The Samsung S25 vs iPhone 16: Which one should you buy?

We compare the Galaxy S25 with iPhone 16

The Samsung Galaxy S25 has arrived as Android’s best chance to compete with the iPhone 16.

The launch of the Samsung S25 means the brand now has a direct competitor for the iPhone 16 at both ends of the smartphone market.

The standard S25 is the main competitor for the iPhone 16 while the S25 Ultra is Samsung’s answer to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

As pre orders open for the Samsung S25 it seems Apple has won on price.

The entry-level iPhone 16 costs just £24 with Sky Mobile, while the new Samsung S25 starts from £30. While that is £6 more, the Samsung does come with a free set of Galaxy Buds3 Pro worth £219.

There is also a price difference at the top end, where the iPhone 16 Pro Max costs as little as £37 a month while the Samsung S25 Ultra costs from £48 per month with Sky Mobile.

Samsung will argue the S25 is a greater step forward. The standard S25 has a larger screen at 6.2-inches compared to the iPhone 16’s 6.1-inch screen.

The Samsung also has 12GB of memory, and a 50MP main camera compared to the iPhone 16’s 8GB of memory and 48MP main camera.

Both have 12MP 4K front cameras but the Samsung does have larger battery capacity and in theory that means longer time between charges.

It is also faster thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which is one of the fastest on the market at the moment. 

The iPhone has more fashionable colour choices, with pink and teal options alongside the standard black and silver, while the Samsung has mint as an option alongside blue, silver and black. 

Both have a version of AI systems. Samsung uses Gemini, while Apple Intelligence was added to all new iPhone 16 devices in December last year. If AI is your thing then any of the two smartphones will do the job.

The decision comes down to which ecosystem you would like to be part of; Android or IOS. If you have other Apple devices and want a cheaper monthly payment the iPhone 16 is for you. If you want more power and a bigger screen, the Samsung S25 could be the best option.

You can see prices for both iPhone and Samsung devices here.