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Apple introduced its new iPhone 17 lineup in September at its Awe-Dropping Event, and it was met with a lot fanfare. After years of taking part in it protected, the corporate is as soon as once more experimenting with the design of its telephones.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max sports activities its most noticeable (and possibly controversial) design change in years. In contrast, its closest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, retains its signature look. The 2 flagship telephones characteristic versatile digicam setups, loads of energy, and a slew of options. Every will swimsuit a particular kind of consumer.
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In case you’re questioning which of the 2 Apple or Samsung telephones needs to be your subsequent each day driver, let me break it down for you. This is how the brand new Apple iPhone 17 Professional Max compares to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely.
Specs
| Apple iPhone 17 Professional Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely | |
| Show | 6.9″ AMOLED with 120Hz, 3000 nits peak | 6.9″ QHD AMOLED 120Hz, 2600 nits peak |
| Weight | 233 grams | 218 grams |
| Processor | Apple A19 Professional | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Dimensions | 78 x 163.4 x 8.75mm | 77.6 x 162.8 x 8.2mm |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Battery | N/A | 5000 mAh |
| Digital camera | 48MP Fusion / 48MP Extremely Broad / 48MP telephoto / 18MP entrance | 200MP large / 50MP telephoto (5x) / 10MP telephoto (3x) / 50 MP ultrawide / 12MP entrance |
| Value | $1,199 | $1,299 |
You can purchase the Apple iPhone 17 Professional Max if…
1. You document loads of movies
iPhones have been the go-to smartphone for video recording for a very long time, and Apple is taking it a step additional with the iPhone 17 Professional collection. The brand new Professional fashions help ProRes RAW video recording capabilities, permitting filmmakers to have better artistic freedom over their recordings. You may document 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient movies at as much as 120 fps through the principle digicam and as much as 60 fps on the opposite two sensors.
Additionally: I compared the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max: Here’s which one to buy
Apple additionally upgraded the entrance digicam to 18MP with Middle Stage help. The selfie shooter now helps “ultrastabilized movies,” which might be helpful for creators all over the world. If you need a smartphone for capturing movies, an iPhone 17 Professional or iPhone 17 Professional Max is the cellphone to go for.
2. You have got MagSafe-compatible equipment
In case you are an iPhone consumer, you in all probability have MagSafe-compatible equipment, and these will solely be suitable with the brand new iPhones. For the unaware, MagSafe is extra than simply wi-fi charging. I’ve a magnetic tripod that I like utilizing with my iPhone 16 Professional, in addition to a magnetic energy financial institution, which gives extra comfort than a wired energy financial institution.
In case you go for a Galaxy S25 Extremely, none of them will work along with your new cellphone. To maintain your previous MagSafe investments intact and usable, you must go along with the iPhone 17 Professional Max.
3. You want 2TB of storage in your cellphone
For all of the creators on the market, Apple has not solely improved video recording capabilities but additionally offers house to retailer them domestically in your cellphone. A 2TB iPhone 17 Professional Max may not impress many, however in case you are a creator, the iPhone 17 Professional Max will serve you higher than the Galaxy S25 Extremely, which maxes out at 1TB of storage. Nonetheless, you will must spend $1,999 to get a 2TB variant.
You can purchase the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely if…
1. You need the perfect display on a smartphone that we have examined up to now
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra‘s show has spoiled me. It options the perfect display on a smartphone presently, due to the anti-reflective and anti-smudge properties. When in comparison with my present iPhone 16 Pro, it’s simpler to view and skim open air.
Compared, I at all times must wipe my iPhone’s display when capturing a video or making an attempt to navigate open air. There isn’t any such problem on the Galaxy S25 Extremely, and Samsung has actually taken its smartphone display sport to the following stage with its flagship this yr. That stated, the iPhone 17 Professional introduces a brand new anti-reflective show, however we have but to check it.
2. You desire a extra full AI characteristic set
Samsung’s Galaxy AI is extra sturdy than Apple Intelligence, based mostly on my expertise with the 2 this yr. Whereas Apple Intelligence gives some nifty options like notification abstract and writing instruments, Galaxy AI is best and simpler to make use of, due to its sidebar and Android customizations.
Additionally: The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra was nearly unusable for me – until I downloaded this one app
Want so as to add an e mail invite to the Calendar app? Swipe from the sidebar, faucet on AI Choose, and you’ve got a one-tap choice prepared so as to add that occasion to your Calendar app. I additionally love Instantaneous Gradual-Mo movies, which will be accessed by urgent and holding, in addition to Samsung’s object eraser instrument, which works higher than Apple’s Clear Up. The Cupertino firm might enhance its AI capabilities this yr, however Samsung’s Galaxy AI presently gives a extra complete AI consumer expertise.
3. You need the S Pen
Samsung has repositioned the S Pen and removed its features over time. Nonetheless, Galaxy Notice followers nonetheless like jotting down fast concepts and notes on their smartphones. In case you like the thought of writing in your cellphone’s show, the Galaxy S25 Extremely is the one flagship cellphone to supply that have. Bear in mind, you now not get options like a distant digicam shutter button, nevertheless it nonetheless turns out to be useful at conferences.
Author’s alternative
It is a shut name between the 2 finest telephones from the 2 largest producers available on the market, however I’d personally put the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely on high attributable to its extra practical {hardware} (from the anti-reflective show to the S Pen) and higher AI options. On the time of writing, Apple continues to be behind the curve when it comes to AI capabilities, and whereas that is anticipated to enhance in 2026, the Galaxy S25 Extremely, powered by Android 16, presently surpasses it. It is also ceaselessly discounted.
