This review compares the latest iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G launched in early 2021. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is officially launched on 14 Sep 2021 at the Apple online event at 1PM ET., and the launch also includes Apple Watch 7, iPad Mini, and Airpods 3.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G was launched in January this year, which means Apple has 9 more months of time put into the development of the new iPhone 13 design. This comparison feels like the “battle of the titans”, between two of the most popular smartphone series in recent years. However, both brands need to look behind their back at other upcoming black horses who are still chasing or has already broken new records with better design.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Read also: What are the Pro Features in iPhone 13 Pro?
Compare Physical Specs[tie_index]Compare Physical Specs[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | S21 Ultra 5G | iPhone 12 Pro Max (5G) |
| Release Date | 14-Sep-21 | 14-Jan-21 | 13-Nov-21 |
| Form Factor | |||
| Size | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65mm 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.3 in | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm 6.5 x 2.98 x 0.35 in | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4mm 6.3 x 3.1 x 0.29 in |
| Weight | 238g (8.4 oz) | 227 g (8.01 oz) | 226 g (8 oz) |
| IP Rating | IP68 (6m for 30mins) IEC standard 60529 | IP68 (1.5m for 30mins) IEC standard 60529 | IP68 (6m for 30mins) IEC standard 60529 |
| Material | Front: Ceramic shield, crack and scratch-resistant Back: Textured matt glass Frame: Stainless steel | Front & Back: Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus™ Aluminium frame | Front: Ceramic shield. Back: Textured matt glass Frame: Stainless steel |
| Colours | Graphite, Gold, Silver, Sierra Blue | Phantom black, silver, navy, titanium, brown. | Silver, graphite, gold, pacific blue |
Compare iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G: The iPhone 13 Pro Max is slightly heavier than both S21 Ultra 5G and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The 7.65mm thickness is slightly thicker than the iPhone 12 Pro by about 0.25mm, but it is still significantly thinner than the S21 Ultra by a hefty 14%. If we consider adding a casing for the S21 Ultra, the overall thickness will exceed 10mm.
The length and width remain as last years’ model, which means it will fit well into those tight sports pouches that you have been using for the iPhone 12 Pro.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max continues to use the ceramic shield, which based on our review, shows that it is stronger than earlier versions of Corning Gorilla Glass used by Samsung Galaxy phones. In tests conducted, the screen do not crack as easily as the Samsung, proving that the “Ceramic Shield” of the iPhone is better than the earlier Gorilla Glass such as the ones on Galaxy Note 10.
Although both phones have an IP68 rating, they have different specifications. For the iPhone 13 and 12 Pro, they are certified to a depth of 6 meters in water and for 30 mins. Whereas for the Samsung Galaxy S21, the IP68 rating is certified to 1.5 meters for 30mins, which is much shallower. Unless you need to bring the phone for diving, the depth should not be a concern.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Read more: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the new Galaxy Note?
Compare Display[tie_index]Compare Display[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | S21 Ultra 5G | iPhone 12 Pro Max (5G) |
| Display | |||
| Screen Type | Super Retina XDR display | Dynamic AMOLED 2X | Super Retina XDR display |
| Screen Size | 6.7″ | 6.8″ | 6.7″ |
| Resolution | 2778×1284 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio, 458 ppi | 3200 x 1440 pixels, 20:9 ratio, 515 PPI | 2778×1284 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio, 458 ppi |
| Brightness Max | 1000 nits max brightness (typical); 1,200 nits max brightness (HDR) | 1500 nits peak (typ) | 800 nits max brightness (typical); 1,200 nits max brightness (HDR) |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz, adaptive | 120 Hz, dynamic | 120 Hz, adaptive |
| Color Gamut | Wide Color (P3) | DCI-P3 | Wide Color (P3) |
| Eye Care | True Tone | Eye comfort shield | True Tone |
The differences between the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Galaxy Ultra 5G are about the same as last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max, except for the change in maximum brightness from 800 to 1000 nits.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Main Difference between Super Retina XDR display and Samsung Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Both Apple Super Retina XDR display and Samsung Dynamic AMOLED 2X are based on OLED technology at least on the surface. If you are interested go underneath to understand the transistors, and capacitors, then check out AMOLED at Wikipedia for now.
What is relevant to consumers is that the Super Retina XDR display supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG format videos, while the Samsung display supports HDR10 and HDR10+ but not Dolby Vision.
HDR10+ as announced by Samsung and Amazon in 2017, is an update to the HDR10 by additional dynamic metadata used for more accurate brightness levels up to 10,000 nits, 10-bit color depth, and 8K resolution.
Both Apple and Samsung displays have been upgraded in recent years to support dynamic refresh rates from 60 Hz up to 120 Hz. The ability to automatically adjust the refresh rate helps to deliver the best quality image at the right time while saving the battery when it is not required.
The specifications may also show that the Samsung Galaxy is significantly brighter but all OLED displays might experience reduced brightness levels as the display ages over time. This is a common issue that could still happen to all consumer electronic products using OLED.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Compare Hardware[tie_index]Compare Hardware[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | S21 Ultra 5G |
| Hardware & OS | ||
| OS | Apple iOS 15 | Android 11, One UI 3.1 |
| Chipset | A15 Bionic chip (5nm) | Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 888 5nm power-efficient |
| Processor | New 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores New 16‑core Neural Engine | USA/China: Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680) Worldwide: Octa-core (1×2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3×2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5 cores) | Mali-G78 MP14 Adreno™ 660 GPU |
| RAM/Storage | 6GB/128GB, 6GB/256GB, 6GB/512GB, 6GB/1TB (NVMe) note: RAM info TBC | 12GB/128GB, 12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB, 16GB/512GB (UFS 3.1) |
| SIM Card | Single Nano SIM + eSIM Dual eSIM support | Dual Nano SIM or Single Nano SIM and eSIM |
| Security | Face ID | 2D Face unlock, In-screen fingerprint (Ultrasonic) |
| Stylus Support | No | Yes, S Pen |
| Sensors | Face ID Accelerometer LiDAR Scanner Three-axis gyro Digital compass Ambient Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Barometer | Face Recognition Fingerprint Sensor (Ultrasonic) Accelerometer Gyro Sensor Geomagnetic Sensor Hall Sensor Light Sensor Proximity Sensor Barometer |
The iPhone 13 Pro has a new 5nm A15 Bionic with a new 6-core processor, 16-core neural engine, and 5-core GPU. The new processors are more powerful with more features but are also energy efficient. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 which is commonly used for most high-end Android phones now.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Compare Processor Benchmarks
In December 2020, Qualcomm released the following set of benchmark results for their new Snapdragon 888, which shows the improvements over the older A13, but loses out to the A14 on the iPhone 12 Pro. Based on the following results, therefore we can extrapolate safely to say that the A15 will be faster than the Snapdragon 888 used by most Android phone today.
Stylus and Fingerprint Sensor
The iPhone 13 Pro Max still has no stylus support and fingerprint sensor, despite the fact that Face ID is not going to work with a mask on during the ongoing pandemic. The fingerprint sensor has been used widely as a security feature in many types of devices and with a very long history. They have been used not just on phones, but computers, notebooks, and door security systems. Whoever suggested removing this feature on a smart device is not so smart.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Apple Dual eSIM
The other advantage is that Apple is introducing a new dual eSIM support in addition to one physical Nano SIM card. However, only two SIMs (eSIM or Nano SIM) can be active at any time, which means:
- Two eSIM (as long as Telco can support)
- One Nano-SIM and one eSIM
Users are required to assign the primary and secondary phone, and to pick either one as a “default”. By default, the iPhone uses the same number that was last used for a particular contact. If the contact is new, then the iPhone will use the default number, or the user can specify which number to use to call the contact.
Compare Battery[tie_index]Compare Battery[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | S21 Ultra 5G |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 4,400 mAH. Non-removable. (16.75 Wh) | 5000mAh (typ), non-removable. |
| Type | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion |
| Wired Charging | Fast charging 20W 50% in 30 min | Fast Charging 25W |
| Wireless Charging | MagSafe charging up to 15W Qi charging up to 7.5W | Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W |
| Reverse Wireless Charging | No | 4.5W |
Comparison of battery performance between models is normally done by comparing both the battery capacity and playback time. The iPhone 13 Pro battery capacity was not shown on Apple’s website but was found via a filing posted at 9to5Mac. Even when the iPhone 13 Pro has a much smaller battery than the two, the official specs stated an impressive playback time of up to 22 hours video playback and 75 hours audio playback.
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G charges slightly faster than iPhone 13 Pro when using USB-C wire. For wireless charging, both phones have the same speed theoretically, assuming they are using 15W chargers.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Ever since Galaxy Note 10, Samsung has included reverse wireless charging called “PowerShare” in all its devices. The PowerShare function allows the phone to wirelessly charge other devices up to 4.5W. This feature can be used to charge any devices that support Qi wireless charging and is independent of the brand.
Also Read: Compare iPhone 13 Pro Max Vs Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
Compare Cameras[tie_index]Compare Cameras[/tie_index]
| Tech Specs | iPhone 13 Pro Max (5G) | Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G |
| Rear Camera | ||
| Resolution | 12 MP, f/1.5 (wide) 12 MP, f/2.8 (telephoto) 12 MP, f/1.8, 120˚ (ultrawide) TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) | Quad Camera: 108 MP(wide) f/1.8, 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, 83 deg FOV, 24mm 12 MP(ultrawide) f/2.2, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, 120 deg FOV, 13mm 10 MP(telephoto), f/2.4, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, 72mm, 3xOptical Zoom 10 MP(telephoto), f/4.9, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, 240mm, 10xOptical Zoom |
| Camera Features | – 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; – 6x optical zoom range – Digital zoom up to 15x – Night mode portraits enabled by LiDAR Scanner – Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control – Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) – Dual optical image stabilization (Telephoto and Wide) – Sensor‑shift optical image stabilization (Wide) – Six‑element lens (Telephoto and Ultra Wide); seven‑element lens (Wide) – True Tone flash with Slow Sync – Panorama (up to 63MP) – Sapphire crystal lens cover – 100% Focus Pixels (Wide) – Night mode – Deep Fusion – Smart HDR 4 – Photographic Styles – Macro photography – Apple ProRAW – Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos – Lens correction (Ultra Wide) – Advanced red‑eye correction – Photo geotagging – Auto image stabilization – Burst mode – Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG | – LED flash – Auto-HDR – Panorama – Scene optimizer – Shot suggestions – Filter and beauty effects – Night mode – Portrait mode – Food mode – Tracking auto-focus – Scan QR codes – Location tags – AR Emoji – Super Speed Dual Pixel AF (Ultra-Wide) – PDAF, OIS (Wide) – dual pixel PDAF (telephoto) – Space Zoom –>Dual Optical Zoom 3x, 10x –>Super Resolution Zoom up to 100x – OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) – Laser AF – Format and advanced options (HEIF/Raw copies/UW shape correction) |
| Video recording | 4K: 24/25/30/60fps 1080p: 25/30/60fps 720p: 30fps | 8K: 24 fps 4K: 30/60fps 1080p: 60 /240fps 720p: 30/960fps |
| Features: | – Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps) – HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps – ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB storage)* – Dual optical image stabilisation for video (Telephoto and Wide) – Sensor‑shift optical image stabilisation for video (Wide) – 3x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 6x optical zoom range – Digital zoom up to 9x – Audio zoom – True Tone flash – QuickTake video – Slow-motion video support for 1080p at 120 fps or 240 fps – Time-lapse video with stabilisation – Night mode Time‑lapse – Cinematic video stabilisation (4K, 1080p and 720p) – Continuous autofocus video – Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video – Playback zoom – Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264 – Stereo recording | – VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization) – HDR 10+ videos – Auto HDR – HEVC format – Portrait mode – Director’s view mode – Pro video mode – Super Slow-Mo Mode – Slow motion mode – Hyperlapse mode – Digital zoom up to 12x – High CRI LED Flash – Tracking AF – Take 33MP still photos while playing 8K video – Playback zoom – Video location tags |
| Front Camera | ||
| Resolution | 12 MP, f/2.2 | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.7µm |
| Video capture: | 4K: 24/25/30/60fps 1080p: 25/30/60fps | 4K:30/60fps 1080p:30fps |
| Features: | – Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control – Portrait Lighting with six effects (Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, High‑Key Mono) – Animoji and Memoji – Night mode – Deep Fusion – Smart HDR 4 – Photographic Styles – Apple ProRAW – Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps) – HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps – ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB storage)* – Slo‑mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps – Time‑lapse video with stabilization – Night mode Time‑lapse – Cinematic video stabilization (4K, 1080p, and 720p) – QuickTake video – Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos – Lens correction – Retina Flash – Auto image stabilization – Burst mode | – Dual video call – Auto HDR – Wide angle for group selfies – Save selfies as previewed – Set selfie color tone – AR Emoji – OIS – PDAF |
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Rear Camera Features
The table above summarises the camera features which we will not cover in detail in this review that compare iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. If there is one feature that you need before you can decide which phone to buy, then you will need to research deeper into the haystack like a professional photographer.
For the hardware, we will say iPhone 13 Pro Max has an advantage with the LiDAR scanner, which is useful for capture 3D imaging and can measure distance up to 5 meters. It is useful to for 3D scanning and interior design.
Another feature of the iPhone 13 series worth highlighting is the Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization which uses the camera sensor to “shift” and stabilize during video recording rather than moving the lens. It is assessed to be better and produce better quality videos than the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) used by Samsung Galaxy.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Front Camera Features
It is apparent in the above table that Apple has placed a lot of emphasis on the design of a front-facing selfie camera, with enough features that rival the rear camera. Users can record up to 4K high resolution, cinematic mode, night mode, and stabilization. This could be the deciding factor for many users especially with the popularity of selfies. Samsung Galaxy S22 has quite a bit to catch up but until there, iPhone Pro 13 has an impressive front camera that is hard to beat.
Conclusion[tie_index]Conclusion[/tie_index]
When we compare iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, we did not include connectivity in our review above because the specifications are the same for both phones, except that Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has Tri-Band Wi-Fi, which includes 2.4G+5GHz+6GHz. So far, most of the devices in the market support up to dual-band, however, we do not feel this would affect our buying decisions.
Based on our review, this is our take:
- We will pick iPhone 13 Pro Max if we need both a good rear and front camera for photography and video recording. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is also compatible with a wider range of video formats, including the Dolby Vision which is missing on the Galaxy S21.
- On the other hand, we will pick Samsung Galaxy S21 5G Ultra for its USB-C connector, Stylus (S-Pen), fingerprint sensor, and PowerShare.
- Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max | Buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Unlocked
Read more:
Apple iPhone 13 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 5G Comparison
Main Differences of iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Compare iPhone 13 Pro Max vs iPhone 11 Pro Max
