Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
#46
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
#162Category Breakdown
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
Performance
94.090.6
Camera
99.397.6
Display
97.197.2
Battery
91.894.3
Build
97.397.0
Connectivity
87.588.7
Audio
87.687.6
Overall
92.886.6
Summary
- The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max features a titanium frame and glass front and back, offering a premium build quality, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G uses Gorilla Glass Victus with an aluminum frame.
- The iPhone has a 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 1320 x 2868 pixels, whereas the S21 Ultra has a slightly smaller 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display at 1440 x 3200 pixels.
- In terms of performance, the iPhone is powered by the A18 Pro chip, while the S21 Ultra utilizes either the Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888, both of which are slightly older.
- The iPhone's camera system includes a 48 MP main sensor and advanced video capabilities, while the S21 Ultra boasts a 108 MP main sensor with 8K video recording.
- The iPhone's battery capacity is 4685 mAh, compared to the S21 Ultra's 5000 mAh, with the latter supporting faster charging.
- Lastly, the iPhone runs on iOS 18, offering a different software experience than the S21 Ultra, which operates on Android 11 with One UI 6.1.
Side-by-side Specification Comparison
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
General
Release Date
2024, September 09
2021, January 14
Announced
2024, September 09
2021, January 14
Description
Versions: A3296 (International); A3084 (USA); A3295 (Middle East, Canada, Mexico); A3297 (China, Hong Kong)
Versions: SM-G998B, SM-G998B/DS (International); SM-G998U (USA); SM-G998U1 (USA unlocked); SM-G998W (Canada); SM-G998N (Korea); SM-G9980 (China)
Display
Size
6.9"
6.8"
Type
LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typ), 2000 nits (HBM)
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak)
Resolution
1320 x 2868 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density)
1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density)
PPI
1320
1440
Refresh Rate
120Hz
120Hz
HDR Support
✓
✓
Protection
Ceramic Shield glass (2024 gen)
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Performance
Chipset
Apple A18 Pro (3 nm)
Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China
CPU
Hexa-core (2x4.05 GHz + 4x2.42 GHz)
Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - InternationalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA/China
GPU
Apple GPU (6-core graphics)
Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China
Memory
256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 1TB 8GB RAM
128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM
Expandable Storage
✗
✗
Card Slot
No
No
Camera
Main Camera
48 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS12 MP, f/2.8, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.06", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 5x optical zoom48 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 0.7µm, PDAFTOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)
108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS10 MP, f/2.4, 72mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video
Main Camera Features
Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Front Camera
12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OISSL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF
Front Camera Features
HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec.
HDR
Video Recording
4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec.
8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
Selfie Video
4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
Optical Stabilization
✓
✓
Night Mode
✗
✗
Raw Photo Support
✗
✗
Battery
Capacity
4685 mAh
5000 mAh
Battery Details
Li-Ion 4685 mAh
Li-Ion 5000 mAh
Charging Details
Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min25W wireless (MagSafe), 15W wireless (China only)15W wireless (Qi2)4.5W reverse wired
25W wired, PD3.015W wireless (Qi)4.5W reverse wireless
Fast Charging
✗
✗
Wireless Charging
✓
✓
Build & Safety
Dimensions
163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm (6.42 x 3.06 x 0.33 in)
165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.5 x 2.98 x 0.35 in)
Weight
227 g
227 g
Materials
Glass front, glass back, titanium frame (grade 5)
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame
Colors
Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium
Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, Phantom Brown, Navy
Foldable
✗
✗
SAR
1.01 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body)
0.77 W/kg (head) 1.02 W/kg (body)
Connectivity
SIM
Nano-SIM +eSIM+ eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China)
Nano-SIM +eSIMNano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time)
Network
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
Network Speed
HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL)
5G
✓
✓
4G
✓
✓
WiFi
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, hotspot
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
5.3, A2DP, LE
5.2, A2DP, LE
NFC
✓
✓
USB
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort
USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
IR Blaster
✗
✗
Headphone Jack
✗
✗
Radio
✗
✗
Positioning
GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, NavIC
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Audio
Stereo Speakers
✓
✓
Loudspeaker
Yes, with stereo speakers
Yes, with stereo speakers
Audio Jack
No
No
Software & Security
Operating System
iOS 18, upgradable to iOS 18.5
Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1
Fingerprint
✗
✓
Face Unlock
✓
✗
Sensors
Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer