The iPhone 15 Pro Max is currently the best iPhone you can buy, but that won't be the case for long; in September, Apple will release the iPhone 16 series, and the bigger and better Pro Max will join the fray.

In the Android world, nothing is bigger and better than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. But will the iPhone 16 Pro Max be able to beat it when it arrives later this year? Here's what we know so far.

For the past decade, Apple has announced and released a new number of iPhones in September (with a slight delay to 2020 for pandemic reasons). iPhone 16 Pro Max will almost certainly follow suit.

As for pricing, we expect Apple to maintain the $1,199 starting price in 2024, given the $100 price increase last year. It is unlikely to get any cheaper than that.

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra has been available since January 31. Prices start at $1,299 and go up to $1,659 for the model with 1TB of storage.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra looks much like its predecessor: an imposing, angular design with a large 6.8-inch AMOLED screen and four camera lenses dotting the back. There is also a spot for the included S Pen, which is neatly docked inside the device (though this time it could smell controversial)

As the "Max" name suggests, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will also be a large device, perhaps even It will be larger. Rumors suggest that the screen will be larger this time, from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches.

However, much of this is expected to be absorbed by the shrinking bezel, and early CAD renderings suggest that it may be taller than wide to compensate.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor wherever it is purchased in the world (its siblings have Exynos chips outside the US).

Backed by 12GB RAM, it delivers excellent performance. Here is a comparison between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and its A17 Pro/8GB RAM internals:

As you can see, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was not far behind, but the upcoming A18 Pro chipset will inevitably improve this.

How much improvement is still unknown, but the 3nm manufacturing process should improve both performance and efficiency, and one leaker expects the iPhone 16 to outperform some MacBooks.

Nevertheless, actual benchmark leaks suggest a more modest improvement, with the A18 Pro performing roughly 10% faster than the iPhone 15 Pro.

However, there are two caveats there. First, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is still 5 months away, plenty of time for optimization. Second, a 10% increase in Geekbench performance would bring the above numbers to 3,061 and 7,640, respectively, both higher than the S24 Ultra's score.

The S24 Ultra also has artificial intelligence features throughout. It can automatically edit photos and translate phone calls in real time.

Apple also plans to load up on AI extras soon. These have not yet been confirmed by Apple, but the upcoming iPhone AI features could be game-changing.

In our list of the best camera phones available for purchase, the Galaxy S24 Ultra topped the Android category. The quad-camera setup is surprisingly flexible, with excellent detailed 200MP shots from the main lens and dedicated 5x and 3x telephoto lenses for longer distance snaps.

But the Android caveat is important - the iPhone 15 Pro Max is currently our photographer's choice overall. And the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to be a small but significant improvement on that strong foundation.

The 48MP specs in the headlines may be the same, but one leaker believes the image sensor will increase from 1/1.28" to 1/1.14", improving low-light photography and improving background blurring performance.

This, plus a 14-bit A/D converter for improved data conversion and digital gain control for improved noise and dynamic range, will reportedly make the iPhone 16 Pro Max an "imaging flagship."

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra will remain one of the big players in the Android space for the rest of the year. High price aside, it's overall excellent performance will keep it from really getting off on the wrong foot.

On paper, the iPhone 16 Pro Max's rumored specs may seem like a clear win for Samsung, but don't underestimate the advantage Apple has by making both software and hardware. iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available in September. could provide serious competition, especially if the A18 Pro chip delivers impressive new AI tricks along the way.