The iPhone 13 Pro Max is gunning for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s crown.
Apple’s iPhone 13 range is out now, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the big and shiny flagship phone leading the charge. If it’s to win over the public ahead of the lucrative end of year period, however, it’s going to have to wrestle with the early-crowned king of the 2021 smartphone scene – the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. We’ve reviewed both phones, and awarded both smartphone titans an impressive 4.5 stars. Who comes out of this heavyweight clash on top? The iPhone 13 Pro Max was released on September 24,2021. Prices start from $1,099 / £1,049 / AU$1,699 for the 128GB model, while $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,869 will get you 256GB, and $1,399 / £1,349 / AU$2,219 will secure you the 512GB model. There’s also a 1TB model this time around, which will cost you $1,599 / £1,549 / AU$2,569. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra appeared much earlier in the year, on January 29,2021. The entry-level 128GB model starts at $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,849, while the 256GB model costs $1,399 / £1,349 / AU$2,149. Finally, the 512GB model increases that price to $1,599 / £1,549 / AU$2,449. Perhaps surprisingly, then, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the cheaper phone of the two right across the board – at least in terms of the standard price. But thanks to the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s greater age, you should be able to find it at a significant discount. Both of these smartphone designs are pretty iconic. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is a dead ringer for the iPhone 12 Pro Max before it, which itself represented a bold revamp of Apple’s design language. We hadn’t seen flat, symmetrical surfaces like this since the iPhone 5’s heyday – or the original iPhone SE at least. It also uses shiny surgical-grade stainless steel for the rim, which is more premium than the aluminum used in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Indeed, the Galaxy S21 Ultra looks like a fairly typical Android flagship – right up until you flip it onto its front. That swooping camera unit is flat-out gorgeous, and makes the iPhone’s nondescript rear look rather dull by comparison. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is definitely less comfortable to hold than its rival, too. As good as it looks, Apple’s industrial design rather digs into your palms, while Samsung’s persistence with a curvier design language proves easier on the hands. In terms of colors, the iPhone 13 Pro Max comes in Graphite, Gold, Silver and Sierra Blue. The Galaxy S21 Ultra offers up a wider selection of Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, and Phantom Brown options. All are slightly muted, professional-grade shades. These are two of the heftier phones on the market, though. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65mm and 238g, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm and 228g. So Apple’s phone is shorter and slimmer, while Samsung’s is narrower and lighter. Both phones come with an IP68 rating, which means they’re both good at resisting water and dust ingress (though the iPhone 13 Pro Max is certified to greater depths, of six meters to the S21 Ultra’s 1.5). The iPhone 13 Pro Max also has a slightly tougher display, with Apple’s ceramic shield once again providing a four-fold increase in toughness compared to other phones. There’s a big difference in how these two phones treat the implementation of a front camera. The iPhone 13 Pro Max uses a chunky notch, albeit one that’s 20% smaller than before. The Galaxy S21 Ultra gives you a central punch-hole, which is rather less obtrusive. It’s a shame Apple hasn’t used the extra pixels to give us some extra information, such as a battery percentage. But it’s a step along the road to a notchless future, so we’re reasonably happy with it. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s screen is a 6.8-inch AMOLED, and can run at both a 120Hz refresh rate and a QHD+ (1440 x 3200) resolution simultaneously. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has a smaller, less sharp 6.7‑inch 1284 x 2778 OLED screen. There really isn’t much in it when it comes to raw image quality. However, for the first time, Apple can match Samsung with a 120Hz refresh rate of its own. Both phones use LTPO technology in order to apply a variable refresh rate. This means that they can conserve power by scaling back from 120Hz when viewing static images or text.
