iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Samsung S24 Ultra: Who is the real king?

When the Samsung S24 Ultra, the “Android king” that debuted at the beginning of this year, competes with Apple’s latest flagship iPhone 16 Pro Max, who do you think will win this “war”? The following comparison will reveal the answer for you.

price

iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung S24 Ultra are both top products in the industry. They are not selling for their cost-effectiveness, but for their high-end positioning and top performance, which has won market acclaim. Therefore, they are both expensive. Note: The prices mentioned here are the official prices when the new phones are launched, without considering any promotions or discounts.

The standard configuration of iPhone 16 Pro Max is 256GB of storage space, and the starting price is 9999 yuan. If consumers seek more storage space, they will have to pay an additional 13999 yuan to upgrade to the 1TB version.

Relatively speaking, the entry-level model of the Samsung S24 Ultra is also equipped with 256GB storage, but its price is slightly lower than that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, at 9,699 yuan. If you choose the 1TB version, the price of the Samsung S24 Ultra is 12,699 yuan, which is also more cost-effective than the same configuration version of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Winner: Samsung S24 Ultra.

design

The iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung S24 Ultra have both been slightly tweaked in design, but overall they still follow the design language of their respective brands’ previous generations. Both phones use a straight full-screen design with ultra-narrow bezels, but that’s where the similarities end.

The Samsung S24 Ultra has a more square design, with particularly sharp corners. It may be considered the more monotonous of the two, but its increased size and weight make it more difficult to hold in one hand. Although the titanium frame of the S24 Ultra adds a high-end texture, the overall visual effect is still difficult to match the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

In contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s design is also repetitive, but its rounded corners, lightweight body, and slimmer frame make it more comfortable and easier to control. Despite its large size, its solid construction makes the overall design look more refined.

It is worth mentioning that the Samsung S24 Ultra is equipped with an S Pen stylus, which can be cleverly hidden in the slot in the lower left corner of the phone when idle. It not only brings the experience of writing on paper, but can also be used as a convenient tool for various functions, such as remote control of the camera.

Apple has innovatively introduced the Camera Control button, which allows users to access the most commonly used photography settings and tools more quickly. The unique feature of this button is that it not only senses changes in pressure, but also recognizes sliding gestures.

Considering the above design features, it is difficult to simply determine which phone is better, so this round ends in a draw.

Screen

In the past, Samsung phones often used larger display screens as a selling point, but this pattern was broken by the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is equipped with a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the Samsung S24 Ultra is equipped with a 6.8-inch Super AMOLED panel, which is a remarkable change.

The OLED displays of both phones perform well, whether it is the easy reading experience brought by high definition or the immersive viewing experience brought by rich colors, they are all praised.

However, in today’s smartphone market, screen brightness has become an important criterion. After testing, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is better in brightness, with a peak brightness of 1553 nits, which can maintain clear visual effects even under direct sunlight. In comparison, although the S24 Ultra’s 1363 nits brightness is good, it is still slightly inferior.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max.

camera

The iPhone 16 Pro Max uses the familiar triple-camera system, including a 48-megapixel main camera, an upgraded 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 12-megapixel 5x telephoto lens. The S24 Ultra is equipped with a 200-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, a 10-megapixel 3x zoom telephoto lens, and a 50-megapixel 5x zoom telephoto lens. The two are evenly matched on paper.

The two phones have their own advantages in photography experience. The new camera control button of iPhone 16 Pro Max imitates the shutter button of mirrorless camera, which is not only convenient for quick shooting, but also can achieve zoom and mode switching through pressure sensing and sliding gestures. The camera application of S24 Ultra is more suitable for professional users and photography enthusiasts, providing comprehensive manual control options and dual recording functions. Although it lacks a similar shutter button, the addition of S Pen also adds new ideas to its shooting method.

But in actual shooting, what is the difference between the two? You can see it from the sample photos below.

In daytime shooting, the main camera performance of both phones is impeccable, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max is slightly better in detail capture and clarity, especially in macro photography, where its upgraded ultra-wide-angle lens can capture the subject at a closer distance and show more details. In the zoom comparison, both are equipped with 5x optical zoom lenses, and the details are comparable, but the iPhone is better in exposure processing, especially in shadow areas.

In terms of the front camera, the iPhone has a wider field of view, which is suitable for ground-level shooting, while the S24 Ultra performs better in facial details and clarity. In low-light environments, the iPhone 16 Pro Max can not only illuminate the entire scene, but also capture sharper details.

In terms of video recording, both support 4K 120fps shooting, but in the default 4K 30fps mode, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a smoother zoom transition and more natural color reproduction, while the S24 Ultra performs well in detail capture and background brightness. In addition, the iPhone 16 Pro Max also introduces the Audio Mix function, which effectively reduces background noise by combining spatial audio capture with AI, and provides a variety of audio modes for users to choose from.

In most cases, the iPhone 16 Pro Max performs better in imaging.

performance

In previous performance tests, the Samsung S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max performed equally well, and it was difficult to tell which was better. However, with the debut of the new 3nm process A18 Pro chip on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it stood out in this comparison and became the clear winner. The Geekbench 6 test results show that the single-core and multi-core scores of the iPhone 16 Pro Max jumped to 3400 and 8341 respectively, which is a significant improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

In terms of video processing, the iPhone 16 Pro Max showed its strong advantages. Through the Adobe Rush Premiere video transcoding test, the iPhone 16 Pro Max completed the task in just 0:21, which is almost half the time required by the S24 Ultra.

Winner: iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Battery life

When the Samsung S24 Ultra was released, its battery life of 15 hours and 41 minutes was quite impressive, but the iPhone 16 Pro Max was even better, reaching 18 hours and 6 minutes. In the best mobile phone battery life ranking, the iPhone 16 Pro Max ranked third, second only to the ROG Phone 8 Pro and OnePlus 12R, while the S24 Ultra ranked sixth.

In terms of charging, the Samsung S24 Ultra easily surpasses the iPhone 16 Pro Max with its faster 45W wired charging speed. The S24 Ultra can charge to 39% in 15 minutes and 79% in 30 minutes. In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max can only charge to 29% and 55% in the same time.

Although the Samsung S24 Ultra charges faster, the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s significant advantage in battery life makes it the winner of this comparison.

Software and AI

Apple’s software has always been known for being intuitive and easy to use, and iOS 18 on the iPhone 16 Pro Max is no exception. Although the latest software update does not bring disruptive changes in the interface, Apple has invested more in software customization, personalization, and privacy protection than ever before.

However, the biggest highlight of the software is not iOS 18 itself, but the features brought by Apple Intelligence. It provides a practical notification summary tool that allows users to easily grasp important information; Siri has become more humane and can have more natural conversations. These features are also reflected in the Samsung S24 Ultra, but the integration of Apple Intelligence is better.

Samsung’s One UI 6.1 provides users with a wealth of features. In addition to AI-assisted tools such as “Circle Search” and “Google Gemini”, the various features of Galaxy AI have greatly improved the overall experience. In particular, the application of generative AI in photo editing, such as removing reflections and unnecessary elements in photos, and Instant Slow-Mo converting videos into slow-motion clips, have demonstrated its powerful strength.

In addition, the S Pen of Samsung S24 Ultra is also a highlight of its software experience. This stylus not only supports functions such as quick note-taking and PDF signature without unlocking, but also gives the phone more professionalism and practicality. Samsung DeX allows S24 Ultra to simulate the experience of a traditional desktop PC, which is unmatched by iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Winner: Samsung S24 Ultra.

in conclusion

After an in-depth comparison of seven dimensions, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a clear victory over the Samsung S24 Ultra with its significant advantages. This result is not surprising, after all, there is a big gap in the release time of the two mobile phones.

Currently, the Samsung S24 Ultra has entered the end of its product life cycle and is expected to gradually fade out of the market in early 2025. Although it once attracted attention with its rich software functions, its aging problems gradually emerged over time, and this comparison result also strongly confirmed this.

Therefore, unless you can buy this Samsung flagship at a discounted price through specific channels, it is recommended to save your budget until next year, when the launch of the S25 Ultra will bring more significant upgrades and is expected to become a stronger competitor in the market.