iPhone 16 Professional Max vs Galaxy S24 Extremely: Which do you have to purchase?

Few smartphones command as a lot consideration and hype as Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S sequence. And whereas new iPhone releases hardly ever look thrilling on the floor, you’ll be able to all the time rely on the presence of cutting-edge efficiency and software program options. This yr is not any exception and the most recent iPhone 16 sequence additionally goes all-in on synthetic intelligence. However the query stays: has Apple introduced sufficient to the desk to go up towards the finest Android flagships of 2024? Let’s discover out on this iPhone 16 Professional Max vs Galaxy S24 Extremely comparability.

Regardless that main {hardware} advances have slowed down lately, the iPhone 16 Professional Max and Galaxy S24 Extremely nonetheless deliver loads of new options to the desk in 2024. Working example: each smartphones pack a plethora of AI methods that would prevent vital effort and time. For instance, the Galaxy AI suite presents dwell name and chat translation whereas the iPhone’s revamped Siri lastly guarantees a helpful digital assistant expertise.

However powering these options require copious quantities of processing energy, which is the place the primary main distinction between the 2 telephones crops up. The Galaxy S24 Extremely depends on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, presently the quickest Android chip available on the market.

Nevertheless, Apple’s A18 Professional within the newest iPhone pulls forward because it’s constructed on a more moderen 3nm chip structure. This interprets to raised efficiency and effectivity, making the iPhone 16 Professional Max roughly 15% quicker than its predecessor whereas sipping 20% much less energy. The A18 Professional’s GPU has improved leaps and bounds this era too, permitting Apple to showcase console-grade AAA video games operating on the iPhone.

In a shock twist, the iPhone 16 Professional Max packs a bigger show than Samsung’s flagship. The lead is extraordinarily slim, although, particularly because the iPhone’s nook radius eats into a few of the 6.9-inch canvas. The Galaxy S24 Extremely additionally delivers as much as 2,600 nits of peak brightness, whereas the iPhone 16 Professional Max tops out at 2,000 nits beneath direct daylight. The Samsung flagship’s anti-reflective show additionally makes outside visibility higher than the specs would recommend.

Apple continues to supply MagSafe on all of its smartphones for handy wi-fi charging and equipment, however extra on that within the part on charging under. The iPhone 16 Professional Max additionally has two different {hardware} options going for it vs the Galaxy S24 Extremely. The primary is Emergency SOS, which permits the cellphone to instantly connect with satellites overhead. Throughout the coming months, the characteristic can even mean you can name for roadside help along with emergency providers. The iPhone 16 sequence additionally brings a brand new Digital camera Management button, which we’ll focus on within the digicam part under.

Having stated that, the shortage of those options on the S24 Extremely is considerably compensated by the inclusion of Samsung’s wonderful S Pen. Even if you happen to by no means doodle or draw for enjoyable, the comfort of tactile note-taking is simple and motive sufficient to select up the S24 Extremely over every other cellphone. It additionally manages this feat with out compromising on runtime — the 5,000mAh battery is as giant as you may get.

Circling again to software program, the iPhone 16 Professional Max and Galaxy S24 Extremely are poles aside even when Apple has added a bunch of customization to its smartphone working system lately. The iPhone has a bunch of ecosystem options to its credit score, together with exclusives like AirTag assist. Samsung’s One UI, in the meantime, is much more customizable than the common Android cellphone due to official aftermarket apps like Good Lock and Professional RAW.

Lastly, Samsung’s Galaxy AI has an enormous benefit in that every one of its options can be found proper now — no ready required. Apple Intelligence, in the meantime, seems extra promising on paper however now we have to attend a number of months for the entire options to land. Lots of the headlining options, together with the revamped Siri, will solely arrive in early 2025.

If imitation is the sincerest type of flattery, Apple needs to be feeling very pleased with itself as Samsung gave its Galaxy S24 Extremely a titanium body shortly after final yr’s iPhone adopted the steel. The most recent iPhone 16 Professional telephones refine that materials selection additional with a micro-blasted texture. Regardless, each the Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone 16 Professional Max characteristic flat facet rails that appear and feel premium.

Nevertheless, that’s the place the design similarities finish — the iPhone 16 Professional Max retains Apple’s softer and rounded corners whereas the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s corners stay squared off. Which form you favor extra will come down to private choice, however know that each telephones are a few of the largest available on the market. I personally desire the expansive canvas of the Galaxy S24 Extremely, particularly due to the included S Pen.

As for colours, Samsung brings much more to the desk with as many as seven colours to select from if you happen to order from its official retailer. Whereas Apple has added a brand new Desert Titanium shade to the lineup this yr, it’s nonetheless a comparatively muted affair general.

The Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone 16 Professional Max have a few of the finest digicam methods available on the market, however Samsung has a small benefit with its 200MP main sensor and an additional telephoto lens for 3x zoom pictures. The S24 Extremely has regressed a bit vs its predecessor, as we misplaced the 10x periscope zoom on the S23 Extremely to get a 5x shooter with greater decision this era. It’s a win for Apple, although, because the iPhone 16 Professional Max now matches Samsung’s flagship when it comes to optical zoom vary.

For its half, the iPhone 16 Professional Max boasts a higher-resolution 48MP ultrawide sensor vs the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s 12MP shooter. As somebody that makes liberal use of the ultrawide to suit extra of a scene into the body, I want Samsung moved to the next decision sensor. Nonetheless, listed here are some pattern pictures from the S24 Extremely’s digicam system.

These minor variations apart, although, you received’t discover any main deal-breaking image high quality variations between the 2 smartphones. That stated, we’ve written extensively about how Samsung’s S24 Extremely can’t deal with fast-moving topics as gracefully because the competitors. When you steadily shoot photographs of pets and folks, I’d give the iPhone 16 Professional Max a slight edge for that reason alone.

The iPhone 16 sequence additionally homes a brand new button devoted to digicam management. It’s a capacitive button, that means it could register gentle touches and swipes along with presses. With the digicam app open, you’ll be able to slide your finger throughout the button to zoom and press right down to seize a shot. A lighter press will deliver up an choices menu and Apple is engaged on a dual-stage operate that emulates conventional cameras — a lightweight press to lock focus and publicity and a deeper press to have interaction the shutter.

The Galaxy S24 Extremely has a distant shutter, due to the included S Pen’s Bluetooth functionality. Coming out the stylus and urgent its button will seize a shot at an affordable distance, offered you may have the digicam app open.

Even if you’re an influence person, you received’t simply deplete the batteries within the iPhone 16 Professional Max and Galaxy S24 Extremely. You may thank the massive batteries in each smartphones for that.

In our testing of Samsung’s flagship, we discovered that the cellphone achieved 24 hours of 4K video playback on a single cost. Solely avid gamers and photobugs should attain for a charger earlier within the day, however we nonetheless extracted three to 4 steady hours in these apps. With extra combined utilization, you’ll be able to persist with in a single day charging with out the necessity for top-ups all through the day. We’re nonetheless reviewing the iPhone 16 sequence however the brand new chip and huge battery ought to yield wonderful outcomes, particularly given Apple’s wonderful software program optimization.

Apple’s MagSafe expertise, first launched on the iPhone 12, has seen its first main development with this iPhone era. Particularly, the iPhone 16 sequence helps 25W of wi-fi charging with Apple’s newest MagSafe puck. Samsung additionally didn’t undertake the Qi2 wi-fi charging customary, that means it lacks the ring of magnets that make MagSafe attainable. This implies slower Qi wi-fi charging at 15W and no assist for the in depth magnetic accent ecosystem.

Nevertheless, Samsung takes a small lead in wired charging — the S24 Extremely can absolutely cost up inside an hour when plugged right into a 45W USB PD PPS charger. The iPhone 16 Professional Max nonetheless solely requires a 30W adapter, that means a 0 to 100% cost will take over 90 minutes, just like prior generations.

Samsung hiked the value of its flagship cellphone this era, that means the Galaxy S24 Extremely will set you again $1,299. Fortunately, a number of months have handed since its launch and you’ll steadily discover the cellphone on sale for a lot lower than that.

The iPhone 16 Professional Max, alternatively, retains its predecessor’s $1,199 beginning value. Nevertheless, the caveat to this value is that Apple doesn’t supply reductions on its MSRP. The launch value will stick till late subsequent yr when the highest-end fashions usually get discontinued and changed. You may pre-order the iPhone 16 sequence proper now, with normal availability slated for September 20.

With that in thoughts, it’s the perfect time to purchase both cellphone from a worth perspective. The Galaxy S24 Extremely is now not as costly because it as soon as was and the iPhone 16 Professional Max received’t get any cheaper if you happen to wait a number of months.

Few smartphones can dare to command a 4 digit price ticket however the iPhone 16 Professional Max and Galaxy S24 Extremely comfortably clear that bar. In your cash, you get cutting-edge {hardware}, effectively over half a decade of software program assist, and complete AI suites. This makes selecting one over the opposite much more difficult, so let’s check out every smartphone’s strengths.

The Galaxy S24 Extremely is arguably probably the greatest Android telephones cash should purchase and likewise the most costly, barring foldables. However it’s additionally uniquely positioned available on the market. You received’t discover a S Pen elsewhere and Samsung’s wonderful characteristic assist, from the inclusion of Galaxy AI to DeX, make it much more compelling.

The iPhone 16 Professional Max could seem iterative at first look, however the brand new A18 Professional chip is technically quicker and the flurry of Apple Intelligence options supply a barely extra cohesive expertise than every other smartphone AI suite. The one draw back is that you simply’ll have to attend a number of months for it to land. The brand new Digital camera Management button, Emergency SOS by way of Satellite tv for pc, and enhanced MagSafe capabilities of this era are additionally vital worth provides.

Which smartphone would you quite purchase?