iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Which flagship smartphone to buy

Every year tech enthusiasts look forward to flagship smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S series, new generation iPhones, Pixel devices, foldables and others. Now this year, the biggest competitors in the smartphone market are Apple and Samsung with their recent Galaxy S24 Ultra and the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro Max. While the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has already gained much recognition, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is yet to hit the market.
However, in a few days, Apple will unveil the iPhone 16 series at the upcoming “Its Glowtime” time, revealing new design, features, specs, and Apple Intelligence. Therefore, to determine which flagship could be a better choice, we have curated a detailed comparison between Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max, so you can make an informed decision.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to be the biggest flagship smartphone with a 6.9-inch screen. Apple has reportedly made some minor improvements in design with slimmer 1.15mm bezels, new colour options, and a Capture Button. Apart from these changes, the design profile will retain similarities to its predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Therefore, the smartphone will likely be bigger and heavier.
On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra also retains a similar design as its predecessor, however, it has a flat edge that was not appreciated by many users. It also has a similar triple camera setup, titanium frame, and other features making it look as premium as the moniker’s name.
From the display standpoint, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to feature a 6.9-inch OLED display with ProMotion technology allowing the smartphone to offer a 120Hz refresh rate. However, we have yet to determine the brightness nits to compare. The Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and offers up to 2400nits peak brightness. It also has new layering technology that reduces the glare and reflection in the smartphone, making it more premium. Furthermore, the display also supports stylus functionality.
In terms of camera specs and image quality, we often compare the iPhone’s latest high-end flagship model with the Galaxy S-series Ultra model, since both smartphones are known for their unmatched camera capabilities. For Galaxy S24 Ultra, the smartphone features a quad rear camera setup consisting of a 200MP main camera with OIS, Laser and PDAF support, a 50 MP telephoto and periscope lens with 5x optical zoom, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera.
On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to get a triple camera setup that may offer a 48 MP main camera with OIS PSAF support, a 48MP ultrawide camera, and an upgraded 12MP tetra prism camera with enhanced 5x zoom capabilities. The cameras are also getting lens coating to reduce flare and noise from the image.
In terms of performance, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will likely be powered by an A18 Pro chipset that is rumoured to be developed with TMSC’s 2nd generation 3 nm process. Reportedly, the smartphone will offer 10% improved Geekbench performance in comparison to the predecessor and it will likely be greater than what Galaxy S24 Ultra offers. On the other hand, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor paired with Adreno 750 and 12GB RAM, ensuring flagship performance.
Both smartphones offer different software experiences, since, the Galaxy S24 Ultra runs on Android 14, whereas, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will run on iOS 18 which recently received a significant boost with new features, design changes, customisation features, and AI integration.
With Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung announced Galaxy AI features which included several advanced features such as Circle to Search, Magic Editor, AI translate and much more. Now, Apple is expected to bring its “Apple Intelligence” features which may include smarter Siri with ChatGPT integration, AI writing tools, AI integration to iOS apps, and others. However, all Apple AI features may not be rolled out altogether as the testing is being done gradually.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is backed by a 5000 mAh battery and offers more than 16 hours of battery life, making it one of the long-lasting flagship smartphones in the market. However, it supports 45W wired charging, making the process slower for a flagship device. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will likely be equipped with a 4676 mAh battery and it may get an upgraded 40W charging support.