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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Top-of-the-line from Samsung
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung’s flagship non-folding smartphone. It packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, a 120Hz LTPO OLED display, and a 5,000mAh battery.
Pros- Excellent performance
- Beautiful display with anti-glare coating
- S Pen support
Cons- Camera performance could be better
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Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Apple’s champion
The iPhone 16 Pro Max headlines Apple’s smartphone portfolio. It houses the A18 Pro chip, a beautiful 6.9-inch OLED display, and a big battery.
Pros- Impressive performance
- Solid cameras with class-leading video recording
- Excellent hardware with a superior titanium frame
Cons- iOS 18 feels unfinished
No Thanks, Keep Reading
The Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max are two of the biggest and most premium non-foldable smartphones on the market. Both are powerful and pack top-of-the-line features, including AI-backed functions, but how do these two bank-breakers stack up against each other? Does one do some things better than the other? Let’s find out.
Price, availability, and specifications
The Galaxy S24 Ultra carries a price tag of $1,300 for the base 256GB model, and $1,420 for the 512GB model. However, as it has been a few months since the launch of the S24 Ultra, it can frequently be found at a discount. It’s also widely available, including through all three major carriers, and you can choose from seven exciting colors. However, three colors are exclusive to Samsung.com.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,200 for the base 256GB model, while the 512GB and 1TB models will cost you $1,400 and $1,600, respectively. It’s also widely available and comes in four exciting colors.
Here’s a look at their raw specifications before we delve deeper.
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Apple A18 Pro Display type AMOLED, 120Hz Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz Display dimensions 6.8″, 19.3:9 6.9″, 19.5:9 RAM 12GB 8GB Storage 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB 256, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,000mAh 4,685mAh Charge speed 45W 25W Ports USB-C USB-C Operating System Android 14 and OneUI 6.1 iOS 18 Front camera 12MP f/2.2 12MP f/1.9 Rear camera 200MP f/1.7 OIS main, 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 10MP f/2.4 telephoto, 50MP f/3.4 telephoto 48MP f/1.8 OIS main, 12MP f/2.8 telephoto, 48MP f/2.2 ultrawide Cellular connectivity Sub-6 & mmWave 5G Sub-6 & mmWave 5G Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3 Weight 233g 227g IP Rating IP68 IP68 Colors Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow Black, White, Natural, and Desert Price $1,300 $1,200 Display resolution 3088 × 1440 2868 x 1320 Charge options USB-C wired, Qi wireless USB-C wired, MagSafe wireless, Qi wireless Wi-Fi connectivity Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Connectivity NFC, UWB UWB, NFC Dimensions 162.6 × 79.0 × 8.6mm 163 x 77.6 x 8.3mm Stylus Yes, S Pen No SIM support Nano-SIM and eSIM eSIM
Read our review
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is still the best, unless you take photos
Samsung’s latest phablet feels like a do-over
Read our review
Design and display
Glass slabs with a titanium frame
The Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max look pretty different, and there is no mistaking one for the other. Both are glass sandwiches with a titanium frame. However, the iPhone has better-grade titanium for enhanced durability. Otherwise, you get Corning-made protection glasses on the front and back of the two phones.
While the S24 Ultra has rounded sides and sharp corners, you get the opposite in the form of flat sides and rounded corners on the iPhone. The latter has also placed the camera lenses in a squircle island, whereas the Ultra has lenses spread around uniformly without any island or bar. Another significant difference is the presence of an S Pen compartment on the Samsung phone, which comes with a bundled S Pen.
The two phones are IP68-rated. However, the iPhone has better water resistance and can handle six meters of water for up to 30 minutes, compared to the S24 Ultra’s 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes.
You also get LTPO OLED panels with a 120Hz refresh rate on both smartphones, but the iPhone has a 6.9-inch display with Dolby Vision support, whereas you get a 6.8-inch display with HDR10+ support on the S24 Ultra. The S24 Ultra has a slightly better ppi density, but both have a pretty high resolution, and you won’t notice this difference with the naked eye. However, you get an anti-glare coating on the S24 Ultra, which is useful on a bright day.
The one thing you’ll notice on the iPhone is the wide capsule-shaped cutout on the front to house the selfie camera and the Face ID sensors. The S24 Ultra has a tiny hole-punch cutout for the selfie shooter.
Software
iOS 18 feels unfinished
The software is the single biggest difference between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, as it restricts both phones to a specific ecosystem. The Galaxy S24 Ultra runs on Android 14 with One UI 6.1.1, whereas the iPhone 16 Pro Max gets iOS 18. Both platforms are capable but have their strengths and weaknesses.
For example, the iOS 18 control center is much better than Android 14’s quick settings; iOS’s Continuity features are amazing, and you can limit how many contacts an app can access. On the other hand, Android offers unique features like an expandable volume panel, a desktop mode that transforms your phone into a mini-computer when connected to a monitor, and a split-screen mode that allows you to use two apps simultaneously.
Over the years, Android and iOS have become quite refined and have picked up the best features from each other for a more complete experience. However, iOS 18, in an effort to change a lot of things quickly, has lost the refinement that people have come to expect from the iOS. Hopefully, future updates will make things simple and iOS-like.
Both smartphones offer AI-infused functions, thanks to Galaxy AI on the Samsung phone and Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. But their utility is still pretty limited and mostly gimmicky.
Moreover, Samsung has promised to release software updates, including major Android versions, for the S24 Ultra for seven years. Although Apple doesn’t give a specific support period, it typically updates its smartphones for years.
Performance and battery life
Both have their strong suits
Samsung is using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip to power the Galaxy S24 Ultra, whereas the iPhone 16 Pro Max houses the A18 Pro chip. Both are pretty capable processors. However, Apple chips have traditionally been more powerful in terms of raw power than their Android counterparts. While that’s not changing now, both smartphones have enough power to handle any smartphone task, including graphics-intensive gaming.
The S24 Ultra certainly benefits from having 12GB of RAM. While Apple has included 8GB of RAM in the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it’s plenty for iOS.
In other highlights, the S24 Ultra has an advantage with its included S Pen, which you can use for note-taking, doodling, drawing, and a lot more. You get no such stylus with the iPhone.
You also get tri-band Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and ultra-wideband among connectivity options on both smartphones. Plus, the S24 Ultra and the iPhone 16 Pro Max have a USB Type-C port with DisplayPort Alt mode and stereo speakers. It’s important to note that the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s speakers are fantastic and easily trounce the Samsung offering.
While the Samsung offering relies on an under-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, the iPhone has Face ID.
Neither smartphone disappoints on the battery front. If you are a moderate user, you can expect a two-day battery life from both. Even with heavy usage, the two phones can easily get through one full day on a single charge. Samsung supports faster 45W wired charging, whereas iPhone supports faster 25W wireless charging using the official MagSafe charger. Both phones also support reverse wireless charging.
Cameras
iPhone has the edge
This is one category in which the iPhone 16 Pro Max has an advantage over the Galaxy S24 Ultra. As mentioned in our review, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a mixed bag on the camera front. While it does a good job of capturing stationary subjects, it has trouble photographing things in motion. It also takes good nighttime shots, unless motion is involved.
The wide-angle and the telephoto cameras are good at working in bright light. However, there is a loss of fine detail in low light. Similarly, while you get good results recording video in good lighting, noise creeps in low light, and it can’t keep up with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
In terms of the specifics, it packs a 200MP primary shooter, a 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, a 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide shooter. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 48MP primary camera, a 12MP telephoto shooter with 5x optical zoom, and a 48MP ultrawide camera.
The iPhone’s primary shooter is reliable and consistent, and benefits from the new photographic styles that help you avoid the typical over-processed look of the photos.
However, things are not as cut and dry with the other two cameras. While the ultrawide camera does a good job of capturing wide-angle and macro photos, the telephoto shooter isn’t as great in low light and struggles with moving objects, resulting in inconsistent details. However, video recording is one area where the iPhone excels, and it takes the best videos on a smartphone.
Another little interesting feature of the iPhone is the built-in Camera Control button, which does the job of a camera shortcut, shutter button, and a dial to swap between modes and settings. While it’s a decent camera shortcut and shutter button, it’s too convoluted for efficiently switching between camera settings.
Which should you buy?
Although each smartphone excels in certain areas, your buying decision will depend heavily on your choice of ecosystem and platform.
If you’re an Android lover and prefer Android phones and smartwatches, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is an easy decision. If you’re platform-agnostic and camera performance isn’t vital to your buying decision, the Galaxy S24 Ultra can be a good choice. It’s more versatile with S Pen support, provides faster charging with good battery life, and has a beautiful, anti-glare display.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Beautiful display, reliable performance
The Galaxy S24 Ultra combines solid hardware with a refined software experience, powerful performance, and a gorgeous display. It also gives you a S Pen and excellent battery life.
However, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a no-brainer if you’re an Apple fan. It delivers impressive overall performance with great battery life and solid camera performance. It also has an excellent display and fantastic build quality. Moreover, its base model costs less than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The iPhone 16 Pro Max also makes sense for platform agnostics who want better camera performance and refined hardware.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Excellent cameras, great hardware
The Galaxy S24 Ultra combines fine hardware with a refined software experience, powerful performance, and a gorgeous display. It also gives you a S Pen and solid battery life.
