Well, this might be the most sought-after question for those looking to upgrade their mobile phone.
Samsung Galaxy S25 was released in January 2025, and fast-forwarding to eight months later, we have the new lineup of iPhones – iPhone 17, iPhone Air (replacing the Plus series), iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
I am particularly interested in throwing the base variant of the new iPhone lineup against the best base variant of Samsung: Galaxy S25. Previously, the gap was even bigger with the iPhone 16 Pro being a 60Hz-display phone, but now it has been shortened. Galaxy S25 might take the edge in camera versatility, but what about other departments like performance, battery, and display?
This is what I will cover in this content piece. If you are interested in getting either of the two, then read on to find out which one might just be right for you.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 17: The Performance
Starting with the iPhone 17, I haven’t run benchmark tests, but this beast will likely top the charts when other reviewers and I run it. I will be purely talking about my own experience with the performance.
Anyway, I tested it with a bunch of heavy mobile games like Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile, and Asphalt 8 (my all-time favorite racing game). The results were phenomenal as expected. It didn’t even miss a beat while playing these games at the highest settings.
As for the casual usage, like watching videos, checking social media, and stuff like that, it was great at it too. In particular, I fell in love with its gaming performance.
If you, too, need a phone that is perfect for gaming, get an iPhone 17.
In case you want to further improve your experience (which I believe you will), you must have a reliable internet service that provides stable latency. I tested the gaming capability of iPhone 7 via Spectrum Internet, and it helped in making the gaming experience better with its low and stable latency. In fact, the support rep at the Spectrum customer service number suggested a plan that worked pretty well for my online activities with this smartphone.
On to the Galaxy S25, it is powered by the latest chipset from Qualcomm – Snapdragon 8 Elite.
As for its real-world usage, it plays most of the heavy multiplayer games well. But it struggled to keep up with the heavy graphics of Genshin Impact, even though it was connected to the same high-speed Spectrum Internet. It might just be the GPU core of Snapdragon.
Checking emails, video calling, and the low-intensive tasks worked smoothly on this smartphone.
The bottom line is that if you need the fastest performance for your high-intensive activities on a smartphone, go with an iPhone 17.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 17: The Display and the Battery Experience
The display is that part of the phone that you will be looking at the majority of the time, so it better be good.
Spoiler alert: Samsung Galaxy S25 has a better overall display than the iPhone 17. Let me explain!
Samsung Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch display, that is Super AMOLED and LTPO display. It clocks up to 120Hz but varies between 1-120Hz to keep things more efficient.
The colors are super nice and natural. It must be one of the best displays I have seen on a phone. Over 91% (one of the highest) screen-to-body ratio helps in making it better.
If you consume a lot of content on your phone, S25 is your better bet.
It may seem like the iPhone 17’s display is bad, but that’s actually not the case.
This year, the display has become so much better than the last iteration of the iPhone. Why? It has been upgraded to the same LTPO 120Hz display, and all the great features about it are still there. But my choice will remain the same: I prefer watching videos on the Galaxy S25 to the iPhone 17.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 17: The Software Experience
Let’s talk about the software experience – the part of the phone with which you will be interacting the most.
It is literally apples and oranges. I mean, both of these have very different experiences, but let me try to sum it up as simply as possible for you: if you need features, whether they are gimmicks or not, go with the Galaxy S25.
If you need the pure iOS experience and features that you will actually use, then go with the iPhone 17.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 17: The Cameras
I will try to keep it simple here as well.
Samsung Galaxy S25 has a triple camera setup at the back: one of them is the main shooter, the other one is an ultrawide lens, and the last one includes an optical zoom lens.
On the flip side, iPhone 17 has just two lenses: a main shooter and an ultrawide lens. But still, they are pretty capable, especially for making videos.
On that note, let me put it simply: if you need versatility in your cameras, go with the Galaxy S25. If you need a balanced experience with great videography capability, iPhone 17 is your best bet.
Final Verdict: Which One is the Right One for You?
Let me address the elephant in the room now: which one should you get?
Honestly, it is a tie for me. Both of them are identical feature-wise, but the real difference for me is their OS. If you have used an iPhone in the past and adored the iOS, then you should get the iPhone 17. Otherwise, get the Galaxy S25.
