Iphone 13 pro max vs samsung s21 ultra specs

Q: Is iPhone 13 Pro Max camera better than Samsung S21 Ultra?

The Galaxy S21 Ultras ultrawide camera is better in both daylight and low-light conditions, capturing higher details and better sharpness across the frame. The Galaxy S21 Ultra also wins in zoom performance. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is slightly better at capturing portrait images.

Table of Contents Show

Key differences
Value for money
Tests and specifications
Design and build
Performance
DxOMark camera tests
Connectivity
Cast your vote
Related comparisons
Is S21 ultra better than 13 pro Max?
Is the S21 ultra bigger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max?
Is iPhone 13 Pro Max camera better than Samsung S21 Ultra?
Which is best phone iPhone 13 or Samsung S21?

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (with Exynos 2100) that was released on January 14, 2021, against the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is powered by Apple A15 Bionic and came out 8 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments (4)

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The rear camera has a 10x optical zoom
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
Fingerprint scanner
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
Comes with 648 mAh larger battery capacity: 5000 vs 4352 mAh
Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 2750 MHz
Has 2 SIM card slots
12% higher pixel density (515 vs 458 PPI)

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

Shows 40% longer battery life (43:44 vs 31:14 hours)
Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
Apple releases software updates and supports their phones a few years longer than Samsung
57% faster in single-core GeekBench 5 test: 1750 and 1118 points
The phone is 8-months newer

Review

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Performance

CPU/GPU performance in apps and games

Battery

Battery life, charging type and speed

Camera

Photo and video recording quality

Connectivity

Networks, ports, data transmission

NanoReview score

Final comparison evaluation

Value for money

You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	OLED
Size	6.8 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution	1440 x 3200 pixels	1284 x 2778 pixels
Aspect ratio	20:9	19.5:9
PPI	515 ppi	458 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Max rated brightness	1500 nits	1000 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	-	1200 nits
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Ceramic Shield
Screen-to-body ratio	89.8%	87.4%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3

Display tests

RGB color space	-	99.9%
PWM	-	238 Hz
Response time	-	8.5 ms
Contrast	-	∞ Infinity

Peak brightness test (auto)

Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height	165.1 mm (6.5 inches)	160.8 mm (6.33 inches)
Width	75.6 mm (2.98 inches)	78.1 mm (3.07 inches)
Thickness	8.9 mm (0.35 inches)	7.65 mm (0.3 inches)
Weight	227 gramm (8.01 oz)	240 gramm (8.47 oz)
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Silver, Gray, Blue	Black, Silver, Gold, Blue, Green
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in-display	No

Performance

Tests of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max in the benchmarks

SoC

Chipset	Samsung Exynos 2100	Apple A15 Bionic
Max. clock	2840 MHz	3200 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	6 (2 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 2.9 GHz: Cortex-X1	- 4 cores at 2.02 GHz: Blizzard - 2 cores at 3.24 GHz: Avalanche
Lithography process	5 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Mali-G78 MP14	Apple GPU
GPU clock	760 MHz	1200 MHz

Memory

RAM size	12, 16 GB	6 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	2750 MHz	2133 MHz
Channels	2	2

Storage

Storage size	128, 256, 512 GB	128, 256, 512, 1024 GB
Storage type	UFS 3.1	NVMe
Memory card	No	No

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)

CPU	198194	213823
GPU	290543	317561
Memory	132758	126792
UX	138398	136444
Total score	762560	799457

3DMark Wild Life Performance

Stability	69%	82%
Graphics test	31 FPS	56 FPS
Graphics score	5221	9490

Software

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 12)	iOS 15 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16)
ROM	One UI 4.1	-
OS size	26.4 GB	13 GB

Battery

Specifications

Capacity	5000 mAh	4352 mAh
Charge power	25 W	27 W
Battery type	Li-Ion	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (15 W)	Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	No
Fast charging	Yes (54% in 30 min)	Yes (42% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:11 hr	1:46 hr

Battery life tests

Web browsing	10:13 hr	14:55 hr
Watching video	15:32 hr	20:14 hr
Gaming	05:26 hr	07:42 hr
Standby	98 hr	140 hr

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones

Main camera

Matrix	108 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	12000 x 9000	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Optical, 10x	Optical, 3x
Flash	Dual LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	Up to 24FPS	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	120°	120°
Lenses	4 (108 MP + 10 MP + 10 MP + 12 MP)	4 (12 MP + 12 MP + 12 MP + 0 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 108 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.33", Samsung S5KHM3 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Laser autofocus - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.5 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.9 micron - Sensor: 1/1.66", Sony IMX703 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 10 MP - Aperture: f/4.9 - Focal length: 240 mm - Pixel size: 1.22 micron - Sensor: 1/2.65", Samsung S5K3J1 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.8 - Focal length: 77 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX563 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Phase autofocus
Depth lens	-	- Pixel size: 1 micron
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from DxOMark	Photo samples of Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels	40 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	7864 x 5200	4032 x 3024
Aperture	f/2.2	f/2.2
Focal length	26 mm	23 mm
Pixel size	0.7 microns	1 microns
Sensor type	ISOCELL CMOS	Exmor-RS CMOS
Sensor size	1/2.65"	1/3.6"
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.2	5
Bluetooth features	LE, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	-
USB version	3.2	2
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC*	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Network

Number of SIM*	2	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
Multi SIM mode	Standby	-
eSIM support*	Yes	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat*	24	18
5G support	Yes	Yes

Sound

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Other

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	January 2021	September 2021
Release date	February 2021	September 2021
SAR (head)	0.71 W/kg	0.99 W/kg
SAR (body)	1.58 W/kg	0.98 W/kg
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor

*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

2876 (54%)

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

2447 (46%)

Total votes: 5323

You can share your opinion or ask a question in the comments below

Is S21 ultra better than 13 pro Max?

Looking at the GPU performance we see that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is far ahead of the S21 Ultra.

Is the S21 ultra bigger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max?

The iPhone 13 Pro Max is 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65mm and 238g, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm and 228g. So Apple's phone is shorter and slimmer, while Samsung's is narrower and lighter.

Is iPhone 13 Pro Max camera better than Samsung S21 Ultra?

The Galaxy S21 Ultra's ultrawide camera is better in both daylight and low-light conditions, capturing higher details and better sharpness across the frame. The Galaxy S21 Ultra also wins in zoom performance. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is slightly better at capturing portrait images.

Which is best phone iPhone 13 or Samsung S21?

However, if you want the most power you can get in a smartphone, the iPhone 13 is your best option. The Galaxy S21 comes with a Snapdragon 888 processor, which, for 2021, has been the fastest processor for Android smartphones. It's very powerful and offers plenty of advancements for AI and camera tech.