Samsung Galaxy S25 vs Apple iPhone 16: Which Is Better?
Two 2024 flagships, €100 apart in price — here is which one is actually worth buying.
Samsung Galaxy S25 and Apple iPhone 16 are the two best-selling 2024 flagships in the Baltic market, separated by just €100. Both deliver premium performance — but each has a clear edge in different areas.
Design & Build
Both phones are IP68 water-resistant with aluminium frames. The Samsung Galaxy S25 weighs just 162 g at 7.2 mm thick — lighter and slimmer of the two. The Apple iPhone 16 weighs 170 g at 7.8 mm. Both feel solidly premium in the hand.
Display
Galaxy S25 wins this round clearly: a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with 120 Hz refresh rate and 2,600 nits peak brightness. The iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch OLED but only 60 Hz and 2,000 nits. Scrolling and animations are noticeably smoother on the S25. Both are legible in bright sunlight, but the Galaxy shines brighter.
Camera
Galaxy S25 has a triple-camera setup: 50 MP main (f/1.8) + 12 MP ultrawide (f/2.2) + 10 MP telephoto with 3× optical zoom. iPhone 16 has two lenses only: 48 MP main (f/1.6) + 12 MP ultrawide — no telephoto. In daylight both shoot excellent photos; the iPhone 16 delivers slightly more natural skin tones in portraits. But the Galaxy S25 telephoto lens adds real versatility that iPhone 16 simply cannot match.
Performance & Battery
Both run on 3 nm chips — Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple A18. Day-to-day both are fast and responsive with no lag. Galaxy S25 comes with 12 GB RAM compared to 8 GB on iPhone 16, which makes a difference in multitasking. Battery: Galaxy S25 — 4,000 mAh, iPhone 16 — 3,561 mAh. Wired charging hits 25 W on both (iPhone 16 up to 20 W); wireless charging is faster on iPhone with MagSafe at 25 W versus Galaxy S25 at 15 W.
Software & AI
Galaxy S25 will receive 7 major Android updates — supported until 2032. iPhone 16 runs iOS 26 and is equally committed to long-term support. Galaxy AI offers mature photo editing, translation, and note-taking tools; Apple Intelligence is catching up quickly. For most buyers, the Android vs iOS ecosystem preference is what tips the decision.
Price
The Samsung Galaxy S25 128 GB starts from €441 in the Baltic market. The Apple iPhone 16 128 GB starts from €539. That roughly €100 gap holds across the 256 GB tier too.
Verdict
On the numbers and in real use, Samsung Galaxy S25 wins: better display, more camera versatility, longer battery, more RAM, and a lower price. iPhone 16 is the right pick for buyers already in the Apple ecosystem, those who prefer iOS, or anyone who prioritises the natural colour rendering iPhone delivers in portraits.
