Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: A Head-to-Head Comparison

Which Flagship Smartphone Is The Best in 2024?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has landed, and it's the best we've seen from Samsung. But how does it stand up to Apple's top-tier offering, the iPhone 15 Pro Max? Let's pit these two heavyweights against each other and see who comes out on top.

Design and Build

Both of these tech giants have opted for a luxurious titanium build. The iPhone 15 Pro Max was the first to introduce this premium material, with Samsung following suit with its latest release. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is slightly smaller and lighter than its counterpart, sporting curved edges that contrast the more angular design of the S24 Ultra. This makes the iPhone arguably more comfortable to use overall.

Color Options

The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes in four sleek titanium shades: Black, White, Blue, and Natural. In a playful twist, Samsung has also named its colors after the device's titanium frame, leading to options like Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Yellow. There are also three additional colors (Blue, Orange, and Green) exclusively available on samsung.com for the S24 Ultra.

Durability

Both devices boast an IP68 water and dust-resistant rating. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can withstand deeper water submersion than the S24 Ultra. While the importance of this feature may vary from user to user, it's a point worth noting.

Design Evolution

The design of both devices is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The iPhone 15 Pro Max sticks with a design that's been consistent for several years, while the S24 Ultra closely resembles its predecessors. Still, both devices sport a sleek matte finish, a welcome departure from the glossy frames of earlier models.

Display

Turning to the display, the S24 Ultra now features a flat-screen, a departure from the curved screens of its predecessors. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has always had a flat display. While curved screens may be more aesthetically pleasing to some, flat screens are more practical and easier to apply screen protectors.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses Ceramic Shield technology, while the S24 Ultra is equipped with Gorilla Armor, an exclusive feature that reduces reflections by around 75%, is four times more scratch-resistant than previous generations, and uses 25% recycled materials.

To keep your S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max safe, it's really important to make sure they're well-protected. Getting a tough phone case is a smart move to guard these fragile devices from accidental drops and scratches.

Screen Display

These displays are nothing short of breathtaking. They rank among the best you'll find in today's smartphone market. The S24 Ultra takes the cake with a marginally larger screen, but both devices utilize AMOLED technology. Their refresh rates can go up to 120 hertz, ensuring a smooth user experience, and can also drop to one hertz, enhancing efficiency.

The S24 Ultra does have a few tricks up its sleeve. It boasts a slightly higher resolution than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, meaning images will appear sharper. It also has a higher peak brightness of 2,600 nits than the iPhone's 2,000 nits. While the iPhone 15 Pro Max is already impressively bright, the S24 Ultra shines brighter, which is handy in outdoor situations, especially for sunglass wearers like myself.

Always-On Display

Both phones feature always-on displays, allowing you to keep your wallpaper on. The S24 Ultra edges out the iPhone with a higher screen-to-body ratio thanks to its small punch-out, which is smaller than in previous models. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a dynamic island that occupies more space.

Unlocking Features

Now, there's a reason for the iPhone's dynamic island: it houses sensors for Face ID. Face ID works great—it's fast, effective, and secure. The S24 Ultra offers facial unlocking, too, though it's not as secure as Face ID. However, it compensates with the Gen 2 Qualcomm 3D Sonic fingerprint sensor. This is the same as what we've had for the previous two generations, but it remains one of the best fingerprint scanners on the market. It's quick, convenient, and preferable to Face ID.

Cameras

In brief, both devices sport excellent cameras, arguably some of the best on the smartphone market. They each feature a 12-megapixel selfie camera that captures excellent selfies. But let's take a closer look at the rear-facing cameras.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes equipped with three rear-facing cameras:

An ultra-wide lens
A primary lens
A five-times telephoto lens

The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes equipped with three rear-facing cameras:

An ultra-wide lens
A primary lens
A three-times telephoto lens
A five-times periscope zoom camera

Through our testing, we found both performed exceptionally well in various situations. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max had better dynamic range, low-light performance, and overall video quality, especially with features like cinematic mode.

The S24 Ultra excels in its dedicated three-times telephoto camera, offering superior zoom ranges between 3 to 4.9. It also provides better-extended zoom, a feature Samsung has been perfecting for quite some time, and excellent video quality. Unique to the S24 Ultra are its AI features for photo editing, allowing users to remove reflections and shadows, resize subjects, and even straighten an image without cropping it.

Performance

The iPhone 15 Pro Max houses the A17 Pro, a three-nanometer chipset, while the S24 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, a four-nanometer chipset.

While the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores higher in benchmarks, both devices offer impressive day-to-day performance. Whether you're gaming, streaming, or multitasking, both devices handle tasks effortlessly.

Multi-tasking Capabilities

When it comes to RAM, the S24 Ultra takes the lead. However, it's important to note that these devices run on different operating systems, which manage RAM in distinct ways. The S24 Ultra allows more applications to run in the background than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is quite aggressive in managing running apps. For instance, if you're uploading a story on Instagram and decide to switch to another app, the upload process will continue. However, if you're uploading something larger, like a reel, you'll be prompted to keep the app open for the upload to complete. This can be a bit of a hassle.

On the contrary, the S24 Ultra allows you to leave something uploading, switch to another task, and rest assured that your upload will finish in the background.

Software

If you're familiar with smartphones, you know the age-old debate: iOS versus Android. The iPhone 15 Pro Max runs on iOS 17.2.1 while the S24 Ultra operates on Android 14 with One UI 6.1 layered on top.

A noteworthy update from Samsung is their promise to deliver seven generations of Android OS updates for the S24 Ultra. This is quite impressive and puts it on par with Pixel devices. We'll have to wait and see whether Samsung will keep up with this promise.

On the other hand, Apple is known for its long-term support of devices, typically around five years, and we expect nothing less for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Customization

One of the standout features you all enjoy on Android is the ability to customize our home screen. You can also position your icons at the bottom of the screen for easy access. With an iPhone, achieving this would require you to fill the top of your screen with widgets, which isn't ideal. Moreover, Android's notification bar gives you quick access to various apps.

Despite Android's customization benefits, iPhones tend to have better app optimization. While Samsung has partnered with Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok to optimize their cameras within these apps, generally, apps are more optimized on iPhone than Android.

For example, TikTok still doesn't have a dark mode on Android, despite this feature being available on iPhone for years. Also, when posting a story on Instagram using the S24 Ultra, you can usually only use one hashtag. Any additional hashtags don't work, a problem you've never encountered on the iPhone.

Interestingly, even YouTube, an app developed by Google (the creators of Android), often receives iPhone updates before Android. This indicates how much easier it is to roll out updates on iOS compared to Android.

File Sharing

One feature we all loved on the iPhone for years is Airdrop. Android has had similar features like Quick Share and Nearby Share, but they were disjointed and inconsistent. But the good news is that Quick Share will soon become the standard across all Android devices and Windows PCs, bringing it in line with Airdrop. It'll take some time to roll out across all devices, but it's a development we all eagerly anticipating.

AI Features

The S24 Ultra boasts new AI features that are key selling points of the device. One such feature is Live Translate. Imagine being abroad and needing to book a table at a restaurant, but you don't speak the local language. The S24 Ultra can translate your words to the person on the other end and then translate their reply. While there is a slight pause during translation, the feature informs the person on the other end that the conversation is being translated, which helps with the interaction. Currently, 13 languages are supported, and we've found this feature quite impressive during testing.

Moreover, the S24 Ultra offers many other AI features that enhance your smartphone experience. For instance, there's Chat Assist, which allows you to adjust the tone of your conversation to make it more formal or friendly.

Another feature, Browsing Assist, can summarize webpages and highlight key areas, making it easier to find information. But our favorite AI feature so far is Circle to Search. With this feature, you tap and hold on the home button or the navigation bar, circle whatever is on your screen, and the AI will find it for you. However, it's important to note that Samsung has stated these Galaxy AI features will be free only until the end of 2025. After that, a monthly charge might apply.

Unique Features

Both devices come with their unique set of features. The S24 Ultra, for instance, comes with the S Pen. It's convenient to jot down quick notes, edit images, or sign a document. It even has Bluetooth, allowing you to use it as a clicker or a camera shutter button.

On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max features a LiDAR scanner, which helps measure depth information and enhance AR experiences. It also introduces the Action Button, a customizable button at the top of the device that can open any shortcut or app.

While the S24 Ultra allows you to double press the power button to launch the camera or a specific app, it doesn't offer the same level of customization as the Action Button on the iPhone. However, the Action Button's placement at the top of the device makes it less practical.

Other Noteworthy Features

The S24 Ultra supports Wi-Fi 7, promising faster speeds with a compatible router. It also supports DeX, allowing you to wirelessly connect your phone to a TV for a desktop experience—great for those who travel often. As for the speakers, both devices offer stereo speakers, one in the earpiece and one bottom-firing. Both sound excellent to the ears.

Charging Ports

One significant iPhone 15 Pro Max change this year is including a USB-C port. It's a much-awaited feature that's finally here. The S24 Ultra also boasts a USB-C port, meaning you can use the same cable to charge both devices.

Cable and SIM Card

While the S24 Ultra comes with a standard USB-C cable, the iPhone 15 Pro Max includes a high-quality braided cable right out of the box. In terms of SIM cards, the S24 Ultra supports dual physical SIM card slots in some regions, along with eSIM support. The iPhone 15 Pro Max also supports a physical SIM and an eSIM in the UK. However, there needs to be a SIM tray in the US, which can be frustrating for many users.

Battery Life

The S24 Ultra houses a physically larger battery than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But remember, it's not just about the size; it's about how the operating system manages battery life. Both devices offer excellent battery life and perform very similarly. While numerous battery drain tests are out there, we find them to be less accurate as most of them use devices that have been in use for months, thus affecting the battery's performance.

Charging Speeds

Though both devices offer great battery life, the S24 Ultra leads in charging speeds, supporting up to 45W of wired charging compared to the iPhone's 20W. This means you can get around 50% charge in just 20 minutes with the S24 Ultra, while the iPhone would take about 35 minutes to reach the same level.

Wireless Charging

When it comes to wireless charging, the S24 Ultra supports 15W of Qi wireless charging, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers 7.5W. However, you can boost this up to 15W on the iPhone with a MagSafe wireless charger. The S24 Ultra also supports reverse wireless charging, allowing you to charge devices like earbuds on its back. While you can charge another device using an iPhone 15 Pro Max cable, it doesn't support wireless power share.

Pricing and Availability

Both devices are available in three different storage variants—256GB, 512GB, and a massive 1TB version. In the UK, the 512GB and 1TB versions of both devices are priced the same, with the 256GB version of the iPhone costing slightly more.

Final Thoughts

Wrapping up, here's the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max lowdown. Both are top-tier flagships that we'll be rocking as our daily drivers. Each has its pros and cons, of course. The iPhone 15 Pro Max delivers a consistent experience with killer cameras and a solid display. On the other hand, the S24 Ultra sports a superior screen, a handy S Pen, innovative AI features, and pretty excellent cameras, too. At the end of the day, your OS preference might be the tie-breaker. Not keen on switching? No problem – both phones are easy to recommend.