What's up guys, Saf here on SuperSaf TV
and it is time for the full in-depth hands-on comparison
of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
versus the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
We've got the best from Samsung and the best from Apple.
And as always, we'll be breaking down
all of the key differences between these two
to give you guys a better idea
of which one be right for you.
So I want to kick things off by looking at the design.
I think both of these look really, really good
but the S21 Ultra, I would say looks more unique.
There's really not much else out there like this.
And if we compare this
to the S20 Ultra last year, there is a big difference.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max, we do have those flat edges
which I think look really good.
But if you look at the camera module, for example
it does look very similar
to the iPhone 11 Pro Max last year.
Now both of these are big phones,
some of the biggest smartphones out right now
and they both weigh about the same as well.
The S21 Ultra is a little bit taller
and a little bit thicker
but the iPhone 12 Pro Max is wider.
Now that width with the flatter edges
does make the iPhone 12 Pro Max
not as comfortable to hold as the S21 Ultra
which is narrower with curved sides.
Now moving onto the build materials
both of these are very premium.
We've got glass backs,
we've got an aluminum frame on the S21 Ultra
but we do have a more durable stainless steel frame
on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Both the frames that do have a glossy finish
but I can definitely notice more fingerprints
on the iPhone 12 Pro Max compared to the S21 Ultra.
And this is something
that I keep finding myself having to wipe down.
If you want to avoid that
then you can get a skin from our channel sponsor dbrand.
They actually have an edge skin
for the iPhone 12 Pro Max
which covers up those fingerprints quite nicely.
And the MKBHD icon skins are now back.
So if you want to pick some up
for your iPhone 12 Pro Max or your Samsung galaxy S21 Ultra
then I will be leaving a link down in the description below.
Now we do have IP68 water and dust resistance
on both devices
but the iPhone 12 Pro Max can be submerged in water
up to six meters compared to 1.5 meters of the S21 Ultra.
Now, honestly speaking, I'm not sure
how much this is going to matter to most people.
I just liked the fact that we've got IP68 on both.
Now let's move over onto the front.
And I think it's a very easy win for the S21 Ultra,
you firstly have a larger 6.8 inch display
but we've got minimal bezel smaller
than that of the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
You've also got a small punch out rather than the notch
that we've got on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
And although both devices are based on OLED technology
which gives them deep blacks and amazing colors.
The S21 Ultra does get some more advantages.
It does have a high resolution
giving you a higher pixel density
which makes things that little bit sharper.
It's also a brighter display,
one of the brightest displays out there, 1500 nits.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max also has a pretty bright display.
It's just the S21 Ultra is brighter.
And especially if you're somebody like me
who always wears sunglasses
and uses your phone outdoors a lot
then you really going to appreciate that extra brightness
on the S21 Ultra.
But I think most importantly the S21 Ultra
does have the higher refresh rate, 120 hertz.
And this really doesn't make a difference.
It just makes everything feel a lot smoother
compared it to the 60 hertz on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
We've got Gorilla Glass Victus on the S21 Ultra
and we've got ceramic shield on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Both of these are very durable
but I think the iPhone 12 Pro Max just gets that edge
because of the ceramic shield.
Neither of them are going to be any more scratch resistant
but from the drop test that we've seen
the iPhone 12 Pro Max
does seem to be more durable for drops.
Now, although we do have a notch on the iPhone 12 Pro Max
within that notch is face ID,
and face ID is really good, it's super fast,
and one of the most secure unlocking methods
for your smartphone.
However, in the day and age of masks
it has been a bit of a struggle for me personally.
The S21 Ultra has an in display fingerprint scanner
which works really, really well.
And it is the first device
with Qualcomm second Gen 3D Sonic Sensor
which has a larger sensor area
compared to the previous generation,
and it's also faster.
Now, of course, it's going to come down to personal preference,
whether you prefer face ID or the fingerprint sensor,
but I think right now when we have to wear masks everywhere
I personally do prefer the fingerprint sensor.
Now let's move on to my favorite part,
and that is of course the cameras.
Before I tell you all about the cameras
just to let you know, I have done an in-depth detailed
super sass style camera comparison between these two.
It's actually 30 minutes long,
and I've gone through pretty much every single feature.
I will leave that video linked in the cards
and down in the description.
But to give you a brief summary,
for the front facing cameras,
the S21 Ultra does have a high resolution
but generally you will be shooting
at around 10 megapixels any way
to get the best out of the sensor.
And I did find
that you have better dynamic range for images
as well as overall better colors which is quite surprising
because traditionally Samsung devices
tend to brighten up your face.
However, this year Samsung does allow you
to completely switch this off.
So thank you Samsung for listening.
But the iPhone 12 Pro Max
does give you sharper results overall,
and in my testing
it does give you a little bit better edge detection
when it comes to portraits.
Moving onto the rear facing cameras
we've got lots of cameras here to work with.
We've got ultra-wide, primary, as well as telephoto.
The S21 Ultra does have two telephoto cameras,
three times as well as 10 times.
Now, of course, if zoom is your thing
then the S21 Ultra will clearly be the choice for you.
It has some excellent zoom.
Even up to 30 times
you get some really, really good results.
You can go all the way up to a hundred times,
but that's something
that's a little bit too much for my liking.
And I don't think you get great results
although they are better
than pretty much anything else out there on a smartphone.
It's still not something that I would use every day.
However, the iPhone 12 Pro Max
gives you much better portraits
because he actually uses that telephoto lens
for portrait photography.
The S21 Ultra just uses the primary camera
and crops in which isn't the best solution
because it does give you soft results.
For the primary cameras,
honestly speaking, it is neck and neck.
I think you can't go wrong with either of these.
They both also take great shots in low light,
and for the ultra wide cameras,
I do prefer the iPhone 12 Pro Max
because it does give you more natural colors
without so much obvious processing,
but the S21 Ultra does give you better low-light results
with the old white camera,
and it also has dual pixel auto focus,
which means the ultra-wide camera
can also be used as a macro camera
and really get up close results.
I really do like this feature here
on the S21 Ultra.
For video, although both of these take great quality video
my overall choice is still the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
I just think it gives you more consistent results overall,
and it also has HDR with Dolby vision
across all of the cameras,
which gives you much better dynamic range.
Now, the S21 Ultra does have the ability to shoot 8K,
that does crop in and it doesn't give you stabilization
but it's nice to have the option.
And you also have a pro video mode built in.
So you can start using the straightaway
and tweaking your settings.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max,
if you do want pro video settings
you will have to get a third party app.
Now I do want to emphasize
that both of these have excellent cameras,
some of the best out there right now.
I think it's just going to come down
to your personal preference.
Once again, all of the different features
have been covered in that detailed camera comparison
which I will link in the cards
and down in the description.
Moving on to performance,
the iPhone 12 Pro Max
is powered by Apple's A14 Bionic,
the S21 Ultra, it's a little bit more complicated,
depending on your region,
you will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
or Samsung Exynos 2100.
Now all of these chips all based
on a five nanometer process.
And honestly speaking in my day-to-day,
both of these have been absolutely great.
Performance has been top-notch on both of these.
I currently have the Exynos version
because I'm based in the UK.
I will be getting a hold
of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 version very soon.
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Now, you guys know I'm not somebody
who does speed tests
to find out exactly how many microseconds
of difference is opening apps
and things like that between these two.
But generally speaking to my usage
anything that I've thrown at them has been absolutely fine.
But we do have some differences for RAM.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max comes with six gigabytes of RAM,
the S21 Ultra comes with double that as a base,
12 gigabytes, but you can get up to 16 gigabytes.
And you may not notice it all the time
but there have been certain situations
where I have noticed the advantage of RAM.
Say, for example,
if I am trying to upload a story on Instagram
and I close down the app on my iPhone
and move on to something else, then that video
will not carry on uploading in the background.
I'll have to open Instagram
and wait for it to fully upload.
The S21 Ultra, I can just upload it and then leave,
and it will carry on uploading in the background.
Now I'm not sure
if this is specifically because of the RAM,
it might also have to do with some software.
And we do have of course different software
on both of these,
we've got iOS on the iPhone
and we've got Android with One UI on the S21 Ultra.
And now, you guys know I don't go into battles.
It does come down to personal preference.
I genuinely use both,
and I like both for different reasons.
I think it's come to a point
where both operating systems do offer a lot
and it really just comes down to what you like.
Now, both devices have stereo speakers,
we've got one in the earpiece and one bottom firing.
I am not an audio expert,
but speaking to my friend (indistinct)
who is an audio expert, he has done a detailed video.
I'll link that video
in the cards and down in the description.
But based on what he said, the S21 Ultra is louder
but the iPhone 12 Pro Max can get more basey.
Now, personally speaking
I don't think you can go wrong with either.
I think both have great stereo speakers.
Both devices also have ultra-wideband technology,
and as support rolls out for more and more products
you will be able to do things
like use your smartphone as a touchless key for your car.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max also has a LiDAR scanner.
This not only gives you better also focus in low light
but also can be used for AR.
The S21 Ultra does come
with some more additional features as well.
You do have HyperFast WiFi 6E which can give you
up to four times fastest speeds over wifi.
Now you will need a specific router for this.
And the S21 Ultra does also have support for the S Pen.
Now, this is something that you will have to buy separately
but it's definitely nice to have.
If you are somebody that's coming
from a previous note device
and you're interested in the S21 ultra
but you're thinking maybe you'll still need the S Pen.
Well, the good news is
you will be able to get this here on the S21 Ultra.
Now let's talk about the batteries and battery life.
The S21 Ultra does have a much larger battery
compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max
but remember size does not matter.
That's not what she said.
Now in my usage both have been very good
and have given me similar battery life.
I'm not somebody who does a battery drain test
because real life usage can vary.
I would say that the S21 Ultra
does get the slight edge however.
Now this is the Exynos version that I'm using here.
I've not tested out the Qualcomm Snapdragon version
which might give me better battery life.
But generally speaking I think both of these
will get most people through the day absolutely fine.
Now, when it comes to charging,
neither of these come with a charger out of the box.
It's a trend that Apple started last year,
Samsung made fun of, and have now copied.
So yeah, there's that.
The S21 Ultra can support up to 25 Watts while charging,
the iPhone 12 Pro Max up to 20 Watts.
Now in the day-to-day,
I don't really think that difference of speed
is really going to matter.
Both of these can charge pretty fast
and we do have support for cheap wireless charging.
Now with the S21 Ultra, you do have support
for up to 15 Watts Qi wireless charging.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is a bit of a catch,
it's 7.5 watts on standard Qi wireless chargers
but if you do use Apple's MagSafe charging
then you can it's up to 50 Watts.
Now, MagSafe is something that I really do like,
it just snaps on.
The S21 Ultra, however, does have wireless PowerShare.
So you can charge other devices, say some ear buds
on the back of the S21 Ultra.
Which is not something that you will use all the time
but it can be an advantage.
And finally, let's talk about the price.
Both of these come in the same storage options,
128, 256, and 512 gigabytes.
The S21 Ultra, the base model does start higher
compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The 256 gigabyte option is pretty much the same,
and the 512 gigabyte version
is actually cheaper compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
So, generally speaking,
these are on the premium tier of flagships.
And one of the interesting things here in the UK anyway
is the fact that both of these coming in
at a lower price
compared to what the previous generation devices
came in at the year before.
And that is the Samsung galaxy S21 Ultra
and the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
I think both of these are great devices
and they will be both of my daily drivers going forward.
I will have one of each in my pocket
because I do use both Android and iOS.
But which one is the one that's right to you?
Well, of course, if a display is more important to you
then the S21 Ultra will be the better option
as well as the versatility
when it comes to all of those cameras.
But in my opinion, the iPhone 12 Pro Max
does have better video overall.
It also has great cameras with the Apple ecosystem.
And I think most of it will come down to
which operating system is the one for you.
Is it Android?
Or is it iOS?
Because in my opinion
both of these are excellent, excellent smartphones.
That's what I think anyway,
what do you guys think?
Do drop me a comment below, let me know,
let me know which one of these you would pick.
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Thanks for watching.
This is Saf on SuperSaf TV,
and I'll see you next time.
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