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The Galaxy S21 Ultra offers better value than the iPhone 12 Pro Max

Is bigger better? If you ask smartphone companies — the answer is a definitive yes. Whether it’s Apple or Samsung, Huawei or Oppo, the trend has been to reserve the most premium specs, the most bleeding-edge components for the largest variant of its phones. The latest big thing right now is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and so it’s natural we pit it against Apple’s most recent biggest thing: the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: Specifications and Comparison

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Build
  • Aluminum mid-frame
  • Gorilla Glass back
  • Gorilla Glass Victus front
  • Stainless steel mid-frame
  • Glass front and back
  • “Ceramic Shield” for glass protection
Dimensions & Weight
  • 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm
  • 229 grams
  •  160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4mm
  • 226 grams (Global)
  • 228 grams (USA)
Display
  • 6.8″ QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X curved display
  • 3200 x 1440 pixels
  • 120Hz variable refresh rate
    • 120Hz at QHD+ supported
    • 10-120Hz
  • 20:9 aspect ratio
  • 1500nits peak brightness
  • HDR10+
  • Always-On display
  • 6.7″ Super Retina XDR OLED Display
  • 2,778 x 1,284 resolution, 458 PPI
SoC
  • International: Exynos 2100:
    • 1x Core @ 2.9GHz +
    • 3x Cores @ 2.8GHz +
    • 4x Cores @ 2.4GHz
  • USA and China: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
  • Apple A14 Bionic SoC
Ram & Storage Options
  • 12GB + 128GB
  • 12GB + 256GB
  • 16GB + 512GB
  • 128GB (Ram not disclosed)
  • 256GB (Ram not disclosed)
  • 512GB (Ram not disclosed)
Battery & Charging
  • 5,000mAh
  • 25W USB Power Delivery 3.0 fast charging
  • 15W wireless charging
  • 4.5 reverse wireless charging
  • No charger in box in most regions
  • 3,687 mAh battery as per certification listings
  • 15W Wireless Charging with MagSafe
  • 7.5W Qi Wireless Charging
  • No charger in the box
Security Ultrasonic In-Display Fingerprint Scanner Face ID (TrueDepth camera for facial recognition)
Rear Camera(s)
  • Primary: 108 MP, wide-angle lens, f/1.8, 79°, 24mm, 1/1.33″, 0.8µm (pre-nona-binning), OIS, PDAF, Laser AF
  • Secondary: 12 MP, ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 120° FoV, 13mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4 µm, Dual Pixel AF
  • Tertiary: 10 MP, telephoto lens, f/2.4, 35°, 72mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, OIS, 3x optical zoom, Dual Pixel AF
  • Quarternary: 10 MP, telephoto lens, f/4.9, 10°, 240mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, OIS, 10x optical zoom, Dual Pixel AF
  • Primary: 12MP
  • Secondary: 12MP, Ultra-wide angle
  • Tertiary: 12MP telephoto
Front Camera(s) 40MP, f/2.2, 0.7µm, 80° FoV, PDAF 12MP, f/2.2
Port(s) USB 3.2 Type-C Proprietary Lightning port
Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 5.1
  • NFC
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • 5G
  • 5G: Sub 6GHz
    • mmWave for the USA
  • Ultra-Wide Band (UWB)
  • Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO
  • Bluetooth 5.0
Software Samsung One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 iOS 14
Other Features IP68 IP68
Pricing Starts at $1,199 Starts at $1,099

 


Design and hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max are both unapologetically huge phones, weighing 229g and 228g, with 6.8- and 6.7-inch screens respectively. But despite their heft, Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra is significantly more comfortable to hold for me, because Samsung’s device features curves on both front and back, blending into a slightly rounded chassis, whereas the iPhone 12 Pro Max, like the rest of the iPhone 12 series, features flat sides with almost uncompromising hard edges.

The iPhone 12 series Galaxy S21 Ultra subtle curvature

I actually quite liked the boxy design of the iPhone 12 series when I tested them last fall — but only the other smaller iPhone 12s. The Pro Max, which measures 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4mm (6.3 x 3.07 x 0.4-inches) is just too big and wide to have such hard corners.

iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra

The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 6.8-inch screen also uses a narrower 20:9 aspect ratio to the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 19.5:9, which further makes the Galaxy S21 Ultra a more comfortable phone to grip.

Speaking of screens, this is a lopsided victory for Samsung. The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s panel not only gets brighter, has more pixels, and refreshes at twice the speed, it also is mostly uninterrupted, with just a small hole-punch compared to the iPhone notch.

iPhone 12 Mini stacked on top of an iPhone 12 Pro Max. Galaxy S21 Ultra subtle curvature

 


Software and special features

As we just covered in the design section, huge phones are harder to hold and use. So why do people put up with them? Two reasons: the ability to consumer entertainment content (games, videos) on a larger canvas, and the ability to do more in terms of productivity.

In both cases, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra completely beats the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max. The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s screen has fewer interruptions, so videos or games look better. Samsung’s also implemented a host of software features that allow the Galaxy S21 Ultra to take advantage of its larger screen, such as the ability to open apps in a floating window and to launch two pre-set apps simultaneously in split-screen view.

apple ios 14 widgets iOS 14 homescreen with widgets

For the first time ever in a Galaxy S phone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra also supports the S-Pen stylus that has been a stable of the Note series. This, along with DeX functionality, makes the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra one of the most versatile devices in mobile.

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, on the other hand, is really just a blown-up, super-sized iPhone 12 Mini. The UI behaves exactly the same on the Pro Max as on any other iPhones running iOS 14. You can’t open more than one app at a time, you can’t adjust the homescreen grid to place more apps on the homescreen.


Performance

It’s been a one-sided affair so far, but at least Apple can take solace in knowing it has the more powerful brain. Apple’s A14 Bionic outscores the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in every benchmark, although in the real world, it’s really hard to tell the difference except when editing/rendering videos — the iPhone’s native photo gallery app allows me to not only trim videos but crop and rotate as well; no Android phone, including the Galaxy S21 Ultra, has been able to offer that.

Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max side by side

Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max

As a media consumption device the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a more immersive screen, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max has better stereo speakers that pump out louder, fuller sound.

Overall speed between the two devices is similar, although the Galaxy S21 Ultra often feels faster due to that higher refresh rate, but that’s mostly an illusion. App launch times on both phones are very close.


Cameras

When it comes to snapping “normal” photos with the main cameras, both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max are excellent. Shots day and night turn out sharp and vibrant, dynamic range almost always on point.

A night shot with the Galaxy S21 Ultra A night shot with the iPhone 12 Pro Max

Picking a winner between the two main cameras almost comes down to subjective opinion and preference for colors — the Galaxy S21 Ultra tends to have a cooler tone, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max photos appear warmer.

Galaxy S21 Ultra night shot of city iPhone 12 Pro night shot of city

If I have to nitpick, I’d say the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s main camera is easier to use because it feels more fluid. The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s main camera has a slight shutter lag — in the first two photos in the set below, I pressed the shutter button on both phones at the same time, and the motorcyclist is further ahead in Samsung’s shot. The iPhone 12 Pro Max also turns on night mode automatically and blends it into the photo-taking experience relatively seamlessly (it just turns on automatically in dimly-lit scenes) while the Galaxy S21 Ultra requires you to manually jump to night mode. Of course, users who want more control may prefer Samsung’s approach, which offers users more total control.

Galaxy S21 Ultra photo of traffic iPhone 12 Pro Max shot photo of traffic

You may notice in the shots above that the motorcyclist is further ahead. I pressed both shutter buttons at the same time — this is, as usual, Samsung’s phone having a slight shutter delay compared to the iPhone.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max’s main camera is also a bit better at capturing videos: footage is ever so slightly more stable, especially at night, where the Galaxy S21 Ultra still suffers from micro-jitters whenever I walk and film.

However, that’s just the main camera. When it comes to zooming, it’s a one-sided beatdown. The Galaxy S21 Ultra uses a dual-zoom system to cover various focal lengths. A 10MP telephoto camera captures 3x optical shots, while its 10x optical Periscope camera handles the longer zoom. The iPhone 12 Pro Max uses a single 12MP telephoto camera with 2.5x optical zoom. Below are two shots captured at 12x zoom, the maximum the iPhone 12 Pro Max allows.

12x zoom with the S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max

12x zoom, Galaxy S21 Ultra (left) and iPhone 12 Pro Max (right).

Here’s another 12x zoom set.

12x zoom between S21 Ultra and iphone 12 Pro Max

12x zoom, Galaxy S21 Ultra (left), iPhone 12 Pro Max (right).

Finally, here’s 5x zoom. The gap in quality closes, but it’s still a clear win for Samsung.

10x zoom, Galaxy S21 Ultra (left) and iPhone 12 Pro Max (right).

10x zoom, Galaxy S21 Ultra (left) and iPhone 12 Pro Max (right).

It’s much closer with the ultrawide-angle camera. Both phones use a 12MP sensor and shots look close in terms of field-of-view and sharpness.

When it comes to zooming, it's a one-sided beatdown.

S21 Ultra ultrawide shot upward iPhone 12 Pro Max ultrawide shot upward S21 Ultra ultrawide shot of city iPhone 12 Pro Max ultrawide shot of city

Battery life

The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 5,000 mAh battery is much larger than the 3,687 mAh cell inside the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but because the latter’s display has fewer pixels to push and refreshes at 60Hz, it consistently gives me better battery life than the Galaxy S21 Ultra. I’m a heavy user, so for me, Samsung’s latest routinely just barely makes it to the end of a 14-hour day (with around 10-15% battery left), whereas the iPhone 12 Pro Max usually finishes with at least 25% left.

Which one should you buy?

Both the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra are super powerful phablets with a great main camera. However, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is in my opinion a flat-out more versatile device. If I really need to get work done, the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s superior filing system, ability to run two apps at the same time, stylus support, and option to double as a desktop computer just far outshines what the iPhone 12 Pro Max can do.

One may argue I should judge a phone as “just a phone,” and not factor in all these other usage cases such as Samsung DeX, but if I’m paying over $1,000 for a phone, I want to feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. And the Galaxy S21 Ultra is just a better value in my opinion.

    Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
    The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the ultimate overkill in the new 2021 flagship series, packing in a flagship SoC, a premium build, a great display, and an amazing camera setup, as well as all the extras expected on a premium flagship.
    iPhone 12 Pro Max
    Apple's biggest smartphone is a powerful device with a big screen.

The post The Galaxy S21 Ultra offers better value than the iPhone 12 Pro Max appeared first on xda-developers.



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The Galaxy S21 Ultra offers better value than the iPhone 12 Pro Max Reviewed by site on 2:29 AM Rating: 5

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