Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max

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are two of the big, big screen phones one can buy, but how are they different and what are the advantages of one over the other?

Demonstration

With a fast refresh rate, 120Hz the Galaxy has slower movements
Both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max have extra large screens, but on paper, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has the slightly larger one. The 0.1-inch difference is barely noticeable, and both of those clearly stretch the boundaries of how big a screen a non-folding phone can get.
Galaxy S21 Ultra iPhone 12 Pro Max
Display size 6.8 “, bent 6.7 “, smooth
Technology OLED OLED
Solution, density 1440 x 3200 pixels, 516ppi 1284 x 2778 pixels, 458ppi
Rate 10Hz – 120Hz Dynamic 60Hz
Highest brightness 1,500 nits 1,200 nits
Additional features HDR support HDR support
One element of the iPhone’s signature is the notch, which features the complex Face ID sensors and its front-facing camera, while the Galaxy S21 features a much more separated punch-hole front camera that won’t obstruct your view. . It’s easy to get used to the notch iPhone in everyday, steep use, but it can be very noticeable when watching videos and especially when playing games. The Galaxy, on the other hand, has a slightly tapered screen for easier swiping and also has the advantage of razor thin bezels for a more advanced, full-screen look.

Samsung also has two other advantages: its screen has a higher resolution for sharper details, something that is especially noticeable when reading text. More importantly, the screen can run at 120Hz refresh rate, twice as fast as the 60Hz on the iPhone, which makes scrolling zippier and smoother than on the iPhone. A new thing about the Galaxy is that this fast refresh rate can be used with the maximum supported QHD resolution, moreover the screen will change the refresh rate automatically, so the full 120Hz speed will not go used only when needed, while the rest of the time is on the screen they can quickly switch to a lower and more efficient refresh rate with power (as low as 10Hz).

Performance

The Galaxy S21 Ultra comes equipped with the latest and most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip in the United States, while international models will be launched with an Exynos 2100 processor made by Samsung, which this year the Snapdragon is expected to match both in performance and power. efficiency. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Pro Max uses the Apple A14 Bionic chip.

Both manufacturers use the most advanced technology available for these processors: 5nm manufacturing, and just … get rid of the benchmarks! The Galaxy, however, has the advantage of an integrated 5G modem that should be made more efficient with 5G usage.

GeekBench 5 Scores (single-core / multi-core):

Galaxy S21 Ultra Snapdragon: 1104/2913

Galaxy S21 Ultra Exynos: 1088/3475

iPhone 12 Pro Max: 1601/4349

In terms of storage, the base model Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at 128GB of onboard memory, matching the storage offered on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The Galaxy S21 also sports the microSD card slot, just like the iPhone, so there wouldn’t be an easy way to expand the storage on either of those two phones.

Of course, both phones will be available on all major carriers worldwide and in the United States, and will support 5G connectivity with all the bands required for a specific market (the both supporting sub-6GHz and mmWave types of 5G in the US).

Camara

The Galaxy’s two most versatile zoom cameras are probably two telephoto zoom cameras, but only the iPhone has a LiDAR sensor for AR

The Galaxy S21 Ultra will give a new style to the camera unit that now blends in with the side of the phone, while the iPhone features the recognizable entry-level stove top as a design for the cameras. Both are very unique and easy to recognize, but also have raised camera beds, so both phones will move if you put them back on board without a case.

In addition to the style differences, there are major differences in the size and specs of the cameras.

Galaxy S21 Ultra iPhone 12 Pro Max
Main camera 108MP lens, 24mm f / 1.8 with OIS 12MP camera, 26mm f / 1.7 with sensor motion stability
Secondary camera 12MP ultra-wide, 13mm 12MP ultra-wide, 13mm
The third camera 10MP, 3X (72mm, f / 2.4) telephoto zoom lens with OIS 12MP, 2.5X (65mm) zoom telephoto lens with OIS
The fourth camera 10MP, 10X (240mm, f / 4.9) periscope zoom lens with OIS –
Additional sensors Laser autofocus LiDAR sensor

The Galaxy has the upper hand with two telephoto cameras, while the iPhone only has one telephoto camera. On the Galaxy, you get a periscope lens, with 10X long magnification capability, up from the Note 20 Ultra’s 5X zoom lens. On top of the periscope lens, the S21 Ultra also adds a secondary zoom camera, this one as a 3X short range zoom lens. Together, these two cameras clearly make the Galaxy the ultimate phone for when you need to get a clear picture of something far away.

Interestingly, the Galaxy also takes a wider main camera with a 24mm lens versus a 26mm lens on the iPhone (and most other phones for that matter). This may not see much of a difference, but it will provide a wider view for photos with the main camera.

Both the Galaxy and the iPhone feature an ultra-wide angle lens, so you have parity on that front. When it comes to focus, the Galaxy has an automatic laser focus system that should help solve the focus issues we saw on Galaxy phones earlier, and the iPhone on its part, has a LiDAR sensor that helps lock focus faster in low light.

On the video side, the S21 Ultra also adds 8K video recording at 30fps, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max can produce 4K video but supports Dolby HDR standard for richer colors. With 8K you get much cleaner detail, while the HDR option on the iPhone gives you a higher dynamic range, so each has their own unique benefits.

In terms of image quality, we will keep judging until we test the two phones side by side.

Battery life and speed

  • 5,000mAh (Galaxy S21 Ultra) vs 3,687mAh (iPhone 12 Pro Max)
  • Faster charge on Galaxy

Finally, these two things will differ in battery sizes. Android phones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra always come with larger batteries than iPhones, and the S21 Ultra is an exception. It is expected to come with a 5,000mAh battery cell, compared to the iPhone’s 3,687mAh battery. That means the Galaxy has almost 50% more battery capacity than the iPhone!

Don’t expect this to link directly to a 50% improvement in battery life, but we do expect the Galaxy to outperform the iPhone in the battery stability category.

For cost, the iPhone 12 Pro Max supports speeds up to 20W, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to support slightly faster, 25W cost distances. The iPhone was also the first mainstream phone on the market to charge without a charger, and the S21 Ultra is the first flagship Android phone to follow this unfortunate trend.

The only thing the iPhone can do is turn on wireless charges, while Samsung has this option so you can set up your Galaxy Buds Pro for example and quickly install them using the your Galaxy phone as a wireless power bank of sorts.

Last but not least, we will talk about prices. The market situation this year has forced Samsung to reduce its minimum phone prices. In 2020, Samsung launched its flagship S20 Ultra flagship at an exorbitant price of $ 1,400, while this year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra launches at a more affordable price starting at $ 1,200, which is still slightly more expensive and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Finally, pre-orders for the Galaxy S21 Ultra start on January 14th, with a release date set for January 29th.

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