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The best possible Android smartphone in the market right now is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. The handset packs all the latest and greatest hardware that Samsung and its partners have to offer. While Samsung is an Android phone maker, they are usually compared against Apple, so how does the Galaxy S24 Ultra stack up against the iPhone 15 Pro Max? Let’s find out.
Design
It’s hard to compare designs since each phone maker tries to make their phones as unique as possible. Samsung and Apple do share one thing in common – the use of titanium. The iPhone 15 Pro Max launched in 2023 where one of the selling points of the phone is the use of titanium in its build, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra followed suit.
This allows both phones to utilize the lighter and stronger material. In the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s case, the handset is actually light coming in at 221g. The Galaxy S24 Ultra, on the other hand, weighs slightly more at 232g. To be fair, the Galaxy S24 Ultra does pack a larger display which could contribute to its weight.
Speaking of displays, both phones utilize glass made by Corning. The Galaxy S24 Ultra uses the slightly newer Gorilla Glass Armor which is said to offer more drop protection. Both phones also use a more traditional flat display that we think makes the phones nicer to hold and less prone to accidental touches.
The display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is also brighter at 2,600 nits of peak brightness. The iPhone 15 Pro Max caps out at 2,000 nits.
Performance
When it comes to performance of both phones, it’s quite literally comparing apples to oranges. The US-based Galaxy S24 Ultra features the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses Apple’s A17 pro. The A17 Pro is built on the 3nm process while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 uses the 4nm process.
In theory, chipsets built on the 3nm process should offer up better performance and efficiency, but the benchmarks are saying otherwise. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 scores higher than the A17 Pro on AnTuTu by quite a considerable margin. It also outperforms Apple’s chipset on 3DMark.
Performance on Geekbench 6 reveals that the A17 Pro has a slight lead in single-core performance. On multi-core, the differences are marginal. Samsung is also expected to use an exclusive version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with a slightly faster clock rate. This should allow it to perform slightly better compared to other Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 smartphones.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra also comes with 12GB of RAM by default, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max only comes with 8GB. On paper 12GB is obviously better, but once again, it’s not the most fair comparison. Apple’s iPhones run iOS and with their walled garden approach, apps for iOS are generally quite well-optimized for its hardware. Android apps usually need to cater to a wide variety of devices, so depending on the device, optimization can be hit or miss.
Cameras
Both Samsung and Apple’s smartphones are known for producing great photos. We wouldn’t necessarily say the best as other handset makers have definitely caught up.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes equipped with quad cameras featuring a 200MP main shooter, a 50MP periscope, a 10MP periscope, and a 12MP ultrawide. Its periscope cameras also offer 3-5x optical zoom.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a triple camera setup. This includes a 48MP main, a 12MP periscope with 5x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has ditched the 10x zoom found in its predecessor which is honestly a shame. The insane zoom capabilities made for some pretty awesome shots, so that’s something to think about if you’re considering the phone.
One thing the Galaxy S24 Ultra has going for it would be its camera software that comes with AI features that makes taking and editing photos a lot easier and smarter. This is something Apple definitely needs to borrow if they want to remain competitive.
Software
Software is where the difference between both phones become glaringly obvious. The debate of iOS versus Android has been going on for a long time, but that conversation has definitely changed with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Samsung and Google are working together to bring AI capabilities to the phone. The inclusion of AI sets the Galaxy S24 Ultra apart from the iPhone 15 Pro Max. For example, there are smart and handy features like Circle to Search. This allows users to search for objects on their device’s display.
There are also message composing features powered by AI. This gives users the ability to change the tone of their message. Google is also improving on Android Auto where it can summarize and even suggest replies to messages, making it safer for you to read and reply to your messages while driving.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra also comes with a Live Translate feature for calls. The Voice Recorder also uses AI to transcribe, summarize, and even translate recordings, all of which are pretty useful. Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, on the other hand, feels quite “dumb” by comparison.
Price
The price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at $1,299. This is an increase of $100 over the previous model. Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro is going for $1,199. It is slightly cheaper, but then again you would be buying into a completely different ecosystem if you’re coming from Android.
The good news is that Samsung is running some pre-order offers right now. If you buy the phones from Amazon, you can get a $200 gift card.
- Galaxy S24 Ultra – $1,300 with $200 gift card (use code FEA7SP3UFDJN)
- Galaxy S24+ – $1,000 with $150 gift card (use code MJ93PYFCJHOJ)
- Galaxy S24 Ultra – $800 with $50 gift card (use code TTYSDPOR7WPL)
If you’re looking to trade-in an older phone, Samsung’s offering enhanced trade-in deals along with extra credit that will knock up to $800 off the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Galaxy S24 Ultra
Galaxy S24+
Galaxy S24
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