Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max / Samsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B)

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max: A3256 / A3257 · 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB; Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue; dual eSIM only

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 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S24 (SM-S921B)
Release year20252024
Display6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2868 × 1320, 460 ppi; ProMotion up to 120 Hz; Always-On

ProMotion adjusts the refresh rate to the content, giving 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling and lowering it on still images to save battery. The Always-On display shows the time and notifications dimmed while locked.

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
Brightness1,000 nits typical, 1,600 nits HDR, 3,000 nits outdoor peak; 1 nit minimum

The 3,000-nit outdoor figure is a short peak in strong sunlight, not sustained full-screen white. The screen has an anti-reflective coating.

Apple		—
Build and glassAluminium unibody; Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back Apple—
Water resistanceIP68 (up to 6 m for 30 minutes)

Apple notes that this resistance is not permanent and can decrease with normal wear.

Apple		—
ChipA19 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency), 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, 16-core Neural Engine

The GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Apple		—
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB Apple—
Main camera48 MP Fusion Main, 24 mm, ƒ/1.78, second-generation sensor-shift stabilisation

It also gives a 12 MP 2× (48 mm) image by using the centre of the sensor.

Apple		—
Ultra wide camera48 MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120° field of view

This camera is also used for 48 MP macro shots.

Apple		—
Telephoto camera48 MP Fusion Telephoto, 100 mm (4×), ƒ/2.8, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift stabilisation

Using the centre of the sensor gives a 12 MP 8× (200 mm) image; Apple quotes a 16× optical-quality range and up to 40× digital zoom.

Apple		—
Video4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps; ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, Genlock

4K 100/120 fps is limited to the main camera. ProRes 4K 120 fps requires recording to external storage. Genlock syncs several cameras to the same timing with compatible hardware.

Apple		8K (7680 × 4320) at 30 fps; slow motion at UHD 120 fps and FHD 240 fps Samsung
Front camera18 MP Center Stage, ƒ/1.9; 4K Dolby Vision up to 60 fps

The Center Stage camera’s square sensor allows landscape or portrait selfies without rotating the phone.

Apple		12 MP, ƒ/2.2, 80° Samsung
BatteryUp to 39 hours of video playback (35 hours streamed); lithium-ion Apple—
Wired chargingAbout 50% in 20 minutes with a 40 W or higher USB-C adapter

No adapter in the box; only a 1 m USB-C charge cable.

Apple		—
Wireless chargingUp to 25 W with MagSafe and Qi2

Apple quotes about 50% in 30 minutes with a 30 W or higher adapter and MagSafe Charger.

Apple		—
USB-CUSB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s), DisplayPort, charging

10 Gb/s needs a compatible USB 3 cable; the included cable does not guarantee that speed.

Apple		—
WirelessWi-Fi 7 (2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread, second-generation Ultra Wideband, NFC; Apple N1 wireless chip

Ultra Wideband availability varies by region.

Apple		—
Cellular and SIM5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), Gigabit LTE; dual eSIM only, no physical SIM Apple—
Satellite and safetyEmergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite; Crash Detection

Availability of satellite features varies by country.

Apple		—
Buttons and sensorsAction button, Camera Control; Face ID, LiDAR, barometer, dual ambient light sensors

Camera Control opens the camera and changes settings such as zoom and exposure with slide and light-press gestures.

Apple		—
Size and weight163.4 × 78.0 × 8.75 mm; 233 g Apple147.0 × 70.6 × 7.6 mm; 167 g Samsung
Operating systemiOS 26 AppleShipped 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
In the boxiPhone, 1 m USB-C charge cable, documentation Apple—
Model code—SM-S921B/DS; Nano-SIM + eSIM or dual eSIM Samsung
Processor—10 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
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
Rear cameras—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
Battery and charging—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
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
Connectivity—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
Location and sensors—GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS; accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint, gyro, geomagnetic, Hall, light and proximity sensors Samsung
Durability—IP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes) Samsung
Colours—Onyx Black, Marble Grey, Cobalt Violet, Amber Yellow; extra online colours Samsung