Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the top of the line in the Samsung Galaxy S21 Series and Apple already released iPhone 12 Pro Max. Both phones being flagships and premium smartphones, here’s the comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Specs Comparison
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.8 inches 3200x1440 pixels 120Hz HDR10+ | 6.7 inches 2778x1284 pixels 60Hz HDR |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 / Exynos 2100 | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Storage & RAM | 12GB / 16GB 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 6GB 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Battery & Charging | 5,000 mAh | 3,678 mAh |
| Dimensions | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4mm |
| Camera | Rear: 108MP f/1.7 (wide) 10 MP 3x Zoom, f/2.4 (Telephoto 1) 10MP 10x Zoom, f/4.9 (Telephoto 2) 12MP f/2.2 (ultra-wide) Laser AF Sensor Front: 40MP f/2.2 | Rear: 12MP f/1.6 (wide) 12MP 2x Zoom, f/2.2 (Telephoto) 12MP f/2.4 (ultra-wide) Front: 12MP f/2.2 |
| IP Rating | IP-68 | IP-68 |
| Starting Price | $1,199 / £1,149 | $1,099 / £1,099 |
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max & S21 Ultra UK Deals
Design & Display
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max are almost similar in terms of size and even the display of Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is similar, with 6.7 inches on the iPhone 12 Pro Max and 6.8 inches. Both phones are glass back but in the front things are a bit, S21 Ultra has a punch hole cut-out for the front camera while Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max still has the notch design but the notch is slightly smaller than previous generation of iPhone. S21 Ultra has a bigger camera module than the iPhone but it is connected to the frame on one side.
Image Credit: Apple 
Image Credit: Samsung
S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max both have IP68 certification dust and water resistance but iPhone can stay more deeper than at 6 metres vs 1.5 metres on S21 Ultra. S21 Ultra is available in Phantom Black, Phantom Silver while iPhone 12 Pro Max comes in Graphite, Silver, Gold, and Pacific Blue. There are few exclusive colours available at Samsung.com for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Samsung S21 Ultra has 6.8 inches display with 120Hz refresh rate and it also has the adaptive refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz depending content on the screen while iPhone 12 Pro Max 6.7 inches with standard 60Hz display.
Hardware, Performance & Features
Both phones as you expect have flagship processors with Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra having Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 for US market and Samsung own latest Exynos 2100 for International market. Meanwhile Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max has Apple’s A14 Bionic. A14 Bionic is a fast chip even though paired with only 6GB RAM option in iPhone 12 Pro Max while the S21 Ultra has 12GB and 16 GB RAM options depending on the storage. 12GB RAM pairs with either 128GB or 256GB internal storage and 16GB for 512GB for S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max has the same storage (128GB/256GB/512GB) option with the 6GB RAM.
Galaxy S21 Ultra runs on Android 11 with One UI and iPhone 12 Pro Max has iOS 14. Galaxy S21 Ultra has in-screen fingerprint scanner whereas iPhone relies only on Face ID. Both phones are 5G ready and can utilise 5G connectivity wherever available.
Both phones have their own kind of accessories to go with the phone. Samsung introduced SmartTags, a small tracker used for tracking using SmartThings app. Apple introduced MagSafe accessories which snap on the back of the phone. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra now also supports S-Pen even though not all features are available from Note series. S-Pen is not available with the phone unlike Note Series and is sold separately. In terms of things not included with the phone, both Apple and Samsung have not gone away with charger in the box and you will need to buy one separately.
S21 Ultra is packed with 5,000 mAh battery while iPhone 12 Pro Max has 3,678 mAh battery. Even with 3,678 mAh battery iPhone 12 Pro Max last a whole day while S21 Ultra have bigger battery but bright display and slightly larger screen which might drain battery a bit faster but should really last a day but would need to tested in actual usage and test.
Both S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro Max have wireless charging and fast charging but S21 Ultra also has reverse wireless charging to charge Galaxy Buds or smartwatch.
Camera
Apple have a history of great photos from its lenses and also great videos but Samsung isn’t that far behind especially with all those versatile lens and zoom capabilities. S21 Ultra has the new 108MP main sensor, two 10MP Telephoto lens one with 3x optical zoom and other with 10x optical zoom and 12MP ultra-wide lens.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max has 12MP main sensor, 12MP telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom, 12MP ultra-wide lens and LiDAR scanner for depth information.
In terms of Front camera, S21 Ultra 40MP f/2.2 camera while iPhone 12 Pro Max has 12MP f/2.2. Both phones should have great picture quality and should produce great photos.
Price & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at $1,199 / £1,149, for which you’ll get a 128GB model. It’s easy to do a direct comparison with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, as that also starts with 128GB of storage, for which you’ll pay $1,099 / £1,099.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max is available right now while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is available for Pre-Order and will be available to buy from 29th January 2021.
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