Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Mondo Admin / 12-03-2024 / Tech

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: Let's Help You Choose the Best

If you're torn between the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, first things first – you have excellent taste.

But with great power comes… a lot of confusion.

How do you choose between two phones that are overflowing with the most jaw-dropping features?

Don’t stress! We’re here to help you decide which one of these iconic smartphones is best for you. Let’s compare the most advanced Samsung and iPhone in the ultimate battle of the flagships.

Not a flagship fling 

These top-of-the-range devices from the world's leading smartphone manufacturers scream “luxury”. Titanium frames. IP68 rated for dust and water resistance. Seriously tough screens made from next-generation glass. If durability and longevity are what you’re after, both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max are built to last. Plus, Samsung and Apple are committed to providing software updates and security patches for multiple years. We’re talking 7 and around 5 years respectively, so you can be sure that this ain’t no flagship fling!

Display: Handles the outdoors better than Bear Grylls

In the showdown of screens, only one snags the top spot for being bigger, wider and brighter. The winner of this round is none other than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Now, don’t get us wrong, both phones have some of the best display technology around, but Samsung takes it up a notch. It flexes with a 6.8-inch screen, edging out the 6.7-inch screen on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. When it comes to brightness in the sunny outdoors, the Galaxy Ultra hits 2600 nits peak brightness compared to the iPhone's 2000 nits. And thanks to some innovative Gorilla Glass Armor, the Galaxy slashes screen reflections by a whopping 75%. So, if you're on the hunt for a display that handles the great outdoors better than Bear Grylls, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the one.

Turn every moment into a photoshoot

We all have that friend or family member who turns every outing into a full-blown photoshoot – capturing everything from their morning coffee to their cat.

If you don’t know someone like this, well you're probably that person. And you’ll DEFINITELY be that person when you get your hands on either the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 15 Pro Max because the cameras are so hard to resist.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra features four back cameras with outstanding zoom capabilities, upgraded night photography and brand-new AI features exclusive to the series. Highlights are a 200MP main camera, a 50MP telephoto camera with 5x zoom and 10x optical zoom and cinematic 8K video recording. Night photography has received a massive boost, reducing blur by 60% and videos recorded on the front or back cameras are clearer and more stable thanks to new noise reduction and stabilisation technology. And we can’t ignore the new camera AI packed inside the phone, which Samsung calls the ProVisual Engine. It unlocks a cascade of features, including 100x digital zoom and generative editing that fills in borders, removes reflections and repositions the subject or object.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max sports three rear cameras with innovative new designs for exceptional photos in many lighting conditions. Highlights are a 48MP main shooter that allows you to switch between three popular focal lengths, a new telephoto camera with a 5x zoom and debut tetraprism design and improved night photography powered by Apple’s Photonic Engine. The iPhone focuses more on hardware than software, giving you better control over your photos for a final result that’s closer to pro-level.

But which one takes the win? If you want to experience the new generation of AI, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is a no-brainer. But if you appreciate hardware over everything else, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a little more to offer.

Neck-and-neck performance 

No shocker here – the quickest, most powerful phones right now are the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. With the iPhone boasting the brand-spanking-new A17 Pro chip and the Samsung powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip optimised for the Galaxy, these phones aren't just fast; they're 'blink, and you'll miss it' fast. They are almost neck and neck on performance benchmarks, effortlessly powering through daily tasks, intensive AAA mobile games and demanding video recording and editing. Freezing and lagging don't exist here, so go ahead and jump between multiple apps, indulge in online shopping, book a holiday, catch up on series and snap random selfies to your heart’s content.

Both devices offer three storage options – 256GB, 512GB or 1TB. When it comes to RAM, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has upped its game from last year's model to 12GB, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes in with 8GB. But here's where the Galaxy steals the spotlight – it supports Wi-Fi 7, enabling it to support tech that's still on the horizon. Despite these differences, the performance is nearly equal, marking a surprising twist as the iPhone typically takes the lead over Samsung.

Bring AI to life

Smartphones will never be the same again. Leading the charge is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Its chipset, alongside Samsung's One UI 6.1 software on top of Android 14, brings AI to life. It’s able to unlock some pretty cool features that are designed to make your life easier.

Besides the impressive AI camera features, you’ll also enjoy a quicker, more dynamic way to search online with Circle to Search and a whole host of translation capabilities that make communication in different languages, via calls and text messages, an absolute breeze.

If you’re wondering what happened to Apple’s AI, let’s just say it’s lost in translation when compared to the Galaxy. But there are a few AI features that offer unique experiences, such as StandBy Mode ensuring your widgets stay on your radar while your phone powers up; Live Voicemail, which turns transcriptions of incoming calls into readable messages; and the Check In feature, perfect for keeping your inner circle posted on your whereabouts. However, unlike the Galaxy, these capabilities aren’t exclusive to the series, it’s enabled on all iPhone models dating back to 2019 releases.

Batteries designed for flagship beasts

Do these rocket-speed phones have the stamina to keep up with your non-stop lifestyle? Considering that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max have the best features, these batteries know how to stay powered up. With a 5000mAh battery for the Galaxy S24 Ultra and a 4,441mAh battery for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you're looking at over 7 or 8 hours of screen time. One charge goes a long way with these flagships.

The Galaxy goes all-in with wired charging speeds of 45W and 15W wirelessly. It supports reverse wireless charging too. The iPhone, on the other hand, has a wired charge of up to 25W, 15W wirelessly, and throws in the MagSafe support, featuring the new magnetic Qi2 standard.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max: We have a winner!

Analysing these flagship phones side by side makes it very clear that they share numerous similarities - from lightning-fast performance and exceptional photography to solid designs and great battery life. But, believe it or not, we do have a winner.

And the champ is…

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra!

It has levelled up massively from last year’s release to such an extent that it feels slightly more refined than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The new Ultra is bigger, committed to longer software and security updates, goes brighter outdoors, offers more RAM, delivers faster charging speeds and, of course, embraces AI like no other phone currently on the market and does it all with a built-in stylus!

TECH NEWS

Samsung’s 100 Megapixel Camera is Coming!

It’s no secret that the camera has always been the smartphone’s strongest selling point. With the growing popularity of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, users have become photo-centric, constantly chasing after the best cameras to produce the best pictures to share with their followers. In fact, digital camera sales have taken a dip since the rise of the camera phone, which allows users to carry one device that performs many functions rather than purchasing a specific device for each of their needs. The first phone with a built-in camera was manufactured by Samsung in the year 2000. This digital camera could take up 20 photos at 350 000-pixels, or 0.35-megapixels, but you could only access your photos by connecting to a computer. By the year 2003, camera phones were becoming more popular with better specs and lower prices. In 2004, Sprint released a phone with a 1.3-megapixel camera that could capture images, share them wirelessly and even allowed you to print them. Finnish manufacturer Nokia jumped on the bandwagon in 2005 and released a 2 megapixel camera on their N90 model. Shortly after, the world was introduced to Sony Ericsson, whose aim was to steal the crown from Nokia. They adopted Sony’s Cybershot digital camera branding, which earned them first place in the camera phone market. The Sony Ericsson K800i was released in 2006 with a 3.2-megapixel camera that had auto focus, image stability and a Xenon flash. The baton was passed back to Samsung when they released the first ever 5-megapixel camera and then the 8 megapixel camera in 2008. The smartphone camera race continued, with Samsung appearing to be the winner with their release of the M8910 Pixon 12, which had a 12MP camera, in 2009. However, they were soon bested by Nokia’s N8 in 2010 and then the 16MP Sony Ericsson S006 that came at the end of 2010. Fast forward a few years and Samsung are at it again! To maintain their position in the market, the technology giant has decided to partner up with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi to create the world’s first 108-megapixel camera. Current high-end smartphones typically host cameras with between 12 and 16-megapixel resolutions, so a 108 megapixel camera would be a massive improvement to the conventional smartphone camera. The Isocell Bright HMX is designed to shoot incredibly detailed photos and is said to be comparable to a top DSLR camera. You can expect to capture better low-lit images as this camera will merge pixels to absorb more light. In terms of video recording, no smartphone camera will have better capabilities than this one. It will be capable of shooting up to 6K resolution at 30 frames per second which is very impressive compared to the 4K resolution at 60 frames per second limit of other smartphones. It’s been predicted that Xiaomi will release a smartphone with a similar camera before Samsung does, and even though Samsung has announced that production on these camera lenses begun at the end of August, they’ve remained tight-lipped about when we’ll be seeing a device with the 108-megapixel camera on the shelves.

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Samsung Galaxy A Series: Flagship Experiences on a Budget

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung has blazed a trail in the local smartphone market with the launch of their mid-tier A series cell phones that give their more expensive flagship counterparts a run for their money. Most likely, this range was created in response to stiff competition in the mid-tier smartphone category from the likes of Chinese rivals Huawei and Xiaomi. The company launched the Galaxy A2 Core, A10, A20, A30, A50, A70 and the A80 in South Africa this year, with the A90 expected soon. The A Series is a welcome change in pace for the company’s mid-tier devices, as the range now offers you a premium look and feel at a lower cost, as well as upgrades to the internals to give these devices more power and features, such as triple-lens camera systems on selected models. Let’s take a quick look at each model in the Galaxy A range: Galaxy A2 Core A simple but powerful entry-level device, the Galaxy A2 Core features the Android Go operating system, which is designed to optimise performance through the device’s hardware. Android Go is a lite version of the OS but allows devices like the A2 Core to offer a smooth user experience at an affordable cost. The A2 Core also features 5 MP cameras on the rear and face of the device and can support an SD card of up to 512GB, complementing its 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage. This will allow the user to cram more music and pictures into the device. The A2 Core also comes fitted with a 5-inch display. Galaxy A10 & A20 The Galaxy A10 and Galaxy A20 smartphones have many similarities. While both come with the Android 9.0 operating system, one of the most distinct differences is the screen size, as the A10 features a 6.2-inch display, while the A20 features a slightly larger 6.4-inch AMOLED display. Both devices feature the same processor, with the A10 featuring 2GB of RAM and the A20 fitted with 3GB of RAM. Another major difference between the devices is that the A20 features a dual 13MP and 5MP rear camera, while the A10 offers a 13MP rear camera. The A20 offers an 8MP front camera versus the A10’s 5MP shooter. Both smartphones pack 32GB of internal storage. Galaxy A30 & A50 The A30 and A50 smartphones set a new benchmark for affordable smartphones in the mid-tier category. The A30 comes with 64GB of onboard storage, while the A50 offers a massive 128GB of storage. Both devices feature a gorgeous 6.4-inch AMOLED display, the Android 9.0 operating system, 4GB of RAM and all-day battery-life thanks to a colossal 4000 mAh battery, usually found in premium smartphones. The A50 smartphone features a triple rear camera setup with a 25MP, 8MP and 5MP cameras offering great wide screen shots, while the A30 features a dual 16MP and 5MP rear camera configuration. The A50 sports a powerful 25MP selfie camera and the A30 a 16MP front camera. Galaxy A70 & A80 Essentially competing in the premium smartphone segment, the A80 is set to become one of the most unique smartphones available on the South African market. The A80 will feature one of the first pop-up rotating camera modules, consisting of a powerful 48MP wide lens, 8MP ultra-wide lens and a Time of Flight (TOF) 3D camera to capture not only images from the rear but also for selfies. The device sports a 3700mAh battery and 128GB of onboard storage, with a 6.7-inch display. The Galaxy A70 features a slightly larger 4500mAh battery compared to the A80 but will run off the same processor and operating system – Android 9.0. The A70 smartphone features a triple camera module consisting of a 32MP lens, 8MP wide-angle lens and 5MP depth sensing lens with a 32MP selfie camera. Read the reviews: Galaxy A2 Core Galaxy A10 Galaxy A20

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