We have quite a few Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comparisons on the site at this point. With this article, we’re adding another one. We will be comparing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro. In other words, Samsung’s current-gen flagship will face one of Apple’s flagships for last year, the smaller one. We already have a comparison with the iPhone 15 Pro Max on the site.
These two smartphones are as different as it gets, basically. Not only do they look immensely different, both in terms of general looks and size, but their internals are different as well. Still, both of these are powerful devices worth considering and thus worth comparing. We’ll kick things off by listing the specs of both devices and take things from there.
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro, respectively
– Screen size:
6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (flat, adaptive 120Hz, HDR10+, 2,600 nits max brightness)
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion (120Hz, HDR10, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
3120 x 1440
2796 x 1290
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
Apple A17 Pro
– RAM:
16GB (LPDDR5X)
8GB
– Storage:
256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
200MP (wide, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, multi-directional PDAF, 1/1.3-inch sensor, 0.6um pixel size), 50MP (ultrawide, 120-degree FoV, f/1.9 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF 0.7um pixel size), 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, 1/3.52-inch sensor size, Dual Pixel PDAF, 1.12um pixel size, 3x optical zoom), 50MP (periscope telephoto, OIS, 1/2.52-inch sensor size, PDAF, 5x optical zoom)
48MP (f/1.78 aperture, second-gen sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, macro photography), 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 3x optical zoom)
– Front cameras:
12MP (wide, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 22mm lens)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture) + TrueDepth
– Battery:
5,000mAh
3,274mAh
– Charging:
45W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included)
23W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm
146.6 x 70.6 x 8.25mm
– Weight:
218 grams
187 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) & facial scanning
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
– OS:
Android 15 with One UI 7
iOS 17 (upgradable)
– Price:
$1,299+
$899+
– Buy:
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (Samsung.com)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro (Best Buy)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Design
You’ll notice a ton of differences design-wise the moment you lay your eyes on these two phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has sharper corners in comparison and thinner bezels. There is also a centered display camera hole at the top of its display. The iPhone 15 Pro has a pill-shaped cutout, the so-called Dynamic Island. The bezels are uniform on both smartphones, by the way.
Both devices have flat frames all around. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has all of its physical buttons on the right-hand side, the power/lock and volume rocker buttons. In the bottom-left corner, you’ll notice its S Pen stylus. The iPhone 15 Pro includes a power/lock button on the right-hand side, that’s the only button over there. On the left, its volume up and down buttons are located, and above them is the Action button.
If we flip them around, you’ll see that there is a flat frame included on both devices. Their camera setups are considerably different. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has five protrusions on the back, directly from the backplate. Four of those are reserved for the cameras. The iPhone 15 Pro has a dedicated camera island in the top-left corner, while three cameras protrude from it. The company’s logos are located at the back too.
Both smartphones are made out of titanium and glass. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is considerably taller and wider, while it’s slightly thinner in comparison. That device also weighs 25 grams more in comparison, which is perfectly normal considering the size difference. Both smartphones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. They’re also quite slippery in the hand.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Display
There is a 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display included on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. That panel is flat, and it offers a resolution of 3120 x 1440. It supports HDR10+ content and has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). The peak brightness here is 2,600 nits. The screen-to-body ratio the Galaxy S25 Ultra delivers is around 92%. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. This display is protected by the Gorilla Armor 2 protection.
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, includes a 6.1-inch 2556 x 1179 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That display is also flat, and it has an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hu). HDR10 content is supported here, as is Dolby Vision. The peak brightness is 2,000, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 88%. The display aspect ratio on this phone is 19.5:9. Apple uses the Ceramic Shield glass in order to protect this panel.
Both of these displays are great, to say the least. They’re more than sharp enough, while they offer great viewing angles and good touch response. They’re also vivid, and the blacks are as deep as you’d expect them to be on proper OLED displays. Both displays are also bright enough. The Galaxy S25 Ultra does have the advantage of having Gorilla Armor 2, though, as it’s great for fighting off glare. It’s actually a huge difference.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, Qualcomm’s most powerful chip, fuels the Galaxy S25 Ultra. That is a 3nm processor, and it’s an overclocked variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Samsung pairs that with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside of this smartphone. The company also uses UFS 4.0 flash storage here.
The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, is fueled by the Apple A17 Pro processor. That is a 3nm chip, and Apple’s flagship processor before the Apple A18 Pro came around. That chip is paired with 8GB of RAM inside of this smartphone, while Apple uses NVMe storage. Neither of these two smartphones offers storage expansion, by the way.
They both offer great performance, though. When it comes to day-to-day tasks, everything is very snappy. They can open apps really fast, jump between them, and do all the tasks you’d expect without a problem. That goes for browsing, multimedia consumption, image editing, basically anything you’d expect. They’re also great for gaming, both of them. They can run even the most demanding games on their respective app stores without a problem, other than some heat, of course.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Battery
You’ll find a 5,000mAh battery inside the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the flip side, includes a 3,274mAh battery. Apple’s iPhones usually include smaller battery packs than their Android counterparts, and in this case the Galaxy S25 Ultra is considerably larger, so it has an even larger battery. Despite the considerable difference in battery capacity, the iPhone 15 Pro can keep up.
Yes, the Galaxy S25 Ultra does offer better battery life, based on what we’ve seen, but the iPhone 15 Pro holds its own. The Galaxy S25 Ultra actually has outstanding battery life. We’ve been able to get truly high screen-on times with the device. Getting up to 9 hours of screen-on-time was not a problem, though gaming and other processor-intensive tasks change things up, of course. The iPhone 15 Pro was nowhere near there, but it still managed to last throughout the day without a problem and with rather heavy use.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra supports 45W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, supports 23W wired, 15W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Samsung’s handset takes about an hour to charge fully. You’ll need slightly over an hour and a half to fully charge the iPhone 15 Pro. Neither phone comes with a charger in the box, by the way.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: Cameras
Four cameras sit on the back of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. A 200-megapixel main snapper (1/1.3-inch sensor size) is backed by a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV), a 10-megapixel telephoto camera (1/3.52-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom), and finally, a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (1/2.52-inch sensor size, 5x optical zoom).
On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro has three cameras on the back. A 48-megapixel main shooter (1/1.28-inch sensor size) is paired with a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV) and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera (1/3.5-inch sensor size, 3x optical zoom).
Both of these smartphones lean towards warmer color tones. The images do end up looking different, though. The Galaxy S25 Ultra definitely tunes up the saturation a bit more, while both phones provide more than enough details with their main snappers, in all lighting situations. High-zoom shots are better on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is not surprising considering that the iPhone 15 Pro has a regular telephoto camera. The Galaxy S25 Ultra also brightens up low-light scenes more, but both do a good job with those. Their ultrawide cameras are comparable in terms of quality.
Audio
Both of these smartphones include stereo speakers. Those speakers are good on both smartphones, but the ones on the Galaxy S25 Ultra are a bit louder. The sound quality coming from both is very good, though.
There is no audio jack on either phone. You can, however, connect your wired headphones on both phones via their Type-C ports. Alternatively, the Galaxy S25 Ultra supports Bluetooth 5.4, while the iPhone 15 Pro comes with Bluetooth 5.3 support.
2025-04-16 15:04:33