Which one should you buy?

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

  The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with up to 1TB of storage, and a quad camera setup. The phone comes with Galaxy AI, bringing new advanced features to the table.

  Pros

  • 2600 nits peak brightness
  • 200MP primary camera
  • Stylus support
  • AI integrations

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro Max

  The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the latest and the greatest smartphone in Apple’s lineup. The smartphone is powered by the latest Apple A17 Pro chipset, coupled with 8GB of RAM. It has a more refined Titanium chassis that makes it lighter and more comfortable, and it features a new periscope telephoto camera.

  Pros

  • Comfortable to hold
  • Consistent camera performance
  • Customizable Action button

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers performance worthy of the title of best phone, but with all the competition — particularly the iPhone 15 Pro Max — in the market, its work has been cut out. Here, we will compare the best devices that Samsung and Apple offer to see how one stacks up against the other and which is worth your money.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Price & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra launched on January 17, 2024, with pre-orders starting the same day. Retail availability is from January 31 onwards. The base variant, which comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, will cost $1,299.99. You can pay an additional $120 or $360 for the 512GB ($1,419.99) or 1TB ($1,659.99) options.

In the case of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the device launched in September 2023, so you can find the device across most major retailers. Regarding pricing, in the US, the iPhone 15 Pro Max retails for $20-$100 less (depending on the variant chosen) than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. As for variants, it’s also available in 256GB ($1,199), 512GB ($1,399), and 1TB ($1,599) options.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

  The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with up to 1TB of storage, and a quad camera setup. The phone comes with Galaxy AI, bringing new advanced features to the table.

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro Max

  The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the latest and the greatest smartphone in Apple’s lineup. The smartphone is powered by the latest Apple A17 Pro chipset, coupled with 8GB of RAM. It has a more refined Titanium chassis that makes it lighter and more comfortable, and it features a new periscope telephoto camera.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Technical Specs

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

  SoC

  Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

  Display

  6.8-inch, QHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz variable refresh rate

  RAM

  12GB

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB, 1TB

  Battery

  5,000 mAh

  Ports

  USB-C

  Operating System

  OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14

  Front camera

  12MP, f/2.2, FOV 80-degree

  Connectivity

  5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC

  Dimensions

  6.40 x 3.11 x 0.34 in (162.5 x 78.9 x 8.6 mm)

  Colors

  Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, Titanium Orange

  Weight

  8.22 oz (233 g)

  Charge speed

  45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless, 0% to 65% in 30 mins (45W wired)

  IP Rating

  IP68

  Main Camera

  200MP, f/1.7, FOV 85-degree, OIS

  Wide-Angle Camera

  12MP, f/2.2 FOV 120-degree

  Telephoto

  10MP, f/2.4, OIS, 3x optical zoom & 50MP, f/3.4, OIS, 5x optical zoom

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro Max

  SoC

  Apple A17 Pro

  Display

  6.7-inch, LTPO Super Retina XDR, OLED, 120Hz

  RAM

  8GB

  Storage

  256/512GB & 1TB

  Battery

  4422 mAh

  Ports

  USB-C

  Operating System

  iOS 17

  Front camera

  12MP, f/1.9

  Connectivity

  5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC

  Dimensions

  6.30 x 3.02 x 0.33 in (159.9 x 76.7 x 8.3 mm)

  Colors

  Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium

  Weight

  7.80 oz (221 g)

  Charge speed

  30W wired, 15W MagSafe, 7.5W (Qi Wireless)

  IP Rating

  IP68

  Main Camera

  48MP, f/1.8, 24mm, sensor-shift OIS

  Wide-Angle Camera

  12MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120-degree FOV

  Telephoto

  12MP, f/2.8, 120mm, PDAF

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Design and Display

When it comes to how the devices look and feel, there are more similarities between the two in 2024 than there have ever been in previous iterations. You’ll find that both devices feature flat sides on the mid-frame — which uses titanium — and have matte finishes on the glass back.

Speaking of the use of titanium, on the iPhone, this change helped shed quite a bit of weight; for Samsung, this made its phone more resilient to fall damage, as titanium is tougher than aluminum. These devices are also quite similar when it comes to dimensions. Still, the iPhone is slightly smaller (159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm) in comparison to the Galaxy S24 Ultra (162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm) and features slight curves at the point where the glass meets the metal; this makes it more comfortable than the Galaxy, at least in our opinion.

The smaller chassis of the iPhone 15 Pro Max also houses a smaller display, 6.7 inches — the Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch one. But when it comes to the technology used and what they offer, there isn’t much disparity between the two, though the S24 Ultra does pip the iPhone by a bit when it comes to value with its marginally better specs and S-Pen stylus support.

Both devices feature OLED panels with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz and particularly high brightness levels — 2,000 nits (iPhone 15 Pro Max) and 2,600 nits (Galaxy S24 Ultra) — that make outdoor legibility a non-issue. Even the glass protecting the displays comes from the same company manufacturer, Corning; Gorilla Glass Armor is on Galaxy S24 Ultra, and Ceramic Shield is on the iPhone.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max bundle the pinnacles of smartphone silicon within their chassis. For Samsung, this is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, whereas on the iPhone, it’s the A17 Pro. Neither chipset will disappoint when it comes to daily use.

They’ll be able to tackle any task you throw at them with ease and should multitask seamlessly; the 12GB of RAM on the Galaxy S24 Ultra could give an edge to it, though, as the teardown-revealed 8GB of the iPhone can fall short.

Regarding AI workflows, there’s still a lot to explore here, but the Galaxy S24 Ultra holds an edge over the iPhone as it already offers AI features in cloud-based and on-device flavors.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Battery

Battery performance has become a strong suit for the iPhone in recent years, particularly the Plus or the Pro Max models. The teardown-reported 4,400 mAh cell on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is great for all-day use. You can browse social media, consume content, or even play games at the highest levels without much stress. In our iPhone 15 Pro review, we reported that the smaller Pro-iPhone lasted us through an entire day with ease, so it’s only natural the larger Pro Max does the same and more.

When it comes to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, this device once again features a 5,000 mAh cell, and if the previous generation’s performance is anything to go by, this device is going to be an all-day phone for most users once again. We’ll update this section once we’ve spent more time testing the phone’s battery life ourselves, so stay tuned for that.

As for charging speeds, the Galaxy S24 Ultra does pip the iPhone with its support for 45W charging. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports a reported 27W max, but Apple only officially claims 50% in 30 minutes via a 20W adapter rather than an outright wattage.

When it comes to wireless charging, both devices support a maximum of 15W input. For Samsung, this is achieved via its proprietary first-party chargers; using a Qi-certified accessory will bump you down to 12W. On the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can expect 15W wireless charging via a MagSafe-certified system or those that support the new Qi2 standard. Lastly, the Galaxy S24 Ultra does support 5W reverse wireless charging if you use the feature.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Camera

Speaking to the camera hardware, both the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are quite versatile when it comes to imaging. The former comes with a quad-camera rear system, while the latter features a triple-camera setup. The two devices match up well against each other despite the vastly different approach when it comes to camera hardware.

The list of available sensors includes the following:

From the main camera, due to pixel binning, the Galaxy 24 Ultra produces 12.5MP images while the iPhone produces 12MP ones. These are fairly robust, and when wrung through the respective image processing algorithms, you’ll find yourself satisfied with the output more often than not.

Coming to the ultrawide, both devices here feature quite similar hardware — 12MP cameras with a 120-degree field of view — and the output can be expected to once again run toe-to-toe.

But where the difference kicks in is with the telephoto sensors that are on offer. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra features two telephoto cameras, one with a 10MP sensor and 3x optical zoom and another 50MP sensor with 5x optical zoom. The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a single 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. Here, Samsung definitely offers more dedicated hardware for various focal lengths, adding to the fact that it is a more versatile system.

As for the front camera, both phones have a 12MP shooter up front, though the iPhone has a wider aperture, allowing for brighter photos.

Overall, if we consider the performance we’ve seen over the years, if you want a more consistent imaging and videography experience, the iPhone is likely a better choice. The color parity it maintains across the various camera sensors and the smoothness as you switch between them is something others have yet to figure out. But if you’re looking to have the most tools at your disposal, the Galaxy S24 Ultra won’t disappoint.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Which should you buy?

It’s clear from this comparison that the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are at the pinnacle of the smartphone experience. They both offer hardware that doesn’t compromise much on the experience, and neither is slouch when it comes to the most important aspects.

So, suppose you’re picking between the two devices. In that case, we’d suggest looking at it from the perspective of how Android compares to iOS and which of the two companies’ hardware ecosystems fit your day-to-day activities more, as neither device will disappoint when looked at individually.