Head to head
A direct, no-fluff comparison: specs, pros and cons, pricing, and the scenarios where each one earns its keep.
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (USD) | $999 | $1299 |
| Our rating | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Category | smartphone-cameras | smartphone-cameras |
| Pros | 4 | 4 |
| Cons | 3 | 3 |
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Inferred from each camera's pros and review focus. Treat as a starting point, then read the full reviews for nuance.
It depends on what you shoot. Apple iPhone 16 Pro scores 4.5/5 in our review, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra scores 4.5/5. See the spec table and use-case breakdown above for our verdict.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro sells around $999, and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra around $1299. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro is the cheaper of the two.
Both are capable, but beginners usually do better with whichever has the simpler interface and more forgiving autofocus. Read the "Winner by use case" section above for our specific call.
Only if the gap in features you actually use is wide. If you already own one, the marginal upgrade is rarely worth the cost unless a specific shortcoming is blocking your work.
Co-engineered with Leica, the 14 Ultra's 1-inch main sensor and stepless variable aperture deliver image quality that's genuinely closer to a compact camera than a phone.
Smaller sensors, smarter software. The Pixel 9 Pro's computational pipeline extracts more detail per pixel than any flagship — and Magic Editor is genuinely useful, not gimmicky.