At long last, there’s a new Apple flagship phone: the iPhone 17. The $799 iPhone 17 is the entry-level model of the new iPhone lineup, which is now on sale with the $999 iPhone Air, $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro and $1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max. 

While the iPhone 17 is the base option, there’s nothing basic about it. It features plenty of updates like a 120Hz ProMotion display, upgraded cameras and a faster A19 chip. Our review points out how it offers considerable upgrades over the iPhone 16 and might be a better option than the iPhone 17 Pro, depending on your needs. 

Since there’s a new base iPhone, we figure it’s only fitting to compare it to one of its toughest competitors: the base Galaxy S25 from Samsung. The two have very similar characteristics and would make excellent smartphones, depending on whether you’re on the Apple or Android side of the divide. 

So how do these two flagships stack up? Let’s take a closer look. 

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Display

One of the biggest updates to the iPhone 17 over its predecessor is that it finally has a ProMotion display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, which has only been in the iPhone’s Pro models to this point. This allows for an always-on display so you can glance at your notifications and Live Activities without having to wake the screen. Plus, it offers a smoother experience when playing games or scrolling through the web. Aside from the refresh rate, the iPhone 17 has a larger 6.3-inch OLED screen with a 2,622×1,206-pixel resolution and 3,000 nits of brightness. 

Samsung’s Galaxy line has had a 120Hz variable refresh rate for a while (ever since the S20), and it’s no different with the Galaxy S25. The S25 also has an always-on display option, which can be configured to show all the time or by tapping the screen. Its 6.2-inch AMOLED display isn’t quite as sharp with a 2,340×1,080-pixel resolution, and it’s also not quite as bright, at 2,600 nits at peak brightness.

Cameras

When it comes to the number of cameras, the Galaxy S25 has the iPhone 17 beat. It has not one, not two, but three cameras: A 50-megapixel wide, a 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel telephoto. The iPhone 17, on the other hand, just has two, but they’re not too bad: a 48-megapixel wide and a rather impressive 48-megapixel ultrawide. That 48-megapixel ultrawide does give the iPhone 17 a lot of photo-taking flexibility, especially in comparison to the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 17 Air, and we were very impressed with the resulting photos. 

The Galaxy S25’s telephoto camera supports a 3x optical zoom, while the iPhone 17 supports a 2x optical zoom. 

The S25’s front-facing camera has a 12-megapixel lens, while the iPhone 17’s has an 18-megapixel one. The iPhone 17 also boasts a new Center Stage feature that lets you take landscape selfies without rotating the phone. 

In terms of video, the S25 can shoot in 8K video at 30 frames per second, while the iPhone 17 can shoot in 4K at 30 and 60 frames per second.

Battery life

Apple hasn’t shared the exact battery specs of the iPhone 17, but we do know it has up to 30 hours of video playback. According to the company, it also uses a new AI-powered Adaptive Power feature on iOS 26 that can help conserve battery life with performance adjustments. The Galaxy S25 has a 4,000-mAh battery, which Samsung says provides up to 29 hours of video playback. 

The two phones appear pretty comparable when it comes to battery life. In our tests, we found that the Galaxy S25 lasts around a day and a half with regular use. The iPhone 17, on the other hand, lasts a little over a day, with about 30% battery life after 24 hours. 

Price

Both the iPhone 17 and the Samsung Galaxy S25 start at around $800, but at very different storage sizes. The iPhone 17 starts at $799 ($829 if you get it without a carrier) for the 256GB version, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 will cost you $800 for the 128GB model. Stepping up to the 256GB edition of the Galaxy S25 adds $60 to the price.

Check out the specs chart below for more comparisons between the iPhone 17 and the Galaxy S25.