If you are looking to buy a flagship phone this year, then you have two main options – The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Both phones are the top of the line, fully spec-ed out products with the highest performances, technology, and cost.
Both phones will cost you more than a $1,000 USD at starting. The S21 Ultra will cost you $1199 for the base model which is 128GB storage and 12GB RAM and can go up to $1379 for the 500GB and 16GB RAM model. However, unlike previous Galaxy models there will no SD card slot available for any of the models for expandable storage. In comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is about a $100 USD cheaper with $1099 USD for the base model with 112GB storage and goes up to $1399 for the 512GB model.
When it comes to size the S21 just edges out over the Pro Max. The S21 has a 6.8” dynamic AMOLED display with a hole punch camera and comes with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 at 515PPI. The screen also has a variable refresh rate that shifts between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on what you are doing from watching a movie, playing a game, or reading a static text on the screen. The Pro Max has a 6.7” super retina OLEF display with a resolution of 2788 x 1284 at 458PPI and a refresh rate of 60Hz. Both devices also support HDR.
The Pro Max comes in silver, graphite, gold, and pacific blue. The S21 is available in Phantom Black and Phantom Silver. Both phones have the highest processors in the market with the S21 packing a Snapdragon 888 processor or an Exynos 2100 depending on the country you are based in, while the Pro Max utilises the latest Apple A14 bionic chip. Both phones are IP68 rated for water resistance but the S21 is rated for a depth of 1.5m for 30 mins, the iPhone is tested for a depth of 6m for 30 mins.
The Pro Max packs three 12MP cameras on the rear. An Ultrawide angle lens at F2.4, a Wide angle at F 1.6 and a telephoto with 2.5X optical zoom at F2.2. It also has a LiDAR sensor that helps better focusing on low light conditions along with additional AR (augmented reality) applications. In the front, it houses Apple’s true depth camera with a 12MP lens and an aperture of F2.2. The S21 extra lens on the back with four cameras in total. There is a 12MP Ultrawide angle camera at F2.2, a Wide Angle 108Mp camera at F1.8, a 10MP Telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom at F2.4 and another 10MP Telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom at F4.5. The S21 even allows you to go up to 100X zoom with a combination of optical and digital zoom, with some processing to improve sharpness and detail, which Samsun calls ‘Space Zoom’. The final sensor on the back is what Samsung calls a ‘laser autofocus’, which is similar to the Note 20 Ultra from last year. In the front the S21 Ultra has 40Mp camera with an aperture of F2.2. Both devices offer Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and offer 4K video at 60FPS in the front and all the rear cameras. The Pro Max can also record Dolby Vision HDR video and the S21 can record in HDR 10+. Additionally, the S21 can also record in 8K at 24 frames per second.
Both phones have ditched the headphone jack and do not come with a charger in the box, which means you will need to use your old charging brick or buy one separately. Both devices also offer wireless charging. Apple has also touted its line of Mag Safe accessories while Samsung offers reverse charging for the various accessories.
In terms of security, the iPhone uses Apple’s Face ID and Samsung uses its proprietary face recognition system or it is built-in fingerprint reader. In terms of accessories, the S21 support the S pen stylus made famous by the Note line by Samsung. You will be able to use an existing S Pen or buy the new updated S pen or the S pen Pro. As for battery life, Apple has not revealed its official capacity, but with unofficial teardowns Is believed to be 36000mAph and is expected to last around 20 hours of regular use, while the S21 has a 5000mAph battery.
Apart from choosing between Apple and Android, consumers have a ton of features, and things to choose from these two premium devices. Despite the costs, consumers will receive some of the best of the best in terms of looks, performances and over-all features out of any other phone in the market right now. Tell us which phone you would buy and why?
