Head to head
Apple iPhone 16evsSamsung Galaxy S25
The short answer
Choose the Galaxy S25 for peak brightness and battery lifespan. The iPhone 16e wins no row by a gap you’d notice. The iPhone 16e is £200 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £799). The Galaxy S25 gets security updates until January 2032; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 16e, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer.
- Released
- 2025-02-28endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £599Apple Newsroom UK — iPhone 16e launch, retrieved 2026-09-22
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Released
- 2025-02-03endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £799Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy S25 series, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- 2032-01-31Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy S25, retrieved 2026-09-22
0 wins for iPhone 16e2 wins for Galaxy S255 gaps borderline4 differences you won’t notice£200 apart at RRP
Verdict: Galaxy S25 ahead on 2 rows, iPhone 16e on none
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the Galaxy S25 wins on peak brightness (2,600 nits from GSMArena against 1,200 nits from the maker) and battery lifespan (2,000 cycles against 1,000 cycles). 5 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: RAM (12 GB from the maker against 8 GB from GSMArena) for the Galaxy S25, battery per charge (41 h against 37.27 h) for the iPhone 16e, claimed video playback (29 h against 26 h) for the Galaxy S25, wireless charging (15 W against 7.5 W, both from GSMArena) for the Galaxy S25 and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (8,599 against 7,217, both from Geekbench Browser) for the Galaxy S25. The differences in weight, display size, battery capacity and fast charging are below the thresholds you would notice. Both state the same storage (base). The other 37 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · DXOMARK camera score. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 16e better than the Galaxy S25?
On the figures, the Galaxy S25 is ahead wherever there is a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,600 nits (GSMArena) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK) and battery lifespan, 2,000 cycles against 1,000 cycles (both EU energy label). The iPhone 16e wins no row by such a gap. That is a count of rows, not an overall score.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 16e is ahead, narrowly: battery per charge, 41 h against 37.27 h (both EU energy label), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The Galaxy S25 is ahead, narrowly: claimed video playback, 29 h (Samsung UK) against 26 h (Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 16e is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 4,005 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,000 mAh (Samsung Newsroom UK).
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy S25 is lighter on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: weight, 162 g (Samsung Newsroom UK) against 167 g (Apple Support UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The Galaxy S25, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,600 nits (GSMArena) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy S25 gets security updates until January 2032; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 16e, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2032–2036, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer. Sources: dates from Samsung UK spec API; Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The iPhone 16e is £200 cheaper at UK RRP (£599 against £799). Prices from iPhone 16e: Apple Newsroom UK; Galaxy S25: Samsung Newsroom UK.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.