A Galaxy of AI
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the plain alternative for lots of fanatics seeking to change to a brand new telephone in 2024. The incontrovertible fact that Samsung sells the telephone in all main world markets provides it a definite benefit over its Android rivals, and whereas there are minimal upgrades this time round, you continue to get the most recent {hardware}, a terrific AMOLED panel, nice cameras, and a battery that lasts all day. Samsung does not have the perfect digital camera package deal or the perfect charging tech, however it manages to ship probably the most variety of options, and the interface is generally unchanged, so it’s immediately acquainted. If you are utilizing an older Galaxy telephone and must improve, that is the one to get.
ForFabulous AMOLED panelNo scarcity of energyCameras take stellar photosComes with all of the extras you needSeven years of Android OS updatesSome helpful AI additionsAgainstHeavy and unwieldy to useArchaic charging techLots of bloatwareNo charger within the field
A viable different
There’s by no means been a greater time to modify to iOS, and an enormous a part of that has to do with the iPhone 15 Pro Max switching to USB-C charging. This makes it considerably simpler to make use of the telephone each day as you needn’t carry one other cable round, and there is a lot to love with the telephone itself. The OLED display screen is terrific, A17 Pro is probably the most highly effective cellular platform you will get in the intervening time, the cameras take excellent pictures and the perfect movies of any telephone, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is noticeably thinner and lighter than its predecessor. If you are interested by seeing what iOS has to supply, you have to get your palms on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
ForUSB-C chargingOutstanding OLED panelSizeable digital camera upgradesThinner and lighter than S24 UltraLengthy-term software program updatesAgainstCharging restricted to 20WNo charger within the boxCostly in most world markets
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: DesignWhy you possibly can belief Android Central
Our skilled reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services so you possibly can select the perfect for you. Find out extra about how we check.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)Both Apple and Samsung have a clearly outlined design aesthetic, and their newest flagships do not deviate from the trail. In truth, you possibly can hardly inform both gadget other than its predecessor. The largest distinction is the selection of supplies; Apple switched to a titanium chassis with the iPhone 15 Pro collection, and Samsung (clearly) adopted swimsuit. Now, different manufacturers had titanium telephones up to now — the Essential Phone involves thoughts — however no model did it on the scale of Apple (and now Samsung).(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)This transfer means each telephones have a texture that is completely completely different to the steel-backed designs of years previous. The Natural Titanium variant of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is great to carry and use, and it has a boring luster that appears very understated and stylish on the identical time. You can get the telephone in blue and white choices, however I feel the Natural Titanium mannequin is the way in which to go.Another huge change this yr is that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is considerably thinner and lighter — a aspect impact of going with titanium. It is a full 19g lighter than the 14 Pro Max, and that distinction is straight away noticeable if you begin utilizing the gadget. (Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Samsung, in the meantime, hasn’t achieved something significant on this space, and despite the fact that it additionally makes use of a titanium chassis on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the gadget is simply 1g lighter than its predecessor.Of the 2 units, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has the higher in-hand really feel. Even although I do not like units with flat sides, the gadget has slight beveled edges this time that makes a distinction in each day use. The S24 Ultra is completely different on this space as effectively, with Samsung utilizing a flatter panel than earlier years. That mentioned, there’s nonetheless a little bit little bit of a curve to the gadget, and contemplating the scale and weight, it’s unwieldy to carry and use.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)Weirdly sufficient, I favor the iPhone 15 Pro Max on this explicit space; Samsung must do higher as regards to weight distribution and the sheer measurement of the S24 Ultra, and if you throw in a case, it simply crosses 260g — I used foldables that do not weigh anyplace as a lot.Both telephones additionally include IP68 mud and water resistance as commonplace, however the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a definite benefit in that it may be submerged in as much as six meters of water, with the S24 Ultra solely going as much as 1.5 meters.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Screen(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)The Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 6.8-inch AMOLED panel that goes as much as 120Hz, and also you get Dolby Vision together with HDR10+. The panel itself is new, and it goes as much as 2,600 nits in HDR content material and 1,200 nits in HBM mode, appreciable upgrades over final yr. However, it is not anyplace as brilliant because the likes of the OnePlus 12, which matches as much as an insane 4,500 nits.The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a barely smaller 6.7-inch XDR OLED panel, and it additionally gives dynamic 120Hz refresh, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. The display screen does not get fairly as brilliant in HDR content material — maxing out at 2,000 nits — however that is nonetheless greater than sufficient. I did not see any points with brightness below harsh daylight both; if something, the Pro Max is without doubt one of the brightest units in real-world utilization eventualities.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)Obviously, these are two of the perfect screens presently obtainable, and there aren’t any points with colour vibrancy, distinction ranges, or viewing angles. There’s loads of customizability as effectively, and also you get an always-on mode on both gadget. Samsung allows you to tweak the always-on display screen to a better diploma, however aside from that, there aren’t any points.Gaming is an enormous use case with these units, and so they each maintain up extremely effectively. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is especially nice on this regard, and it is ready to ship excellent visuals and go as much as 120fps in a variety of titles. Samsung is not far behind, and whereas the S24 Ultra throttles simply when enjoying demanding video games, it is not restricted to 60fps — fortunately.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Hardware(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)These are two of probably the most highly effective telephones you will get in the intervening time. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s newest 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max utilizing the A17 Pro. Considering the A17 Pro is constructed on the 3nm node, it has a definite benefit over Qualcomm, however this does not imply you get a lot better effectivity.Both telephones are quick and fluid in each day use, and so they have sufficient energy to final a number of years with none slowdowns in any way. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has the sting in gaming due to its potential to play demanding titles with none lag, and there is additionally the truth that iOS simply has a greater caliber of video games than Android.Outside of that, there actually is not something to fault with both gadget. You’re principally getting the perfect {hardware} presently obtainable, together with all of the extras you could possibly ever need. On that be aware, Samsung has a definite benefit because it bundles a stylus with the S24 Ultra, and that makes the gadget way more versatile.Switching over to the battery aspect of issues, the S24 Ultra has a bigger 5000mAh battery, and it manages to last more — you may simply recover from a day and a half value of use constantly with the gadget. The iPhone 15 Pro Max does not final fairly as lengthy, however you continue to get a day’s use between expenses, even when you push the telephone onerous.Charging is one other space the place you will not discover an excessive amount of of a deviance between the 2; the Galaxy S24 Ultra goes as much as 45W — like the perfect Samsung telephones — however it nonetheless takes effectively over an hour to cost the battery, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 20W charging tech is among the many slowest within the trade. You do not get a charger with both gadget, so you may want to purchase a USB PD charger if you do not have one.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Cameras(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Cameras are an enormous a part of what makes a high-end telephone stand out, and the S24 Ultra and that iPhone 15 Pro Max have a lot to supply on this space. Samsung is reusing a lot of the identical digital camera sensors as final yr, and also you get the identical 200MP digital camera on the again, identical 12MP wide-angle, and identical 10MP zoom lens with 3x optical zoom. What’s new is a 50MP telephoto that goes as much as 5x optical zoom that takes the place of the 10MP 10x zoom lens of earlier years.Samsung’s justification is that the higher-resolution 5x lens delivers better-quality pictures at 10x and even 30x, and that is certainly the case — the telephone takes stellar pictures at as much as 10x, simply besting each different gadget. Coming to the iPhone, you get the identical 48MP digital camera on the again, in addition to the identical 12MP wide-angle lens. There’s a brand new 12MP zoom lens with 3x optical zoom, and very similar to the s24 Ultra, you get a lot better photographs at 3x, 5x, and 10x than earlier years.I’ll share pictures taken with each units shortly, however what you have to know proper now could be that the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a definite edge over the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The S24 Ultra delivers higher tonal steadiness, and does an important job managing highlights and shadows in low-light eventualities, resulting in pictures that do not look blown out and with all particulars intact. The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes shut, however the digital camera tuning nonetheless is not fairly pretty much as good as what you get on Samsung. That mentioned, there’s a noticeable distinction between the gadget and the iPhone 14 Pro.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Software(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Just like with the design, each manufacturers have mature software program ecosystems that do not change an excessive amount of year-on-year. The Galaxy S24 Ultra runs One UI 6.1 out of the field, and it has a slate of latest AI-focused options dubbed Galaxy AI. Some of it’s legitimately helpful — Circle to Search makes it straightforward to lookup one thing on Google — however with a lot of the options, you may want to make use of Samsung’s personal utilities. That mentioned, Samsung did a superb job integrating these options into the S24 Ultra, and they are going to be coming to older fashions shortly.The solely draw back with the AI options is that almost all of them will likely be locked behind a paywall on the finish of 2025, so you may must pay a charge to make use of them after two years. That’s annoying contemplating how a lot you are paying for the telephone, and we’ll have to attend and see how a lot Samsung expenses for Galaxy AI.Other than that, One UI is an identical to final yr, and also you get the identical options and interface. It seems fashionable and has a variety of customizability, however you additionally get a variety of bloatware out of the field, and Samsung continues to roll out adverts for its units — that hasn’t modified in 2024.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)You get iOS 17 on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and it equally has the identical interface as earlier variations, with just a few fascinating additions. There’s the brand new StandBy mode, interactive widgets, tweaks to iMessage, FaceTime, contact pages, and a brand new journal that’s nice to make use of. I had points with notification administration in earlier variations of iOS, however that is largely solved with the introduction of the Action Button and customizable actions. The Action Button allows you to change Focus modes or undertake any motion on the gadget, and it’s extremely helpful.As for software program updates, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will decide up seven years of Android OS updates, edging out the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is more likely to stand up to 5 years of platform updates. It’s nice to see Samsung assembly Google’s long-term software program replace assure, and this principally ensures the Galaxy S24 Ultra can be utilized for the higher a part of a decade.Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max: Which must you purchase?(Image credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)Honestly, selecting between these two units is a matter of choice. If you are utilizing a Samsung telephone and are contemplating an improve, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has quite a bit to supply. It has the identical nice design as final yr, and the titanium chassis provides it added magnificence. You get a terrific AMOLED display screen, unbelievable {hardware}, and a big battery that simply lasts over a day.The Galaxy S24 Ultra is all about extra — it has extra options than simply about another telephone at present. While the cameras are unchanged, Samsung made just a few modifications to its tuning algorithms, and the result’s that they take stellar pictures in nearly any state of affairs. And after all, one of many largest causes for getting the S24 Ultra is the software program, and One UI 6.1 has a slate of latest options whereas nonetheless retaining a well-recognized interface.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)In an identical vein, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the plain advice when you’re already on iOS, or are contemplating a change. There’s considerably much less friction in switching between platforms as of late; I exploit Google companies predominantly, and so they’re simply as nice on iOS. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has its personal set of benefits; the telephone is lighter and thinner to make use of, the display screen is excellent, you get unbelievable efficiency, console-quality video games, the power to cost over USB-C, and the battery lasts a day even with heavy use.The cameras are additionally higher than earlier years, however of the 2, the S24 Ultra nonetheless has a slender edge, significantly in low-light. That mentioned, the iPhone 15 Pro Max continues to be unmatched in relation to video recording, so if that is a consideration, you may need to change over. Thanks to the transfer to USB-C and first rate digital camera upgrades, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a viable alternative when you’re interested by making an attempt one thing new.
A Galaxy of AI
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has modest upgrades over its predecessor, however when you want a brand new telephone and wish one with all of the options you could possibly ask for, that is the plain alternative.
A viable different
I just like the iPhone 15 Pro Max fairly a bit, and it’s a unbelievable telephone in each day use. If you are contemplating a change to iOS, it’s a straightforward advice.