Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus: Middle child showdown

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus follows closely on the heels of the S24 Plus, a phone we absolutely loved. The big reason for that is the return of the QHD+ resolution for the Plus model, which made the premium worth it. The Galaxy S25 Plus retains all that goodness but takes it up a notch with an even lighter design, a more powerful chip, and a ton of new Galaxy AI features.

This also puts it in direct competition with the iPhone 16 Plus, a phone that also happens to be the middle child in Apple's lineup. It's priced the same and has the same display size, which will make you stop and think for a minute before going with the Galaxy S25 Plus. The 16 Plus has its own merits, like the powerful A18 SoC, support for Apple Intelligence, and a pixel-packed display. Here's my take on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus conundrum.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus: Design

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus looks pretty much identical to the S24 Plus. The side rails and front and rear glass are now completely flat. The new shades include Icyblue, Navy, Mint, and Silver Shadow, all of which look pretty neat. Compared to its predecessor, the S25 Plus is now 7.3mm slim and weighs only 190g. These are lower numbers compared to the 16 Plus. The overall dimensions are more compact, too, which makes it easier to hold.

The S25 Plus still uses the Armor aluminum frame and has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and back for scratch protection. The rings around the rear camera lenses have been ruggedized, which actually contrasts well with the back panel. The phone is still IP68 rated for dust and water resistance.

The display on the S24 Plus has stayed pretty much the same. It's a 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The dimming tech is also the same PWM variety, with no option to switch to DC dimming even at higher brightness levels. This shouldn't be an issue for most, but it will if you are PWM-sensitive.

The iPhone 16 Plus is not winning any design awards either, as it's pretty much the same as the 15 Plus, except for the alignment of the rear cameras. That being said, it's one of the best-built smartphones you'll find. The in-hand feel is excellent, thanks to the matte side rails and frosted glass back. It also comes in some fun, pastel colors that will appeal to many. The 16 Plus weighs 199g and is 7.8mm thick. This is more than the S25 Plus but not significant enough that you'll be uncomfortable carrying it around.

The 16 Plus also has color-matched aluminum side rails and buttons. It uses a USB-C port for charging, so it's widely compatible with any USB-C accessory. The 16 Plus gets a new feature seen on the new Pro models too, and that is Camera Control. It's a dedicated button on the lower right side of the frame that lets you control various aspects of the camera app with just swipes and presses.

The iPhone 16 Plus has the same 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with HDR10 and Dolby Vision playback. The max brightness here reaches up to 2,000 nits. The screen resolution is a bit lower than the S25 Plus at 1,290x2,796, but you'll hardly ever notice this since the pixel density is still about 460ppi. The only drawback of this display is the paltry 60Hz refresh rate, which is such an Apple thing to do.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus: Hardware and specs

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus starts at $999 for 256GB of storage and should be $1,199 for the 512GB variant. These are the same prices as the S24 Plus. Both variants will get 12GB of RAM. Preorders begin immediately and the phone will go on open sale from February 7.

Like the rest of the S25 series, the Plus model is also powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy SoC. This is a custom chip built by Qualcomm and Samsung that promises the best performance for the curated AI experiences in One UI 7. To mitigate heat and potential throttling, Samsung says it has used a 15% larger vapor chamber and a new Tailored TiM layer for more effective heat transfer. We'll be testing all these efficiency claims in the full review.

There's not much change to the rest of the specs of the S25 Plus. It has the same 4,900mAh capacity and the same wired and wireless charging speeds. The cameras are also pretty much unchanged. There's a 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto on the back. The front has a 12MP camera with autofocus. There are some new software changes, though, like AI Audio Eraser and the ability to shoot Galaxy LOG videos in Pro mode.

The iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899, but this is for the 128GB variant, which many should avoid. The 256GB variant is $999, and the 512GB is $1,199, both exactly the same as the S25 Plus. The iPhone uses 8GB of RAM, which doesn't sound like much, but it's the same amount that's used even in the Pro models.

The 16 Plus gets a new A18 chipset, which features a 5-core GPU, 16-core NPU, and a 6-core CPU. The performance benefits compared to even the iPhone 15 Plus are said to be pretty substantial. Apple is claiming 30% better GPU and 40% better CPU performance than before.

Apple doesn't really disclose the actual battery capacity, but it should be similar to the 15 Plus. Apple is touting up to 24 hours of streamed video playback. You can even charge the battery up to 50% in 35 minutes using Apple's 20W adapter. You get the same set of cameras, too, which include a 48MP main and 12MP ultrawide sensor on the back and a 12MP selfie camera.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus: Software

Software is going to be a major deciding factor when choosing the Galaxy S25 Plus or iPhone 16 Plus, as it is most of the time. Samsung is going all out on AI with the S25 series in the hopes that no one notices the insignificant changes made to the hardware. The three pillars of the new AI features in One UI 7 are AI Agents, personalized AI, and integrated AI platform.

Gemini can be activated with a long press of the power button. You can use it to summarize long videos in an instant, and it can fetch context-sensitive information on any text, image, or video. You can also do cross-app actions with a simple natural language command. For instance, you can ask the phone to search for your next flight details and send them to a family member. The AI will look up Gmail, find the details, and then ask for your confirmation before sending it via the app you specify. All Google and Samsung apps are supported, along with two third-party ones like WhatsApp and Spotify.

Lastly, personalized AI will learn from your usage habits and build a local LLM that's protected behind Knox. As you use your phone, Morning Brief will give you a summary of your tasks for the day, while Evening Brief will let you know about your missed goals, upcoming reminders, and so on.

The iPhone 16 Plus ships with iOS 18, but the headlining feature was rolled out only in late 2024. Apple Intelligence became available for iOS users with the 18.1 update, and additional capabilities like Image Playground, Genmoji, and Writing Tools enhancements came in with iOS 18.2 in December. ChatGPT is now supported, so if Apple Intelligence isn't able to figure out your query, it will forward that request to ChatGPT.

You can rest assured that the iPhone 16 Plus will deliver a buttery smooth experience. iOS 18 introduces a host of new customization options, like the ability to change the tint of app icons. You can now lock or hide apps that you want to safeguard, and Control Center gets a new look.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus: Which one should you buy?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 and iPhone 16 Plus both offer great value and have their own individual ecosystem benefits. If you're not too concerned about being loyal to any one platform, I'd suggest going with the S25 Plus. It's easily one of the best Android phones today and is better than the iPhone 16 Plus in a few key ways, like the extra telephoto camera, better AI features, longer software support, and a smoother display. These might seem like small misses for the iPhone, but collectively, they amount to a lot.

If you've been a long-time iPhone user, then you already know what you want. The iPhone 17 Plus is still a long time away, so you can safely get the 16 Plus now without any worry of sudden price cuts. It easily delivers a great experience, you'll have Apple Intelligence, and the battery life should be better than the base model.