By: Brian Thompson
4 Minute readAfter three weeks of daily use, Apple's latest flagship delivers meaningful upgrades that justify the hype — here's an honest take from a tech reviewer who's tested every major 2025 smartphone.
Performance-wise, the A19 Pro chip is an absolute beast, but the real star is Apple's new vapor cooling system. Unlike previous iPhones that would throttle during intensive tasks, this device maintains consistent performance during extended gaming sessions and 4K video editing.
I put both phones through identical video export tests using demanding footage, and while the Galaxy S25 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Elite holds its own, the iPhone 17 completed the same 10-minute 4K export nearly 45 seconds faster without any thermal throttling.
The 12GB of RAM (finally confirmed through testing) handles multitasking as smoothly as the S25 Ultra, though Samsung's more aggressive background app management still gives it a slight edge in keeping more apps active simultaneously.
Where the iPhone 17 truly shines is in its camera system, particularly that new 48MP telephoto with 8x optical-quality zoom. While Samsung's dual-telephoto setup on the S25 Ultra offers more flexibility with both 3x and 5x options, Apple's computational photography consistently delivered more natural-looking results in challenging lighting conditions.
Night mode portraits were especially impressive—the iPhone captured subtle skin tones and background detail that the Galaxy's 200MP main sensor sometimes over-processed. However, for pure zoom reach, Samsung's 100x Space Zoom still demolishes Apple's 40x maximum, making the S25 Ultra the clear winner for wildlife photography and distant subjects.
The iPhone's new 18MP Center Stage front camera is genuinely clever for video calls, automatically framing and reframing as people enter or leave the shot, though the Galaxy's ultrawide selfie mode remains more versatile for group photos.
Battery life has been the biggest pleasant surprise of my testing period. Apple's claimed 39 hours of video playback isn't just marketing fluff—I consistently achieved 7-8 hours of screen time with moderate to heavy use, including camera work, gaming, and streaming.
The S25 Ultra's 5,000mAh battery still edges out the iPhone for pure endurance during intensive tasks, but Apple's optimization means both phones easily last a full day for most users.
Charging speeds finally feel modern too: the 40W wired charging gets me to 50% in about 20 minutes, nearly matching Samsung's 45W speeds, while the improved MagSafe at 25W actually outpaces the Galaxy's 15W Qi wireless charging by a significant margin.
After 30 days of real-world testing, the iPhone 17 Pro Max delivers on most of its promises while maintaining the premium experience Apple is known for. It's not perfect, but it's undeniably competitive with Android's best.
