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Serial Samsung leaker expects the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max to share many key traits

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Sep 03, 2024, 4:19 AM

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Galaxy S24 Ultra next to the iPhone 15 Pro Max

While many hardcore Samsung fans might be understandably disinterested in Apple's big product launch event next week, one very prolific Samsung rumormonger on social media offers you an... original reason to be intrigued by the iPhone 16 Pro Max regardless of your brand allegiance or preference.

We know, we know, it sometimes feels like all premium phones exceeding a certain price point look exactly the same nowadays. But that's not entirely true. At least not all the time. If Ice Universe's latest predictions prove accurate, however, that might actually be the case for the fast-approaching iPhone 16 Pro Max and slightly more distant Galaxy S25 Ultra in many ways.

The S25 Ultra will be "more Ultra" than its arch-rival in one key department

If it seems like it's a bit too early to know the exact measurements of a device widely expected to go official in early 2025, then you're probably not very familiar with Ice Universe's "work" on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Weibo (formerly known as the Twitter of China).

This is an incredibly reliable industry insider who's been able to accurately forecast many characteristics of many unreleased devices many months ahead of their formal announcements. Of course, no one is infallible in this "business", but when this guy claims to know the physical dimensions of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max, it is our duty to listen and relay the information to our dear readers with just a touch of healthy skepticism.

The Dynamic Island will be the iPhone 16 Pro Max's big visual disadvantage compared to the S25 Ultra. | Image Credit -- Ice Universe on X

Now, we don't have any precise numbers to give you today, but we have something perhaps more valuable than that - an inside perspective on some of the key similarities and differences between the two most exciting smartphones of the next few months.

This perspective is refreshingly simple, anticipating "almost the same" screen size, length, width, height, and bezel for the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra. What does that leave as a major visual distinction? You guessed it, Apple's "annoying" Dynamic Island setup, which is not going anywhere this year.

In contrast, of course, the S25 Ultra (and the rest of the Galaxy S25 family) is all but guaranteed to opt for a front-facing camera housed in a tiny centered hole punch that many people consider to be the superior design solution.

Let's also talk some numbers real quick

iPhone 15 Pro Max - 6.7-inch screen, 159.9mm height, 76.7mm width, 8.3mm depth, 221 grams weight, 1.55mm bezel size;
Galaxy S24 Ultra - 6.8-inch screen, 162.3mm height, 79mm width, 8.6mm depth, 232 grams weight, 1.52mm bezel size.

Okay, perhaps the differences between the two biggest current candidates for the title of best phone money can buy are not exactly drastic. But they are relatively easy to notice when you put the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra one next to the other, which will apparently not be the case for their sequels.

Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max side-by-side image

The Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max are similar but far from identical. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena

Far from etched in stone, the recently rumored dimensions of the next two top mobile dogs go a little bit like this:

iPhone 16 Pro Max - 6.88-inch screen, 163mm height, 77.6mm width, 8.3mm depth, 225 grams weight, 1.15mm bezel size;
Galaxy S25 Ultra - 6.86-inch screen, 162.2mm height, 77.6mm width, 8.4mm depth, 221 grams weight, 1.15mm bezel size.

Now those are some incredibly similar figures. In fact, they're almost identical, and there's a good chance both screens will be rounded up to 6.9 inches, for instance. The height, depth, and weight differences (if real) are likely to prove virtually imperceptible, while the bezel sizes are typically not advertised by many companies, so we'll probably have to measure them for ourselves when the phones are released to verify if they're truly and exactly alike.

With all of this in mind, it feels safer than ever to expect two very different ultra-high-end phones to look extremely similar at first glance, which is however not necessarily a bad thing. Not when both of them are set to further reduce the amazingly thin bezels of their predecessors and add a little bit of extra screen real estate without becoming noticeably taller, wider, thicker, or heavier.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.