2026 comparison

Updated Jan 16, 2026

|Sources: Amazon, Manufacturer

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: which is the right fit? We cover performance, value, and use cases to make the call easier.

Ratings: 4.6★ vs 4.7★

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

★4.6

(3,377)•Best Buy

Operating System:Android

Software Support:7 generations of OS upgrades; 7 years of security updates (guaranteed until 2031)

Processor:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4nm; 8-core CPU: 1x3.39GHz Cortex-X4, 3x3.1GHz A720, 2x2.9GHz A720, 2x2.2GHz A520)

Graphics:Adreno 750 (1 GHz)

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Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

★4.7

(348)•Best Buy

Operating System:iOS

Software Support:Minimum 5 years from release date (guaranteed security updates); historically supports 6+ years of OS upgrades

Processor:Apple A18 Pro chip (3nm; 6-core CPU: 2 performance + 4 efficiency; 16-core Neural Engine)

Graphics:Apple 6-core GPU (A18 Pro)

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Comparison: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

★4.6(3,377)Best Buy

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

★4.7(348)Best Buy

Criterion	Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra	Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Rating	★4.6(3,377)Best Buy	★4.7(348)Best Buy
Operating System	Android	iOS
Software Support	7 generations of OS upgrades; 7 years of security updates (guaranteed until 2031)	Minimum 5 years from release date (guaranteed security updates); historically supports 6+ years of OS upgrades
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4nm; 8-core CPU: 1x3.39GHz Cortex-X4, 3x3.1GHz A720, 2x2.9GHz A720, 2x2.2GHz A520)	Apple A18 Pro chip (3nm; 6-core CPU: 2 performance + 4 efficiency; 16-core Neural Engine)
Graphics	Adreno 750 (1 GHz)	Apple 6-core GPU (A18 Pro)
RAM	12 GB (LPDDR5X)	8 GB (LPDDR5X)
Storage	256GB / 512GB / 1TB (UFS 4.0)	256GB / 512GB / 1TB (NVMe)
Display Size	6.8" (6.8" full rectangle; 6.8" accounting for rounded corners)	6.9" (6.86" measured diagonally as a standard rectangle; actual viewable area is less)
Screen Type	Dynamic AMOLED 2X (LTPO)	Super Retina XDR OLED
Resolution	3120 x 1440 pixels (QHD+, 505 ppi)	2868 x 1320 pixels (460 ppi)
Refresh Rate	Adaptive 1–120 Hz	Up to 120 Hz (ProMotion adaptive 1-120Hz); Always-On display
Peak Brightness	2600 nits peak (outdoor)	1000 nits max (typical); 1600 nits peak (HDR); 2000 nits peak (outdoor); 1 nit minimum
Main Camera	200MP Wide (24 mm, f/1.7), 1/1.3" sensor, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS	48MP Fusion (24 mm, f/1.78), second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)
Ultra-Wide Camera	12MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, f/2.2, 120° FOV), Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video	48MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, f/2.2, 120° field of view), Hybrid Focus Pixels, 48MP macro photography
Telephoto Camera	50MP Telephoto (111 mm, f/3.4), periscope lens, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom; 10MP Telephoto (67 mm, f/2.4), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom	12MP 5x Telephoto (120 mm, f/2.8), tetraprism design, 3D sensor-shift OIS, autofocus, 100% Focus Pixels
Optical Zoom	3x, 5x optical zoom; 2x, 10x optical-quality zoom (enabled by Adaptive Pixel sensor)	5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 10x optical zoom range
Digital Zoom	Up to 100x (Space Zoom)	Up to 25x
Video Recording	8K video at 24/30 fps; 4K at 30/60/120 fps; Slow motion 1080p at 240 fps	4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60/100/120 fps (Fusion); Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps; ProRes up to 4K 120 fps with external recording
Front Camera	12MP Front (26 mm, f/2.2), Dual Pixel PDAF; 4K video at 30/60 fps	12MP TrueDepth (f/1.9), autofocus with Focus Pixels, 4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60 fps
Battery	5000 mAh (Li-ion); Up to 30 hours video playback	4685 mAh (Li-ion); Up to 33 hours video playback (29 hours streamed)
Wired Charging	USB-C; Up to 65% in ~30 minutes with 45W adapter and 5A USB-C cable (adapter sold separately)	USB-C; Up to 50% charge in ~30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher; USB 3 speeds supported
Wireless Charging	Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 (up to 15W); Wireless PowerShare (4.5W)	MagSafe up to 25W (with 30W+ adapter); Qi2 up to 25W (via iOS update); Qi up to 7.5W
Connectivity	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave); Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be); Bluetooth 5.3; Ultra Wideband (UWB); NFC	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; Ultra Wideband (Second-generation); Thread networking technology; NFC with reader mode
USB	USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gb/s); DisplayPort 1.2	USB-C connector with USB 3 speeds (up to 10 Gb/s); Native DisplayPort output
Durability	IP68 (up to 1.5 m freshwater for 30 min); Titanium frame (Grade 2); Gorilla Glass Armor front; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back	IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes); Ceramic Shield (latest generation) front; Titanium design (Grade 5); Textured matte glass back
Dimensions	6.39" x 3.11" x 0.34" (162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6 mm)	6.42" x 3.06" x 0.32" (163.0 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm)
Weight	8.18 oz (232 g)	7.99 oz (227 g)
Biometrics	Ultrasonic Fingerprint (under display); Face recognition	Face ID
Extras	Integrated S Pen (Bluetooth enabled); Galaxy AI (Circle to Search, Live Translate, Note Assist); Samsung DeX; Stereo speakers tuned by AKG	Apple Intelligence support; Camera Control button; Action button; Dynamic Island; LiDAR Scanner; Dual eSIM (US models); Emergency SOS via satellite; Crash Detection; Roadside Assistance via satellite
Pros	Exclusive Corning Gorilla Glass Armor significantly reduces reflections Versatile quad-camera system with high-resolution 50MP 5x zoom Integrated S Pen for productivity and creative tasks Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 'for Galaxy' performance with 12GB RAM standard 7-year commitment for both OS and security updates	Largest iPhone display ever at 6.9 inches with ultra-thin borders 48MP Ultra Wide camera improves macro and wide-angle detail significantly Excellent battery life (4685 mAh), among the best in class Dedicated Camera Control button mimics a DSLR shutter Support for 4K 120fps Dolby Vision recording for professional slow-motion
Cons	Large and heavy (232 g) with sharp corners that can dig into palms 45W charging speed has plateaued compared to competitors High starting price Shutter lag can still be noticeable with moving subjects No Qi2 wireless charging support (magnetic alignment)	Large physical dimensions can be unwieldy for some users Fastest charging speeds (MagSafe 25W) require purchasing a new puck and adapter US models lack a physical SIM tray (eSIM only) Base storage starts at 256GB, raising the entry price USB-C cable included in the box is limited to USB 2 speeds (pro transfer speeds require separate cable)
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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Rating:★4.6(3,377)Best Buy

Operating System:Android

Software Support:7 generations of OS upgrades; 7 years of security updates (guaranteed until 2031)

Processor:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (4nm; 8-core CPU: 1x3.39GHz Cortex-X4, 3x3.1GHz A720, 2x2.9GHz A720, 2x2.2GHz A520)

Graphics:Adreno 750 (1 GHz)

RAM:12 GB (LPDDR5X)

Storage:256GB / 512GB / 1TB (UFS 4.0)

Display Size:6.8" (6.8" full rectangle; 6.8" accounting for rounded corners)

Screen Type:Dynamic AMOLED 2X (LTPO)

Resolution:3120 x 1440 pixels (QHD+, 505 ppi)

Refresh Rate:Adaptive 1–120 Hz

Peak Brightness:2600 nits peak (outdoor)

Main Camera:200MP Wide (24 mm, f/1.7), 1/1.3" sensor, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS

Ultra-Wide Camera:12MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, f/2.2, 120° FOV), Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video

Telephoto Camera:50MP Telephoto (111 mm, f/3.4), periscope lens, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom; 10MP Telephoto (67 mm, f/2.4), Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom

Optical Zoom:3x, 5x optical zoom; 2x, 10x optical-quality zoom (enabled by Adaptive Pixel sensor)

Digital Zoom:Up to 100x (Space Zoom)

Video Recording:8K video at 24/30 fps; 4K at 30/60/120 fps; Slow motion 1080p at 240 fps

Front Camera:12MP Front (26 mm, f/2.2), Dual Pixel PDAF; 4K video at 30/60 fps

Battery:5000 mAh (Li-ion); Up to 30 hours video playback

Wired Charging:USB-C; Up to 65% in ~30 minutes with 45W adapter and 5A USB-C cable (adapter sold separately)

Wireless Charging:Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 (up to 15W); Wireless PowerShare (4.5W)

Connectivity:5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave); Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be); Bluetooth 5.3; Ultra Wideband (UWB); NFC

USB:USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gb/s); DisplayPort 1.2

Durability:IP68 (up to 1.5 m freshwater for 30 min); Titanium frame (Grade 2); Gorilla Glass Armor front; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back

Dimensions:6.39" x 3.11" x 0.34" (162.3 x 79.0 x 8.6 mm)

Weight:8.18 oz (232 g)

Biometrics:Ultrasonic Fingerprint (under display); Face recognition

Extras:Integrated S Pen (Bluetooth enabled); Galaxy AI (Circle to Search, Live Translate, Note Assist); Samsung DeX; Stereo speakers tuned by AKG

✓ Pros:

• Exclusive Corning Gorilla Glass Armor significantly reduces reflections
• Versatile quad-camera system with high-resolution 50MP 5x zoom
• Integrated S Pen for productivity and creative tasks
• Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 'for Galaxy' performance with 12GB RAM standard
• 7-year commitment for both OS and security updates

✗ Cons:

• Large and heavy (232 g) with sharp corners that can dig into palms
• 45W charging speed has plateaued compared to competitors
• High starting price
• Shutter lag can still be noticeable with moving subjects
• No Qi2 wireless charging support (magnetic alignment)

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Rating:★4.7(348)Best Buy

Operating System:iOS

Software Support:Minimum 5 years from release date (guaranteed security updates); historically supports 6+ years of OS upgrades

Processor:Apple A18 Pro chip (3nm; 6-core CPU: 2 performance + 4 efficiency; 16-core Neural Engine)

Graphics:Apple 6-core GPU (A18 Pro)

RAM:8 GB (LPDDR5X)

Storage:256GB / 512GB / 1TB (NVMe)

Display Size:6.9" (6.86" measured diagonally as a standard rectangle; actual viewable area is less)

Screen Type:Super Retina XDR OLED

Resolution:2868 x 1320 pixels (460 ppi)

Refresh Rate:Up to 120 Hz (ProMotion adaptive 1-120Hz); Always-On display

Peak Brightness:1000 nits max (typical); 1600 nits peak (HDR); 2000 nits peak (outdoor); 1 nit minimum

Main Camera:48MP Fusion (24 mm, f/1.78), second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)

Ultra-Wide Camera:48MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, f/2.2, 120° field of view), Hybrid Focus Pixels, 48MP macro photography

Telephoto Camera:12MP 5x Telephoto (120 mm, f/2.8), tetraprism design, 3D sensor-shift OIS, autofocus, 100% Focus Pixels

Optical Zoom:5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 10x optical zoom range

Digital Zoom:Up to 25x

Video Recording:4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60/100/120 fps (Fusion); Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K at 60 fps; ProRes up to 4K 120 fps with external recording

Front Camera:12MP TrueDepth (f/1.9), autofocus with Focus Pixels, 4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60 fps

Battery:4685 mAh (Li-ion); Up to 33 hours video playback (29 hours streamed)

Wired Charging:USB-C; Up to 50% charge in ~30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher; USB 3 speeds supported

Wireless Charging:MagSafe up to 25W (with 30W+ adapter); Qi2 up to 25W (via iOS update); Qi up to 7.5W

Connectivity:5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; Ultra Wideband (Second-generation); Thread networking technology; NFC with reader mode

USB:USB-C connector with USB 3 speeds (up to 10 Gb/s); Native DisplayPort output

Durability:IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes); Ceramic Shield (latest generation) front; Titanium design (Grade 5); Textured matte glass back

Dimensions:6.42" x 3.06" x 0.32" (163.0 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm)

Weight:7.99 oz (227 g)

Biometrics:Face ID

Extras:Apple Intelligence support; Camera Control button; Action button; Dynamic Island; LiDAR Scanner; Dual eSIM (US models); Emergency SOS via satellite; Crash Detection; Roadside Assistance via satellite

✓ Pros:

• Largest iPhone display ever at 6.9 inches with ultra-thin borders
• 48MP Ultra Wide camera improves macro and wide-angle detail significantly
• Excellent battery life (4685 mAh), among the best in class
• Dedicated Camera Control button mimics a DSLR shutter
• Support for 4K 120fps Dolby Vision recording for professional slow-motion

✗ Cons:

• Large physical dimensions can be unwieldy for some users
• Fastest charging speeds (MagSafe 25W) require purchasing a new puck and adapter
• US models lack a physical SIM tray (eSIM only)
• Base storage starts at 256GB, raising the entry price
• USB-C cable included in the box is limited to USB 2 speeds (pro transfer speeds require separate cable)

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Check Price on Amazon→

Which one is better?

Overall, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra delivers better satisfaction. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is still a quality option with specific strengths worth considering.

Who should buy each?

Choose Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra if:
- You want Exclusive Corning Gorilla Glass Armor significantly reduces reflections, Versatile quad-camera system with high-resolution 50MP 5x zoom
- Rating: 4.6★ (3377 reviews)

Choose Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max if:
- You prefer Largest iPhone display ever at 6.9 inches with ultra-thin borders, 48MP Ultra Wide camera improves macro and wide-angle detail significantly
- Rating: 4.7★ (348 reviews)

Conclusion

We hope this comparison helps you buy with confidence. Both products are dependable; the right one depends on how you will use it.

Frequently Asked Questions

+Which has better value?

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra excels if you value exclusive corning gorilla glass armor significantly reduces reflections. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is better if you prioritize largest iphone display ever at 6.9 inches with ultra-thin borders. Pick based on your budget and daily use.

+Is this an independent review?

Yes. We use affiliate links for monetization, but recommendations are research-driven and unbiased.

+Do newer models exist?

Check release timelines from the manufacturers and compare pricing before you buy. We refresh this page when major updates land.

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