Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

94 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
VS
68 out 100
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Manufactured in February, 2025, with display 6.9 with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, Manufactured in November, 2020 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
  • Larger display: 6.9in
  • Higher pixel density: 498ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 218g vs 226g
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 3687mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.4 vs 5
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Fingerprint scanner
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB
    - 12/1024 GB
    - 16/1024 GB    		 - 6/128 GB
    - 6/256 GB
    - 6/512 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    Display
    Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
    Camera
    Main & front camera tests
    Performance
    App & system performance
    Games
    3D gaming performance
    Battery
    Battery life, charging speed & type
    Connectivity
    Connectivity features
    NanoReview Score
    Overall score by NanoReview
    Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
    Customize your score
    Function
    Importance (Weight)
    Display:
    Camera:
    Performance:
    Gaming:
    Battery:
    Connectivity:
    Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

    Tests & specs

    Specs & test comparison
    Smartphones:
    Galaxy S25 Ultra
    vs
    iPhone 12 Pro Max

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type Dynamic AMOLED OLED
    Size 6.9 in 6.7 in
    Resolution 1440x3120 pixels 1284x2778 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 498 ppi 458 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate Yes (1-120 Hz) No
    Max brightness 2600 nits 800 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes Dolby Vision
    Touch Sampling Rate 240 Hz n/a
    Screen-to-body ratio 92.4 % 87.7 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    - DC dimming    		 DCI-P3
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    1403 nits
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    864 nits
    sRGB gamut97.7 %99.4 %
    PWM (Flicker)240 Hz238 Hz
    Response time1 ms8 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra], [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 162.8 mm (6.41 in) 160.8 mm (6.33 in)
    Width 77.6 mm (3.06 in) 78.1 mm (3.07 in)
    Thickness 8.2 mm (0.32 in) 7.4 mm (0.29 in)
    Weight 218 g (7.69 oz) 226 g (7.97 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Cooling system Vapor chamber n/a
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - Black
    - Silver
    - Gray
    - Blue    		 - Silver
    - Gold
    - Gray
    - Blue
    Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display No
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    92.4 %
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    87.7 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Apple A14 Bionic
    Max Frequency 4470 MHz 3100 MHz
    CPU Cores 8 (2 + 6) 6 (2 + 4)
    Architecture - 6/3.53 (Oryon (Phoenix M))
    - 2/4.32 (Oryon (Phoenix L))    		 - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
    - 2/3.1 (Firestorm)
    Process TSMC TSMC
    Transistor Size 3 nm 5 nm
    Neural Processor Hexagon Apple Neural Engine
    Graphics Adreno 830 Apple A14 GPU
    GPU Cores 1536 256
    GPU Frequency 1100 MHz 1278 MHz
    FLOPS 3379.2 GFLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    3147
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    1976
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    9750
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    5114
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)31471976
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)97505114
    Geekbench Compute (GPU)25681n/a
    Sources: Geekbench v6 [Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra]
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    2795139
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    1139529
    CPU659871309114
    GPU1294167346277
    Memory471319174323
    UX369782309815
    NanoReview Score27951391139529
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    n/a
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    7880
    Max Surface Temp.n/a45 °C
    Stabilityn/a75 %
    Graphics Testn/a47 fps
    Graphics Scoren/a7880
    Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max]

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size - 12 GB
    - 16 GB    		 6 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR5X LPDDR4X
    Memory Frequency 5333 MHz n/a
    Channels 2 2
    Storage
    Storage Capacity- 256 GB
    - 512 GB
    - 1024 GB    		- 128 GB
    - 256 GB
    - 512 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 4.0NVMe
    Memory CardNoNo

    Software

    OS Android 15 iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2)
    OS Size 30.4 GB 16 GB
    UI Skin One UI 7.0 n/a

    Battery

    Volume 5000 mAh 3687 mAh
    Max Charging Power 45 W 20 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (25 W) Yes (7.5 W)
    Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) No
    Fast Charging Yes (72% in 30 min) Yes (55% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 0:59 h 1:32 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    31:10
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    22:52
    Web Browsing11:10 h08:35 h
    Video Playback19:32 h13:38 h
    Games06:22 h05:29 h
    Standby Mode160 h116 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 200 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 16320x12240 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 5x Optical, 2.5x
    Flash LED Dual LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) No
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 120 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 240 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
    Lenses count Standard: 200 MP
    Telephoto: 50 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 50 MP    		 Standard: 12 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP
    Depth
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix200 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/1.7f/1.6
    Focal length23 mm26 mm
    SensorSamsung ISOCELL S5KHP2Sony IMX603
    Sensor size1/1.31/1.9
    Pixel size0.6 μm1.7 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix50 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/3.4f/2.2
    Focal length111 mm65 mm
    SensorSony IMX854Sony IMX613
    Sensor size1/2.521/3.4
    Pixel size0.7 μm1 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix50 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/1.9f/2.4
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    SensorSamsung ISOCELL S5KJN3Sony IMX372
    Sensor size1/2.51/3.4
    Pixel size0.7 μm1 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    144
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    131
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    143
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    130
    Overall camera score
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    146
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    131
    Bokeh7070
    Preview8180
    Zoom149115
    Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra], [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max]

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 4290x2800 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
    Focal length 26 mm 23 mm
    Sensor Samsung S5K3LU Sony IMX514
    Sensor size 1/3.2 1/3.6
    Pixel size 1.12 μm 1 μm
    Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) No
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
    TOF 3D sensor No Yes
    Selfie camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    n/a
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    127
    Video quality
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    n/a
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    140

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
    Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display
    Bluetooth version 5.4 5
    Bluetooth features LE LE, A2DP
    USB type USB Type-C No
    USB version 3.2 n/a
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    DisplayPort Yes DP 1.2 n/a
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Galileo
    - QZSS
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*11
    SIM TypeNanoNano
    SIM ModeDual SIM Standbyn/a
    eSIM Support *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotNoNo
    2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
    3G BandsUMTS B1(2100),B2(1900),B4(AWS),B5(850),B8(900)UMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
    LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/B66)
    LTE categoryn/a18
    5G SupportYesYes

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo Stereo
    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
    93 dB
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    81.2 dB

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced January, 2025 yr October, 2020 yr
    Release Date February, 2025 yr November, 2020 yr
    Launch Price ($) 1299 1100
    Sensors - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor    		 - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Face Sensor
    Charger Included No n/a

    Note

    Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra:

    Supports up to 2 eSIMs. The international model has 2 physical SIM slots, while the U.S. version has 1.","Uses Grade 5 titanium and Corning Gorilla Armor 2 glass on both sides.

    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

    Which smartphone would you pick?
    0 (0%)
    0 (0%)
    Total Votes: 0

    User comments

    Share your opinion or ask questions below