Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max: The better flagship? – Smartprix

Samsung envisages foldable as the next frontier in smartphone design. It has thus engineered two distinct folding phones namely the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (review) and Galaxy Z Flip 3. Among the two, the former is the more flashy and is the company’s flagship device for the fall, 2021. And while Samsung has unveiled its crown jewel, its biggest competitor, Apple has also launched its own best offering named the iPhone 13 Pro Max. And amongst the two, if you are confused about which one to spend your money on, let us help you out. Today, we will be comparing the Z Fold 3 against the iPhone 13 Pro Max. So, let’s get straight into the showdown.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G Vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max Ultra

We are going to look at the major positives and negatives of both these high-end phones which should help you decide which one is the best new phone for you.

Design and Display

The key difference between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is that this one is foldable while the latter isn’t. Z Fold 3 is like a tablet that can be folded into something compact and pocketable.

While Samsung has been using high refresh OLED panels for quite some time now, it’s the first time for Apple’s phone lineup. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has got a ProMotion OLED display too with an adaptive refresh rate from 10-120Hz. This means smoother visuals than before.

Rest both phones sport a good picture processing pipeline and tuning, which makes them palatable for entertainment and other things in daily use.

That said, nothing can come close to what Samsung’s foldable feast presents. You get a large real estate inside and an additional cover screen outside (also 120Hz) for a narrow but rather usable display. And not to forget, the main display also supports S-Pen stylus input for some convenient note-taking.

The Z Fold 3’s design is unique and its hydrophobic rating is impressive. For a foldable device with lots of moving parts, that’s cutting-edge work. But, the lack of dust resistance and overall durability of its display can be concerning for some. Although, Samsung boasts a lot of endurance tests and in my review, I felt it to be built strong. But if you ought to have something on the safer side something with IP68 ingress protection, and something that’s easy to handle, choose iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Camera

The quality of the camera has not been Samsung’s primary focus with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. It doesn’t have a bad camera per se but cannot hold a candle to the iPhone 13 Pro Max cameras. You can glean the camera specs and features of both from the table below.

Overall so, if you are looking to flex your camera skills, iPhone 13 Pro Max should have a clear lead, closely followed by the Z Fold 3 in most settings.

Performance

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor while iPhone 13 Pro Max uses Apple A15 Bionic Chipset. Although in benchmarks and raw grunt, iPhone’s A15 takes the cake, the SD888 within Samsung is a capable performer in its own rights. In other words, they are top-end performers in all respects. And in real-world usage, unless you are a power user, you won’t even need the amount of performance these chips boast. In all other aspects too, these handsets are equipped with upstate specs and connectivity options like 5G, WiFi, and Bluetooth for telephony functions.

The software also plays a key role in the user experience. First of all, you have to choose your side in the age-old debate of Android vs iOS. Both android and iOS have their own advantages and disadvantages so it will eventually come down to your preferences. Lately, the line of differences between both platforms in terms of their UI elements, privacy and security measures are getting blurred. Still, among the two, Z Fold 3’s One UI 3.5 is smartly tailored for unmatchable multitasking on a folding format, while iPhone’s iOS feels more secure but walled for the same reason.

Battery

While Samsung supports 25W (PD) wired charging, iPhone isn’t far behind with its 20W PD speeds. But both don’t come with an adapter in the box. Both tech giants claim e-wastage reduction as the reason for this unbundling. As for wireless charging, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports an 11W wireless charger while iPhone 13 Pro Max is compatible with 15W MagSafe (and 7.5W Qi) wireless charger. 

Pricing and Availability

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is priced as follows:

• 256GB: ₹149,999
• 512GB: ₹1,57,999

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is priced as follows:

• 128GB: ₹1,29,900
• 256GB: ₹1,39.900
• 512GB: ₹1,59,900
• 1TB: ₹1,79,900

It’s true that the pricing of a device plays a crucial factor while choosing a smartphone. However, if you are spending big bucks, experiences do matter.

If you are a shutterbug and someone who loves taking a lot of photos and videos, then iPhone 13 Pro Max is for you. It won’t break a sweat regardless of casual daily or demanding use cases. But where it all wanes in comparison is the multitasking prowess and entertainment avenues offered by Samsung’s foldable. So, if money no bar, Z Fold 3 5G is the exceptional flagship you can get.

Rest, for a comparative look at the specifications of all 3 smartphones, check out the following table —

Specs Comparison

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