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In 2024, we find ourselves at the crossroads of some of the most impressive flagship smartphones ever created. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max have become the three biggest phones on the market.
There are good things about each phone, but let’s be honest: no device is perfect. When you have high hopes, sometimes things don’t live up to them. We won’t delve too far into this topic. I’m going to talk more about what makes each of these flagships exceptional, what’s bad about them, and most importantly, which one might be best for you.
Design and Build Quality: First Impressions Matter
From what I can tell at first glance, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra looks the most risky of the three. Samsung’s curved edges and bold, almost futuristic style make their products look very expensive. It’s hard to find a better way to feel than with its titanium frame and matte glass back. However, I will say that Samsung has stuck with its love of curved screens, which are nice to look at but easy to damage by mistake. I like a flat panel better, especially because it’s easy to handle and protects the screen.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max feels more like a friend. This is the best Apple product yet. The squared-off edges and titanium frame make it feel stable and expensive in your hand. But here’s the thing: Apple hasn’t really changed the way its phones look since the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It’s beautiful, but if you’ve had an iPhone in the last three years, you’ve pretty much had this one before. The plan is safe, but I think it’s a bit too safe.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, on the other hand, is different. The horizontal camera bar on the back of the Pixel is a design feature that makes it stand out. But I have to say that the phone feels less high-end in the hand than the S24 Ultra or the iPhone Pro Max XL. The matte finish makes it easier to clean, but because it’s lighter, it doesn’t feel quite as strong. While it looks great, it doesn’t feel as solid and heavy as a high-end phone should.
Display: Visual Delights and Disappointments
For a long time, Samsung has been the leader in display technology. The Galaxy S24 Ultra‘s 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display keeps that up. The contrast is best for watching HDR material, the colors are bright, and at 144Hz, scrolling feels like butter. But here’s the problem: Samsung’s screen can be too bright at times. This might feel too fake for people who like colors that look like they came from nature.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display that is as clear and true to color as ever. Apple has never been one to push the edges of refresh rate, but 120Hz makes the experience smooth enough. True-to-life color precision is one thing I really like about Apple’s screens. But I’ve noticed that the iPhone battles a little more than the others with brightness when it’s directly in the sun. This makes it slightly harder to read outside.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, on the other hand, has a 6.9-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz response rate. This is ideal for watching videos or reading because it has a bigger screen, and the refresh rate changes easily depending on what you’re doing. But the Pixel’s screen doesn’t have the color brightness and clarity that Samsung’s and even Apple’s screens do. It’s still great, but as a leader, it should be brighter and have more colors.
Performance: Powerhouses with Limitation
In terms of strength, all three phones are very strong. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which makes apps, games, and multitasking run at their best. Even though Samsung’s unique One UI software has a lot of features, it can feel bloated at times. Bloatware and apps that aren’t needed come pre-installed, which makes the experience less smooth than it should be.
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Exceeding All Expectations
The iPhone 16 Pro Max‘s A18 Pro Bionic chip, and as usual with Apple products, it works perfectly. It’s easy to play games, apps start right away, and switching between tasks feels natural. But Apple’s unwillingness to add real multitasking and customization options, even though its hardware is very powerful, feels limited. If you look at paper, this is the best phone, but Apple’s walled-garden policy means you can’t fully use it.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, stands out because it has Google’s Tensor G3 chip, which works best for AI and machine learning jobs. This makes the Pixel very good at translating words and images in real time and guessing what they mean. But when it comes to raw power, it’s not as good as the Samsung or Apple flagships. If you play a lot of games on your phone, the Pixel might not be able to handle heavy games in the best settings. It’s still very fast for everyday work, though.
Cameras: King of the Lens?
What about the cameras? For many people, this is the most important part of a smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the most useful phone in every way. It has a 200MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and two telephoto lenses, one of which can zoom in up to 10 times. The S24 Ultra has amazing zoom, and when the lighting is good, it takes some of the clearest shots I’ve ever seen. But I noticed that Samsung’s camera over-processes pictures when there isn’t much light, making them look a bit too smooth and fake.
On the other hand, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max keeps getting better and better. The 48MP main sensor, 12MP ultra-wide sensor, and 12MP telephoto sensor all work together to make stunning shots. It has great color precision and skin tones, which is something Samsung has trouble with. But Apple hasn’t come up with any new ideas for the zoom feature, which is clear. Since it only has 3x optical zoom, the iPhone Pro Max XL doesn’t feel as powerful as the others. Apple is known for its computational photography, but sometimes you just need a little more zoom without missing detail.
Thanks to Google’s machine learning and software-based photography, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is the dark horse in this race. The Pixel’s 50MP main camera, 48MP ultra-wide camera, and 5x telephoto lens always take some of the most beautiful and lifelike pictures, even when there isn’t much light. Night Sight is still the best in the business, and Google doesn’t do too much with it. The 5x optical zoom is good for people who like to zoom in a lot, but it’s not as flexible as Samsung’s 10x zoom.
Battery Life: Power Struggles
The battery life of all three phones is about the same, but they all have some problems.
There is a 5000mAh battery in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which should really last you all day. Actually, it does, but only if you don’t use the camera or play games that push the phone to its limits. The bright screen and high update rate do drain the battery quickly, so if you’re going to be gone all day, bring a charger with you.
iOS’s tight merging of hardware and software makes the iPhone 16 Pro Max and its 4,685mAh battery work at their best. Even though it has a smaller battery, it lasts longer than the Samsung in real life. But the fact that it can’t charge quickly is a disappointment. Apple is still not as good as its rivals, especially since Samsung can charge up to 65W and Google’s fast charging is also nice.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has a 5,000mAh battery. It doesn’t last as long as the iPhone, but it’s still plenty long enough for a day of normal use. Heavy use of the camera, especially when using computational photography, can drain the battery faster than thought, though.
Software Experience: Personal Preferences
The software on these three phones is one thing that makes them different.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has One UI 6 on top of Android 14, which lets you change a lot of things. But, as we already said, One UI can feel cluttered, and the number of pre-installed apps can be too much if you don’t take the time to change the settings.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max XL from Apple has iOS 18, and it works just as well as before. It’s the easiest to understand and use of the bunch. But Apple’s walled garden can feel limiting, especially for people who like having more freedom to change how their phone works.
With its “clean and minimalist version of Android 14,” the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL might have the best Android experience. There is no extra software or apps that aren’t needed—just straight Android. The simplicity does come with a cost, though fewer options than Samsung’s One UI. Some users might not like how there aren’t many ways to change things.
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Editors Note: Unfortunately, as of this writing, iPhone 16 Pro Max is not yet available on Amazon. We will update this post as soon as it becomes available.
The Bottom Line
Which is best and which one should you choose? Here’s a quick rundown of these top-of-the-line smartphones’ features.
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- The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has the best camera zoom and screen. Just know that the software might feel a little too full.
- For those who want seamless speed, unmatched build quality, and ecosystem integration, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the best choice, but power users may not like how few zoom and customization options it has.
- Please note that the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL may not be the best choice for games or people who need more power. It has the smartest camera system and the purest Android experience.
It all comes down to what you want—whether you want a camera that can do a lot of different things, software that is simple to use, or just processing power. There is no clear winner. Pick the one that best fits your needs.
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