Both Samsung and Apple announced ‘Plus’ smartphones as part of their latest flagship smartphone lineup. Well, granted, neither of these two phones is the most powerful phone either company has to offer, but both are up there. We’ll compare those two smartphones in this article, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus. These two phones not only both have a ‘Plus’ moniker in their names, but they’re both large-format phones and have a similar price tag.
As per usual, we will first list their specifications, and will then move to other categories. We will be comparing their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output. There is a lot to talk about as there are quite a few differences between these two phones. So… let’s get to it, shall we?
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus, respectively
– Screen size:
6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (flat, 120Hz, 2,600 nits max brightness)
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED ( flat, 60Hz, HDR, 2,000 nits)
– Display resolution:
3120 x 1440
2796 x 1290
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen Elite for Galaxy
Apple A18
– RAM:
12GB (LPDDR5X)
8GB
– Storage:
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
128GB/256GB/512GB (NVMe)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (wide, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF), 12MP (ultrawide, 120-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor, 1.4um pixel size), 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4 aperture, OIS, PDAF, 1/3.94-inch sensor, 3x optical zoom)
48MP (wide, f/1.6 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor, 1.0um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS), 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF)
– Front cameras:
12MP (wide, f/2.2 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, 1/3.2-inch sensor size, 22mm lens)
12MP (f/1.9 aperture, PDAF, 1/3.6-inch sensor size, OIS)
– Battery:
4,900mAh
4,674mAh
– Charging:
45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless (charger not included)
30W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm
160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm
– Weight:
190 grams
199 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.4/5.3
– Security:
In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) & facial scanning
Face ID (3D facial scanning)
– OS:
Android 15 with One UI 7
iOS 18
– Price:
$999.99+
$899+
– Buy:
Samsung Galaxy S25+ (Samsung.com)
Apple iPhone 16 Plus (BestBuy)
Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus: Design
Both of these smartphones are made out of aluminum and glass. You’ll notice that the corners on the iPhone 16 Plus are a bit more curved, though. Both smartphones do have a flat frame, while their front and back sides are also flat, aside from the camera protrusions. The bezels around the display on both smartphones are quite thin and also uniform. The Galaxy S25+ has a centered display camera hole up top, while the iPhone 16 Plus has a pill-shaped cutout in that same spot. That cutout is called the Dynamic Island.
The power/lock and volume up and down buttons sit on the right-hand side of the Galaxy S25+. The iPhone 16 Plus has a power/lock button on the right, along with the Camera Control key. On the left, you’ll find its volume up and down buttons, along with an Action Key. Samsung’s smartphone has three cameras on the back, while the iPhone 16 Plus has two cameras back there.
On the Galaxy S25+, each of the rear cameras is its own camera island, and they’re aligned vertically in the top-left corner. The iPhone 16 Plus’ cameras are also aligned vertically and are placed in the same spot, but they’re a part of the same camera island. The two phones have the same display sizes, but the Galaxy S25+ is a bit shorter, narrower, and thinner in comparison. It’s also 9 grams lighter than the iPhone 16 Plus. Both of these phones are actually quite slippery, and they both come with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.
Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus: Display
The Samsung Galaxy S25+ features a 6.7-inch 3120 x 1440 Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display. That panel is flat, and it offers an adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz). HDR10+ content is also supported here, while the peak brightness of this panel is 2,600 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is at around 92%, while the display aspect ratio is 19.5:9. Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this display.
The iPhone 16 Plus, on the other hand, has a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 Super Retina XDR OLED display. That panel does not offer a high refresh rate, it’s stuck at 60Hz. The display is flat, and it supports HDR10 content and Dolby Vision. The peak brightness is 2,000 nits, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 88%. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the Ceramic Shield glass is here to protect the display.
Both of these displays look good. They’re both vibrant, have great viewing angles, and good touch response. The blacks are also as deep as you’d expect them to be. They also get more than bright enough when you need them to. The Galaxy S25+ does have one major advantage, though, its refresh rate. The scrolling is smoother because of it, as is the general navigation and usage of the display. Once you’re used to a 120Hz display, it’s hard to go back.
Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus: Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S25+ is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor. That is an overclocked variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm’s most powerful chip. It’s a 3nm processor, and it fuels this phone on a global scale. Samsung also included 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM with that processor and is using UFS 4.0 flash storage.
The iPhone 16 Plus, on the flip side, is fueled by the Apple A18 processor. That is also a 3nm chip and the second-best processor the company has to offer. Apple also includes 8GB of RAM inside of this phone and NVMe flash storage. Do note that neither of these two smartphones offers storage expansion, so keep that in mind before you settle for a specific variant. The Galaxy S25+ starts at 256GB, while the most affordable iPhone 16 Plus variant includes 128GB of storage.
What’s the performance like? Well, great, from both smartphones. There’s really nothing to complain about. Both smartphones are quite snappy, and do the job on a day-to-day basis without any issues. They’re quick to open apps, jump between them, consume multimedia, take pictures, and so on. Both smartphones offer very reliable performance, that’s for sure.
Even if you throw gaming into the ring, they do a fantastic job. Yes, you can play the most demanding games on their respective stores without a hitch. They’re both well-equipped in that area and also well-optimized, it would seem.
Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus: Battery
Samsung included a 4,900mAh battery inside the Galaxy S25+. The iPhone 16 Plus, on the other hand, has a 4,674mAh battery. Neither phone includes a silicon-carbon battery, and iPhones usually have smaller battery packs than their Android counterparts, due to the way iOS handles things, so this difference doesn’t have to mean much. In fact, it doesn’t. Both of these smartphones offer outstanding battery life.
While both phones do offer great battery life, the iPhone 16 Plus does fly above the Galaxy S25+ in that regard. Still, with the Galaxy S25+, we’ve managed to get over 8 hours of screen-on-time consistently with juice left in the tank. In fact, this phone is a real road warrior when it comes to battery life. Then you can imagine how high the iPhone 16 Plus can fly if it can beat that. Both of these smartphones offer battery life that will satisfy even power users, so there’s no problem with that. Do note that your mileage may vary, though, of course.
When the charging is concerned, well, let’s see what’s on offer. The Galaxy S25+ supports 45W wired, 15W wireless (Qi 2 Ready), and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 16 Plus, on the flip side, supports 30W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 15W Qi2 wireless, 7.5W Qi wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Samsung’s smartphone can charge faster in comparison, while neither phone comes with a charger in the box.
Samsung Galaxy S25+ vs Apple iPhone 16 Plus: Cameras
You’ll find three cameras on the back of the Galaxy S25+. There’s a 50-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor), a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor, 120-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto unit (1/3.94-inch sensor, 3x optical zoom). The iPhone 16 Plus has two cameras on the back, a 48-megapixel main unit (1/1.56-inch sensor), and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV).
Both phones do a good job with photos, though they’re both inferior to their more expensive siblings. Still, these cameras will be more than enough for the vast majority of people. They can provide plenty of detail, especially the main camera. Both smartphones lean towards warmer colors, while the Galaxy S25+ saturates images more. In fact, it can push things a bit too far in that regard, and the same goes for sharpening. It all depends on the situation.
Both phones do a good job with HDR shots, though the iPhone 16 Plus is a bit more consistent in that regard. Samsung’s handset does a better job with telephoto images, which is not surprising as the iPhone 16 Plus doesn’t have a telephoto camera. Their ultrawide cameras are basically on par, they’re good, but not as good as the main snappers. Both phones do a good job in low light, though not great.
Audio
Both of these smartphones have stereo speakers. Speakers on both phones are actually very good, they’re loud, and full-sounding as well. We’ve heard better, but they’re on par with other flagship smartphones, that’s for sure. They’re also very similar in terms of loudness, though the sound output is a bit different.
What about the audio jack? Well, neither phone has it, unfortunately. You can always rely on their Type-C ports if you are using wired headphones, of course. If not, Bluetooth 5.4 is on offer with the Galaxy S25+, while the iPhone 16 Plus comes with Bluetooth 5.3 which is at your disposal.
