Galaxy S24 Ultra ( pass on ) and iPhone 15 Pro MaxDigital Trends
Samsung has liberate its flagship 2024 smartphone lineup ina surprisingly other Galaxy Unpacked event . While the usual variety of rumors left us with few incertitude about what was come in the Galaxy S24 lineup overall , the agiotage Galaxy S24 Ultra is still the most exciting update as it packs in some fascinating changes from last yr ’s model .
While theGalaxy S24 Ultrais perhaps a flake more iterative this year , there ’s a lot to like about this example — including a newfangled atomic number 22 blueprint , an even brighter showing , and a substantial push by Samsung into some merriment and hefty new AI feature .
However , the Galaxy S24 Ultra is also up against some tough competition from Apple ’s heavyweight contender , theiPhone 15 Pro Max , which get last fall with a similar substitution to titanium , some notable photographic camera improvements , and the most brawny chip by far that Apple has ever put into an iPhone .
Due to the distinctive timing of Apple ’s and Samsung ’s launch result , there ’s a leapfrogging that often goes on between the two flagships . This makes the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra the new kid on the block , but is its four - calendar month vantage enough to take on the iPhone 15 Pro Max ? Let ’s take a face at how these two premium flagship compare .
Galaxy S24 Ultravs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: specs
6.8 - inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with Super Smooth 120Hz refresh pace ( 1~120Hz )
Front : 12MP
Front : 12MP TrueDepth
Slow apparent movement UHD at 120 fps
dull apparent motion FHD at 240 fps
1080p HD at 25/30/60 fps
HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4 K at 60fps
Slow motion 1080p at 120/240 Federal Protective Service
ProRes picture transcription up to 4 K at 60fps with outside transcription
Macro television transcription
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: design
Samsung has seemingly settled on its design language over the preceding twelvemonth , convey many of the iconic aesthetics of the Galaxy Ultra down to its standard and Plus model , so we were n’t expecting any significant visual changes . Nevertheless , Samsung has followed Apple ’s lead-in by adopting a young titanium skeletal frame for the Galaxy S24 Ultra — and some would argue it ’s done so rather blatantly by take a like “ Titanium ” branding for its seven people of color options .
Like the iPhone 15 Pro Max , the Ti construction technically help the Galaxy S24 Ultra drop some weight from its precursor . Still , it ’s not nearly as substantial as the weight Apple clip from its flagship card . Previous iPhone Pro modelling used much heavier stainless steel , so the switch to titanium made the iPhone 15 Pro Max 19 grams light .
By comparison , last year’sGalaxy S23 Ultrauses aluminum , which is already a very lightweight material . This leave alone the Galaxy S24 Ultra at only 1 gram ( 0.03 troy ounce ) lighter . That ’s basically a rounding error , so the real winnings for Samsung in switch to titanium is n’t light weighting but a stronger bod quality , plus a better feel in the hand . We found the titanium on the Galaxy S24 Ultra feel a bit more grippy and warm to the trace , and the less curvaceous position serve you keep a better detainment on it .
This also mean the Galaxy S24 Ultra is heavier than its iPhone counterpart . The iPhone 14 Pro Max come in at 240 Hans C. J. Gram , slightly clayey than the Galaxy S23 Ultra , while the iPhone 15 Pro Max widen that interruption in the other instruction . However , the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a larger earpiece , so that difference is n’t readily apparent when you pick each one up .
Both smartphones are middling evenly match in durability . While they feature the same IP68 rating , the iPhone 15 Pro Max gets an edge for its higher piddle ohmic resistance — up to 6 meter for 30 second compared to Samsung ’s usual 1.5 meters . However , the Galaxy S24 Ultra perplex out the iPhone with its new Corning Gorilla Glass Armor on both sides . Apple uses its own proprietary Ceramic Shield chalk , but only puts that on the front presentation .
While the iPhone 15 Pro Max is available in Natural Titanium , Blue Titanium , Black Titanium , and White Titanium , the Galaxy S24 Ultra offer greater choice for those who require something more colored , with Titanium Violet and Titanium Yellow optionsjoined by the Samsung - exclusiveTitanium Blue , Titanium Green , and Titanium Orange .
At the end of the day , intention is subjective , and there are a lot of craft - offs in both directions here , so we ’re call off this one a tie .
Winner : Tie
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: display
Samsung has always offer some of the best display on any smartphone , which is n’t surprising since the society has its own presentation naval division . In fact , Apple buys most of its screen from Samsung Display , including those used on the iPhone 15 Pro Max .
It ’s clean to say that Samsung appropriate its best exhibit engineering for its own flagships , and the Galaxy S24 Ultra is proof . It ’s mostly the same 6.8 - inch AMOLED 2X display found on last twelvemonth ’s Galaxy S23 Ultra , with an adaptive refresh rate that run from 1Hz to 120Hz and only a very flimsy firmness increase to 3120 x 1440 , up from 3080 x 1440 on the S23 Ultra .
The adult tendency among flagship smartphones over the past few old age has been pushing brightness level levels to raw tallness , and the Galaxy S24 Ultra follows suit , jumping to a maximum light of 2,600 nits — up from 1,750 on the S23 Ultra . That conveniently beat the 2,000 nits offered by the iPhone 15 Pro Max , which make for even better out-of-door visibility . While that ’s a nice spec on paper , it probably does n’t count that much in the real world , as we ’ve never had any problems using our 2,000 - nit iPhone screens outside . The safe news program is that Samsung ’s Adaptive Brightness behave itself when alfresco , keeping the video display burnished rather than toning it down just to salve a morsel of battery life .
The Galaxy S24 Ultra does get a flatter display and slimmer bezel , which frame it more on par with Apple ’s plan , although the turning point remain squared - off rather than round like they are on the iPhone and standard S24 example , giving the S24 Ultra a far more enforce look . However , there ’s a method to Samsung ’s madness here , as drop a line with the S Pen feels much more natural on the planate control panel .
The iPhone 15 Pro Max likewise did n’t move the needle much in display engineering compare to its 2022 harbinger . It swash the same always - on Super Retina XDR Display with a varying refresh charge per unit that runs from 10Hz to 120Hz during normal operation and drops down to 1Hz for always - on mode . The resolution on the 6.7 - inch iPhone 15 Pro Max is blue at 2796 x 1290 , and while the slimly smaller cover size compensates for that a bit , it still has a lower denseness of 460 pixels per inch ( ppi ) versus 501 ppi on the Galaxy S24 Ultra .
That ’s a elusive difference that most folks credibly wo n’t note , but one country in which Samsung has closed the gap this class is its always - on display . Malus pumila waslate to the game in bringing always - on display technology to the iPhone , but as is often the case , when Apple lastly did get with the curriculum , it did so brilliantly , surpassing its monochromatic Android challenger with a racy , full - colour display that keep the wallpaper and notifications always in sentiment .
It ’s taken Samsung over a year to catch up , but it ’s done so with the Galaxy S24 Ultra , which now offer the same dampen , but colorful view that Apple devotee have been able-bodied to bask since the iPhone 14 Pro . While that ’s not everyone ’s cup of tea — some folks prefer the basic black - and - white flavor — it ’s hard to argue that it ’s gorgeous to look at on both twist . The in effect news isit ’s easy to tone down or move around off entirely if you do n’t like it .
While the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max offer two of the best displays you ’ll find on any smartphone today , the larger size of it , bright screen , higher pixel denseness , and meliorate always - on display feature give the S24 Ultra a fragile edge here .
Winner : Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: performance and battery
With a distich of top - of - the - line of reasoning processors , there ’s minuscule question that the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max are two of the most powerful smartphones on today ’s market , although they differ more or less in how they use all that power .
The Galaxy S24 Ultra packs Qualcomm ’s latestSnapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipwith its common “ for Galaxy ” branding , signal that it ’s once again partner with Qualcomm to tweak the chip for the unequalled want of the S24 Ultra and One UI 6.1 . In general , the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is supposed to be 30 % fast and 20 % more power - efficient than its precursor , which translates to comfortably play performance and long battery life . It also seems to move cooler even under shipment , as we found that extend sessions of play in apps likeAsphalt 9 : Legendsdidn’t add any significant heat , nor did demanding benchmark test .
Still , it ’s been manufacture using TSMC ’s slimly old 4 - micromillimetre ( nm ) applied science , which lags behind the haemorrhage - boundary A17 Pro crisp used in Apple ’s iPhone 15 Pro Max . Since Apple plan its own chips from the ground up , it ’s laborious to make a verbatim comparison here , but when Apple unveiled the A17 Pro , it foretell to usher in a new generation of console gamingon the iPhone . So far , that seems to have pay off , with several premium full console claim make water their path into Apple ’s mobile ecosystem .
In terms of raw spec , the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 feature a undivided radical - high - performance “ prime ” core , plus five public presentation core and two efficiency cores . Qualcomm claims that it can drive gaming at 240 frames per second ( fps ) , assuming you’re able to find a phone and a game with a showing that can handle that . Apple ’s A17 Pro has a six - sum mainframe that lean more toward efficiency by combining two eminent - performance burden with four high - efficiency cores .
However , Apple ’s chip also sport a sophisticated new six - core GPU with ironware - accelerate ray of light trace — a feature typically only find on PC and cabinet GPUs — as well as upscaling of result create using Apple ’s Metal model . This work out in conjunction with the chip ’s 16 - meat Neural Engine to plough it into a gaming powerhouse in its own right field . The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 uses Unreal Engine 5 ’s Lumen system with its Adreno GPU to cater its software - return ray tracing . We ’ll have to wait for some more top dog - to - head comparisons with games optimise for both phones to see how this bears out in practical terms , but there ’s little uncertainty that the Galaxy S24 Ultra has enough under the thug to handle just about everything you could give at it without making any compromises .
As for barrage fire life and charging , the Galaxy S24 Ultra still pack in the same 5,000mAh cell as its harbinger . However , the power - efficiency improvements in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 should permit owner to eke out a bit more runtime . The Galaxy S23 Ultra never had a problem get through a full Clarence Day of expectant use ; we were expecting the S24 Ultra to hail in around the same , so we were pleasantly surprised to observe it can well ply two full twenty-four hour period of moderate to with child use — and go even longer if you habituate it gently .
By comparability , the iPhone 15 Pro Max also remain on equivalence with its 2022 predecessor in barrage fire life history , so there have n’t been any literal improvements on that side . Both iPhone Pro Max models held their own against the Galaxy S23 Ultra , but the Galaxy S24 Ultra improvements give it a huge lead . You ’ll have no problem getting through the day with index to spare on the iPhone , but you ’ll probably want to collide with a battery charger every night .
Further , even though Apple has made two significant charging improvements with the iPhone 15 Pro Max by alternate to USB - coulomb and embracing undefended - standard 15 - watt Qi2 shoot , it still has n’t pushed the actual charging speeds any higher . The iPhone 15 Pro Max is officially rated at 20W charging , although it will draw up to 30 watts with a suitable adaptor . However , that ’s still dwarf by Samsung ’s 45W wire firm charging and the ability to pull in 15 watts from any compatible Qi courser , not just the newer Qi2 magnetic chargers .
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: cameras
Samsung made an interesting and unusual change to this yr ’s Galaxy S24 Ultra , ditching its long - standing 10x soar telephoto camerafor a 5x lens with a higher - resolution sensor . That results in an addition from 10 megapixels ( MP ) on the S23 Ultra ’s 10x crystalline lens to 50MP on the S24 Ultra ’s 5x , but Samsung claims you’re able to still get a 10x opthalmic zoom thanks to its Adaptive Pixel Sensor Technology .
It ’s not altogether percipient how Samsung is doing this , but thanks to the expectant sensor , it ’s most likely using a pixel - cropping technique first used by Apple on the iPhone 14 Pro ’s novel 48MP detector , which produced 2x photos by using the 12 megapixels in the centre of the sensor . Samsung used the same proficiency to add a 2x ocular zoom to the Galaxy S23 Ultra in a software update last summer , and it hold on with the Galaxy S24 Ultra . Nevertheless , despite the reduction in the optical lens , the Galaxy S24 Ultra delivered shockingly impressive telephotograph answer in our examination .
The iPhone 15 Pro Max also summate a 5x visual zoom — a first for an iPhone — but it still only packs in a 12MP sensor behind that lens , so that ’s as gamey as the optical zoom goes . Samsung , of course , still boasts its 100X super digital soar , plus the same 3x 10MP telephoto lens system and 200MP primary sensor used in the Galaxy S23 Ultra . Both those exit Apple ’s camera in the detritus when it come to bare-ass specs .
That ’s not to say that the iPhone 15 Pro Max does n’t take great pictures . They ’re actually implausibly safe considering the more limited camera computer hardware , with the image processing and computational picture taking in Apple ’s A17 Pro poker chip more than making up for it . It also jump out front of the iPhone 14 Pro Max as itproduces photos that are even more raw and balanced .
Simply put , you ’ll get fantastic photos from either phone , but the Galaxy S24 Ultra edges out the iPhone 15 Pro Max with more versatility thanks to its higher optical and digital zoom levels and additional lenses . Still , if photography is your master reason for purchasing one of these two phone , you may want to wait for our full television camera comparison shootouts before you make a final decision , as raw eyeglasses are n’t everything .
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: software and updates
The Galaxy S24 Ultra ships withAndroid 14and Samsung’sOne UI 6.1layered on top , which brings bread and butter for raw features like the racy always - on show with live wallpaper . The iPhone of course come with Apple ’s latestiOS 17release .
While Apple has long held the crown for software longevity , it was unseated earlier this year when Google made a staggering promise of seven age of Android updates for its previous Pixel speech sound . Not to be outdone , Samsung is now matching that with the Galaxy S24 Ultra , which means you ’ll someday be able-bodied to update it to Android 21 in 2030 .
Apple makes no specific promises on updates , but the long it ’s ever drop dead is six years , with 2021 ’s iOS 15 release going as far back as the 2015 iPhone 6s . Five years is a more distinctive numeral , so we can expect an iPhone 15 Pro Max to hit at least iOS 22 in 2028 . It could go longer , but with two more year of call updates on Samsung ’s part and no promises at all from Apple , we have to give the Galaxy S24 Ultra the nod here .
success : Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: special features
While most people reckon ofGoogle ’s Pixel phoneswhen it comes to sophisticated mobile AI features , there ’s been a bragging pushing in that arena across the board over the preceding year or so , as generative AI system are tardily becoming mainstream . This has resulted in Qualcomm packing the variety of computational photography and machine learning engineering into its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that were once the undivided domain of Google ’s Tensor chips .
Samsung ’s Galaxy S24 Ultra strike reward of those new capabilities with Galaxy AI , which powers significant improvements in translation , recording , and photograph editing .
Perhaps the most interesting among these are the new Interpreter and Live Translate feature article that utilize AI to translate live in - person conversations and earphone calls in real - time , infract down barriers when trying to communicate with someone in another language .
Samsung ’s AI is also used in Samsung Notes to help you make AI - get sum-up and transcribe and translate voice transcription to text — even from multiple speakers . A Modern intelligentCircle to Searchfeature lets you utilise the S Pen ( another special feature single to the Galaxy Ultra ) to circle items in photos and mechanically await them up online . There are also photo- and video - editing enhancements that can fulfil in background signal , provide suggestion on how to enhance image , and even slow up down legal action sequences in telecasting .
Apple has added a few similar features to the iPhone over the past yoke of eld , admit the power to look up specific point like animals , plants , and landmarks from photos and lift foreground images from their background . However , it ’s always incarcerate behind when it comes to these types of features , and now that Samsung has thrown its hat into the AI ring , the iPhone 15 Pro Max is even further behind the curve . That ’s not to say it does n’t have a few of its own singular tricks , such as the fresh Action release that was add up to the side of the phone this year , but those picket in equivalence to what the S24 Ultra is bringing to the table .
It ’s also deserving note that , like most of Apple ’s products , the iPhone 15 Pro Max fit into the company ’s ecosystem like a boxing glove . tribe who own a MacBook or iPad can take advantage of impressive continuity features like using the iPhone as a webcam , sharing clipboard content between machine , and much more .
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: price and availability
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has bewilder a $ 100 price prominence over its predecessor , with the received 256 GB model now begin at $ 1,300 . high-pitched 512 GB and 1 TB storage capacities are also available . It ’s uncommitted now at most major retailers and carriers in Titanium Gray , Titanium Black , Titanium Violet , and Titanium Yellow , with exclusive Titanium Blue , Titanium Green , and Titanium Orange colors usable if you order directly from Samsung .
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has also seen an increase in its bag price , although in Apple ’s eccentric , that came as a resultant of eliminating the more low-cost 128 GB entry - level model . That puts the start price at $ 1,200 , but that gets you the same 256 GB capacity as the S24 . It ’s usable from Apple and most major retailers and carrier in Natural Titanium , Blue Titanium , Black Titanium , and White Titanium .
Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: verdict
When it add up down to specs and feature , the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a cleared winner with unspoiled television camera , more knock-down AI features , a declamatory video display , and a build - in S Pen . While it comes in at $ 100 more for the same memory capacity , it offers more than enough to justify its higher request price .
Of course , the comparison is n’t as unsubdivided as raw specs , as both headphone straddle two entirely different ecosystems . As great as the Galaxy S24 Ultra is , the iPhone 15 Pro Max is an outstanding smartphone that does n’t let down , and most folks who prefer Apple ’s iOS or otherwise live in the Apple ecosystem probably wo n’t witness enough compelling features on the S24 Ultra to encourage them to exit .
While both phone will serve you well if you ’re look for one of the most herculean smartphones you’re able to buy and are n’t heavily invested in any give ecosystem , the Galaxy S24 Ultra will likely come out on top for most people .
