The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max are two of the most capable smartphones available in 2022. But how do they stack up? Samsung and Apple have long had a competitive relationship with one another. From the days of the original iPhone and Galaxy S right up to 2022, the two companies have always had it out for each other.

Not only do Samsung and Apple compete with one another on a business level, but fans of the two brands also like to stir things up between them. More often than not, this happens in the form of pitting Samsung and Apple phones against each other — such as the Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max. The former is Samsung's biggest and most powerful smartphone available, while the latter is true of Apple's current lineup. Looking at the two side-by-side, it's fully evident just how far both companies have come in the flagship niche.

Related: Galaxy S22 Vs. Galaxy S21

It all starts with their displays. For its part, Samsung equipped the Galaxy S22 Ultra with a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, 3088 x 1440 resolution, and up to a 120Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 13 Pro Max is very similar, touting a 6.7-inch OLED display, 2778 x 1284 resolution, and also going up to 120Hz. While both screens are stunning to look at, the S22 Ultra has two notable advantages. It can scale its refresh rate all the down to 1Hz when not in use, whereas the iPhone 13 Pro Max can only go down to 10Hz. Furthermore, the S22 Ultra has a mind-boggling peak brightness of 1750 nits compared to 1200 nits on the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

More Galaxy S22 Ultra & iPhone 13 Pro Max Comparisons

Someone holding a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Samsung takes an early lead in the display department, but Apple quickly punches back with its performance. Both smartphones tout flagship-grade processors — specifically, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in the S22 Ultra and Apple's A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13. Both chips are amazingly fast, but the A15 Bionic reigns supreme. It has a higher GPU frequency, higher CPU clock speed, and is more tightly optimized for the iPhone's operating system. That said, Samsung has a clear advantage in the RAM department. The Galaxy S22 Ultra offers a choice between 8 or 12GB of RAM, doubling the 6GB of RAM offered in the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Storage capacities are identical, however, with both phones coming in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants.

And, of course, there are the camera comparisons. Let's start with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Samsung's phone has a 108MP primary camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and two 10MP telephoto cameras (offering 3x and 10x optical zoom). On paper, the iPhone 13 Pro Max isn't nearly as impressive. It has a 12MP primary camera, 12MP ultra-wide camera, and 12MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Despite the huge variance in megapixel counts, both offer some of the best camera systems on a smartphone today. It's a similar situation with battery capacity. The 5,000 mAh battery in the S22 Ultra trumps the 4,352 mAh battery in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, yet the iPhone has some of the longest battery life available in a phone right now.

There are lots of other specs to compare, too. The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a newer Wi-Fi 6E standard, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max only has Wi-Fi 6. The S22 Ultra offers faster charging speeds, too, delivering up to 45W wired charging compared to around 20W for the iPhone. As is the case with any Galaxy vs. iPhone comparison, there are hits and misses across the board. There are certain things the S22 Ultra does better, just like the iPhone 13 Pro Max has the upper hand in its own regards. More than anything, this is a comparison that likely comes down to a battle of software. If you like Android and are comfortable with how it works, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be a much more natural fit. The same is true of the iPhone 13 Pro Max if you prefer living in Apple's ecosystem. Whether you favor Android or iOS, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max are the best phones for their respective platforms.

Next: Does The Galaxy S22 Have An SD Card Slot?

Source: Samsung