We put the Galaxy S24 Ultra against the iPhone 15 Pro Max. We couldn’t pass the opportunity to deliver the comparison between the ultimate rivals – the.
We couldn’t pass the opportunity to deliver the comparison between the ultimate rivals – the Galaxy and iPhone. Maybe you already know which of the two is your dream phone, but many people would like to know how these two match up against each other in more objective metrics. So, here it is – the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra versus the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max!Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor’s assessment in the text further down below.Size comparison
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a larger screen – hence – it is the larger phone. It weighs more, too. But you should keep in mind there is a stylus housed inside its body.
Still, the size difference is mostly marginal. However, the design of the two phones is radically different. Samsung’s signature rectangle shape with right-angled corners and separate camera rings is just as recognizable as the iPhone’s rounded corners and arguably busier camera island. Both companies have had years to perfect these designs – there is nothing radically new here, but we are sure each one will have its own fans.
Both smartphones feature titanium frames, and both offer IP68 ingress protection. The iPhone has extended water protection since Apple claims it can survive in up to 6m deep water for half an hour, compared to 1.5m for the Galaxy.
We cannot say that one is better than the other as both are quite different. But the iPhone does trump the Galaxy with its higher water ingress protection rating.Display comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a larger display with higher pixel density and supports S-Pen input. It also offers a smaller camera cutout and higher peak brightness.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max display has a higher manual and automatic brightness than the Galaxy; it also offers Dolby Vision support on top of HDR10+ video.
Not to mention that the bigger camera cutout on the iPhone comes with Apple’s FaceID, which works for secure unlocking, and Apple has found a way to add some clever functionality around it with the Dynamic Island.
Overall, both displays are as premium as their makers can offer today. Nobody would be able to see the difference in the pixel density as it is not that major. Both offer outstanding contrast, brightness and color specs.
Before we wrap this section up, we should mention a few issues with the Galaxy S24 Ultra display. One of them is the slight graininess that can be observed at very low brightness levels when you use your phone in a dark setting.
Samsung also received a lot of flak for its muted color rendition, even in the Vivid color mode, but this has since been addressed with a firmware update, and users can now pick their desired level of Vividness with a slider.
So, wrapping up this section, you’d get the Galaxy for the combination of the S-Pen, the built-in fingerprint sensor and the smaller punch-hole selfie cam. You will go for the iPhone Pro Max if you lean into Dolby Vision content and you think you will enjoy the seamless FaceID and Dynamic Island functionality offered by iOS.Battery life
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 4,441mAh cell.
Despite the fact that the iPhone has a smaller battery capacity, it managed to beat the Galaxy S24 Ultra in our battery life test. It scored better across all of our test scenarios except for voice calls. And that is why its Active Use score turned out 16:01 hours compared to 13:49 hours for the Galaxy.
Both scores are excellent; it’s just the iPhone does better.Charging speed
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra supports up to 45W fast charging, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max maxes out at 20W. And while both charging solutions are nowhere near the fastest on the market, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the phone that recharges faster of the two.
Beyond wired charging, both the S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max support 15W Qi/PMA wireless charging.
However, only the Galaxy offers reverse wireless charging.Speaker test
The S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max feature hybrid stereo speaker setups. There is one speaker firing out of the bottom of the handset, and another one at the top end, which outputs sound forward through a slit that also serves as the earpiece.
Both phones fall into the ‘Very Good’ category for loudness in our testing, and there is minimal difference in the sound quality, minimal yet hearable.
While both phones offer good bass and excellent high range, the iPhone is the one with richer mid-tones and vocals.
You can compare how the two phones sound in controlled acoustic conditions with the samples below. Just make sure you have your headphones on and the volume is at max level.Performance
Things don’t look any better for the S24 Ultra when it comes to raw computing power. The Apple A17 Pro chip appears to be faster than the latest Snapdragon. The S24 Ultra may have 12GB of RAM on its side, but the two mobile operating systems have different RAM requirements.
Still, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still the fastest Android silicon, so it will remain relevant for quite a while.
