With the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, it’s only natural that we want to compare it to its Apple counterpart—the iPhone 13 Pro Max. After all, these two giants dominate the US smartphone market. These high-end flagship smartphones are packed with features and under the hood, they are second to none. So which of the two actually offers the better overall package? We compare them below.
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs iPhone 13 Pro Max Comparison Chart
| Model | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | iPhone 13 Pro Max |
 |  | |
| Price | Check Price at Amazon | Check Price at Amazon |
| Build | 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 inches 8.4 ounces Glass front and back Aluminum frame IP68 | 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 inches 8.4 ounces Glass front and back Stainless steel frame IP68 |
| Display | Dynamic AMOLED 2X 6.8 inches 120Hz HDR10+ 1750 nits (peak) 1440 x 3088 pixels 500 ppi | Super Retina XDR OLED 6.7 inches 120Hz HDR10, Dolby Vision 1200 nits (peak) 1284 x 2778 pixels 458 ppi |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Apple A15 Bionic |
| Configurations | 8GB RAM 128GB, 12GB RAM 256GB, 12GB RAM 512GB, 12GB RAM 1TB | 6GB RAM 128GB, 6GB RAM 256GB, 6GB RAM 512GB, 6GB RAM 1TB |
| Camera | 108 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide); 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto); 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto); 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120ห (ultrawide) Selfie: 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide) | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide); 12 MP, f/2.8, 77mm (telephoto); 12 MP, f/1.8, 13mm, 120ห (ultrawide) Selfie: 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) |
| Stylus | S Pen | N/A |
| Battery | 5000mAh 45W fast charging Qi/PMA wireless charging Reverse wireless charging | 4352mAh (unofficial) 27W fast charging MagSafe wireless charging Qi wireless charging |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6e Bluetooth 5.2 NFC | WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 NFC |
| Colors | Green, Phantom Black, Phantom White, Pink Gold, Burgundy | Gold, Graphite, Sierra Blue, Silver |
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has an all-new and fresher design than the iPhone 13 Pro Max when compared to their predecessors.
When you look at these two phones, it’s pretty easy to tell that they are high-end flagship phones due to their sleek and premium designs. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has an edge to edge display that minimizes the bezels for a more seamless look. Also, it has a tiny punch hole front camera, so the viewable screen is not as obstructed as the one on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The camera notch on the iPhone 13 Pro Max is actually reduced in size when compared to previous models, but it still takes a lot of space and can be a bit of a nuisance when consuming media.
As for build quality, the two phones feature a glass front and a glass back. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has an aluminum frame though, as opposed to the stainless steel frame of the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Both of them have an IP68 rating for dust, dirt and water resistance. It’s safe to say that both of these phones can withstand a considerable amount of abuse without developing issues.
A returning feature with the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the inclusion of the S Pen, but this time, it will be tucked in a silo on the phone itself. This design choice provides many pros and minimal cons. For one, having the S Pen tucked in the phone will prevent losing and misplacing it when not in use.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has five color options—green, phantom black, phantom white, pink gold and burgundy, whereas the iPhone 13 Pro Max is available in gold, graphite, sierra blue and silver.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has a better screen than the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
As expected of these flagship phones, they are equipped with amazing displays fit for that distinction. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra sports a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels for a pixel density of 500 ppi. It also has an adaptive refresh rate feature of up to 120Hz and it supports HDR10+. However, the main strength of this display is its peak brightness of 1750 nits.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display which is no slouch either. It has a resolution of 1284 x 2778 pixel for a pixel density of 458 ppi and it also has an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. In addition, it also supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision content. However, it “only” has a peak brightness of 1200 nits, which is great on its own, but is trumped by the Samsung’s. Needless to say, both screens are excellent, but we have to give the win to the Galaxy S22 Ultra here.
Hardware and Performance
The Apple A15 Bionic chip inside the iPhone 13 phones is still king when it comes to benchmarks, but the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra does have the S Pen for versatility.
Camera
The camera configuration is quite different with these phones. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra features the same setup as the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but with some upgrades. It has a 108MP wide main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, a 10MP telephoto camera and a 10MP periscope telephoto camera. On the other hand, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a triple camera setup featuring a 12MP wide main shooter, a 12MP ultrawide and a 12MP telephoto camera.
Looking at these specs, one would think that the Galaxy S22 Ultra will have the better camera performance. However, they are actually close. When taking pictures with sufficient ambient lighting, the iPhone 13 Pro Max can deliver crisper and more detailed images. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra images have a warmer tone, but they tend to have oversaturated colors.
When taking images at nighttime or in environments with insufficient lighting, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra outshines the iPhone 13 Pro Max. You can easily make out more details on images taken with the S22 Ultra in dark environments whereas the iPhone 13 Pro Max tend to have a darker image overall.
Chipset
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is getting a considerable upgrade in chipset with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The Europe version will also get the Exynos 2200, which is a step up over the previous generation S21. That said, they are still nowhere near the Apple A15 Bionic chip when it comes to benchmarks.
For hardware intensive tasks such as transcoding videos, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is still miles ahead in performance against the competition, including the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. However, for regular daily usage such as switching apps, browsing, etc., the difference is not that profound, although the iPhone 13 Pro Max still has an advantage here.
S Pen
An exclusive feature of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, at least in this comparison, is the inclusion of the S Pen. The stylus input allows for an easier time when taking notes, drawing or any task that requires precision. It is improved in every way by lowering the latency, making it more responsive. Also, it can be tucked in a silo in the phone itself, so you won’t have issues losing or misplacing it.
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra charges faster, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max has a more efficient battery.
When it comes to battery life, the iPhone 13 Pro Max has the advantage over the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra as far as efficiency goes. Even though it has a lower capacity battery (4352mAh unofficial) than the S22 Ultra, the iPhone 13 Pro Max can last longer, by a significant margin. It can last around 5 hours more when browsing and around 3 hours more when watching video. However, the gap is reduced when gaming, where the two phones performed similarly.
That said, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra does have the advantage when it comes to charging speed. It now supports 45W fast charging, which results in a charging time of about an hour. Meanwhile, the iPhone 13 Pro Max only supports 27W fast charging, which takes around a couple of hours to fully charge the phone.
Verdict
Choosing one will depend on which factors you value more.
To summarize, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra has the better display, charging speed and overall design. Also, it has the S Pen for better input. On the other hand, the iPhone 13 Pro Max wins when it comes to hardware and performance, as well as battery life. Camera performance is close, but we’ll say that the iPhone 13 Pro Max did better. So choosing one will depend on which factors you value more. Also, there’s the OS to consider—whether you prefer Android or iOS.
FAQs
No, it does not have a micro SD card slot.
It has an IP68 rating, meaning that it is dust and water resistant. It’s not completely waterproof.
It was released back in September 2021.
It has a 6.7-inch display and it measures 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.30 inches.