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Considering that Apple recently announced its new flagship smartphones, it makes sense to compare the most powerful one with the best from Samsung, right? That’s exactly what we’ll do here. We’ll compare the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is 7 months old at this point, but it’s still the company’s flagship, at least as far as non-foldable smartphones are concerned.
iOS and Android are vastly different OS’, and these two phones are also quite different in both the design, and internal hardware. That will only make the comparison more interesting. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then compare them across a number of other sections. We’ll check out their designs, displays, performance, battery life, camera performance, and audio offerings. That being said, let’s get started.
Specs
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | |
| Screen size | 6.7-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display (120Hz refresh rate) | 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (120Hz adaptive refresh rate, LTPO, down to 1Hz) |
| Screen resolution | 2796 x 1290 | 3080 x 1440 |
| SoC | Apple A16 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Samsung Exynos 2200 |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB/12GB (LPDDR5) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, non-expandable | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) |
| Rear cameras | 48MP (f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF) 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF) 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 77mm lens, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
108MP (f/1.8 aperture, OIS, 0.8um pixel size. Produces 12MP images with 2.4um pixel size) 12MP (ultrawide, Dual Pixel AF, 120-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 1.4um pixel size) 10MP (telephoto, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/2.4 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, 70mm lens, optical zoom 3x) 10MP (telephoto, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/4.9 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, 230mm lens, 10x optical zoom, 100x Space Zoom) |
| Front cameras | 12MP (wide-angle, f/1.9 aperture, 23mm lens, PDAF) SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) |
40MP (f/2.2 aperture, 80-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF) |
| Battery | 4,323mAh, non-removable, 23W wired charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging | 5,000mAh, non-removable, 45W wired charging, 15W Qi wireless charging, 5W Wireless PowerShare |
| Dimensions | 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9mm | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 240 grams | 228/229 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Lightning port | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Advanced facial scanning | In-display fingerprint scanner (ultrasonic) |
| OS | iOS 16 | Android 12 One UI 4.1 |
| Price | $1,099 | $1,199.99 |
| Buy | Apple | Samsung |
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Design
These two devices really don’t have a lot in common design-wise. They both use glass on the front and back, and that’s pretty much it as far as similarities are concerned. They feel entirely different in the hand, and also look different. The iPhone 14 Pro Max utilizes a stainless steel frame, in addition to a glass back. The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, has an aluminum frame, and a glass back.
Apple’s flagship has flat sides all around. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a lot more curves. Its top and back sides are flat, but the rest is curved. It also includes a curved display, unlike the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The iPhone 14 Pro Max does include uniform bezels and a pill-shaped display camera hole, the so-called Dynamic Island. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a much smaller display camera hole, and it’s centered.
When we flip the two phones over, we’ll see considerably different-looking camera setups. The iPhone 14 Pro Max has three cameras back there, with Apple’s recognizable placement. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has four cameras on the back, and each of them protrudes out of the back side, they’re not a part of a single island. Another thing worth noting is the fact the Galaxy S22 Ultra has an S Pen silo at the bottom, and an S Pen stylus included as well.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is slightly taller, wider, and thicker. It is also slightly lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. These two phones feel entirely different in the hand. The iPhone 14 Pro Max will cut into your hand a bit more, due to its shape and weight, if you use it without a case. Both of them feel truly premium, and both are extremely slippery, so keep that in mind.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Display
The iPhone 14 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. That is a 120Hz panel, and it’s flat. This display also supports Dolby Vision. It does get extremely bright at up to 2,000 nits of brightness. That display is protected by scratch-resistant ceramic glass, and has a PPI of 460. We’re looking at a display aspect ratio of 19.5:9 here, in case you were wondering.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra includes a 6.8-inch QHD+ (3088 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate. That panel is curved, and it supports HDR10+ content. It also gets immensely bright at 1,750 nits of peak brightness. That panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus+, and we’re looking at a ppi of 500 here. Both displays also offer Always-On Display (AOD) functionality.
These are easily some of the best displays in the business, if not the best ones. You’ll hardly find better displays on smartphones. They’re bright, sharp, vivid, offer great touch response, and great viewing angles. They also offer a high refresh rate, and are well-optimized in that sense. There’s really not much to complain about here, not at all. You cannot go wrong with either of these two panels, that’s for sure.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Performance
When it comes to performance-related hardware, both phones are well-equipped. The iPhone 14 Pro Max comes with the Apple A16 Bionic SoC, and 6GB of RAM. The Galaxy S22 Ultra actually comes in two SoC variants, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200 models. The latter is available in Europe only. All those processors are based on a 4nm process, but there are considerable differences between them.
That being said, is the performance any good? Well, the Exynos 2200 variant of the Galaxy S22 Ultra had a rough start, and even though Samsung mostly improved it, it’s still not on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 variant’s level. That goes for performance, battery life, and camera performance. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 variant performs admirably, and smoothly, and the same goes for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Getting these two phones to slow down is not easy, even when you’re pushing them really hard. Regular, everyday tasks are a piece of cake for both phones, and they can also handle pretty much any game in the Play Store. The Galaxy S22 Ultra does get a bit warmer, and it can start to throttle a bit due to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 heat, but that didn’t impact performance one bit during our testing. An occasional stutter is a possibility on both phones, of course.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Battery
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 4,323mAh battery, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra includes a 5,000mAh battery. Do note that iOS handles battery a bit differently, so the fact that it has a smaller battery capacity doesn’t have to mean much. Does it, though? Well, no, it does not. The iPhone 14 Pro Max actually has comparable battery life to its predecessor, based on initial impressions, at the very least. Do note that this is with the AOD display off.
You can get truly excellent battery life out of the device. Most people will be able to push to over 8 hours of screen-on-time, though that will largely depend on your usage, and various other conditions. The Galaxy S22 Ultra battery life is also quite good, and it should get you to at least 7 hours of screen-on-time. Your mileage may vary, though, you may actually get considerably different results. One thing is for sure, though, both are excellent in the battery life department.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max supports 23W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. The Galaxy S22 Ultra supports 45W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Do note that neither phone includes a charger in the box, though. Also, the Galaxy S22 Ultra won’t charge as fast as you think, even if you have a 45W charger. It will take you quite some time to charge both phones.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Cameras
These two smartphones definitely belong amongst the best camera smartphones in the market. They do provide considerably different results, though, and hardware as well. The iPhone 14 Pro Max features a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit, a 12-megapixel telephoto camera, and a ToF 3D LiDAR unit. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a 108-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, a 10-megapixel telephoto unit, and a 10-megapixel periscope telephoto camera.
That being said, the Galaxy S22 Ultra tends to provide more saturated images. The iPhone 14 Pro can push a bit too far with sharpening on images, though Apple will hopefully resolve that with an update. The Galaxy S22 Ultra also does better in the areas with high dynamic range, as the iPhone 14 Pro Max tends to blow out the highlights on occasion. Both smartphones capture really detailed photos, that are also well-balanced at the same time, most of the time. Images from the iPhone 14 Pro Max do look more realistic, though.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max does a better job keeping its multiple cameras consistent in terms of colors, and switching between them, while it also does a better job in the video department. Slow motion video is also better on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, it looks kind of odd on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, with crushed blacks. The Galaxy S22 Ultra does have an edge when you’re shooting objects/scenes that are far away. It’s worth noting that both phones do a really good job in low light.
Audio
As you might have guessed, neither of these two phones has a 3.5mm headphone jack. You’ll have to rely on the lighting port on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the Type-C port on the Galaxy S22 Ultra for wired audio connections. If you opt to go wireless, the two phones support Bluetooth 5.3 and 5.2, respectively.
They also include a set of stereo speakers. Those speakers are really good on both phones, though the ones on the Galaxy S22 Ultra have a slightly wider soundstage. You’ll get some bass on both, and both sets get plenty loud.