Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max / Samsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B)

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: iPhone 16 Pro Max (A3083/A3084); 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB. The iPhone 16 Pro (6.3-inch) and iPhone 17 Pro Max are separate models. US models are eSIM-only; models sold outside the US have a SIM tray.

Samsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B): Galaxy S24, global SM-S921B (8 GB / 128 GB, Nano-SIM + eSIM). The US SM-S921U uses a different processor; the Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra are separate models.

SpecificationApple iPhone 16 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B)
Release year20242024
Display6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2868 × 1320, 460 ppi; ProMotion up to 120 Hz; Always-On

ProMotion varies the refresh rate with content: 120 Hz for smooth scrolling, lower rates on static screens to save battery. Because of the rounded corners, the screen measures 6.86 inches as a rectangle.

Apple		6.2-inch (6.0-inch with rounded corners) Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 2340 × 1080 (FHD+); adaptive 1–120 Hz; Vision Booster

The adaptive refresh rate drops to 1 Hz on static content to save power; Vision Booster adjusts tone and contrast in bright light.

Samsung
Brightness1000 nits typical, 1600 nits peak HDR, 2000 nits peak outdoor, 1 nit minimum; 2,000,000:1 contrast

The outdoor peak is used briefly in strong sunlight; the 1-nit minimum is meant to reduce eye strain in a dark room.

Apple		—
ProcessorA18 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 6-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine Apple10 cores; 3.2 GHz, 2.9 GHz, 2.6 GHz and 1.95 GHz clusters

Samsung notes that the processor varies by market; the US SM-S921U does not use the same chip as this global model.

Samsung
Storage256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB

Storage cannot be expanded later; ProRes uses a lot of space, so 4K 120 fps ProRes recording requires external storage.

Apple		—
Rear cameras48 MP Fusion (24 mm, ƒ/1.78, 2nd-gen sensor-shift OIS); 48 MP Ultra Wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120°); 12 MP 5x Telephoto (120 mm, ƒ/2.8, tetraprism)

The 12 MP 2x view (48 mm) is cropped from the main sensor rather than a separate lens. The total optical zoom range is 10x (5x in, 2x out); digital zoom goes up to 25x.

Apple		50 MP wide (ƒ/1.8, OIS, 85°); 10 MP 3x telephoto (ƒ/2.4, 36°); 12 MP ultra-wide (ƒ/2.2, 120°)

3x optical zoom uses the separate telephoto lens; the 2x option crops the main sensor at optical quality, and digital zoom reaches 30x.

Samsung
Video4K Dolby Vision at 24/25/30/60/100/120 fps; ProRes and Log recording; 4K 120 fps slo-mo; four studio-quality mics

100 and 120 fps are available only on the Fusion main camera. Log recording leaves more dynamic range for colour grading.

Apple		8K (7680 × 4320) at 30 fps; slow motion at UHD 120 fps and FHD 240 fps Samsung
Front camera12 MP TrueDepth, ƒ/1.9, autofocus; 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps Apple12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 80° Samsung
ButtonsCamera Control (exposure, depth, zoom, styles and tone); Action button

Camera Control is a surface that detects presses and swipes; it opens the camera and changes settings with a slide. The Action button can be assigned to silent mode, flashlight, shortcuts and more.

Apple		—
Connectivity5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), 4x4 MIMO; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.3; 2nd-gen Ultra Wideband; Thread; NFC

mmWave support and Ultra Wideband availability vary by region. Thread is a low-power mesh network for smart-home accessories.

Apple		5G; Wi-Fi 6E (2.4 + 5 + 6 GHz); Bluetooth 5.3; NFC; USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1)

The 6 GHz band needs a Wi-Fi 6E router.

Samsung
Satellite and safetyEmergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite; Crash Detection

Satellite features work only in supported countries and where there is no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.

Apple		—
USB-CUSB 3 (up to 10 Gbit/s); charging and DisplayPort output

A USB 3 cable is required for 10 Gbit/s; the charge cable in the box does not provide that speed.

Apple		—
Battery and chargingVideo playback up to 33 hours; MagSafe up to 25 W (with a 30 W adapter), Qi2 15 W, Qi 7.5 W; about 50% in 30 minutes with a 20 W adapter

No power adapter is included. The 25 W MagSafe rate needs the newer MagSafe Charger and an adapter of at least 30 W.

Apple		4000 mAh typical (3880 mAh rated); about 50% in 30 minutes with a 25 W adapter and 3 A cable; Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare

Wireless PowerShare lets the back of the phone wirelessly charge small devices such as a watch or earbud case. No adapter is included.

Samsung
Durability and materialsIP68 (up to 6 metres for 30 minutes); latest-generation Ceramic Shield front; textured matte glass back; titanium design

IP68 is tested in fresh water under lab conditions and can decrease over time; liquid damage is not covered by warranty.

Apple		—
Size and weight163 × 77.6 × 8.25 mm; 227 g Apple147.0 × 70.6 × 7.6 mm; 167 g Samsung
SoftwareLaunched with iOS 18 Apple—
ColoursBlack, White, Natural and Desert Titanium AppleOnyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow; extra online colours Samsung
Model code—SM-S921B/DS; Nano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM Samsung
Memory and storage—8 GB RAM; 128 GB (about 103.9 GB available)

The series also has 256 and 512 GB and 12 GB RAM configurations; there is no microSD slot.

Samsung
Rated battery life—Up to 29 hours of video playback; rated for at least 2000 charge cycles; energy efficiency class A

The 2000-cycle figure comes from the EU label, which targets the battery keeping a set share of its capacity over that span.

Samsung
Location and sensors—GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS; accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint, gyro, geomagnetic, Hall, light and proximity sensors Samsung
Operating system—Shipped with Android 14 and One UI 6.1; seven generations of OS upgrades and seven years of security updates

Samsung’s UK page lists security updates for this model until 31 January 2031; timing can vary by market.

Samsung
Durability—IP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes) Samsung