iPhone 16 Professional Max vs. Galaxy S24 Extremely

Apple’s newest Professional Max finds itself within the common powerful crowd, competing towards the most effective choices from all the large names within the enterprise. Archrival Samsung has had its final S24 Extremely in the marketplace for what’s approaching a yr now, however it stays a productiveness powerhouse with assorted digicam capabilities. The iPhone 16 Professional Max, then again, brings Apple’s newest silicon, a couple of minor digicam tweaks, and a few endurance enhancements. So which one is healthier?

Desk of Contents:

For starters, you possibly can examine the whole specs sheets or straight proceed with our editor’s evaluation within the following textual content.

Dimension comparability

If the Max and Extremely names do not get the message throughout, the numbers in all probability will – the 2 telephones are giant and heavy. The Professional Max gained a couple of millimeters in top and a mil in width over the earlier technology, plus it is now a couple of grams heavier. The Galaxy is nearer in dimensions to its predecessor, however it’s nonetheless bigger, bulkier, and ever so barely heavier than the iPhone.

The iPhone has an additional button this time round, which provides digicam performance and/or permits the beforehand obtainable motion key to serve functions apart from launching the digicam. The Galaxy has extra than simply an additional button – it packs a stylus, the S Pen providing tons of performance for each work and play. We reckon the latter is extra helpful.

Coloration choices are relatively subdued on the iPhone, whereas the Galaxy provides a considerably extra thrilling choice, significantly for those who’re to purchase straight from samsung.com, the place some unique brighter colorways may be discovered.

Each telephones make use of titanium in a single type or one other for his or her frames. We’re not completely certain whose technique for attaching the uncovered bits to the internals is superior, however in each circumstances, your fingers can be touching titanium – presumably totally different alloy compositions, too, however attempt telling them aside and you will notice it is inconceivable.

The Galaxy is protected by Gorilla Armor, Corning’s newest glass that is distinctive in its low reflectivity. In the meantime, the iPhone makes use of a brand new technology of their tailored Ceramic Defend, additionally coming from Corning.

The iPhone carries the identical IP68 score for mud and water resistance, however Apple is keen to vow greater resistance than what the usual requires – 6m of depth vs. 1.5m (each for half-hour).

Show comparability

The iPhone’s show grew in measurement this technology; the 16 Professional Max’s 6.9-inch diagonal is now barely bigger than the 6.8-inch S24 Extremely panel. Each screens are lots sharp, have adaptive excessive refresh price assist, promise tremendous excessive brightness, and are HDR-compliant.

The iPhone’s 460ppi pixel density means it is now obtained a 1,320×2,868px decision (density is the basic spec within the Apple world), whereas the Galaxy’s 1,440×3,120px decision leads to a barely greater 505ppi. Each panels have the identical side ratio, at 19.5:9.

In our testing, we measured 1,796nits on the iPhone and 1,447nits on the Galaxy of their respective auto brightness modes, and the iPhone additionally had a bonus in guide operation (900 vs 755nits). It is a largely immaterial distinction, however nonetheless, the iPhone can go brighter. The Galaxy’s low reflectivity might give it a bonus in sure conditions although, or no less than negate the iPhone’s superior… nittage.

Each telephones assist HDR10, however the iPhone can be Dolby Imaginative and prescient succesful, whereas Samsung is insisting on HDR10+ as a substitute. Each can even do HDR in pictures of their galleries in addition to appropriate photographs on the web.

Battery life

Apple upped the battery capability for this yr’s Professional Max to 4685mAh, whereas the Galaxy S Extremely mannequin’s battery has been at 5,000mAh since there’s a Galaxy S Extremely.

Even earlier than this yr’s iPhone capability enhance, Professional Maxes sometimes outlasted competing Galaxies in our testing, and that is additionally the case between the 16 Professional Max and the S24 Extremely.

The iPhone has a notable benefit in net searching and video playback, and a much less important however nonetheless significant edge in gaming. The truth that the Galaxy snatches a victory in voice calls is much less essential, we expect.

Charging velocity

The Galaxy might not final so long as the iPhone on a single cost, however it does take much less time to high up. Samsung’s hardly on the forefront of speedy charging tech, however the S24 Extremely remains to be considerably faster than the 16 Professional Max – a distinction you will be feeling usually.

Neither telephone comes with a charger bundled, although, so you could be getting vastly totally different outcomes relying on what you plug into your iPhone or Galaxy – or what you slap to their backs, as each telephones additionally assist wi-fi charging. The iPhone is rated for as much as 25W with MagSafe chargers and 15W with third-party pads, and the Galaxy maxes out at 15W in keeping with its specs.

Speaker check

Each telephones have stereo audio system, and so they make use of the same old association – one speaker on the underside, one other one above the show that additionally works because the earpiece. Each telephones earned the identical ‘Very Good’ score for loudness, with very shut built-in loudness values in our check. Nonetheless, if we needed to choose one, it could be the iPhone.

Efficiency

The iPhone 16 Professional Max makes use of Apple’s latest A18 Professional chipset, whereas the Galaxy S24 Extremely depends on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Meaning the iPhone has cutting-edge silicon, not like the Galaxy, whose chip has simply been changed, and we’ll be seeing extra highly effective Androids within the coming weeks and months. That stated, there is a good two to 3 months earlier than a Galaxy reveals up with the Snapdragon Elite, so that is pretty much as good as you will get from Samsung now.

Apple’s fitted 8GB of RAM on the 16 Professional Max, whereas the Galaxy comes with 12GB, although every working system has its personal specifics in coping with reminiscence, so these numbers do not imply lots in a direct comparability. Storage is extra easy and each telephones begin at 256GB and may be had with as much as a terabyte.

Benchmark efficiency

In benchmarks, the iPhone considerably outperforms the Galaxy beneath uncooked CPU load, whereas the Galaxy has a bonus in GPU assessments (extra important in ray-tracing assessments). Total, each telephones are lots highly effective and future proof.

One other side of futureproofing is long-term software program assist. Samsung guarantees 7 main OS releases and seven years of safety updates. Apple’s coverage is not as express, however 5 years of assist seems to have been established because the norm. Once more, you will be set for a very long time with one in all these.

Digital camera comparability

A key side of the iPhone vs. Galaxy rivalry is the digicam efficiency, and the 2 telephones are among the many higher choices for picture-taking and video seize. Their {hardware} is not as comparable as between another pairs we have seen, however they do share a couple of similarities.

The Galaxy is, by all accounts, higher geared up on the lengthy finish of the zoom vary. Whereas each telephones function 5x optical zoom, the S24 Extremely’s sensor is bigger, and higher-res, plus its 5x digicam can do some moderately good closeups, not like the iPhone’s. Then there’s the second zoom digicam of the Galaxy that properly bridges the hole between the principle one and the telephoto.

Talking of foremost ones, the Galaxy’s 200MP sensor is definitely that little bit smaller than the iPhone’s 50MP unit, however the distinction is negligible. Wanting on the ultrawides, the iPhone’s sensor ought to be a bit higher in idea, however each are the identical measurement – and each have AF on the ultrawide cameras too.

There’s some ‘area of interest’ digicam performance for every of those, the iPhone having a brand new button this time round, whereas the Galaxy’s S Pen has one thing to supply itself. The 16 Professional Max’s Digital camera Management key helps you to launch the app and tweak settings inside it, however is the stylus’ distant shutter launch a extra universally usable function?

Picture high quality

Photographs from the 2 foremost cameras carry every model’s signature strategy to processing. The Galaxy’s output is extra expressive, with brighter exposures and extra vibrant colours, subsequent to the extra restrained iPhone footage. The Galay’s photographs are cleaner and sharper, whereas the iPhone lets extra noise within the remaining outcomes.

iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight picture samples, 1x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples, 1x

Samsung has caught up with Apple by way of 2x zoom outcomes and whereas the 16 Professional Max does a good job, the S24 Extremely has a little bit of an edge.

iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight picture samples, 2x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples, 2x

Then there’s the devoted 3x digicam that the Galaxy has. With Samsung’s superiority already established at 2x, we figured we would not embarrass the iPhone and solely present the S24 Extremely’s 3x pictures. Should you occur to take numerous pictures across the 70mm focal size (equiv.), maybe the Galaxy is the higher concept.

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples, 3x

At 5x, though the iPhone has a digicam to type of match the Galaxy, the pictures out of the S24 Extremely have an edge intimately and readability. That is earlier than you attempt to shoot small-ish issues from up shut the place the Galaxy has a substantial benefit in minimal focus distance.

iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight picture samples, 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples, 5x

We might additionally favor the Galaxy’s outcomes at 10x – the iPhone captures comparable element, however it’s blotchy rendition is not remotely likable.

iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight picture samples, 10x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples, 10x

Evaluating the pictures from the ultrawides, these from the Galaxy simply is likely to be a bit bit sharper, however it’s not a distinction that you need to make an enormous deal out of.

iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight picture samples, 0.5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight picture samples, 0.6x

The 2 telephones seize nice selfies, however we might say those from the Galaxy have an edge intimately and so they even have livelier, extra lifelike colours.

Selfie samples: iPhone 16 Professional Max • Galaxy S24 Extremely

At midnight, it is the Galaxy that returns noisier pictures, however we do not thoughts the additional grain when it comes with loads of element to make up for it. The iPhone’s kinda-sorta strategy to Night time mode means you is likely to be getting 24MP pictures at nighttime (strictly 12MP when Night time mode kicks in), however no matter nominal decision, it is the Galaxy’s pictures that are inclined to have higher definition.

iPhone 16 Professional Max low-light picture samples, 1x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light picture samples, 1x

At 2x, issues are extra of a toss-up between the 2 – element is kind of the identical.

iPhone 16 Professional Max low-light picture samples, 2x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light picture samples, 2x

Once more, the mere incontrovertible fact that the S24 Extremely has a 3x digicam, provides it a bonus over the iPhone. But it surely’s not just like the Galaxy’s 3x photographs are merely higher than nothing – they’re really fairly strong, though it is a comparatively small sensor that is doing the work.

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light picture samples, 3x

At 5x at nighttime, the iPhone does alright, however the Galaxy has the higher hand relating to element.

iPhone 16 Professional Max low-light picture samples, 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light picture samples, 5x

The S24 Extremely additionally wins for ultrawide picture high quality at nighttime, with a significant benefit in definition and element.

iPhone 16 Professional Max low-light picture samples, 0.5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light picture samples, 0.6x

Video high quality

Video recording is a type of areas iPhones usually maintain a powerful benefit. On this explicit case, we would not say both telephone has a significant benefit when evaluating footage at 1x, 2x or 5x zoom ranges, and the ultrawides are wanting very comparable too, relating to goal properties. The Galaxy is clearly vastly higher at 3x, and has a little bit of an edge at 10x.

Under, we’ve got a couple of framegrabs from the movies taken by the 2 telephones at every focal size so it is simpler to check to at least one one other.

iPhone 16 Professional Max daylight video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x • 10x

Galaxy S24 Extremely daylight video samples: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x • 10x

At midnight, the Galaxy has a small benefit on the ultrawide finish, whereas the iPhone in some way inches forward on the 5x stage, if solely barely. The primary cameras are roughly on par.

iPhone 16 Professional Max low-light video samples: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Galaxy S24 Extremely low-light video samples: 0.6x • 1x • 2x • 3x • 5x

Verdict

An iPhone vs Galaxy comparability is one other a type of barely theoretical endeavors – certain, you possibly can discover how they stack up, however it’s extra probably that you will be selecting one primarily based on ecosystem issues relatively than efficiency within the areas that are not OS-specific. So for those who’re into Apple land, get the 16 Professional Max; for those who’re an Android die-hard, the Extremely makes all of the sense.

Should you look lengthy and exhausting on the numbers and pictures on this web page, you simply would possibly discover a couple of areas the place one is objectively higher than the opposite, although. For instance, whereas the Galaxy isn’t any slouch in battery life, the iPhone provides longer endurance in our testing. Samsung counters have sooner charging. Why cannot we’ve got each on the identical telephone?

The S24 Extremely beats the iPhone in a few extra essential methods, too. One is the S Pen, which opens up many prospects for productiveness but additionally simply basic usefulness. The opposite key benefit is on the telephoto facet of the digicam system, the place the Galaxy fares higher for distant topics at a number of zoom ranges, plus it may additionally do closeups. So for those who’re not married to iOS, maybe it is price wanting into getting the S24 Extremely for its extra versatile digicam system and the built-in stylus.