Buckle up, folks! The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has finally arrived, showing off its muscles with the brand-new Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip. While Samsung wasn't really shy during the launch of mentioning its gaming power, the early benchmark numbers scream it from the rooftops. Guess what? Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max might have a reason to be nervous.
Benchmark Battle: S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max
by Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max Comparison
Let's dive straight into the juicy details. The benchmark in question? 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, a go-to test for gauging GPU grunt under realistic gaming conditions. The results, shared by @Techinfosocials on X, are pretty eye-opening:
| Phone | 3DMark Steel Nomad Light Score | Average FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | 2,617 | 19.39 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 1,922 | 14.2 |
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is not just in the lead, but it's dominating. We're looking at as much as a 36% lead in the overall score, while those frame rates were 19.39 FPS for Samsung against 14.2 FPS for the iPhone. That's a difference you'd absolutely feel in real-world gaming.
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy: The Secret Weapon?
It really does seem like the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is living up to its name here. Not only is it keeping pace, but actually outrunning other phones, even those with the same chip inside, albeit in a non-"for Galaxy" variant. Is Samsung's custom "for Galaxy" version of the Snapdragon really the key to such a performance leap?
Note that benchmarks are just part of the equation. This test focuses only on GPU performance. CPU performance and overall system efficiency are not fully captured here. Real-world usage can vary.
Cooling and Real-World Implications
Not to mention the cooling! The S25 Ultra most probably has had a serious amount of work invested in thermal management by Samsung. Better cooling may be the answer to such high performance without throttling down the performance, which is what usually happens during smartphone gaming.
This is a huge win for Samsung in terms of benchmarking for gamers. While Apple's A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro Max may have other strengths in daily tasks and other areas, when it comes to pure GPU firepower, the Galaxy S25 Ultra looks set to take the crown this generation. Game on.
