iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: will Apple or Samsung win?

With the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple has once again made the most technologically advanced iPhone ever. But it's up against an equally capable competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra – which is one of the best Android phones ever, and will likely stay that way until there's a new model in 2025. But which one is better – Apple or Samsung?

While these are both flagship phones there are some important differences in these rival manufacturers' approaches, not least when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI): where Samsung's AI features are already on its phone, Apple users will have to wait at least a month – with many customers in some parts of the world having to wait longer still.

So in the ongoing battle of Apple versus Android, let's see how these two flagships face off. Is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with its built-in stylus, or the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, with its new camera setup, the best pick for you?

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra v iPhone 16 Pro Max: Price and availability

The Galaxy S24 Ultra was launched in early 2024 and cost the same as its equivalent S23 Ultra did at launch. At that time it was £1,249 / $/1,199 / AU$1,949 for the 256GB model (although Samsung upped the storage to 512GB for free as an introductory offer). Samsung isn't running that promotion just now but it is offering £100 off in the UK and a free Chromebook Go laptop.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max will be priced at £1,199 / $1,199 / AU$2,149 when pre-orders open on 13 September (for a 20 September on-sale date). That's also for the entry capacity of 256GB. That's a year-on-year price hold and, besides any trade-in offer, it's rare to see Apple's phones discounted. 

iPhone 16 Pro Max v Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design & Display

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is flatter than its S23 Ultra predecessor, and features a titanium frame. The display is a 6.8-inch AMOLED that's capable of 2,600 nits of brightness and its resolution is 1,440 x 3,088 with variable refresh rates of up to 120Hz. 

There are four colours to choose from: Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Black and Titanium Grey. As ever with the Ultra you get the S Pen stylus, which is stowed in the body but can be popped-out to use for writing, drawing and interacting with your device. 

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is marginally different to its 15 Pro Max predecessor: at first glance it looks much the same but there are some key changes. The 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR is the largest iPhone screen to date (thanks to smaller bezels) and delivers variable refresh at up to 120Hz. It's an OLED with a resolution of 2,868 x 1,320 and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

The new iPhone comes in four colours: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium and Desert Titanium. There's also a new Camera Button that works not just as a shutter button but as a context-sensitive control for features such as colour presets and camera modes. 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra v iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras

The main Samsung camera is a 200-megapixel offering with an f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilisation (OIS). There's also a 5x optical zoom (120mm equivalent) with 50MP resolution, an f/3.4 aperture, and OIS, and a 3x optical zoom (70mm equivalent) 10MP resolution, with an f/2.4 aperture and also OIS. The 13mm wide camera offers 12MP at f/2.2.

We found the new sensor in Samsung's 5x optical zoom camera to be miles ahead of its predecessor (even though that was a 10x zoom), and the various cameras work well together: they feel like a single camera system rather than a collection of different cameras. Samsung's "nightography" mode is very good for low-light shooting too.

The cameras in the iPhone 16 Pro Max are significantly upgraded compared to its predecessor. The main camera is still 48-megapixels in resolution with f/1.8 aperture, but Apple is calling it a 'Fusion Camera'. It's capable of 4K resolution at 120 frames per second video, too. The 13mm wide-angle camera gets a big resolution bump, also to 48MP at f/2.2, while a 12MP sensor handles the 5x optical zoom (to a 120mm equivalent). The new cameras deliver a new three-dimensional capture feature, Spatial Photos.

Apple is clearly very pleased with the Pro Max cameras, especially for serious photography and film-making: there are multiple video speed options, real-time colour grading, and what Apple says are four "studio-quality" mics for a suitably impressive soundtrack.

AI is a key selling point for both Samsung's and Apple's devices. In the Samsung we found it to be a mixed bag though: there's lots of room for improvement, but Generative Edit can be very impressive when you use it to remove objects or replace backgrounds. We're still in the early days of this tech but when it's good, it's very good. Many of Apple's AI features are coming soon rather than available at launch, so for example Apple's equivalent to Generative Edit won't be available... yet.

iPhone 16 Pro Max v Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Battery & Performance

The processor inside the Samsung is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, backed with 12GB RAM. The battery is 5,000mAh with support for 45W wired charging and 15W wireless. We found it delivered silky-smooth performance and all-day battery life: on a very long travel day that began at 5am, we still had 20% battery left at 10pm. 

The processor in the new iPhone is Apple's own A18 Pro, which generation-on-generation Apple claims delivers up to a 20% faster graphical performance and an overall 15% speed increase while using 20% less power. Battery life is up to 4 hours longer, Apple claims, quoting 33 hours of video playback. As with previous iPhones the iPhone 16 Pro Max supports MagSafe wireless charging at up to 25W. It's certainly a powerhouse, but without having yet tested it, we can't confirm whether it'll have the better battery life or performance capability.

Nor can we  attest to the iPhone 16 Pro Max's performance – because many of its AI features aren't here yet. Some are coming in the forthcoming iOS 18.1 update, but other key ones including image generation are now delayed to iOS 18.2, most likely arriving in December or later. Samsung's Galaxy AI is already here, with some great live transcription and photo features, with the promise of yet more to come in the future too. 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra v iPhone 16 Pro Max: Initial Conclusion

As ever, a direct comparison between Apple and Samsung is tricky because these phones are from different ecosystems, run different operating systems, and are going to be sold primarily to people who've already chosen their preferred platform. These two phones are the most powerful and impressive for each of their respective platforms. But there are still some important differences: Samsung has already implemented its AI features, for example, while Apple's are still to be delivered. 

From a purely hardware perspective, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the more powerful phone here – but it's also the phone most focused, pun fully intended, on a very particular kind of user. Unless you're really serious about your photos, the standard iPhone 16 is likely to be more than good enough for you. The Samsung is more of an all-rounder, albeit a high-spec one, and for the time being it's also ahead in AI.