Which Compact Flagship Is Right for You?

Summary

• The iPhone 17 is here, featuring numerous new hardware and software additions, including a brighter screen and a powerful A19 system-on-chip.
• Due to its compact screen size, the iPhone 17 competes directly with the Galaxy S25, Samsung’s 6.2-inch compact handset released earlier this year.
• Given that both phones offer a similar form factor and are available at a comparable price, the choice likely comes down to personal preference and ecosystem.

Cupertino-based tech giant Apple has unveiled its new baseline iPhone, the iPhone 17. With a 6.3-inch ProMotion screen, the powerful A19 chip, and a bigger battery, the phone makes a strong case for itself. But how does it compare to Samsung’s Galaxy S25? Let’s find out.

Price & Availability

The iPhone 17 (256GB) is available for $799, which is the same price as last year’s 128GB model. You can pre-order the smartphone starting September 12, with deliveries beginning on September 19, 2025.

The Galaxy S25 is available via Samsung’s official website for $799 for the 128GB variant and $859.99 for the 256GB variant.

Dynamic Island vs. Punch Hole

The iPhone 17 and the Galaxy S25 have very distinct appearances. On the one hand, you have the iPhone with a pill-shaped notch in the front and a vertical camera island on the back, while the Galaxy S25 features a punch-hole notch with protruding lenses on the back panel. Both phones feature an aluminum frame, but while the iPhone gets new Ceramic Shield 2 protection, the S25 features Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Holding the phones side by side, you’ll realize that the iPhone 17 is slightly taller, wider, and thicker than the Galaxy S25. It also weighs 15 grams more than its rival. Even though both phones have an IP68 rating, Apple’s handset is rated to last for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 6 meters, while the Samsung can only survive in up to 1.5 meters for the same duration.

Last but not least, the iPhone 17 is available in five colors: Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, and Lavender; all the colorways feature lighter shades, similar to the ones we saw on the iPhone 15. The Galaxy S25, in contrast, is available in seven different colors: Icy Blue, Mint, Navy, Silver Shadow, Pink gold, Coral Red, and Blue Black.

The iPhone Has a Brighter Screen

The iPhone 17 boasts a slightly bigger 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen that can achieve a peak brightness of 3,000 nits outdoors (limited to 1,600 nits in the HDR mode), a pixel density of 460 ppi, and, for the first time for a non-Pro iPhone, ProMotion display technology (1-120Hz refresh rate).

The Galaxy S25, on the other hand, features a smaller 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen that can reach a brightness of 2,600 nits, albeit with a lower pixel density of 416 ppi. However, it still includes support for a variable refresh rate (1-120Hz) via an LTPO panel. The screen also features 480Hz PWM dimming, making the display easier on users’ eyes.

So, yes, it does look like the iPhone 17’s screen has finally caught up to that of the Samsung Galaxy S25 and many of the other mainstream Android flagships.

Apple A19 vs. Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

When it comes to performance, it is the iPhone 17 that should come out on top, thanks to the improvements Apple has made on the A19 (3nm) chip. It comprises a six-core CPU, a five-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, which, when combined with 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of NVMe storage, should result in higher benchmark scores than the Galaxy S25. We’ll have to wait and see what the numbers say when hardware hits the market.

The Galaxy S25, meanwhile, runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3nm) version, which features two 4.47GHz prime cores, the Adreno 830 GPU, and the Hexagon NPU for handling on-device AI processing. Aside from the chipset, the handset gets 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.

Between these two phones, raw performance isn’t an issue, provided you can utilize it effectively. For instance, both chipsets support hardware-accelerated raytracing, so newer demanding video games should look great. Furthermore, you can also use both compact flagships to edit 4K HDR videos on the go without breaking a sweat.

iOS 26 vs. One UI 8

Out of the box, the baseline iPhone 17 will run on Apple’s iOS 26 operating system. It features a Liquid Glass design language (which consists of several reflective and refractive visual layers tacked on top of one another), features like Live Translation, upgrades to the native Phone, Messages, and Apple Music apps, along with improvements to CarPlay.

Unlike Samsung or Google, Apple doesn’t commit to the number of software updates that the iPhone 17 will receive over its years of use. However, historically speaking, iPhones typically receive around five years of software support following their launch.

The Galaxy S25 has recently received the Android 16 stable update, in the form of the One UI 8 user interface. It includes features like an AI Results View, 90:10 split-screen mode, improvements across Samsung’s first-party apps, such as My Files, Samsung Internet, and deeper Gemini AI integration.

The phone also features several AI-based features, including Generative Edit and Circle to Search. Since the Galaxy S25 has already received a stable software update to One UI 8, it has a total of six years of software support remaining.

Galaxy S25 Features a Telephoto Lens

Unlike the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 features two 48MP cameras: a primary f/1.6 sensor and an ultrawide f/2.2 sensor. On the front, the phone features a new 18MP Center Stage camera, which helps capture landscape selfies by automatically reframing in real-time and keeping the subject in the frame during online meetings or conferences.

The Galaxy S25 features a triple-rear-facing camera, and a good one no less. For instance, it features a 50MP (f/1.8) primary sensor, a 10MP (f/2.4) secondary sensor paired with a 3x optical zoom lens, and a 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide camera (which lacks autofocus). On the front, users get a 12MP (f/2.2) selfie shooter.

Some common features across the camera setup include the ability to record 4K videos at up to 60 fps, 4K HDR videos at up to 60 fps, dedicated action modes to compensate for excessive motion, and features to remove excessive audio noise. While the iPhone features Clean Up, which removes unwanted objects from Photos, along with a few other features, the Galaxy AI does a better job of editing pictures for users via features like Generative Edit and Sketch to Image.

The iPhone 17 Should Last Longer Between Charges

Apple’s handset is rated (by Apple) to provide up to 30 hours of video playback time from a 3,692 mAh battery. In comparison, the Galaxy S25, with its 4,000 mAh battery, is rated to last for up to 29 hours. Hence, you can see that there is a one-hour difference in the expected battery life between the two smartphones.

The iPhone 17 also comes with faster wired charging, which allows charging up to 50% in around 20 minutes (down from 30 minutes) using a 40W adapter and 30 minutes using a 30W or higher adapter paired with the MagSafe Charger. The baseline Galaxy S25 supports slightly slower yet acceptable 25W wired charging and 15W Qi2-ready devices.

Which Phone Is Right for You?

The iPhone 17 offers a bigger and brighter screen, a more powerful chipset, a sharper ultrawide camera, a wider front camera, and improved connectivity options (thanks to the new N1 chip), including Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v6.0, and NFC. The phone also lasts longer between charges, making it an excellent upgrade for long-term iPhone users who want to upgrade on a budget.

The Galaxy S25 also stands its ground as a great compact flagship. It features a third telephoto camera, the capable Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) SoC, a physically larger battery, and a faster USB-C 3.2 port for transferring power and data. Furthermore, the handset runs on the One UI 8 user interface, which offers numerous customization options.

If you are unable to base your decision on the details provided so far, you could also consider the ecosystems you have at home and then make a purchase. For buyers who already have a MacBook, AirPods, and an Apple Watch, the iPhone 17 is undoubtedly the better option. However, if that’s not the case, and you own a couple of Samsung products, you can’t go wrong with the Galaxy S25.

• Samsung
  

  SoC

  Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

  Display

  6.2″, 2340 x 1080, Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz

  The Samsung Galaxy S25 is a powerful and compact smartphone with a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and a 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 12GB of RAM, and a 4,000mAh battery with 25W Super Fast Charging.