Reserves open for the new Samsung phones!
Discussions are now open! Start your own threads and share your thoughts with the community.
Discussions are now open! Start your own threads and share your thoughts with the community.

Apple iPhone XS Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Specs Comparison

Compare mobile phone specifications of up to three devices at once. Our specs comparison tool helps you find and compare the perfect phone for your needs.

Comparison mode:
Specs Size
Differences only
9.3
Apple iPhone XS Max
9.1
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Released · Sep 21, 2018
Released · Jan 29, 2021
6.5-inch · 2688x1242px
6.8-inch · 3200x1440px
Dual camera
Quad camera
4GB · 64GB
12GB · 128GB
3179 mAh
5000 mAh
Check prices

Design

Dimensions
6.20 x 3.05 x 0.30 inches
157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm 		6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 inches (~0.37 inches with camera bump)
165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (~9.4 mm with camera bump)
Weight
7.34 oz (208.0 g) 8.04 oz (229.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass
Frame: Stainless steel 		Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus)
Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68 Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
3D Face unlock 2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
Keys
Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Gold, Silver, Space gray Phantom black, Silver

Display

Size
6.5-inch 6.8-inch
Resolution
2688x1242px, 19.5:9 ratio, 458 PPI 3200x1440px, 20:9 ratio, 516 PPI
Technology
OLED Dynamic AMOLED
Refresh rate
120Hz (adaptable)
Screen-to-body
84.29 % 89.33 %
Peak brightness
625 cd/m2 (nit) 1500 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A12 Bionic APL1W81 (7 nm) Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SM8350 (5 nm)
Processor
Hexa-core
2490 MHz
Vortex and Tempest 		Octa-core
1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680
GPU
Apple 4-core GPU Adreno 660
RAM
4GB (LPDDR4) 12GB (LPDDR5)
Internal storage
64GB 128GB (UFS 3.1)
Storage expansion
not expandable not expandable
OS
iOS (15.x, 14.x, 13.x, 12.x) Android (14, 13, 12, 11), One UI

Battery

Capacity
3179 mAh 5000 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Polymer
Charging
USB Power Delivery, Qi wireless charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging
Charge speed
Wired: 15.0W
Wireless: 7.5W 		Wired: 25.0W
Wireless: 15.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
Untested
Browsing
8h 33min
Video
5h 25min
Gaming
Untested
Battery Life Estimate
6h 15min
Browsing
14h 43min
Video
8h 52min
Gaming
8h 40min
Learn more on our PhoneArena Battery Test Results page

Camera

Rear
Dual camera Quad camera
Main camera
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm 		108 MP (OIS, Laser and PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 24 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.33"
Pixel size: 0.8 μm
Second camera
12 MP (Telephoto, Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor)
Optical zoom: 2.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 52 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.4"
Pixel size: 1 μm 		12 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF)
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Third camera
10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF)
Optical zoom: 3.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 70 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.2"
Pixel size: 1.22 μm
Fourth camera
10 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF)
Optical zoom: 3.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 70 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.2"
Pixel size: 1.22 μm
Flash
Quad LED LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD)
OIS, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Video calling, Video sharing 		7680x4320 (8K UHD) (24 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps)
OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Video light, EIS
Front
7 MP (Wide Angle, HDR), Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) 40 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.1
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot 		802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Lightning Type-C, USB 3.2
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T4 M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer
Other
NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling) NFC, ANT+

Multimedia

Headphones
No 3.5mm jack No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
32-Bit DAC, Dolby Atmos, aptX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share Wireless screen share
Radio
FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation, Video recording Noise cancellation, Video recording

Cellular

5G
Bands n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave
4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46 Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600)
3G
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed
LTE-A Pro Cat 16 (1000/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, HSUPA, UMTS LTE-A Pro Cat 20 (2000/150 Mbit/s)
Dual SIM
Yes
SIM type
Nano SIM, eSIM Nano SIM
HD Voice
Yes
VoLTE
Yes

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Sep 12, 2018
FCC ID value: BCG-E3219A 		Date approved: Dec 22, 2020
FCC ID value: A3LSMG998U
Measured SAR
Head: 1.00 W/kg
Body: 1.00 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.52 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.00 W/kg 		Head: 0.77 W/kg
Body: 1.02 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.16 W/kg
Phablet: 3.15 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 1099 $ 1200 / € 1399
In The Box
EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, Documentation C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin

Availability

Officially announced
Sep 12, 2018 Jan 14, 2021

Alternative variants

with 512 GB storage
Internal storage 512GB
MSRP $ 1449
with 256GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
Colors Phantom black
MSRP $ 1250
with 256 GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
MSRP $ 1249
with 512GB storage
RAM 16GB
Internal storage 512GB
Colors Phantom black
MSRP $ 1380
for Europe
System chip Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor Octa-core
1x 2.91GHz Cortex-X1 + 3x 2.81GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x 2.2GHz Cortex-A55
GPU Mali G78 MP14
Weight 8.01 oz (227.0 g)
5G Bands SA, NSA, Sub-6
FCC approval Date approved: Dec 22, 2020
FCC ID value: A3LSMG998B
Measured SAR Head: 0.16 W/kg
Body: 0.72 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.34 W/kg
Phablet: 3.86 W/kg
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless