I put the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max through a 7-round face-off — here’s the winner

[admin]

Samsung and Apple's top phones battled it out to be crowned champion, and in the end one phone barely ekes out a win. We'll take you through the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max contest blow-by-blow here.

I put the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs iPhone 15 Pro Max through a 7-round face-off — here’s the winner : Read more

 

[s24user]

Price/Availability:

"Those Samsung preorder offers do let you save up to $550 via trade-in, but Apple offers a similar rebate for trade-ins when you buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max. A Samsung offer does let you move up to the next tier of storage at no extra cost."

Not true. In the US, the maximum trade-in for a Galaxy s24 ultra is $750, which is what you get for trading-in a Galaxy s23 Ultra, or an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

I just traded-in my s23 ultra for an s24 ultra and got a $750 trade-in discount, plus an additional $150 discount, plus $100 in credit that I could use to buy other things from Samsung. So, the s24 Ultra with 1TB of storage cost me a little over $700 with trade-in.

Display:

"as the test results here show, the iPhone does have a noticeable advantage with color accuracy and peak brightness, even if the Samsung wins with a higher color gamut coverage percentage"

Again, this is not true. Almost every review published to date proclaims the S24 Ultra's screen to be brighter than that of iPhone's. Fact: Samsung increased the brightness of the S24 Ultra to 2,600 nits. For comparison, the S23 Ultra was 1750 nits, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 2,000 nits. But somehow, you have incorrectly determined the opposite.

Furthermore, you have completely overlooked one other very important aspect of the Display (perhaps because it is entirely self-evident that the S24 is vastly superior to the iPhone in that aspect?): I'm talking about the anti-glare properties of the display, where the S24's Gorilla Glass Armor screen reflects far less light than the iPhone's screen. In fact, it reflects 75% less ambient light than the S23 Ultra, and every other flagship on the market today (this will change, as it is already a forgone conclusion that every major flagship will adopt Gorilla Glass Armor, because it is a game-changer).

See this SamMoble article

And have a look at this:

If you don't see an image above this, you can see it here:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEafjFxa8AA-RoH?format=jpg&name=medium

That's the iPhone on top, and the S24 Ultra below it.

Ignoring this aspect of display performance pretty-much invalidates your entire comparison, so I will not bother to continue shredding the rest of it, other than to point out the things you overlooked, which allowed you to arrive at your bottom-line verdict:

You don't even mention the most-notable AI-based feature of the Galaxy S24 series, which is in-call translation between two parties speaking different languages.

In the camera department, you also seem to ignore the obvious advantages of a 50-megapixel, 5x optical zoom configuration, verses a 12-megapixel 5x optical zoom configuration, which contains only 25% of the information the former contains.

The S24 Ultra's optical 5x 50mp camera actually produces better telephoto shots than the S23's optical 10x 10mp camera. And of course, it produces far-better telephoto shots than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

So, to arrive at the bottom-line verdict you presented, required you to overlook many advantages the looser has over the winner, which pretty much invalidates this entire journalistic exercise.

The reality (as evidenced by an overwhelming consensus thus far) is that the S24 Ultra has the iPhone beat in almost every category except raw-performance.

 

[bluvsbjy]

Price/Availability:

"Those Samsung preorder offers do let you save up to $550 via trade-in, but Apple offers a similar rebate for trade-ins when you buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max. A Samsung offer does let you move up to the next tier of storage at no extra cost."

Not true. In the US, the maximum trade-in for a Galaxy s24 ultra is $750, which is what you get for trading-in a Galaxy s23 Ultra.

I just traded-in my s23 ultra for an s24 ultra and got a $750 trade-in discount, plus an additional $150 discount, plus $100 in credit that I could use to buy other things from Samsung. So, the s24 Ultra with 1TB of storage cost me a little over $700 with trade-in.

Display:

"as the test results here show, the iPhone does have a noticeable advantage with color accuracy and peak brightness, even if the Samsung wins with a higher color gamut coverage percentage"

Again, this is not true. Almost every review published to date proclaims the S24 Ultra's screen to be brighter than that of iPhone's. Fact: Samsung increased the brightness of the S24 Ultra to 2,600 nits. For comparison, the S23 Ultra was 1750 nits, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 2,000 nits. But somehow, you have incorrectly determined the opposite.

Furthermore, you have completely overlooked one other very important aspect of the Display (perhaps because it is entirely self-evident that the S24 is vastly superior to the iPhone in that aspect?): I'm talking about the anti-glare properties of the display, where the S24's Gorilla Glass Armor screen reflects far less light than the iPhone's screen. In fact, it reflects 75% less ambient light than the S23 Ultra, and have a look at this:

That's the iPhone on top, and the S24 Ultra below it.

Ignoring this aspect of display performance pretty-much invalidates your entire comparison, so I will not bother to continue shredding the rest of it, other than to point out the things you overlooked, which allowed you to arrive at your bottom-line verdict:

You don't even mention the most-notable AI-based feature of the Galaxy S24 series, which is in-call translation between two parties speaking different languages.

In the camera department, you also seem to ignore the obvious advantages of a 50-megapixel, 5x optical zoom configuration, verses a 12-megapixel 5x optical zoom configuration, which contains only 25% of the information the former contains.

The S24 Ultra's optical 5x 50mp camera actually produces better telephoto shots than the S23's optical 10x 10mp camera. And of course, it produces far-better telephoto shots than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

So, to arrive at the bottom-line verdict you presented, required you to overlook many advantages the looser has over the winner, which pretty much invalidates this entire journalistic exercise.

The reality (as evidenced by an overwhelming consensus thus far) is that the S24 Ultra has the iPhone beat in almost every category except raw-performance.

You saved me an itemized retort of truth for this article. This Tom's Guide website continues to misrepresent the truth when it comes to the iPhone and other Apple products. The S24 Ultra is objectively the better phone from price options, to screen quality, to features, and intangibles. I believe an article like this and the arbitrary 10 and 15 point grading criteria is a good candidate for civil litigation. It represents the ongoing assault on objective truth and measurable facts! The bottom line is, This Article is FULL of Biased LIES!

 

[mhartman.art]

You saved me an itemized retort of truth for this article. This Tom's Guide website continues to misrepresent the truth when it comes to the iPhone and other Apple products. The S24 Ultra is objectively the better phone from price options, to screen quality, to features, and intangibles. I believe an article like this and the arbitrary 10 and 15 point grading criteria is a good candidate for civil litigation. It represents the ongoing assault on objective truth and measurable facts! The bottom line is, This Article is FULL of Biased LIES!

I mean, I agree with the points highlighted in terms of the S24 being measurably better than the iP15, and that there is well-known bias with many of the writers working with TG in obvious favor of Apple, but, I mean, I don't really get all the angst, as if someone just insulted a loved one. It's literally just a gadget.

Ultimately, unless you sit on the board for Samsung, who honestly cares what some random writer thinks of a gadget? People like what they like and prefer what they prefer. They're going to follow their own preferences regardless.

I own a S23U+. I like it. My fiance owns a iP14 Pro, and she likes it. We're both productive with our respective tool of choice, stuff gets done.

We've also never had a single disagreement or debate over Samsung vs. Apple. We're too busy loving one another to waste our limited time arguing over some gadgets. Who cares?

Buy whatever you want.

 

[COLGeek]

Please focus on the technical aspects of the topic. If you disagree with something, back it up with facts/sources.

Personal attacks and insults will not be tolerated.

Thank you.

 

[COLGeek]

Just to be clear, every time a new flagship product hits the market, these sorts of comparisons are made and people get excited (in both good and bad ways) about them.

The staff shills for no one. Period. Bias isn't a factor and over time all major manufacturers have come out on top (and not) over the years.

Objectivity matters. As does personal preference. It is possible to disagree without becoming disagreeable.

Thank you for participating in a dynamic discussion. Options and competition are good things for consumers. Embrace it.

 

[Kobarty]

"Bias isn't a factor..." Bias is an inevitable and inescapable part of the human experience. Like it or not, we all have biases, both good an bad. To suggest otherwise seems dishonest.

On the subject of the article, both phones are amazing phones, but it does seem odd that the writer omitted several key features, as well as misrepresented the screen performance.

 

[COLGeek]

"Bias isn't a factor..." Bias is an inevitable and inescapable part of the human experience. Like it or not, we all have biases, both good an bad. To suggest otherwise seems dishonest.

On the subject of the article, both phones are amazing phones, but it does seem odd that the writer omitted several key features, as well as misrepresented the screen performance.

True, but you have to apply the entire statement. Over time, every manufacturer has had winners and losers in terms of comparisons. There is no manufacturer/brand bias (or shilling) inherent over the span of time.

People often project their own biases, as you rightly point out, when a review does not align with their preference/choice.

'Tis all good as long as folks maintain civility and objectivity.

 

[Fonts]

Price/Availability:

"Those Samsung preorder offers do let you save up to $550 via trade-in, but Apple offers a similar rebate for trade-ins when you buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max. A Samsung offer does let you move up to the next tier of storage at no extra cost."

Not true. In the US, the maximum trade-in for a Galaxy s24 ultra is $750, which is what you get for trading-in a Galaxy s23 Ultra.

I just traded-in my s23 ultra for an s24 ultra and got a $750 trade-in discount, plus an additional $150 discount, plus $100 in credit that I could use to buy other things from Samsung. So, the s24 Ultra with 1TB of storage cost me a little over $700 with trade-in.

Display:

"as the test results here show, the iPhone does have a noticeable advantage with color accuracy and peak brightness, even if the Samsung wins with a higher color gamut coverage percentage"

Again, this is not true. Almost every review published to date proclaims the S24 Ultra's screen to be brighter than that of iPhone's. Fact: Samsung increased the brightness of the S24 Ultra to 2,600 nits. For comparison, the S23 Ultra was 1750 nits, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is 2,000 nits. But somehow, you have incorrectly determined the opposite.

Furthermore, you have completely overlooked one other very important aspect of the Display (perhaps because it is entirely self-evident that the S24 is vastly superior to the iPhone in that aspect?): I'm talking about the anti-glare properties of the display, where the S24's Gorilla Glass Armor screen reflects far less light than the iPhone's screen. In fact, it reflects 75% less ambient light than the S23 Ultra, and have a look at this:

That's the iPhone on top, and the S24 Ultra below it.

Ignoring this aspect of display performance pretty-much invalidates your entire comparison, so I will not bother to continue shredding the rest of it, other than to point out the things you overlooked, which allowed you to arrive at your bottom-line verdict:

You don't even mention the most-notable AI-based feature of the Galaxy S24 series, which is in-call translation between two parties speaking different languages.

In the camera department, you also seem to ignore the obvious advantages of a 50-megapixel, 5x optical zoom configuration, verses a 12-megapixel 5x optical zoom configuration, which contains only 25% of the information the former contains.

The S24 Ultra's optical 5x 50mp camera actually produces better telephoto shots than the S23's optical 10x 10mp camera. And of course, it produces far-better telephoto shots than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

So, to arrive at the bottom-line verdict you presented, required you to overlook many advantages the looser has over the winner, which pretty much invalidates this entire journalistic exercise.

The reality (as evidenced by an overwhelming consensus thus far) is that the S24 Ultra has the iPhone beat in almost every category except raw-performance.

This review is so biased it HURTS!

@COLGeek trying to gaslight us for pointing it out is even worse!

This is not the first time time I sniff a biased article around here but this was is absurd!

Thank you @s24user for listing everything here with FACTS!

@COLGeek Just be better.....

 

[COLGeek]

This review is so biased it HURTS!

@COLGeek trying to gaslight us for pointing it out is even worse!

This is not the first time time I sniff a biased article around here but this was is absurd!

Thank you @s24user for listing everything here with FACTS!

@COLGeek Just be better.....

There are hundreds of previous reviews and comparisons that elicit cries of outrage from Team X over Team Y. That is a fact and not meant to diminish anyone's preferences.

So is Tom's shilling for (or against) everyone?

I think the previous bias comment (not mine) is showing through just a bit.

It is okay to not agree with what someone writes. It just needs to be done without resorting to insults and accusations.

 

[MichaelMann]

"Bias isn't a factor..." Bias is an inevitable and inescapable part of the human experience. Like it or not, we all have biases, both good an bad. To suggest otherwise seems dishonest.

On the subject of the article, both phones are amazing phones, but it does seem odd that the writer omitted several key features, as well as misrepresented the screen performance.

I agree. I consider myself a tech junkie and currently own flagship devices from a few of the major phone companies. I’m typing this on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, but I know my personal bias/preference is towards Samsung devices.

That said, I would like clarification on one statement in this article

"One other way the iPhone differs is its Action button key. There's no equivalent customizable button on the Galaxy S24 Ultra"

What about the side key on the S24 Ultra? Isn’t it customizable?

https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-change-side-key-settings-samsung-galaxy

And you can do even more with it if you have GoodLock installed.

 

[Tom J996]

I read the article, then thought to myself, this review looks really biased towards the apple. It was. It shouldn't have been because many of the things the s24 has, isn't even an option or available on the apple. It looks like some "draws" were clearly actual wins for the Samsung. Reading the comments proves this was an article written by someone who wanted the apple to win. The reality bites in that the apple isn't as good of a phone as the s24, and while the apple arrived after the pixel 8, the pixel 8 is a better phone than the Apple too, despite it being slightly "older".

 

[EvolvedDog]

Whoever claims the display on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is better than the display on the S24 Ultra has lost their ever-loving mind. Absolute madness.

 

[EvolvedDog]

I agree. I consider myself a tech junkie and currently own flagship devices from a few of the major phone companies. I’m typing this on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, but I know my personal bias/preference is towards Samsung devices.

That said, I would like clarification on one statement in this article

"One other way the iPhone differs is its Action button key. There's no equivalent customizable button on the Galaxy S24 Ultra"

What about the side key on the S24 Ultra? Isn’t it customizable?

https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-change-side-key-settings-samsung-galaxy

And you can do even more with it if you have GoodLock installed.

They're not even trying to cover up their bias anymore. Do they even use the Android device to write the article?

 

[s24user]

I mean, I agree with the points highlighted in terms of the S24 being measurably better than the iP15, and that there is well-known bias with many of the writers working with TG in obvious favor of Apple, but, I mean, I don't really get all the angst, as if someone just insulted a loved one. It's literally just a gadget.

Ultimately, unless you sit on the board for Samsung, who honestly cares what some random writer thinks of a gadget? People like what they like and prefer what they prefer. They're going to follow their own preferences regardless.

I own a S23U+. I like it. My fiance owns a iP14 Pro, and she likes it. We're both productive with our respective tool of choice, stuff gets done.

We've also never had a single disagreement or debate over Samsung vs. Apple. We're too busy loving one another to waste our limited time arguing over some gadgets. Who cares?

Buy whatever you want.

Outlets like this one have gotten themselves in hot water for propagating the sort of garbage being discussed here. Not to mention how unprofessional it makes them look.

A reasonable amount of objectivity is expected by the reader. Unfortunately, for most of these advertising-driven outlets, the only thing that matters is that they can get their ads in your face, not the quality of the content they use to do it. It's all about the headline, and using it to bait someone into clicking on it, at which point, their goal has been accomplished.

 

[wjbonne]

Amazing that even with your extremely biased review, if you ignore the Price category (has no place in a technical showoff, especially when the prices are so close) weighting.... the Galaxy wins instead.

I have now disabled all Tom's Guide articles from appearing in my news feed.

 

[RPriday]

I wrote this face-off so allow me to address a few things.

• The max trade-in amount for the Galaxy S24 Ultra is indeed $750, $550’s the limit you can get in trade-in credit for the base and Plus model, not the Ultra. Apologies for that, I’ll be fixing it as soon as I’m done replying.
  
  
• The anti-glare quality of the Galaxy’s display and its in-call translation ability weren't left out intentionally, so I will be adding descriptions of those too since they are noteworthy features.
  
  
• The peak brightness figures for both phones are what we measured during our own lab tests. Both are lower than their official ratings, and it is absolutely odd that the Galaxy’s ended up the lower of the two, but that’s what we found, and those are the figures we use for these comparisons.
  
  
• The 50MP telephoto camera defaults to taking photos at 12MP, the same as the iPhone. An in-depth camera test would compare both 50MP and 12MP Samsung telephoto shots to the iPhone’s, but as this is a more general comparison, I left all cameras in their default resolutions, including the Galaxy S24’s 5x telephoto and both phones’ main cameras, without enabling any pro or RAW settings.
  
  
• It is true that you can customize the function of the side key on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, as you could with previous Galaxys. Me saying there’s no equivalent of the iPhone Action button on the Galaxy was meant in the sense that there’s no dedicated multifunction button or mute switch.
  
  
• And finally while the iPhone does win this comparison, it does so by a single point, a result by no means diminishes the quality of the Galaxy. We do in fact give both the same rating in our full reviews.

https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/iphone-15-pro-max
https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra

I appreciate lots of people have strong feelings about the iPhone vs. Galaxy rivalry, and that you’ve taken the time to read and comment on this face-off article. I also hope you can see we do our best to ensure these tests are fair, and aim to write about phones and other tech as impartially as possible.

 

[bobmeyerweb]

No one really cares about these kinds of comparos, except fanboys looking for bragging right. People don't choose and iPhone or an Android based on specs and performance, they choose based on the UI / OS and the ecosystem they know best. The Galaxy could have twice the battery life, the fastest performance, and by far the best screen and none of that will entice an iPhone user to switch. And vice versa.

 

[OhHey1]

I am absolutely shocked at the false comparison. Enough that I made an account to comment. The writer of this article has an iPhone in his pocket. He not only lied repeatedly but left out a ridiculous amount of features on the s24 ultra.

Action Button? How about the side menu with 5 action buttons.....?

The iPhone has a better display lmao you lied about the brightness, the s24u is much brighter. So if samsung's s24u is bigger, higher resolution and brighter but iPhone's display wins......... okay what?

Uhhhhh how does one write an article on a phone with AI built into it and leave that out entirely?

Your trade in values are so off lol. $750 trade in, double storage for free, $50 pre order discount and $150 best buy gift card. You overlooked all that somehow.

I'm sorry but you covered 10% of camera properties for the s24u. You just took photos and compared while ignore all the features. S24u has AI for photos, circle random items in photos with your finger and AI will tell you what it is. What's iphones highest megapixel camera, 50mp? Samsung is 4x that at 200mp and offers 100x zoom. S22u, s23u and s24u all can 8k video record. How has iphone not been able to do 8k yet? But iPhone wins because you left all that out? Riiiiiiight.

This article you shared has ruined tomsguide for me. Maybe it's always been this bad and I didn't look hard enough but I'm well aware of the misrepresentation and lies now, thanks!

 

[OhHey1]

I wrote this face-off so allow me to address a few things.

• The max trade-in amount for the Galaxy S24 Ultra is indeed $750, $550’s the limit you can get in trade-in credit for the base and Plus model, not the Ultra. Apologies for that, I’ll be fixing it as soon as I’m done replying.
  
  
• The anti-glare quality of the Galaxy’s display and its in-call translation ability weren't left out intentionally, so I will be adding descriptions of those too since they are noteworthy features.
  
  
• The peak brightness figures for both phones are what we measured during our own lab tests. Both are lower than their official ratings, and it is absolutely odd that the Galaxy’s ended up the lower of the two, but that’s what we found, and those are the figures we use for these comparisons.
  
  
• The 50MP telephoto camera defaults to taking photos at 12MP, the same as the iPhone. An in-depth camera test would compare both 50MP and 12MP Samsung telephoto shots to the iPhone’s, but as this is a more general comparison, I left all cameras in their default resolutions, including the Galaxy S24’s 5x telephoto and both phones’ main cameras, without enabling any pro or RAW settings.
  
  
• It is true that you can customize the function of the side key on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, as you could with previous Galaxys. Me saying there’s no equivalent of the iPhone Action button on the Galaxy was meant in the sense that there’s no dedicated multifunction button or mute switch.
  
  
• And finally while the iPhone does win this comparison, it does so by a single point, a result by no means diminishes the quality of the Galaxy. We do in fact give both the same rating in our full reviews.

https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/iphone-15-pro-max
https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra

I appreciate lots of people have strong feelings about the iPhone vs. Galaxy rivalry, and that you’ve taken the time to read and comment on this face-off article. I also hope you can see we do our best to ensure these tests are fair, and aim to write about phones and other tech as impartially as possible.

You couldn't pay me money to trade an external flashlight button, a feature the s22u, s23u and s24u all have for the iphone's mute button. Even with the phone's display off, i can push a button and the LED instantly fires on or off. Ridiculously more handy than mute. Thanks for leaving that feature out as well.