Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. iPhone 12 Pro Max: Spec breakdown
Phones
If you're looking to buy a new phone then you might be trying to choose between the new Samsung Galaxy S 21 Ultra and Apple's flagship iPhone 12 Pro max.
Let's break down the specs and put these two top of the line phones head to head.
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Let's start with the price and for both phones you're looking at over 1000 US dollars out of the gate.
The S 21 Ultra starts at 1199.
us for the baseline model and goes up to 1379 for the 512 gigabyte model Which also comes with 16 gigabytes of RAM.
But unlike previous Galaxy phones, there's no SD card slot on any of the new S21 models.
So no expandable storage.
By comparison, the baseline iPhone 12 Pro Max is $100 cheaper at 1099 for 112 gigabytes of storage, going up to 1399 for the 512 gigabyte model.
When it comes to size the S21 Ultra, just edges out the iPhone with a bigger display.
It has a 6.8 inch dynamic, amoled display with a hole punch camera with a resolution of 3200 by 1440 At 515 PPI, the screen also has a variable refresh rate that shifts between 10 to 120 hertz depending on what you're doing like watching a video, playing a game or reading static text on screen.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 6.7 inch super retina OLED display.
With a resolution of 2788 by 1284 at 458 PPI and a refresh rate of 60 hertz.
both screens also support HDR.
The Pro max comes in silver, graphite gold and Pacific blue, while the S 21 Ultra is available in Phantom black and Phantom silver in the US.
Both fans of a 5g connectivity and topo of the line processors.
With the S21 Ultra packing Snapdragon newest 888 processor, or XNS 2100 chip depending on your country.
The iPhone Pro Max uses Apple's latest A14 bionic chip.
Both phones are water resistent right to the IP68.
WHile th S21 is rated with a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes The iPhone was tested to a depth of 6 meters for 30 minutes.
Next up the all important cameras, the iPhone 12 Pro max packs 312 megapixel cameras on the rear, an ultra wide angle lens at F 2.4.
A wide lens at F 1.6 and a telephoto lens with 2.5 x optical zoom at F 2.2.
It also has a LIDAR sensor for better focusing in low light and AR applications.
On the front, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has Apple's true depth camera with a 12 megapixel sensor and an aperture f 2.2.
The S 21 Ultra packs in an extra lens on the back for a quad camera array.
There's a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle lens at F 2.2.
A 108 megapixel wide angle lens at F 1.8 and 210 megapixel telephoto lenses, one with a three x optical zoom at F 2.4 and a second with 10 x optical zoom at F 4.9.
You can even go out to 100 x zoom which is a combination of optical and digital zoom with some processing to improve sharpness and detail what Samsung calls space zoom.
And that final sensor you can see on the back is what Samsung is calling Laser AutoFocus, which is similar to the note 20 Ultra from last year.
On the front the S 21 Ultra has a 40 MegaPixel camera with an aperture of F2.2.
Both phones are for optical image stabilization and let you capture 4K video at 60 fps on both the front and all the rear cameras The iPhone 12 Pro max can record Dolby Vision HDR video, and the RS 21 Ultra can record in HDR 10 plus.
VS 21 Ultra has one more trick up its sleeve in that it can record in 8k at 24 frames per second.
Both phones ditch the headphone jack and don't come with a charger in the box.
So you'll need to bring your own charging break or buy one separately.
Both phones offer wireless charging now.
Apple has touted its mag safe accessories that work with wireless charging on the pro max, while Samsung also offers reverse charging for accessories.
In terms of security, the iPhone users face ID while the S21 ultra unlocks with face recognition or using the fingerprint radar under the screen.
When it comes to add ons, the S21 Ultra will be compatible with Samsung's S Pen stylus, made famous by the note line of phones.
You'll be able to use an existing S pen or buy a newly updated standalone S Pen or S Pen Pro.
As for battery life, Apple doesn't disclose battery capacity, but from unofficial tear downs.
It's believed to be 3687 milliamp hours.
And in cnet's latest test it lasted 19 hours and 52 minutes.
The ES 21 Ultra has a 5000 milliamp hour battery, but stay tuned for the real world battery drain test when we get our hands on the phone.
So beyond deciding whether you prefer Android or iOS, there are a lot of neat features to weigh up on these two premium phones.
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And remember, these are just the specs on paper.
Be sure to check out our full reviews, to see how these funds performing the real world and help decide which one is right for you.
