Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16

Compare Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 by price, specs, scores, and buying fit.

Galaxy S25 Ultra

$1,299 - Score 90

performance97

camera96

battery89

value78

Check Galaxy S25 Ultra on Amazon

iPhone 16

$799 - Score 87

performance91

camera88

battery86

value84

Check iPhone 16 on Amazon

Quick buying take

Galaxy S25 Ultra leads on overall score. iPhone 16 has the lower reference price. Use this comparison to decide whether the stronger dimensions, feature set, ecosystem, or merchant listing fit is worth the current price.

Before buying, compare performance, camera, battery, and value and confirm the final configuration on the merchant page.

Choose Galaxy S25 Ultra if your priority is the stronger score profile. Choose iPhone 16 if you are trying to keep the reference price lower and its weaker areas are not central to your use case.

Performance fit: compare the score bars first when you care about speed, camera quality, display quality, or noise canceling.
Budget fit: use the listed reference price as a starting point, then verify the current merchant price, taxes, delivery time, and available configuration.
Alternative fit: open each product page if neither option is clearly right; the alternatives pages keep the shortlist inside the same product category.

Decision summary

Overall scoreGalaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra leads overall by 3 points, but the category-level rows below show where that lead actually comes from.

Reference priceiPhone 16

iPhone 16 starts $500 lower by reference price. That only matters if the live merchant listing has the same configuration and condition.

Best next stepCheck the use case rows

Do not choose from the product name alone. Match the strongest dimensions to how you will actually use the product.

Score-by-score comparison

Dimension	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 16	Lead	How to read it
performance	97	91	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra leads performance by 6 points.
camera	96	88	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra leads camera by 8 points.
battery	89	86	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra leads battery by 3 points.
value	78	84	iPhone 16	iPhone 16 leads value by 6 points.

Which one fits your use case?

travel Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better first check for travel based on battery, camera, display, and weight.

Galaxy S25 Ultra 88 / iPhone 16 86 - based on battery, camera, display, and weight

photos and video Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better first check for photos and video based on camera, display, storage, and battery.

Galaxy S25 Ultra 88 / iPhone 16 86 - based on camera, display, storage, and battery

students Too close to call

Both are close for students; use ecosystem, live price, and configuration as the tiebreakers.

Galaxy S25 Ultra 86 / iPhone 16 86 - based on value, battery, performance, and storage

mobile gaming Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better first check for mobile gaming based on performance, display, battery, and memory.

Galaxy S25 Ultra 93 / iPhone 16 89 - based on performance, display, battery, and memory

budget buyers Too close to call

Both are close for budget buyers; use ecosystem, live price, and configuration as the tiebreakers.

Galaxy S25 Ultra 86 / iPhone 16 86 - based on value, battery, storage, and performance

work and business Galaxy S25 Ultra

Galaxy S25 Ultra is the better first check for work and business based on battery, performance, storage, and os.

Galaxy S25 Ultra 89 / iPhone 16 87 - based on battery, performance, storage, and os

Real-world tradeoffs

This table turns the spec sheet into shopping decisions. It is meant to answer what changes in daily use, not just which column has the bigger number. There is enough separation here to make a real shortlist decision before clicking out.

Decision factor	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 16	First check	Why it matters
price	$1,299	$799	iPhone 16	iPhone 16 has the lower reference price by $500, but live discounts can reverse this.
ecosystem	Android	iOS	Tie	This is usually a lock-in decision: apps, accessories, messaging, cloud backup, and existing devices matter more than a small score gap.
release	2025-02-07	2024-09-20	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra is the newer listing, which can matter for support window, trade-in value, and discount timing.
display	6.9-inch AMOLED, 120Hz	6.1-inch OLED	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra gives you the larger display class; smaller models can still be better for one-hand use.
chip	Snapdragon 8 Elite	A18	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra is the stronger performance first-check based on score and chip class.
memory	12GB	8GB	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra lists more memory, useful for multitasking and longer upgrade cycles.
storage	256GB	128GB	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra starts with more storage in this catalog; still verify the exact merchant configuration.
camera	200MP main, ultrawide, telephoto	48MP main, ultrawide	Galaxy S25 Ultra	Galaxy S25 Ultra is the safer camera-first shortlist based on the score profile and camera spec.
battery	5000mAh	All-day battery	Tie	Battery is close or not listed in the same unit; compare size, chip efficiency, and your usage pattern.
weight	218g	170g	iPhone 16	iPhone 16 is the lighter option, which matters for pocket comfort and long one-hand sessions.

Spec	Galaxy S25 Ultra	iPhone 16
Price	$1,299	$799
display	6.9-inch AMOLED, 120Hz	6.1-inch OLED
chip	Snapdragon 8 Elite	A18
memory	12GB	8GB
storage	256GB	128GB
camera	200MP main, ultrawide, telephoto	48MP main, ultrawide
battery	5000mAh	All-day battery
weight	218g	170g
os	Android	iOS

Quick answers

Which is better, Galaxy S25 Ultra or iPhone 16?

Galaxy S25 Ultra has the higher SpecScout score in this comparison at 90. Compare the score breakdown and specs before choosing.

Which one is cheaper?

iPhone 16 has the lower reference price at $799. Merchant prices and discounts can change, so confirm the final price before checkout.

What should I compare first?

Start with performance, camera, battery, and value, then check storage, color, availability, and delivery terms on the merchant page.