Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: Which is better

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: It’s the time of the year again when the heavyweight of Samsung goes head to head with that of Apple. And this time, it’s the Galaxy S22 Ultra going at it with the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Right from the start, these two phones are the biggest and most premium phones of 2022. This is why it’s a little difficult to know which is better. So, between the Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is better? Well, let’s find out from the specs comparison of both phones.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

Specifications	Galaxy S22 Ultra	iPhone 13 Pro Max
Display	6.8-inch, 120Hz	6.7-inch, 120Hz
RAM	12GB	6GB
Storage	128 – 512GB	128GB – 1TB
Back Camera	108 + 10 + 10 + 12MP	12 + 12 + 12MP + TOF
Front Camera	40MP	12MP + SL 3D
Chipset	Exynos 2200 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	Apple A15 Bionic
Software	Android 12	Apple iOS 15
Battery	5,000mAh (45W)	4,352mAh (27W)
IP68 Rating	YES	YES

Display and Design

The differences between both phones start from the display. The display of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is about 0.1-inch bigger than that of the iPhone 13 Pro Max. But the most noticeable difference in the display is that the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a flat-screen while the Galaxy S22 Ultra has curved edges. So, before you go in and talk about display features, you have to choose which screen type you prefer.

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Now that you probably pick a screen type, let’s see if you’d stick with your choice above after looking at the display features. Both displays have support for 120Hz refresh rate, both phones have AMOLED panels, and both phones also have support for HDR10+.

But, the screen of the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be a lot brighter because its peak brightness is about 1750 nits while the iPhone 13 Pro Max is 1200 nits. When it comes to design, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a bigger notch while the Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a punch hole.

As far as the display goes, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is brighter, and it’s bigger which means more room for productivity. The display of the iPhone 13 Pro Max is really good but when it comes to big numbers, the Galaxy phone crushed it here.

See Also: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Which is better

Camera

Another important aspect of smartphones and this comparison is the camera. The Galaxy S22 Ultra features a quad rear camera set up: a 108MP main camera, a 10MP periscope telephoto lens, a 10MP telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. While upfront it comes with a 40MP main camera.

The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max also comes with a quad rear camera set up but with different sensors: a 12MP main camera, a 12MP telephoto lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a TOF 3D LiDAR scanner. Upfront it comes with a dual front camera, a 12MP camera, and an SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor).

Unlike phone displays, numbers alone don’t count when it comes to the camera. Although the Galaxy S22 Ultra features a 108MP main camera, you’d be surprised by the quality of photos that comes from the 12MP main camera of the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

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But, to put everything into perspective. The cameras of the Galaxy S22 Ultra offer really good photo quality but most of all are packed with lots of camera features. For example, you can take photos of objects from afar using the periscope lens. And you also get to shoot steady video in 8k resolution.

However, the iPhone 13 Pro Max features a set of cameras of better quality. While it might not have the periscope lens capabilities of the Galaxy S22 Ultra when it comes to close-up photos, it’s a whole new story. Also, for the first time in years, an iPhone is having lots of camera features such as sensor-Shift OIS, ProRes mode, and Cinematic video mode.

Is the Galaxy S22 Ultra a better camera smartphone than the iPhone 13 Pro Max? Well, this is subject to what you need a camera for. Different users will prefer the camera of these phones for different reasons (use of the camera). But the qualities you need in the cameras of a premium phone are available on both devices.

See Also: OnePlus 10 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Which is better

Performance | Storage | RAM | 5G

The performance of both phones is very different. This is expected as both phones feature chipsets from different companies. The chipset inside the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the Apple A15 Bionic while the chipset inside the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (selected market) or Samsung Exynos 2200 (international market).

On Geekbench tests, the numbers of the A15 Bionic chip are higher. But in real-life tests, the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip is pretty impressive (the Exynos chip is a little behind). Truth is, if you need phones that can perform on the highest levels, both phones got you covered. So, when it comes to gaming and graphics rendering, you don’t have to worry when using both phones.

Both phones are 5G enabled and have support for various 5G bands. The RAM inside the iPhone 13 Pro Max is 6GB with storage options ranging from 128GB to 1TB. While the RAM inside the Galaxy S22 Ultra is 12GB with storage options from 128GB to 1TB.

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Usually, the bigger the RAM size the better but the A15 Bionic chipset inside the iPhone 13 Pro Max is well optimized that you can’t even tell the difference between its 6GB RAM and the 12GB RAM of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Software

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra boots OneUI 4.0 based on Android 12 out of the box. While the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max boots Apple iOS 15 out of the box. Samsung has promised up to 4 years of major software updates while the iPhone 13 Pro Max will get up to 6 years of software updates from Apple.

It’s no secret that Apple has better software update plans for its devices. So, this is not coming as a surprise at least to tech analysts.

See Also: Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S21 FE: Which offers better value for money

Battery

The Galaxy S22 Ultra is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charge support. While the iPhone 13 Pro Max is powered by a 4,352mAh with 27W charge support. Both phones also have support for wireless charge tech.

When it comes to long-lasting battery, the iPhone 13 Pro Max offers better battery life thanks to the A15 Bionic chip. Although the battery life of the Galaxy S22 Ultra is great, the iPhone 13 Pro Max still tops it when it comes to lasting battery usage.

Galaxy S22 Ultra vs iPhone 13 Pro Max: Price

The price of the Galaxy S22 Ultra 12 + 256GB storage option is about $1,199 and the 6 +256GB storage option of the iPhone 13 Pro Max also cost $1,200. But since the iPhone 13 Pro Max has been around for a while, you’ll get some good discount if you decide to buy it now.

Buy Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Galaxy S22 Ultra	Price	iPhone 13 Pro Max	Price
Buy on Amazon	$1,199	Buy on Gazelle	$1,069

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: Verdict

So, between the Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max, which is better? Truth is, there is no simple answer to this question. But, for more productivity, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is definitely the better device. It has a bigger screen, more camera features, and has support for S PEN.

However, if you don’t need an S PEN (not everyone uses one anyway), and you need a good battery life in addition to awesome performance and really good photo and video quality, you might want to go for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.

In the end, choosing between buying the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Galaxy S22 Ultra comes down to what you use a smartphone for. But, if I’m to score both phones, I’ll give the Galaxy S22 Ultra (52%) and the iPhone 13 Pro Max (48%).