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If we haven’t met before – hi, my name is Mark, and I’m an Apple fanboy. I’ve been an iPhone user for over ten years, but earlier this year, I decided to ditch my daily Apple steed for an Android device – the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
During that time, the iPhone remained switched off in the studio smartphone drawer, only to be unearthed on a couple of occasions for reference or comparison purposes. I missed it, but not as much as I thought I would.
Now that the iPhone 16 Pro Max has launched, I’ve switched back to the iPhone. I have lots of thoughts about Apple’s latest flagship already, but the first thing I’d like to do is conduct the annual battle of the big smartphones – the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs the S24 Ultra.
At A Glance
| Feature | Samsung S24 Ultra | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | 17th January 2024 | 9th September 2024 |
| Operating System | Android 14 with One UI | iOS 18 |
| Display | 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 3088×1440 | 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, 2796×1290 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (in most regions) | A18 Bionic chip |
| RAM | 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage Options | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Rear Cameras | Quad: 200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto (3x), 10MP periscope (10x optical zoom) | Triple: 48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto |
| Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Battery | 5000mAh, 45W wired charging | 4685mAh, 25W wired charging |
| Wireless Charging | 15W | 15W MagSafe |
| Other Key Features | S-Pen, 100x Space Zoom, in-display fingerprint | Face ID, Dynamic Island, Action Button, Camera Control |
| Water Resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C | 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Lightning/USB-C |
| Build Material | Titanium Frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Titanium frame, Ceramic Shield front |
| Weight | 232g | 227g |
| Starting Price | $1,299/£1,249 for base-model | $1,199/£1,199 for base-model |
Key Differences:
- Chipset: Samsung uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while Apple is powered by its in-house A18 Bionic.
- Camera: Samsung excels with a 200MP main sensor and 100x zoom, while Apple’s approach focuses on software optimization with a 48MP primary sensor.
- Storage/RAM: Samsung offers more RAM, which can be beneficial for multitasking.
- S-Pen: Unique to the Samsung S24 Ultra, adding more functionality for creative users.
These specs are based on current trends and leaks, and some may change upon the official release.
Pricing
The pricing (at the time of writing) for these two devices is as follows:
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- 256GB: $1,199 / £1,199
- 512GB: $1,399 / £1,399
- 1TB: $1,599 / £1,599
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra:
- 256GB: $1,299 / £1,249
- 512GB: $1,299 ($1419) / £1,349
- 1TB: $1,419 ($1659) / £1,549
If you buy the base model 256GB variant, you’ll save yourself some money by opting for the iPhone. However, once you get into the realms of either 512GB or 1TB, the S24 Ultra becomes more affordable.
I should note that these are Samsung’s discounted prices (the standard pricing is in parentheses), but that’s what separates Samsung from Apple: discounts and offers.
Winner: S24 Ultra (based on value for money alone – but that value hinges on the rest of the buying decisions you’ll need to make)
Build quality
Both of these devices feel very well-built and premium. As they should – they’re incredibly expensive.
They’re also both made from titanium. And, no, I don’t care who got there first, who copied who, or who should be ashamed of themselves because it really doesn’t matter. There are only seven songs, and everything you buy and consume is a remix.
The iPhone just nudges it in the quality stakes. It’s not by much at all, but there’s something about the Pro Max iPhone which has always made it feel like the pinnacle of smartphone construction. The S24 Ultra is a seriously close second, though.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Performance
If you’re interested in how these two phones perform from a benchmarking perspective, I’d like to quote from Tom’s Guide, who achieved these numbers during their testing:
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs S24 Ultra Geekbench 6 (single-core/multicore):
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 3,400 / 8,341
- S24 Ultra: 2,300 / 7,249
I have absolutely no idea what those numbers mean, but the iPhone scored higher, therefore it must be better, right?
Well, at the top end of the usability spectrum, maybe. If you’re really pushing those cores doing whatever it is you do with your smartphone, the iPhone 16 Pro Max might deliver a higher frame rate or a faster processing time. But for normal people, like yours truly, those numbers make no difference to everyday performance.
➡️ Read my review of the standard iPhone 16 review
Both of these phones feel identical when you’re going about your business. They’re fast, fluid, and have operating systems which are, finally, comparable.
When it comes to the battery performance, I’ve not had the iPhone 16 Pro Max long enough to deliver a solid verdict, but they already feel very comparable.
However, I must be fair and pick a winner based on the raw performance, and the iPhone nudges it, according to those benchmarks.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Display
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a slightly bigger display than the S24 Ultra (6.9- versus 6.8-inch) and a marginally better screen-to-body ratio. However, the Samsung flagship is brighter (2,600 nits versus 2,000), has a higher resolution, and is slightly sharper than the iPhone.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max also loses screen estate thanks to the Dynamic Island and, as a result, doesn’t feel as immersive as the S24 Ultra display. That’s why, for me, the latter is the clear winner. There’s just something about the S24 Ultra display that I absolutely love.
Winner: S24 Ultra
Camera system
Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the S24 Ultra have an optical 5X focal length. This immediately makes them comparable in terms of useability; I’ve become addicted to shooting virtually every photo at that focal length.
The S24 Ultra is better on paper with a 200MP main camera system versus the iPhone’s 48MP. Does that matter? Not really; most people, I’d wager, will never change that setting, and 48MP is more than enough for shots you want to blow up to a reasonable printable size.
As always, this is the most subjective part of any smartphone review, so I’ll leave you to battle it out in the comments as to which of these images you prefer:
For me, the S24 Ultra delivers better-looking photos. The iPhone just feels a bit flat by comparison (although you can tweak that with photographic styles).
As for the video performance, the iPhone still provides more pleasing footage for me and my use case (as you’d guess, I use my phone a lot for this kinda thing). For that reason alone, the iPhone just pips the S24 Ultra.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Ecosystem
Apple has the best ecosystem out there. Other opinions are available, but for me, it’s all about the Mac, and one of the biggest things I missed during my Android secondment was AirDrop (and, now, iPhone Mirroring – Apple’s best release of 2024).
Samsung has an ecosystem, but it would mean switching to Windows full-time, and I’d rather eat my own shoes.
Annoyingly, if you’ve read my Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review, you’ll know I prefer it over anything Apple currently offers. But, once again, the Apple Watch has that bloody ecosystem to bring it out of the dark ages.
This topic is just as subjective as the camera system, but for me, there’s a clear winner.
Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max
Extra features
So, what about the stuff that sets these two devices apart?
The S24 Ultra has DeX, which enables you to plug the phone into a monitor and turn it into a quasi-laptop. I’ve never tried it, but it has quite a tight fanbase. Samsung’s phone also has the S-Pen, for which, to this day, I still cannot find a use case. Regardless, lots of people can, and that means it’s an important differentiator.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has three extra features over the S24 Ultra. Firstly, we have the Dynamic Island, which looks cool and has some useful implementations but is basically still a way for Apple to avoid reducing the size of the FaceID gubbins. Then, we have the Action Button, which most people just set to be the mute switch – and, finally, we have the Camera Control.
Right – I’m going to save my full thoughts on this for my two-week-later review of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but early impressions of the Camera Control are that it’s too fiddly and attempts to solve a problem that never existed. Worst of all, it’s in totally the wrong position and is immensely uncomfortable to use.
Winner: S24 Ultra
AI
This is super easy.
The S24 Ultra has Galaxy AI, which has been available to the public since the device launched and which has pretty much every consumer-facing AI feature, gizmo, and show-off tactic you can think of. They all work pretty well, too.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is advertised as being compatible with and designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence. However, at the time of writing (September 2024), if you buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max, there is no Apple Intelligence installed. You get the current, shit version of Siri, and, well, that’s it; not a whiff of the AI features that are gradually making their way to all Android devices.
Apple is, quite rightly, getting a hammering for this at the moment. Please do not buy the iPhone 16 Pro Max on the promise of Apple Intelligence.
Winner: S24 Ultra
Conclusion
Since returning to the iPhone, I’ve realised that it’s the device for me, almost solely because of that ecosystem.
However, I cannot fathom Apple’s marketing strategy this year for Apple Intelligence. It’s embarrassing, frustrating, and, at worst, promising consumers something that isn’t delivered (at the time of writing). No matter what you think about all of this AI stuff, you can’t argue that Samsung has at least delivered on that front.
On paper, the S24 Ultra is still the better phone, and it’s the one I’m still the most impressed with overall. The Camera Control, the aforementioned Apple Intelligence saga, and the lack of any meaningful differentiating feature on the iPhone 16 Pro Max make it a tough sell for anyone but the most ardent of Apple fans.
That doesn’t make it a bad device – it remains a beautiful, genre-defining smartphone – but you really should check out the competition if you’re not ensconced in the Apple ecosystem.
Overall winner: S24 Ultra
