iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Apple and Samsung's luxury phones compared
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The
iPhone 12 Pro Max
and the
Galaxy S21 Ultra
have arrived, representing the crown jewels of Apple's and Samsung's respective flagship lines. duration.
As expected, neither is cheap. The iPhone 12 Pro Max will set you back $1,099 (£1,329, AU$1,849) and the Galaxy S21 Ultra costs $1,200 (£1,099). £, AU$1,849). You won't find a charger supplied in either box.
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It's clear that Apple and Samsung have outdone each other, but which phone is right for you will depend on your individual wants and needs. Let's talk about the top features and compare key specs.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Galaxy S21 Ultra has higher zoom; iPhone 12 Pro Max captures more realistic images
The iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra both take some of the best mobile photography money can buy. even on dark nights. But the S21 Ultra produced superior magnified photos, while the iPhone captured the most realistic images, according to CNET's Andrew Hoyle, a professional photographer who conducted a
full shootout with both phones
(watch his video below). When it comes to night mode, his testing revealed no clear winner.
Keep in mind that the iPhone 12 Pro models also have
lidar
, a useful depth sensor for autofocus in low light for taking photos, videos and slow-motion footage, among others.
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The Galaxy S21 Ultra's camera takes on the iPhone...
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Number of cameras compared
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has three rear cameras consisting of a standard, ultra-wide, and telephoto camera, while the S21 Ultra has an additional telephoto camera for a total of four rear cameras. On the front, the S21 Ultra has a higher resolution camera than the 12 Pro Max. For more details, scroll down to our chat below.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra (seen in black) has a quad rear camera module.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Long battery life
Apple doesn't disclose the battery size of its iPhones and sticks to the same approach for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. But CNET's Patrick Holland, who reviewed the device, calls the 12 Pro Max's battery sa "night light function". According to his tests, the battery lasted a day and a half without problems. Specifically, when Patrick looped a video in airplane mode, the iPhone 12 Pro Max lasted 19 hours 52 minutes , pretty close to Apple's claimed 20 hours of performance for this test. Meanwhile, a 5,000 mAh battery powers the S21 Ultra with juice. We didn't have a chance to put it through the video loop test , but for the record, it also lasted Patrick a day and a half.
Galaxy S21 Ultra: Samsung's most luxurious S phone yet
View all photos
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The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a high resolution display
While both phones feature premium OLED panels that are wonderfully crisp, the S21 Ultra has the edge in resolution and refresh rate. The S21 Ultra has a wide quad-HD-plus resolution (3,200 x 1,440 pixels) and a 120Hz display. The iPhone 12 Pro Max display measures 2,778 x 1,284 pixels and has a refresh rate of 60Hz, matching the
iPhone 11
display.
The S21 Ultra also has a variable refresh rate between 10 and 120 Hz, which is determined by what is displayed on the screen. The number of hertz a phone screen is capable of displaying refers to its number of frames per second, which determines how fast and smooth the screen is when scrolling through apps and web pages. It also affects the smoothness of supported games.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max looks premium in gold
View all photos
+23 More
iPhone 12 Pro Max has MagSafe; S21 Ultra supports stylus
Both Apple and Samsung have unique add-on accessories that, if used, can change your daily experience with the devices. The S21, for example, supports Samsung's S Pen stylus, which blurs the line between the series S and the Note plus pro series. It's great for things like taking notes, drawing, and signing documents.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max, as well as its three siblings, are equipped with MagSafe, Apple's exclusive magnetic system that allows you to charge your
iPhone
wireless and tether
MagSafe Accessories
on the back of the device.
For a spec-by-spec comparison of the Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max, see the spec sheet below.
Specs of the iPhone 12 Pro Max vs the Galaxy S21 Ultra
Galaxy S21 Ultra
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Display size, resolution
6.8-inch WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 3200 x 1440 pixels
6.7-inch OLED; 2778 x 1284 pixels
Pixel density
515 dpi
458ppi
Dimensions (inches)
2.97x6.5x0.35 inch
6.33x3.07x0.29 inch
Dimensions (Millimeters)
75.6x165.1x8.9mm
160.8x78.1x7.4mm
Weight (ounces, grams)
8.07 ounces; 229 grams
8.03 ounces; 228 grams
Mobile software
Android 11
iOS 14
Camera
108 megapixels (wide angle), 12 megapixels (ultra-wide), 10 megapixels (3x telephoto), 10 megapixels (10x telephoto)
12 megapixel (wide), 12 megapixel (ultra-wide), 12 megapixel (telephoto)
Front facing camera
40 megapixels
12 megapixels
Video capture
8K
4K
Processor
Snapdragon 888 64-bit octa-core 2.8 GHz processor (max 2.4 GHz + 1.8 GHz)
Apple A14 Bionic
Storage room
128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
RAM
12 GB, 16 GB
undisclosed
Expandable storage
Nothing
Nope
Battery
5000mAh
undisclosed
Fingerprint sensor
On the screen
No (facial identification)
Headphone jack
Nope
Flash
Features
IP68 rating, 5G compatible, 100x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, 10x optical zoom
Lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM)
Price out of contract (USD)
$1200 (128GB)
$1099 (128GB), $1199 (256GB), $1399 (512GB)
Price (GBP)
£1329
£1,099 (128GB), £1,199 (256GB), £1,399 (512GB)
Price (AUD)
1849AUD
AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,019 (256GB), AU$2,369 (512GB)