might be ordered at Samsung immediately, together with Greatest Purchase and Amazon, with incentives at press time delivering aggressive trade-in values and system reductions.
Apple’s iPhone 16 can also be eligible for incentives at wi-fi carriers, with invoice credit of as much as $1,000 off, utilizing at this time’s greatest iPhone offers.
You’ll be able to bounce straight to the presents at Verizon and AT&T Wi-fi.
