If you’re in the market for the best of the best, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are bound to have appeared on your radar. While the former has just gone official and the latter went official earlier this year, they are still the best of both worlds.
In this segment, even the slightest leverages are magnified and taken into consideration. So, I take a deep dive into the specs and features of both phones to determine which comes ahead. With that being said, allow me to share my findings with you right away here as we compare the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Galaxy S24 Ultra: Specs at a Glance
| Specs | iPhone 16 Pro Max | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm | 162.3 x 79 x 8.6 mm |
| Weight | 227 grams | 232 grams |
| Processor | Apple A18 Pro (3nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (TSMC 4nm) |
| RAM + Storage | 8GB LPDDR5 + 1TB NVMe | 12GB LPDDR5X + 1TB UFS 4.0 |
| Display | 6.9-inch FHD+ (1320 x 2868 pixels) Super Retina XDR display OLED, 120Hz, 2000 nits, 460 PPI, Ceramic Shield | 6.8-inch QHD+ (1440 x 3120 pixels) 2X Dynamic LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, 2600 nits, 501 PPI, Gorilla Glass Armor |
| Rear Camera | 48MP primary + 48MP ultra-wide + 12MP telephoto | 200MP primary + 50MP periscope + 10MP telephoto + 12MP ultra-wide |
| Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Video | Up to 4K at 120FPS | Up to 8K at 30FPS |
| Dual SIM | Yes; Supports eSIM | Yes; Supports eSIM |
| Connectivity | 30 5G bands, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC | 17 5G bands, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
| Port | USB Type C | USB Type C |
| Battery | NA | 5000mAh |
| IP Rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Software | iOS 18 | Android 14-based One UI |
Design and Build
Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra are monster devices that together weigh as much as a regular pair of shoes. However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a tad bit heavier at 233 grams, as compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 227-gram body.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra also has a more chiseled personality, thanks to those sharp edges, which may pinch a bit. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a regular couch potato like me, with visibly curvier edges, which will most likely feel smoother in hand.
These are top-of-the premium flagships we’re talking about, and their titanium frames certainly make them stand out. However, this time, alongside the Action Button, the iPhone 16 Pro Max also features a Camera Control button.
This is a capacitative button integrated into the body of the iPhone. The button acts as your focus assist when you swipe over it and as the shutter button when you press it, as seen on DSLRs and Sony Mark series phones.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has nothing special going on this front and doesn’t utilize its large frame well. It stuffs the power button and volume rockers all on the right side of the frame, which I’m not fond of.
However, while the S24 Ultra comes with an S-Pen, there is nothing much on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The camera module on both phones is not the most stable orientation, but I somehow prefer the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s module design. Takes up less space at the back.
Both the phones are IP68-rated though, bringing commendable dust and water resistance to the table. However, the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers Gorilla Glass Armor protection at the rear panel as well, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max does not offer anything such as the back.
As for colors, the iPhone 16 Pro Max gets a new Desert Titanium shade, which looks quite nice. Other iPhone 16 Pro Max colors include Black Titanium, White Titanium, and Natural Titanium. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers you a bunch of extra options, namely, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Violet, Titanium Gray, Titanium Black, Titanium Blue, Titanium Orange, and Titanium Green.
Display
When it comes to the display, the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a massive 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2796‑by‑1290 pixels. In comparison, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a slightly smaller 6.8-inch Quad HD Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, packed with more resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels.
However, both phones offer a fast 120Hz refresh rate, which is good. Additionally, both panels are backed by LTPO technology. This year, you also get to see slimmer bezels on the iPhone 16 Pro Max this year.
On paper, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a sharper panel though, thanks to a pixel density of 510 PPI. In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers 460 PPI. While the difference may not be as apparent in daily usage, closer inspection of videos will most likely make it more evident.
Talking about peak brightness, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max maxes out at 2000 nits, the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers 2,600 nits. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra is brighter, you won’t face any issues with the iPhone 16 Pro Max both indoors and outdoors.
This is because the new iPhone 16 Pro Max uses Micro-Lens technology in its display, which reduces internal reflection by quite a bit. While it doesn’t match up to the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Gorilla Glass Armor’s anti-reflective properties, it’s still good enough.
Performance
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is powered by the A18 Pro, which is a direct successor to last year’s A17 Pro on the 15 Pro Max. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Apple’s processor game has always been stronger. But, in recent years, we have seen that gap narrow down, as other processor makers evolve. While we don’t have the devices yet and can’t run proper benchmarks, some early benchmark leaks give us a good idea of the performance difference.
For example, in Geekbench 6, the A18 Pro shines through through in single-core tests, racking up around 3678 points. On the other hand, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores 2193 points, which is 68% less in comparison. In the multi-core tests, the difference is not much, with the A18 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 managing to score 8974 and 7304 points, respectively. That’s roughly a 23% difference.
Even when in our A17 Pro vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 comparison, we noticed how the latter could not surpass the former in single-core tests. Meanwhile, in the multi-core tests, it barely surpassed it. Now, the A18 Pro has undoubtedly taken quite the lead.
Alongside the processor, the iPhone 16 Pro Max features 8GB of LPDDR5 Micron D1β DRAM chipset, which was first seen in its predecessor. As for storage, the top-of-the-line iPhone features up to 1TB of NVMe storage. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 Ultra packs 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM with up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage.
Software Experience
It’s always easier to compare the software experience on phones that belong to the same platform. I always steer clear of the Android vs iOS debate, because it’s super subjective by the end of the day. So, I’m going to keep this bit as rational as possible.
iOS 18 in iPhone 16 Pro Max brings a trove of features like the new Customizable Control Center and home screen and lock screen icons, hidden apps, the new Photos app interface, the Send Later feature in the Messages app, RCS Messaging, the new Passwords app and more.
With Apple Intelligence features rolling out, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has also access to a slew of AI features. Galaxy AI is already a major part of OneUI with some highly useful features. At the moment, Apple is behind in terms of AI features due to a staggered rollout.
That’s not to say that the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s One UI is bad. It’s more feature-rich, having DeX, Good Lock, and a wide array of AI features like AI call summarization, Chat Assist, and whatnot up its arsenal, and easily one of the best Android skins out there. Besides, Samsung has really stepped up its ecosystem game and is the best at that in the Android world, hands down.
Not to mention that just like the Pixel 8 and 9 series phones, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series of phones are backed by 7 years of major OS updates and security patches. Apple also offers timely updates and updates it older models.
Cameras
It is safe to say that when it comes to mobile phone cameras, the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra have some of the best camera setups in the world.
Talking about the iPhone 16 Pro Max first, it features a 48MP primary sensor with f/1.78 aperture this year as well. Alongside, you get to see an upgraded 48MP ultra-wide with a 120-degree FOV. Additionally, the third sensor is a 12MP telephoto sensor with 5x optical zoom capabilities and f/2.8 aperture.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 uses a 200MP ISOCELL HP2SX primary sensor at the helm. Accompanying the primary sensor is a secondary 12MP ultra-wide with a 120-degree FOV and a 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom.
The good thing is that both flagships offer OIS on all the sensors. So, you don’t have to worry about either turning up shaky videos. However, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s capture button is bound to bring a more exquisite videography and photography experience. Moreover, this year, you also get to see support for up to 4K 120FPS on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, lets you do up to 8K 30FPS.
As for how the cameras perform, we’ll update this section with samples as soon as we get our hands on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Battery and Charging
If you’re like me who puts battery backup on a dedicated pedestal when buying phones, then neither of the two phones will disappoint you. It’s safe to say that the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra are two of the longest-lasting phones in the market right now.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max packs a bigger battery unit this year, according to Apple. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 Ultra brings a 5,000mAh unit to the table. On the Galaxy S24 Ultra that we have at the office, we have always gotten in between 7.5-9 hours of screen-on-time, depending on the usage.
Moreover, the iPhone 15 Pro Max that we have delivers around the same SoT. Going by that, you can expect the iPhone 16 Pro Max to offer a similar backup, which is great. However, do keep in mind that we got a commendable backup like that from the S24 Ultra on the QHD+ resolution. Lowering the resolution will certainly squeeze more juice out of it.
As for fast charging, the Galaxy S24 Ultra certainly has the upper hand here, thanks to a faster 45W charging. That tops the phone off in around 1 hour and 15 minutes. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 25W fast charging cap makes it take around 1 hour and 50 minutes to fully charge. However, the iPhone 16 Pro Max can also wirelessly charge at up to 25W speeds, thanks to upgraded MagSafe capabilities this year!
Which Is the Better Ultra Premium?
If you ask me, the Galaxy S24 Ultra certainly has my heart, thanks to the QHD+ display and S Pen, which takes both multimedia experience and productivity to the next level. Not to mention that Samsung’s ecosystem is solid now, and gives the Apple ecosystem tough competition. If Apple’s advantage is its app ecosystem, Samsung’s strength lies in its features and interface.
Once you start using features like Samsung DeX or the slew of AI features that it offers, there’s no going back. Not to mention that the Galaxy S24 Ultra also has fast charging and better primary rear camera sensor leverage.
Most importantly, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is backed by 7 years of software updates, making it exceed the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s software support of 5 to 6 years. However, iOS animations and haptic integration are still more premium and unbeatable. Maybe Samsung will catch up a bit with One UI 7, but well, only time will tell.
On the processor front though, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s Apple A18 Pro chipset is certainly the most powerful processor in the market right now. So, if power and stellar processing are what you need, you know which to go for.
Moreover, if you’re in the Apple ecosystem already though, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a no-brainer. On the other hand, if you’re an Android user who’s contemplating diving into the Apple ecosystem, I’d suggest getting the Galaxy S24 Ultra instead.
