Two flagships, both above a grand, but two very different approaches. I dabbled between Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra bouncing, cameras, displays and A.I. features off of each other.”TMs in scenarios these phones are designed to excel at. The result isn’t a tie. There’s a clear victor for most, even if the other is still the clear favorite of a certain faction.
Cameras and video: the creator’s fork in the road
If video is your world, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the safer option. Apple doubles down on pro capture, too, with support for ProRes RAW workflows and 4K Dolby Vision at up to 120fps on the main camera, as well as up to 60fps from the others. The front camera rises to 18MP and there’s steadier “ultra-stabilized” recording and Center Stage for more dynamic framing. For mobile filmmakers and aspiring creators, that’s the difference between a phone and a pocketable cinema rig.
Samsung counters with versatility. The Galaxy S25 Ultra gets away with this in part by relying on multi-lens coverage and some excellent computational photography for super-sharp zooms, and night shots that are not just possible but confident. For stills and the social-first video it’s targeted at, it’s capable of providing punchy, ready-to-share results without any fuss. But if you even care a little bit about color pipelines, bit depth, grading latitude, etc, Apple’s pro codecs and accessory ecosystem tilt the table.
The display and durability: findings of the eye
Samsung’s panel is the one that kept standing out outdoors to me. The S25 Ultra’s anti-reflective, anti-smudge coating makes a serious dent in glare, allowing maps, messages and viewfinders to remain readable in bright sunlight without permanent sleeve-wiping. Apple introduces a new anti-reflective coating for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is a welcomed step, but Samsung still provides superior real-world legibility, and is better at staying smudge-free, at this tier.
Both are superb when it comes to color accuracy, peak brightness and adaptive refresh. Whether you spend a lot of time on a construction site, a commuter train or a soccer sideline at midday, the finish of the S25 Ultra just keeps the friction level on the low.
Performance, storage and battery
Both phones don’t break a sweat from one day to the next. Apple’s newest Pro silicon is still ridiculously fast for editing multi-layer timelines and exporting high-res clips, and the S25 Ultra’s flagship processor keeps gaming smooth and multitasking snappy. Where Apple gains ground over creators is in storage: the iPhone 17 Pro Max supports up to 2TB, a key lifesaver when you’re shooting ProRes out in the field. Samsung tops out at 1TB, which is generous but high-bitrate footage disappears quickly. You’ll pay for that luxury — Apple’s 2TB offering lands at the stratospheric end of the price spectrum.
Battery life is flagship-level on both. The iPhone’s battery holds up well over extended recording sessions, and the S25 Ultra sips sensibly away at a day of mixed use, even with its large, bright screen. Charging times vary a bit based on region and adapter, but neither felt so slow to be a significant factor in the purchase decision.
AI and software experience
Here’s where Samsung gets a lead you can feel every hour, not just now and then. Integrating Galaxy AI is easy and convenient. The sidebar is designed for quick tasks: drag text from an email directly into the cloud alongside an event in your calendar with a tap, press and hold to get easy slow-motion from standard footage; clean up an image using an object removal tool that is, in my tests, more convincing than Apple’s new Clean Up. But it’s not just flashy for the sake of being flashy — it’s speed you can actually use for everyday stuff.
Apple Intelligence offers helpful writing tools and a notification summary that cuts through the noise, and it feels like a natural part of iOS without any extra settings spelunking. But if you want AI that shaves critical minutes off your messaging, media consumption and multitasking, Samsung’s density of feature and Android’s customisability carry a much stronger outfit today.
Ecosystem, accessories and long-term fit
Accessories are weighing in depending on where you live this day and age. And if you have MagSafe gear — a snap-on battery pack, car mount, wallet or even a magnetic tripod — the iPhone 17 Pro Max permits you to keep on using with no and stuff at all. It counts when you discover how frequently a magnetic tripod or charger gives way to friction on the fly.
In a move that seemingly no one in the audience saw coming, Samsung flaunted the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 9 just as Microsoft had finished puffing up its Surface Pen earlier in the day.<0x202f>This isn’t the only way Samsung one-upped Microsoft today, but it’s one of the few unique advantages Samsung’s mainstream (i.<0x202f>e. non-foldable) flagships hold on any other device.
Jotting down ideas in a meeting, annotating PDFs or even quickly tracing a product sketch is still best-in-class here. The pen earns its keep if your work involves handwritten notes, markings or precise selections.
Price and value context
Both phones are positioned in the ultra-premium space. Market trackers like Counterpoint Research point out that these buyers prioritize cameras and displays above all else, followed by ecosystem lock-in. When it comes to Apple’s 2TB selection, you’re already treading the ceiling of about $1,999, but consider one only if you’re a creator with particular storage requirements. But for most shoppers, the sweet spot is far lower than that — so consider the features you will use weekly, not spec sheet bragging rights.
The winner
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will be the more well-rounded daily driver for most. Its excellent outdoor display and more useful AI suite, along with its S Pen functionality, all add up to concrete benefits in everyday use–not just occasionally, for special shoots. If you’re a filmmaker or a creator setting up a mobile-first video workflow, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the superior tool—nothing in a phone even comes close to its pro codecs, stabilized capture and 2TB headroom. But for those getting in on this latest round, Samsung wins for aiming to make the normal moments simpler and the exceptional ones easier to capture.
