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.

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

Availability

Officially announced
Sep 12, 2018 Jan 14, 2021
MSRP
$ 1099 $ 1200 / € 1399

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, 84.29% screen-to-body 6.8-inch, 89.33% screen-to-body
Type
OLED, HDR, 625 nits Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR, 1500 nits
Resolution
2688x1242px, 19.5:9 ratio, 458 PPI 3200x1440px, 20:9 ratio, 516 PPI
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Features
HDR support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A12 Bionic APL1W81 (7 nm) Snapdragon 888 SM8350 (5 nm)
Processor
Hexa-core
2490 MHz
Vortex and Tempest
Octa-core
1x2.84GHz Kryo 680
3x2.42GHz Kryo 680
4x1.80GHz Kryo 680
GPU
Apple 4-core GPU Adreno 660
Memory
4GB (LPDDR4)/64GB
4GB/256GB
4GB/512GB
12GB (LPDDR5)/128GB (UFS 3.1)
12GB/256GB
16GB/512GB
Storage expansion
not expandable not expandable
OS
iOS (15.x, 14.x, 13.x, 12.x) Android (14, 13, 12, 11)

Battery

Type
3179 mAh, Li - Ion 5000 mAh, 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

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
4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p
OIS, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording, Video calling, Video sharing
8K UHD (24 fps), 4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps), 720p (960 fps)
OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Video light, EIS
Front
7 MP (Wide Angle, HDR)
Video capture: 1080p
40 MP (PDAF, HDR)
Video capture: 4K UHD (60 fps)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.1
WLAN
a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac
a,b,g,n,ac,Wi-Fi 6,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ax
USB
Lightning Type-C, USB 3.2
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor
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
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
Additional microphone(s)
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, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600) Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46 Bands 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48
3G
Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
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

Alternative variants

with 512 GB storage
Memory 512GB
MSRP $ 1449
with 256GB storage
Memory 256GB
Colors Phantom black
MSRP $ 1250
with 256 GB storage
Memory 256GB
MSRP $ 1249
with 512GB storage
Memory 16GB/512GB
Colors Phantom black
MSRP $ 1380
for Europe
System chip Samsung Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
Processor Octa-core
1x2.91GHz Cortex-X1
3x2.81G​Hz Cortex-A78
4x2.2G​Hz 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