Android Powerhouse vs. Apple Polish: Choosing Between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max

It's the duel of the obvious: Samsung's new juggernaut faces Apple's ultimate. And there are many things to say about this duel between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Without further delay let’s do it!

iPhones have always been unique in that they are released right in the middle of the life cycle of Samsung's high-end products. This was not missed with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which opposed its release to the Galaxy S23 Ultra and which at the start of the year found itself a strong competitor: the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Will all the new features revealed by the South Korean regarding AI allow its flagship to emerge as the undisputed winner of this duel?

Before answering it and seeing which is the best smartphone for you, let's remember that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is priced new at 1479 euros (with 256 GB of storage) and that its opponent is priced at 1469 euros with 256 GB of storage as well.

The technical sheets of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max

Two gigantic smartphones

Pro Max on one side, Ultra on the other… the nomenclature sets the tone: we are facing two smartphones with impressive measurements, to say the least. But if we have to play this little game, then yes the S24 Ultra is the larger of the two with its diagonal of 162 mm compared to 159 mm for the iPhone.

Generally speaking, Apple's smartphone is a little easier to use. Less wide, thinner, and lighter (221 grams compared to 232 grams), it requires fewer contortions to use daily. In terms of looks, it's difficult to decide between the two mobiles as their design philosophy is radically opposed.

The S24 Ultra inherits the monolithic design of the Galaxy Note when the iPhone iterates on previous generations while making some welcome modifications here and there (the Action button, in particular).

In terms of resistance, we can say that the two products play on equal terms. The iPhone still benefits from excellent Ceramic Shield glass, and Samsung innovates with the first foray of Gorilla Glass Armor glass. Both are IP68 certified and are perfectly resistant to accidental immersion. In short, to put it another way: it's impossible to go wrong when it comes to design, it's about letting your heart speak.

The brightest screen on the market

We're getting into the hard part. As we have said, the S24 Ultra is a little larger than its competitor and its screen necessarily follows the trend. With 6.8 inches announced, Samsung's top-of-the-range offers a stunning and impressive display surface in more than one way. Clocked at 120 Hz, the panel deploys a QHD+ definition reaching 505 ppi compared to 460 ppi on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

But it is more in terms of brightness that Samsung's proposal takes the lead. First, there is the record brightness that we noted with the probe: 2300 cd/m2, compared to 2200 cd/m2 for the iPhone. Not enough to make a real difference, we agree, but at this price, we are aiming for excellence. Another advantage of the S24 Ultra is its anti-reflective coating, which makes a real difference outdoors or against the light.

Still, the iPhone has the greatest color accuracy. We know Samsung is always attracted by significant saturation and the S24 Ultra is no exception to the trend. Technically speaking, the iPhone 15 Pro Max delivers slightly more accurate colors (delta E of 3.8 on average) than the S24 Ultra (delta E of 5.19 on average).

Finally, you should remember that the punch housing of the S24 Ultra's camera is much more discreet than the iPhone's Dynamic Island. Even if Apple has managed to transform its notch into a real software asset (we will come back to this), some will only see it as a scar.

The AI ​​Advantage

If the Galaxy S24 Ultra does have a major advantage over the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it is that it already benefits from artificial intelligence. Yes, Apple fans will probably have to wait for iOS 18 before discovering what Apple has prepared for them in this area. For now, Galaxy AI is radically transforming the user experience on the latest Samsung smartphones.

Circle an object to launch a Google search, clean images in a few clicks, generate original backgrounds, translate conversations in real-time, and summarize web pages in a few seconds... here are the features highlighted by Samsung. So many little things which, taken individually, could only be anecdotal, but which become, as they are used, real game changers in the way we think about navigation on a smartphone. There is a real ratchet effect to using AI daily; going without it becomes difficult after a few days.

We obviously won't go so far as to say that the iPhone seems prehistoric compared to it. iOS is still an elegant, hyper-functional, and very intuitive system. The Dynamic Island, moreover, integrates wonderfully into the daily use of the smartphone with a quantity of contextual information that is superimposed on the current application thanks to superb animations.

Too bad for Apple: the brand no longer has a monopoly on smartphones updated in the very long term. Indeed, Samsung announced that@ its Galaxy S24 extended software support for up to seven years, putting the S24 Ultra at the same level as the Californian brand's products. It is a great decision for consumers, regardless of their smartphone preferences.

In terms of performance, the S24 Ultra regains control

Performance has not been a problem on smartphones for several years, and the question arises even less on the very high end. No need to beat around the bush: the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra are at the top of the basket anyway and allow you to run all games in their highest quality without shaking your knees.

But since we have to come to the numbers, it turns out that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 of the S24 Ultra performs better than the A17 Pro of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with an overall score on AnTuTu 23% higher. 'after our tests. It should also be noted that the S24 Ultra offers much better heat dissipation thanks to its large vapor chamber. The smartphone therefore heats less when put under pressure.

Now, let us emphasize: that performance will never be an issue, no matter which smartphone ends up in your pocket after this reading.

The gap is closing in photos

It will not escape you, that the Samsung Galaxy S Ultra and iPhone Pro Max find themselves annually at the top of the rankings of the best camera phones. What will rather differentiate the two competitors of the day is their digital processing philosophy and their aesthetic touch. Because in purely visual and optical terms, we are effectively facing two tenors, at ease in all areas.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra:

• 200MP wide-angle lens, f/1.7, 23mm equivalent (OIS);

• 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 120 degrees, 13mm equivalent;

• 10MP x3 telephoto lens, f/2.4, 69mm equivalent (OIS);

• 50MP x5 telephoto lens, f/3.4, 115mm equivalent (OIS);

• Selfie, 12 Mpx, dual photodiode, autofocus, pixel size: 1.12 μm, FOV: 80˚, f/2.2.

iPhone 15 Pro Max:

• 48 Mpx main lens: 24 mm, aperture ƒ/1.78, optical image stabilization system by sensor shift;

• 12 MP ultra-wide-angle: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view;

• 5x 12 MP telephoto lens: 120 mm, ƒ/2.8 aperture, optical image stabilization system by 3D sensor shift;

• 12 Mpx selfie: 23 mm, ƒ/1.9 aperture, optical stabilization system by sensor movement.

Certainly, in the small game of technical sheets, the S24 Ultra looks like it will crush its opponent thanks to its 200-megapixel wide-angle. But you know that everything is not that simple in photography, especially on smartphones where algorithms are very important. The sharpness is simply unassailable on both the iPhone and the Samsung; the optics are extraordinary in either case.

The ultrawide lens is a bit recessed on both sides. A common problem with smartphones, whatever the budget. Let's say instead that as long as you use them during the day, you should obtain quality results. The smallness of these sensors hardly allows the same ease after dark.

Finally, for the telephoto lens, we will still give the remaining points to the S24 Ultra. The reason? It has two sensors (a 3x and a 5x) which, both of which, produce images of exceptional finesse. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is no slouch, far from it, but doesn't quite offer the same kind of versatility – especially in digital zoom.

In the end, the two smartphones do admirably well. And if we have nothing in particular to criticize about the iPhone 15 Pro Max, we must recognize that the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a little more versatility. Even if you have to love his very saturated and contrasty shots.

The good battery of the S24 Ultra

In terms of autonomy, we are, once again, dealing with heavyweights. But our tests have shown that Samsung's smartphone performs better and allows for a second day of use more often than its opponent. Let's be clear: both smartphones are durable enough to allow intensive use all day and go to bed without needing to recharge.

However, the S24 Ultra has an extra energy reserve that makes it a little more comfortable in long-distance runs. According to our automated ViSer test, this model lasted 14:23 (we were not able to use our protocol on the iPhone 15 Pro Max for comparison).

When it comes to charging, however, the two mobiles are neck and neck. None are particularly in a hurry and do not support very fast charging. With a 45 W charger, the S24 Ultra fully charges in 1 hour. Instead, allow 1h30 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max (remember that, in both cases, the charger is not provided).

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro Max: which one to choose?

As you have noticed, the duel is much more unbalanced than our previous one pitting the S23 Ultra against the iPhone 15 Pro Max. We see that Samsung was able to adapt its formula to make it even more competitive on the points where Apple was difficult to dethrone: the screen and the software.

Also, even if in all cases your choice will be largely motivated by your habits (Android or iOS), it turns out that the S24 Ultra emerges as the big winner in our comparison. Better screen, better performance, innovative AI features, photo versatility… it has it all. This does not invalidate the high quality of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This duel simply illustrates how fast things are moving on the smartphone planet, and to what extent AI can drastically transform the browsing experience on devices that have been with us every day for more than 15 years.