Head to head
Apple iPhone 17 Pro MaxvsSamsung Galaxy Z Flip7 FE
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max for peak brightness, more base storage, battery life per charge and video playback time. Choose the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE for lower weight and battery lifespan. The Galaxy Z Flip7 FE is £350 cheaper at UK RRP (£849 against £1,199). The Galaxy Z Flip7 FE gets security updates until July 2032; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, 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
- 2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £1,199Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Released
- 2025-07-25Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold7, Flip7 and Watch8 launch, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Price
- £849Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Flip7, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Security updates until
- 2032-07-31Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy Z Flip7 FE, retrieved 2026-09-22
4 wins for iPhone 17 Pro Max2 wins for Galaxy Z Flip7 FE3 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£350 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 17 Pro Max ahead on 4 rows, Galaxy Z Flip7 FE on 2 rows
On the makers’ published figures, the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on peak brightness (3,000 nits against 2,600 nits), storage (base) (256 GB against 128 GB), battery per charge (53 h against 37.05 h) and claimed video playback (37 h against 24 h); the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE wins on weight (187 g against 231 g) and battery lifespan (1,700 cycles against 1,000 cycles). 3 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: display size (6.9 in against 6.7 in) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, RAM (12 GB from GSMArena against 8 GB from the maker) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and battery capacity (4,823 mAh from GSMArena against 4,000 mAh from the maker) for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Both state the same refresh rate. The other 38 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
3 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark · DXOMARK camera score. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 17 Pro Max better than the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE?
On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (Samsung UK), storage (base), 256 GB (Apple UK) against 128 GB (Samsung Newsroom UK), battery per charge, 53 h against 37.05 h (both EU energy label) and claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 24 h (Samsung UK); the Galaxy Z Flip7 FE wins on weight, 187 g (Samsung UK) against 231 g (Apple UK) and battery lifespan, 1,700 cycles against 1,000 cycles (both EU energy label). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery per charge, 53 h against 37.05 h (both EU energy label). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 37 h (Apple UK) against 24 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 17 Pro Max is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 4,823 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,000 mAh (Samsung UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The Galaxy Z Flip7 FE, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 187 g (Samsung UK) against 231 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (Samsung UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
The Galaxy Z Flip7 FE gets security updates until July 2032; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, 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 Galaxy Z Flip7 FE is £350 cheaper at UK RRP (£849 against £1,199). Prices from iPhone 17 Pro Max: Apple UK store; Galaxy Z Flip7 FE: 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.