iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
80.4Performance37.2
65.9Display56.3
63.7Camera72
69.3Battery46.4
89.3Features78.7
12 spec wins — iPhone 17 Pro Max5 spec wins — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
InnoReviews verdict
iPhone 17 Pro Max wins this phone face-off, 72.8 to 53.9, pulling ahead mainly in performance (+43) and battery (+23). Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Stronger performance score: 80 vs 37
- Stronger display score: 66 vs 56
- Stronger battery score: 69 vs 46
- Stronger features score: 89 vs 79
- 380% higher telephoto: 48 MP vs 10 MP
Reasons to pick the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Stronger camera score: 72 vs 64
- 150% higher Optical zoom: 10 x vs 4 x
- 125% higher Main camera: 108 MP vs 48 MP
- 122% higher Front camera: 40 MP vs 18 MP
- 12% higher Pixel density: 515 ppi vs 460 ppi
Display
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.9 ″+1% | 6.8 ″ |
| Panel type | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1320x2868 | 3200x1440 |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 515 ppi+12% |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 3,000 nits+100% | 1,500 nits |
| Screen-to-body | 91.2 % | — |
| AnTuTu 10 (CPU) | — | 263,424Top 88% |
| AnTuTu 10 (GPU) | — | 126,989Top 82% |
| AnTuTu 10 (Memory) | — | 165,563Top 72% |
| AnTuTu 10 (UX) | — | 227,841Top 82% |
Performance
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro | Samsung Exynos 2100 |
| AnTuTu 10 | 2,150,000+174%Top 10% | 783,817Top 65% |
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,850+169%Top 1% | 1,430Top 52% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 9,700+173%Top 4% | 3,550Top 56% |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 256/512GB/1TB/2TB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | UFS 3.1 |
Camera
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 48 MP | 108 MP+125% |
| Main aperture | f/1.78 | f/1.8 |
| Ultra-wide | 48 MP+300% | 12 MP |
| Telephoto | 48 MP+380% | 10 MP |
| Optical zoom | 4 x | 10 x+150% |
| Max video | 4K@120fps | 8K@24fps |
| Front camera | 18 MP | 40 MP+122% |
| OIS | Yes | Yes |
Battery
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5,088 mAh+2% | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 40 W+60% | 25 W |
| Wireless charging | 25 W+67% | 15 W |
| Active use endurance | 14 h | — |
Design
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 233 g | 228 g+2% |
| Thickness | 8.8 mm+2% | 8.9 mm |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Frame material | Aluminum unibody | Aluminum |
Connectivity
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 | 5.2 |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 | USB-C 3.2 |
| eSIM | Yes | Yes |
Software
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| OS at launch | iOS 26 | Android 11 (One UI 3.1) |
| OS update pledge | 6 years+50% | 4 years |
Audio
| Spec | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
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