With the launch of the iPhone 17 Pro Max in the Apple Event 2025, Many of you will be thinking of where it stands against its competitors. In the battle of flagships, I will show you a detailed comparison of iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung S25 Ultra vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. So, let the battle begin!
Price Comparison
Here is the price comparison of Google Pixel 10 Pro XL vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung S25 Ultra:
| Variant | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| 256GB | Rs. 374,999 | $1,199 (Rs. 420,000) | $1,199 (Rs. 390,000) |
| 512GB | Rs. 409,999 | $1,399 (Rs. 500,000) | $1,319 (Rs. 420,000) |
| 1TB | Rs. 509,999 | $1,599 (Rs. 570,000) | $1,549 (Rs. 460,000) |
I have mentioned the global prices as well as the estimated market prices of iPhone 17 Pro Max and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. The prices of Galaxy S25 Ultra are official as Samsung also operates locally in Pakistan. Also, the prices of Google Pixel and iPhone are similar in USD but different in the Pakistani market because of the high demand for iPhones and less for the Google phones.
So, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra wins this race in Pakistan as the prices mentioned for Samsung S25 Ultra are inclusive of PTA. For the others, you will have to check PTA taxes.
Display
Displays of all these flagships are amazing. Definitely, there are differences but they won’t be visible much in reality except on papers. Like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has the highest pixel density making its display a little sharper followed by the Pixel 10 Pro XL and then the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The quality of colors is going to be amazing on all of them. Google’s phone takes the lead in peak brightness whereas the iPhone has Dolby Vision making it impressive overall, but the Samsung’s phone is better in protecting the eyes with 480Hz PWM which is better for reducing flicker related eye strain.
| Feature | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| Display Size | 6.9 inches, 116.9 cm2 (~92.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.9 inches, 115.6 cm2 (~90.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 109.7 cm2 (~88.0% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3120 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~498 ppi density) | 1320 x 2868 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1344 x 2992 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~486 ppi density) |
| Display type | Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 480Hz PWM, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (HBM), 3000 nits (peak) | LTPO OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2200 nits (HBM), 3300 nits (peak) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Armor 2, Mohs level 6 DX anti-reflective coating | Ceramic Shield 2, Mohs level 5 Anti-reflective coating | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Mohs level 4 |
Design and Build
Surprisingly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is the lightest phone to carry in this comparison followed by Pixel 10 Pro and 17 Pro Max. The design is the area which is quite difficult to compare because it varies as per the preferences of people. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a new design this time whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Pixel 10 Pro have the iconic designs not so much changed.
Build quality of all these phones is amazing but the Samsung offers Titanium body whereas the rest have aluminum frames. All have nearly the same level of protection with IP68.
| Specs | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| Dimensions | 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm (6.41 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) | 163.4 x 78 x 8.8 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) | 162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mm (6.41 x 3.02 x 0.33 in) |
| Weight | 218 g | 233 g | 232 g |
| Build | Glass front (Corning Gorilla Armor 2)Glass back (Corning Gorilla Armor 2)Titanium frame (grade 5) | Glass front (Ceramic Shield 2), aluminum alloy frame, aluminum alloy back/ glass back (Ceramic Shield) | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Colors | Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Black,Titanium Gray & Titanium Whitesilver | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue | Moonstone, Jade, Porcelain, Obsidian |
| Protection | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 6m for 30 min) | IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
| Stylus | S-Pen | X | X |
Performance
Surprisingly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is giving tough competition to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in performance with the new chipset. Its scores are quite competitive and even higher if I talk about single core. Even Apple claimed it to be 40% better than its predecessor which marks the new era for the iPhones now.
Google Pixel is the least performer in this list, but its performance is still solid with 16GB RAM which is highest among the others in this comparison. On the other hand, Apple still uses NVMe storage type which is the fastest among these which have UFS 4.0.
In terms of AI, the Galaxy AI highlights convenience features, Apple Intelligence focuses on privacy and deep iOS integration, while Google AI leads with creativity and real-time assistance.
| Features | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| OS | Android 15, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 7 | iOS 26 | Android 16, up to 7 major Android upgrades |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) | Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) | Google Tensor G5 (3 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (2×4.47 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M) | Hexa-core | Octa-core (1×3.78 GHz Cortex-X4 & 5×3.05 GHz Cortex-A725 & 2×2.25 GHz Cortex-A520) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Apple GPU (6-core graphics) | PowerVR DXT-48-1536 |
| MEMORY | RAM: 12GB Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB | RAM: 12GB Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB | RAM: 16GB Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Storage Type | UFS 4.0 | NVMe | UFS 4.0 |
| AI Features | Galaxy AI | Apple Intelligence | Circle to Search |
Cameras
Now the comparison many of you were waiting for. On paper, the cameras of Galaxy S25 Ultra might look a lot better but in reality, Pixel10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 Pro Max provide a little better results in terms of overall picture quality. Apple has worked harder this time and brought some new ProRes RAW features in the video to provide more controls to the content creators.
If you ask me, Samsung’s camera is great for telephotography, iPhone is great for photography and videography for content creators, and the Pixel is amazing for photos and selfies. It doesn’t mean the other phones are not good in those areas, all are amazing, but the said ones have a slight edge in s pacific areas.
| Features | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| Rear – Main Camera | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS | 48 MP, f/1.6, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28″, 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS | 50 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/1.31″, 1.2µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS |
| Rear – Ultrawide Camera | 50 MP, f/1.9, 120˚ (ultrawide), 0.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video | 48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, 0.7µm, PDAF | 48 MP, f/2.8, 113mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55″, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom |
| Rear – Periscopic Telephoto Camera | 50 MP, f/3.4, 111mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.52″, 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom | 48 MP, f/2.8, 100mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.55″, 0.7µm, PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 4x optical zoom | 48 MP, f/1.7, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, dual pixel PDAF. |
| Rear – Telephoto Camera | 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom | X | X |
| Rear – Video | 8K@24/30fps4K@30/60/120fps1080p@30/60/240fps10-bit HDR, HDR10+, Stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps | 8K@30fps (via cloud-based upscaling) 4K@24/30/60fps 1080p@24/30/60/120/240fps |
| Rear – Features | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec. | gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR |
| Front / Selfie Camera | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2″, HDR, HDR10+ | 18 MP multi-aspect, f/1.9, (wide), PDAF, OIS | 42 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide), PDAF |
| Front Camera- Video & Features | 4K@30/60fps 1080p@30fps HDR, HDR10+ | 4K@24/25/30/60fps 1080p@25/30/60/120fps gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps 1080p@30/60fps HDR, panorama |
Connectivity & Sensors
Well, all of these mobiles come with top class connectivity and sensors. The Galaxy has the upper hand in terms of desktop experience support, Google has the thermometers (yes!), and the iPhone has satellite connectivity.
| Features | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band |
| Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE | 6.0, A2DP, LE | 6.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No | No |
| Radio | No | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort | USB Type-C 3.2 |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, thermometer (skin temperature) |
| Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)Ultra Wideband (UWB) supportCircle to Search | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip)Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite | Ultra Wideband (UWB) supportSatellite SOS serviceCircle to Search |
Battery
The Samsung S25 Ultra and Google Pixel 10 Pro have the fastest charging speeds (wired) in this comparison. Yes, the iPhone still lacks behind in this area. However, its battery has improved a lot and is comparable to the backup time of the Galaxy and Pixel phones now (a sigh of relief for the iPhone lovers!).
| Specs | S25 Ultra | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Google Pixel 10 Pro XL |
| Battery | Li-Ion 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 4832 mAh – Nano SIM modelLi-Ion 5088 mAh – eSIM only model | Li-Ion 5200 mAh |
| Charging | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min15W wireless (Qi2 Ready)4.5W reverse wireless | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 20 min25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2, 50% in 30 min (15W – China)4.5W reverse wired | 45W wired, PD3.0, PPS, 70% in 30 min25W wireless (magnetic), Qi2Reverse wiredBypass charging |
Conclusion
Well, in the battle of flagships, there isn’t any clear winner again. Yes, iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra are superior in performance but the Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone have impressive cameras. The Pixel 10 Pro XL has an impressive stock Android 16 UI along with many AI features by Google. Others have AI features as well, and Apple intelligence is even interconnected with the OS. The iPhone has also improved a lot in terms of battery but not in charging speed.
But I will add one thing here, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra officially in Pakistan with warranty,and PTA approved. And even with these advantages, the Samsung’s phone cost less (with PTA approved).
So, now, it’s on the personal preference and brand association. The differences are in front of you now so you can make your buying decision if you are a RATIONAL buyer.
Which phone are you going to buy? Let us know in the comment section.
FAQs
iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch large display.
iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB will cost you around Rs. 420,000,000 in Pakistan but after PTA taxes, it will be higher.
The display size of Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is 6.8 inches large.
The official price of the S25 Ultra 256GB is Rs. 374,999 (PTA approved) in Pakistan.
Impressive Periscopic Telephoto camera, amazing performance, local warranty, cost less in Pakistan (as officially available and PTA approved) are some of the advantages of the Galaxy S25 Ultra over others in this comparison.
Photos Credits: Apple, Samsung, Google
Leave a Reply