Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $332 | $280 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 3,687 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 20W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | — | 16 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.7 in | 6.8 in |
| Refresh rate | — | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 108 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 228 g | 227 g |
| Released | Nov 2020 | Jan 2021 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is ahead on our rating, battery, wired charging, screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Display
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.7 inches | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 2778 x 1284 pixels, 458 ppi | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) |
| Brightness | 800 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak HDR) | — |
| Features | True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch, Ceramic Shield front | Always-on display, adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate |
| Protection | — | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) | — |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x Firestorm + 4x Icestorm) | — |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | — |
| Operating System | iOS 14.1, upgradable | — |
| OS | — | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 |
| Chipset (International) | — | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) |
| Chipset (USA/China) | — | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| CPU (Exynos) | — | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| CPU (Snapdragon) | — | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU (Exynos) | — | Mali-G78 MP14 |
| GPU (Snapdragon) | — | Adreno 660 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 6GB | — |
| Internal Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM |
| Card Slot | No | No |
| Type | — | UFS 3.1 |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Triple 12 MP | — |
| Wide | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS | — |
| Ultrawide | 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide) | — |
| Telephoto | 12 MP, f/2.2, 65mm (telephoto), 2.5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), LiDAR Scanner | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Quad | — | 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Dual 12 MP | — |
| Wide | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) | — |
| Features | SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor), HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Single | — | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 3687 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging 20W, 50% in 30 min (advertised) | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) |
| Weight | 228 g (8.04 oz) | 227g (Sub6), 229g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back (Gorilla Glass), stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) - for China | — |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 13, 2020 | January 14, 2021 |
| Status | Released November 13, 2020 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| OS at Launch | iOS 14.1, upgradable to latest iOS | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 3,687 mAh for the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max versus 5,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 228 g for the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max versus 227 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — Nov 2020 for the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max versus Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Is the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 9/10.