Samsung and Apple have been rivals for a long time, and with Apple’s latest iPhone 16e, both brands are once again going head-to-head within the same price range. The Apple iPhone 16e and the Samsung Galaxy S25 are priced quite closely, which could make it difficult for buyers to choose one, but we are here to simplify that decision for you.
Display
The iPhone 16e has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel. It supports HDR, TruTone, 60Hz refresh rate, 2532 x 1170 pixels Resolution at 460 ppi, and 1200 nits of peak HDR brightness.
The Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch FHD+ (2,340 x 1,080) Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10+, has a Pixel density of 418 PPI, and is covered in a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The refresh rate of the display can change dynamically between 1 Hz and 120 Hz. The display supports up to 2600 nits peak brightness.
The Galaxy S25 clearly has the better panel with a higher refresh rate along with a higher brightness. Both these features on the S25 will result in a far superior experience in daily use compared to iPhone 16e’s display. Moreover, S25’s display also has narrower and equal bezels on all sides which is again something the iPhone 16e lacks.
Software & Performance
Under the hood, the Apple iPhone 16e is powered by the company’s A18 Bionic Chipset and further has support for Apple Intelligence. It further has 8GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 features the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy under the hood, paired with 12GB RAM along with 256GB, and 512GB storage options. It supports Galaxy AI suite of AI features.
While both of them don’t compromise on the storage front, the Galaxy S25 takes the lead if we talk of RAM. More RAM means you get a better multitasking experience on the S25 compared to the Apple iPhone 16e.
The battle between the chipsets is more or less a tie considering both the processors are quite capable. However, the A18 Processor in the iPhone 16e isn’t identical to the A18 in the iPhone 16 as the chipset in the former has one less GPU core. While both the devices will perform exceptionally when it comes to daily tasks or even gaming, we’ll have to test them side by side to check whether there’s any difference in real world.
When we compared the iPhone 16 and the Galaxy S25, both devices did equally well in the performance department. Same is the case with software, where both devices run on the latest software versions the two companies have to offer. It depends on the buyer whether they prefer iOS’ minimal experience or Android’s customisation.
Battery and Cameras
The Apple iPhone 16e has a single OIS-assisted 48MP f/1.6 primary camera which is said to support a 2-in-1 system that also enables 12MP 2x telephoto zoom. There is a 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front of the iPhone 16e with an f/1.9 lens.
Galaxy S25 camera setup comprises a 50MP primary wide camera with f/1.8 aperture, multi-directional PDAF and OIS. Then there’s a 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x Optical Zoom support, an f/2.4 aperture, OIS, PDAF and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.2 Aperture and 120-degree FoV. Next, it has a 12MP f/2.2 front-facing camera.
While we haven’t tested the iPhone 16e camera yet, we can still give the Galaxy S25 the winner tag in this round due to the extra Sensors it has on the back that give it a hardware-based advantage, which the iPhone 16e can’t beat any which ways.
Speaking of battery, Apple as usual didn’t unveil the exact capacity of the cell used in iPhone 16e, but it is claimed to offer a better backup than the vanilla iPhone 16. Because we haven’t used the devices side by side and we don’t know the battery capacity of the 16e, we can’t comment on which device has a better battery life. The same goes for charging speeds as well.
Verdict
The Apple iPhone 16e comes in white and black in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities, costing Rs 59,900, Rs 69,900, and Rs 89,900, respectively.
The S25 starts at Rs 80,999 for the 12GB + 256GB trim and Rs 92,999 for the 12GB + 512GB model.
The Galaxy S25 costs more than the Apple iPhone 16e but delivers on all fronts for the premium it is charging, unless you prefer iOS for which we’ll suggest to opt for the iPhone 15 or the iPhone 16 instead because even those devices get better camera hardware than the 16e.
