Apple has just announced the flagship iPhone 16 scope , with the iPhone 16 Pro Max sitting atop the pile as the ultimate iPhone in 2024 . The doubt is , how does it compare to the popular Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ?
While there are obvious differences between the two – like the iPhone run iOS and the Galaxy S24 Ultra running Android – there are other primal differences between the two that could rock your buying decision .
The iPhone 16 Pro Max , for representative , offers a few extra computer hardware button that make the everyday iOS experience sluttish , while the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a work up - in S Pen to make accept notes much easygoing .
Both also have a huge focus on reproductive AI this year in the physical body of Apple Intelligence and Galaxy AI respectively , and although both offer a combining of elemental , periscope and ultrawide lenses , there are unclouded differences in camera offer too .
While we ’ve not yet gone hands - on with the iPhone 16 Pro Max , we ’ve spent plenty of metre with theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra , and here ’s how the two flagship smartphones compare on newspaper .
Pricing and availability
Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are flagship smartphones , and that means they ’re pretty pricey .
The iPhone 16 Pro Max equalise the pricing of its forerunner , the iPhone 15 Pro Max , starting at £ 1,199/$1,199 with 256 GB of entrepot , with 512 GB and 1 TB variants also usable .
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a similar RRP of £ 1,249/$1,299 , with 512 GB and 1 TB option available at an additional price , though it ’s worth noting that the phone can be found for much cheaper as it has been on cut-rate sale since January 2024 , mean you could find yourself a bargain on the Android flagship .
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has handy additional buttons
Apple has leant into fresh forcible buttons in the preceding few generations of iPhone ; it started with the Action button , available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max , and this class ’s iPhone introduced theCamera Controlbutton .
The Action clitoris is basically a reprogrammable clitoris that replace the soundless electrical switch found on previous iPhones , allowing you to program a series of shortcuts to the clit . This can range from simple tasks like plough on your flashlight to more modern lineament like running a Shortcut that ’ll insure your overbold home .
Then there ’s the Camera clit , new to the iPhone 16 collection , that acts like a physical photographic camera shutter for the Camera app . you could quietly press it to focus the camera , and a full wardrobe captures the shot . However , it ’s also touch capacitive , so you also can swipe unexpended and right to zoom along in and out .
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra , on the other mitt , comes with the regular combination of intensity buttons and a power push , with no extra buttons to offer more advanced functionality .
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a better digital zoom
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a moderately upstanding camera offer , look by a 48MP detector and backed by two-fold 12MP ultrawide and periscope lenses , with the latter delivering 5x visual zoom that can be advance up to 15x using digital rapid growth .
In fact , this remains the same as that offered by the iPhone 15 Pro Max , though it is an upgrade on the 3x telephoto of the iPhone 15 Pro that cap out at 9x – but that ’s not that relevant here .
That ’s a pretty good offer , but it still ca n’t quite contend with the utmost zoom provide by the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ’s 50MP 5x periscope genus Lens , which can offer 100x digital zoom . It ’s moot whether it ’s a utile feature film , have that 100x slam generally look incredibly bleary , but it ’s a handy matter to have in the back pocket .
There ’s also a 200MP main television camera , retained from the Galaxy S23 Ultra , and a 12MP ultrawide lens for those scenic prospect , tender some real competition for Apple ’s top - terminal 2024 smartphone .
The iPhone 16 Pro Max boasts Apple Intelligence
One of the big focuses of both the iPhone 16 andiOS 18isApple Intelligence , Apple ’s long - wait entry into the universe of generative AI – and it ’s a pretty big first offering . As well as a generally smarter , more useful Siri that carry on - equipment , Apple is offer a slating of GenAI - powered tool , from photo redaction tech to the power to produce custom emoji dub Genmoji .
Of naturally , Samsung ’s flagship also has a monumental focussing on generative AI in the phase of Galaxy AI . While it offer a range of tools , from rewriting text subject matter to translating phone call and moving or removing subjects from picture , it ’s not quite as wide-ranging as what Apple Intelligence offer .
There is a catch , however ; Apple Intelligence features will roll out to the iPhone 16 Pro Max slowly over the next yr , while Samsung ’s Galaxy AI is uncommitted right now . Apple Intelligence is also a US single while it hashes out seclusion worries with the EU , UK and other markets , further limiting who can use the technology .
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a built-in stylus
For all the strengths of the iPhone 16 Pro Max , there ’s one area where it ca n’t contend with Samsung ’s gamey - close alternative ; stylus reinforcement .
Not only does the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offer stylus supporting , making great use of its vast 6.8 - inch OLED screen , but it really come with its own specially design S Pen . What ’s more , the stylus lives within the chassis of the phone when not in use for extremely easy entree without the pauperism for a bulky case .
This means that you may not only doodle and handwriting - write notes on the Galaxy S24 Ultra , but you may also expend the S Pen to control introduction slides , remotely touch off the photographic camera shutter for group picture and much more .
It remain the only top - end Android smartphone with a built - in stylus , making it one of the key reasons to opt for the Galaxy S24 Ultra over practically any other smartphone – and that let in the iPhone 16 Pro Max .
The iPhone 16 Pro Max will likely be more powerful
While we ca n’t say this for sure until we ’ve drop some time with , and benchmarked , the iPhone 16 Pro Max , but it ’s secure to assume that the newfangled 3 nm Apple A18 Pro chipset receive in the top - end smartphone will outpace the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 .
Despite the fact that both are flagship chipsets , Apple ’s iPhone SoCs have been comfortably more powerful than the Android competition for old age , with even the two - class - old A16 Bionic found on the iPhone 15 able-bodied to outsmart the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in benchmark examination , so a state of matter - of - the - prowess chipset will likely run rings around the 8 Gen 3 .
Again , we ’ll support for certain once we go hand - on , but we ’re quiet confident of this .
Early Verdict
There ’s a lot to like about both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra , and the success will in all likelihood depend on personal preference as both offer a flagship - level experience throughout .
If you ’re a dedicated iOS fan , the iPhone 16 Pro Max is an easy option , but the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers more up to photographic camera computer hardware , stylus support and more , making it a elusive pick than one might initially gestate .
We ’ll hold our net thoughts until we ’ve drop some clip with the iPhone 16 Pro Max , however , so check back before long for our deep dive and final verdict on these two giant of the smartphone industry .
