Which is superior, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 15 Pro Max?

If you're searching for the greatest phone that will be on the market in 2024, you're probably seeking for a resolution to the iPhone 15 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra controversy. Though each of these two flagship gadgets from the largest brands in the industry is amazing in and of itself, you really only need one for daily tasks and occasional gaming. To assist you in selecting which phone to buy this time, we have compared the two in this guide.

If you'd like to hold off on making a decision until the release of the next Apple smartphone generation, check out ouriPhone 16 hub for the most recent leaks and rumours. discover our guides to the best Xiaomi phones, best OnePlus phones, and best Google Pixel phones to discover what the other major companies have to offer in 2024. See our iPhone 15 Pro Max review and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review if this tutorial isn't detailed enough.

• Price and availability
• Specs
• Features and OS
• Design and display
• Cameras
• Performance and battery
• Verdict

Cost and accessibility

There isn't much separating the price of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as will be a recurrent trend in this guide. The most economical Galaxy S24 Ultra, with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, costs $1,299, while the least expensive iPhone 15 Pro Max, with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, costs $1,199 when purchased straight from Apple. An official Apple price cut is much less common, while Samsung periodically gives discounts for certain hues.

Regarding colours, the S24 Ultra offers more choices for various designs. Titanium Green, Titanium Blue, Titanium Orange, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Black, and Titanium Grey are the seven colour options for Samsung's flagship smartphone. With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, your options are fewer, but you can still choose from Natural, Blue, White, or Black titanium. That is a lot of titanium, indeed.

Specifications

OS and features

Because the S24 Ultra has access to all the amazing Galaxy AI technologies, such as Circle to Search and Live Translate, it presently has more functionality than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But later this year, with the release of iOS 18, which brings Apple Intelligence, everything will change. Similar to Samsung's AI strategy, Apple's offers picture editing and translation capabilities in addition to ChatGPT compatibility and the introduction of Genmojis—custom-generated emojis.

The discussion becomes a bit more individualised when it comes to the two phones' operating systems. The S24 Ultra is pre-installed with the most recent version of Samsung ONE UI Android 14, while the iPhone runs Apple's proprietary iOS software. The iPhone makes the most sense if you already use services like iCloud and iMessage or if you own Apple products like a Mac or an Apple Watch. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best option if you want the seamless connection of your Galaxy Watch with the flexibility of Android.

Work and presentation

Although the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra both feature titanium frames, the rest of their designs vary significantly. First of all, there's a clear distinction between the two designs if you favour the 24 Ultra's square corners over the 15 Pro Max's circular ones. The Samsung is also somewhat larger, but keep in mind that the stylus is housed within the phone's chassis.

When it comes to screens, the Samsung or the iPhone provide excellent images with refresh rates of 120 Hz. Although the S24 Ultra has a little greater pixel density than the other screen, it's difficult to really tell the two apart. It's important to note that the S24 Ultra display had several flaws right after it was released, but Samsung has since fixed them, making the two screens almost equal for the title of greatest phone display for 2024.

The IP68 grade for both dust and waterproofing is a really good one for both phones. Your phone will continue to function properly even after being submerged in water or sometimes dropped due to its IP68 rating. However, the Samsung can only submerge to a depth of around 1.5 metres, while the iPhone can submerge to a maximum of 6 metres. Naturally, we advise against trying this out on your own. For added safety, check out our recommendations for the greatest You can get started with iPhone 15 Pro Max cases and Samsung Galaxy S24 cases.

Cameras

In terms of camera quality, it's difficult to distinguish between the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max—I know, I know, I sound like a broken record sometimes. Both phones have amazing specifications for their multiple camera systems on the back. Let's get started as there are still some minor distinctions between the two.

The Samsung's wide and periscope telephoto lenses both have more megapixels than the iPhone's, plus it has one more telephoto lens. With its 10x optical zoom, the S24 Ultra is also somewhat more capable of capturing pictures at a distance than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which only has a 5x optical zoom. Samsung is, therefore, the undisputed winner in this category, correct? Okay, so maybe not.

Here is an example of a picture captured with the Galaxy S24 Ultra:

Here's another image that showcases the iPhone 15 Pro Max's high-quality camera:

In terms of clarity and picture quality, our tests revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro Max outperforms the S24 Ultra, even though the S24 Ultra has more megapixels. Images captured with the iPhone 15 seem to have somewhat more vibrant colours, particularly when the subject of the photograph is present. That's not to argue that the S24 Ultra's cameras are bad; rather, we believe that for any casual smartphone photographer, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a little better camera than its Android rival.

Both phones in question can record 4K video, but only the S24 Ultra can record 8K. Even still, given how few 8K-ready displays are, it isn't really that important. Because it can capture ProRes HDR video, the iPhone 15 Pro Max wins hands down when it comes to distinctions that really matter.

Lastly, the topic of the selfie camera must be discussed. Both smartphones have 12MP front-facing cameras, but our tests reveal that the iPhone takes somewhat better selfies. Though there isn't much different between the two, the iPhone's selfie camera seems a bit more accurate and adaptable. Both can still take selfies that are good enough for your social networking profiles, while the S24 Ultra has a few more editing features.

Both battery life and performance

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are both quite capable phones, as one could anticipate from two of the greatest ones available. Both can run demanding games at high graphics settings, such as Diablo Immortal and Honkai Star Rail, and record videos like pros. It's basically like splitting hairs to find any noticeable difference between the two in this area.

Regarding battery life and charging, the gadgets in question provide more outstanding results. But each has advantages of its own. The S24 Ultra is a faster charger; with a 45W charger, it takes less than 70 minutes to fully charge. With 20W charging, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can be fully charged in around 110 minutes. There isn't much that separates cable charging from wireless charging; we are talking about wired charging here.

The iPhone 15 keeps its battery a bit better, even if the S24 Ultra may charge more quickly. With moderately heavy usage, both can last the whole day, but if you attempt to get another full day out of the S24 Ultra, you'll be reaching for the charger lead first. If charging times are important to you, it could be worthwhile to look into other options using our Xiaomi 14 review. The Xiaomi charges faster than the iPhone and Samsung flagships, going from flat to 100% in only thirty minutes.

Judgement

Before we wrap up, let me emphasise that you will get an excellent phone, regardless of the model you choose. In the end, you have to choose the one that works best for you. For daily users who don't want to customise their experience too much, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a cleaner experience, while the S24 Ultra is somewhat more adaptable and can be used with a pen.

If we had to choose only one, which this guide's existence indicates we do, we would choose the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. There are simply too many amazing Galaxy AI features to ignore. However, later this year, when Apple most likely introduces the much anticipated iPhone 16 Pro Max, we could have a different choice. The flagship Samsung and Apple smartphones will be more closely contested if the Silicon Valley behemoth incorporates its own AI features into iOS 18.

Here is our head-to-head comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max. While you're here, check out ourSteam Deck vs. Nintendo Switch article to compare two of the greatest portable gaming systems available. Alternatively, if you'd rather to spend your time playing games, check out our lists of the top Nintendo Switch and smartphone games and, respectively).