Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: which is better?

Our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max guide is here to give you a better idea of which phone is best for you. While both are top-class performers with stellar cameras and sleek designs, there are more than a few differences, so we’ve explained them all below to help you choose which to opt for.

For more buying advice, be sure to check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets while you’re here. Or, if you’d rather pick up something new just for play, see our list of the best handheld consoles.

Price and availability

In what is going to become a recurring theme in this guide, there’s little to split the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of pricing. The cheapest iPhone 15 Pro Max, with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, costs $1,199 through Apple directly, while the most affordable Galaxy S24 Ultra, with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, is $1,299. However, Samsung occasionally offers discounts for certain colorways, while an official Apple price drop is much rarer.

On the subject of colorways, there are more options for different designs with the S24 Ultra. Samsung’s flagship is available in seven variations, including Titanium Green, Titanium Blue, Titanium Orange, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Black, and Titanium Gray. There’s less choice with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but you can still opt for Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, or Black Titanium. Yes, that is a lot of titanium.

Specs

Features and OS

In the features department, the S24 Ultra currently has more to offer than the iPhone 15 Pro Max thanks to its access to all the exciting Galaxy AI tools like Circle to Search, Live Translate, and others. However, all that is going to change with the arrival of Apple Intelligence. Apple’s AI plan is similar to Samsung’s, with translation and photo editing tools, but there’s also ChatGPT support and the arrival of Genmojis, custom-generated emojis.

Things get a little more subjective when it comes to the operating systems of both phones. The iPhone utilizes Apple’s own iOS software, while the S24 Ultra comes with the latest Samsung ONE UI Android 14 skin. If you already rely on things like iCloud and iMessage or have Apple devices like the Apple Watch or a Mac, then the iPhone is the most sensible. If you prefer the freedom of Android and seamless Galaxy Watch connectivity, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the way to go.

Design and display

While the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max both have titanium frames, the designs are quite different elsewhere. For a start, the 24 Ultra has square corners while the 15 Pro Max’s are round, so if you prefer either of those designs, there’s an easy differentiator. The Samsung is also a touch bigger, though you have to take into account that the body of the phone houses the stylus.

In regards to displays, you get top-quality visuals and 120Hz refresh rates using either the Samsung or the iPhone. The pixel density of the S24 Ultra is just a bit higher, but it’s hard to discern any real difference between the two screens. It’s worth noting that there were some bugs with the S24 Ultra display immediately following the launch, but Samsung has since rectified any issues, and now the two displays are closely matched as the best on any phone in 2024.

Both phones are IP68 rated, which is a pretty solid rating for both dust and waterproofing. With an IP68-rated device, your phone can manage splashes and even the occasional dunk and still work fine. The iPhone can go a little deeper, though, capable of submersion of up to 6 meters, while the Samsung can only go to a depth of about 1.5 meters. Of course, we recommend you don’t try this out for yourself. If you want to be extra safe, our guides to the best iPhone 15 Pro Max cases and Samsung Galaxy S24 cases can point you in the right direction. 

Cameras

I’m starting to sound like a bit of a broken record here, but it’s hard to separate the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max in terms of camera quality. Both phones offer multi-camera setups on the back with incredible specs. Still, there are subtle differences between the two, so let’s get into it.

The Samsung has one more camera than the iPhone, an extra telephoto lens, and both its wide and periscope telephoto lenses have a higher megapixel count. The S24 Ultra is also a little better equipped for taking photos from a distance with its 10x optical zoom, leaving the iPhone 15 Pro Max lagging behind a little with 5x optical zoom. So, Samsung is the clear champion of this section, right? Well, maybe not.

Here’s an example of a photo taken using the Galaxy S24 Ultra:

And here’s another photo, highlighting the quality of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s camera:

Despite the superior megapixel count of the S24 Ultra, our testing found that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the winner in terms of image quality and clarity. Colors appear a bit more vivid on shots taken using the iPhone 15, especially if there’s a subject in the photo. That isn’t to say that the cameras on the S24 Ultra are disappointing, it’s just that, in our experience, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a slight edge over its Android competitor for any amateur smartphone photographer.

While you can shoot 4K video with both phones in question, only the S24 Ultra is capable of 8K. Still, it doesn’t matter all that much when 8K-ready screens are so rare. When it comes to differences that actually matter, the iPhone 15 Pro Max takes the cake for video thanks to its ability to record ProRes HDR video.

Finally, we have to talk about the selfie camera. Both devices employ 12MP front-facing cameras, but we found in our testing that the iPhone produces slightly superior selfies. There’s very little between the two, but the iPhone’s selfie camera feels a little more versatile and true to life. Still, both are perfectly capable of shooting selfies worthy of your social media pages, and the S24 Ultra offers a few more tools for editing those photos.

Performance and battery

As you might expect from two of the best phones on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max are powerhouse performers. Each is capable of running demanding games like Honkai Star Rail and Diablo Immortal at high-quality graphics settings and recording video like a pro. Finding any discernable difference between the two in this department really is like splitting hairs.

When it comes to battery life and charging, it’s more impressive results for the devices in question. Each has its strengths, though. The S24 Ultra is a quicker charger, taking just under 70 minutes to juice back up to 100% using a 45W charger. The iPhone 15 Pro Max charges back up to full in around 110 minutes with 20W charging. We’re talking about wired charging here, there’s very little to divide the two when charging wirelessly.

However, while the S24 Ultra might be the quicker charger, the iPhone 15 holds its charge a little better. Both can get you through the day with fairly intensive use, but the S24 Ultra is going to have you reaching for the charger lead first if you try to squeeze out another full day’s use. If charging speeds are a big deal, it might be worth checking out something else entirely with our Xiaomi 14 review. The Xiaomi charges from flat to 100% in just half an hour, putting both the iPhone and Samsung flagships to shame.

Services

A big part of Apple’s continued dominance is due to its dedication to offering mobile services like Apple Arcade, the gaming platform, and Apple Music, the streaming platform. While Samsung has answers to the latter with Spotify and YouTube Music, the Google Play Pass pales in comparison to what Apple Arcade offers, so that’s a big bonus for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

However, that doesn’t mean the Samsung is a dud. All those Galaxy AI features we mentioned earlier also provide a service, and, at the time of writing, we’re still waiting for Apple Intelligence, Apple’s own AI features, to launch. We’ve seen a lot of what they might offer, but Apple’s first attempt at AI hasn’t been as smooth as we saw from Samsung, and we might be looking at the S25 Ultra before we have a better idea of which company offers the more impressive artificial intelligence tools.

Verdict

Before concluding, it’s worth reiterating the point that whether you go for the iPhone or Samsung device, you’re getting one of the best available phones on the market. The S24 Ultra has a touch more versatility, in part due to its stylus, while the 15 Pro Max offers a cleaner everyday experience that’s more comfortable for previous iPhone users.

If we had to go for one, right now, it’d be the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. You just can’t get away from how exciting those Galaxy AI features are, and cheaper repairs are always a selling point. However, this could all change as Apple begins the rollout of its own AI features, even though it’s taking longer than we’d like. With that in mind, we could come to a very different conclusion in just a few months.

So, there you have it, our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max head-to-head guide. While you’re here, why not pit two of the best handheld consoles around against each other with our Steam Deck vs Nintendo Switch article? Or, if you’d rather get busy gaming, see our guide to the best mobile games and the best Nintendo Switch games.