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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max: which top-end phone is for you? – TechRadar

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4 years ago

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The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the biggest, most expensive entry in the Samsung Galaxy S21 range, so of course it’s directly competing with the iPhone 12 Pro Max – Apple’s biggest and most expensive phone.

These are both big, ultra-high-end handsets, and both come with much of what you’d expect, including top-tier power and near endless features. But while they have a lot in common, the specifics of what they offer also vary in numerous ways.

So if you’re trying to decide between the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, this article should help, as it compares the two phones in full.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a slightly curved glass back with a very large camera block in the top left corner, from the front, there’s an all-screen design, with curved edges and a single-lens punch-hole camera in the top center.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max on the other hand is a lot flatter – both on the front and back, but it too has a glass back and is light on bezel, though rather than a cut-out in the screen for the selfie camera, it has a sizeable notch at the top. Its rear camera block is smaller than the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s though, and it’s square, where Samsung’s is more rectangular.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max itself is a similar size to the S21 Ultra though, coming in at 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4mm, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm. So Samsung’s phone is a bit taller and thicker, but slightly narrower. The two phones weigh exactly the same amount though, at 228g each.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max (Image credit: TechRadar)

Both handsets also have IP68 certification, meaning they’re dust and water resistant. In the case of the iPhone 12 Pro Max, that water resistance extends to depths of 6 meters for 30 minutes though, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is only tested to depths of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

As for colors, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in Phantom Black and Phantom Silver, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max is available in Graphite, Silver, Gold, and Pacific Blue shades.

Screen

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s screen is enormous at 6.8 inches. It’s a curved OLED screen with a 1440 x 3200 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Unlike previous Samsung flagships you can also run it at both full resolution and the highest refresh rate simultaneously.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max also has a big screen, in fact it’s the biggest Apple has ever put on a phone, but it’s slightly smaller at 6.7 inches.

The S21 Ultra has a slightly larger screen (Image credit: Future)

This also uses OLED, but it’s a flat display, and it comes in at 1284 x 2778. In terms of pixel density, you’re looking at 515 pixels per inch on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and 458 on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

While we haven’t yet fully tested the S21 Ultra’s screen, Samsung’s flagships typically have among the best smartphone screens of their release year, but so do Apple’s phones, and in our review we found that the iPhone 12 Pro Max had a great, bright screen with excellent color reproduction.

Camera

There’s a quad-lens camera on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, with a 108MP f/1.8 main sensor, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one, a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto one (capable of 3x optical zoom), and a second 10MP telephoto one, this time with an f/4.9 aperture and support for 10x optical zoom.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max also has a quad-lens camera, but the specs are quite different. There’s a 12MP f/1.6 main snapper, a 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide one, a 12MP f/2.2 telephoto one (with 2.5x optical zoom) and a LiDAR scanner, for judging depth and distances – which is particularly useful for augmented reality.

Both phones have four rear cameras (Image credit: Future)

On the front meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 40MP f/2.2 camera, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 12MP f/2.2 one.

While the numbers might look less impressive on Apple’s camera, we were certainly impressed in our review, noting that the camera is “powerful” and performs well even at night. It remains to be seen how the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s camera will perform at the time of writing, but we’re expecting good things.

Battery life

There’s a huge 5,000mAh battery in the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which dwarfs the 3,687mAh one in the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

We don’t know how long the S21 Ultra’s will last yet, but in our tests we found that the iPhone 12 Pro Max lasted over a day comfortably, but was unlikely to stretch to two. With its slightly sharper and larger screen the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra might eat through battery faster, but then it’s got a lot more available as well.

Both phones support fast charging and wireless charging, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra additionally supports Wireless PowerShare – which lets you use it to wirelessly charge other gadgets.

Specs and features

Both of these phones are very powerful, as you’d expect, though the exact specs differ. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has either a Snapdragon 888 chipset (if you’re in the US) or an Exynos 2100 (in most other regions), while the iPhone 12 Pro Max has an A14 Bionic. All three of these though are the top of their ranges.

One thing that the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a lot more of though is RAM, with 12GB included in the 128GB and 256GB models, while the 512GB model has 16GB of RAM. The iPhone 12 Pro Max on the other hand only has 6GB of RAM, whichever model you buy (128GB, 256GB, or 512GB). That said, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a very fast phone, so we wouldn’t read too much into that.

One feature that both of these phones have is 5G, so you’ll be ready to take advantage of the new generation of mobile connectivity, but a lot of their other features differ.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max supports MagSafe (Image credit: TechRadar)

For one thing, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has an in-screen fingerprint scanner, the iPhone 12 Pro Max instead goes all in on Face ID.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra also supports Samsung’s S Pen stylus (though this is sold separately), while the iPhone 12 Pro Max supports MagSafe accessories, which you can magnetically attach to the back of the phone.

Of course, they also have very different operating systems, with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra running Android 11, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max runs iOS 14.

Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,849, for which you’ll get a 128GB model. It’s easy to do a direct comparison with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, as that also starts with 128GB of storage, for which you’ll pay $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849.

So the two phones cost the same amount in Australia, but in the US and the UK the iPhone 12 Pro Max is actually slightly cheaper, which isn’t a sentence you’ll hear very often. There’s not much in it though.

As for availability, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is of course available now, while at the time of writing you can pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, with it going on sale on January 29.

(Image credit: Future)

Takeaway

The iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra really stand up well to each other on paper. Both have premium builds, top-end power, 5G, quad-lens cameras, up to 512GB of storage, and similarly large screens.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s display is marginally larger and higher resolution, it has longer range optical zoom, a bigger battery, and more RAM, plus support for the S Pen stylus. But with the iPhone 12 Pro Max you get MagSafe support, better water resistance, and a LiDAR scanner, plus in most places the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a slightly lower starting price.

If any of those factors are a big deal for you, that should help in making a purchase decision, but you might want to wait for our full Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review before buying either.

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Slack researcher discusses the fear, loathing and excitement surrounding AI in the workplace

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18 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence‘s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them.

Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Only 50% of the respondents fell under the Maximalist or Underground categories, posing a challenge for businesses that want their workers to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently discussed the excitement and tension surrounding AI at work with Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics.

Q: What do you make about the wide range of perceptions about AI at work?

A: It shows people are experiencing AI in very different ways, so they have very different emotions about it. Understanding those emotions will help understand what is going to drive usage of AI. If people are feeling guilty or nervous about it, they are not going to use it. So we have to understand where people are, then point them toward learning to value this new technology.

Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI at work, but what is different about their attitudes?

A: Maximalists are all in on AI. They are getting value out of it, they are excited about it, and they are actively sharing that they are using it, which is a really big driver for usage among others.

The Underground is the one that is really interesting to me because they are using it, but they are hiding it. There are different reasons for that. They are worried they are going to be seen as incompetent. They are worried that AI is going to be seen as cheating. And so with them, we have an opportunity to provide clear guidelines to help them know that AI usage is celebrated and encouraged. But right now they don’t have guidelines from their companies and they don’t feel particularly encouraged to use it.

Overall, there is more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great We just need to figure out how to harness that.

Q: What about the 19% of workers who fell under the Rebel description in Slack’s study?

A: Rebels tend to be women, which is really interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t like to see. Also, rebels tend to be older. At a high level, men are adopting the technology at higher rates than women.

Q: Why do you think more women than men are resisting AI?

A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat, more likely to worry that AI is going to take over their jobs. To me, that points to women not feeling as trusted in the workplace as men do. If you feel trusted by your manager, you are more likely to experiment with AI. Women are reluctant to adopt a technology that might be seen as a replacement for them whereas men may have more confidence that isn’t going to happen because they feel more trusted.

Q: What are some of the things employers should be doing if they want their workers to embrace AI on the job?

A: We are seeing three out of five desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines with AI, because their companies just aren’t telling them anything, so that’s a huge opportunity.

Another opportunity to encourage AI usage in the open. If we can create a culture where it’s celebrated, where people can see the way people are using it, then they can know that it’s accepted and celebrated. Then they can be inspired.

The third thing is we have to create a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying it out, testing it, getting comfortable with it because a lot of people just don’t know where to start. The reality is you can start small, you don’t have to completely change your job. Having AI write an email or summarize content is a great place to start so you can start to understand what this technology can do.

Q: Do you think the fears about people losing their jobs because of AI are warranted?

A: People with AI are going to replace people without AI.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Biden administration to provide $325 million for new Michigan semiconductor factory

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18 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it would provide up to $325 million to Hemlock Semiconductor for a new factory, a move that could help give Democrats a political edge in the swing state of Michigan ahead of election day.

The funding would support 180 manufacturing jobs in Saginaw County, where Republicans and Democrats were neck-in-neck for the past two presidential elections. There would also be construction jobs tied to the factory that would produce hyper-pure polysilicon, a building block for electronics and solar panels, among other technologies.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a call with reporters that the funding came from the CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. It’s part of a broader industrial strategy that the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, supports, while Republican nominee Donald Trump, the former president, sees tariff hikes and income tax cuts as better to support manufacturing.

“What we’ve been able to do with the CHIPS Act is not just build a few new factories, but fundamentally revitalize the semiconductor ecosystem in our country with American workers,” Raimondo said. “All of this is because of the vision of the Biden-Harris administration.”

A senior administration official said the timing of the announcement reflected the negotiating process for reaching terms on the grant, rather than any political considerations. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the process.

After site work, Hemlock Semiconductor plans to begin construction in 2026 and then start production in 2028, the official said.

Running in 2016, Trump narrowly won Saginaw County and Michigan as a whole. But in 2020 against Biden, both Saginaw County and Michigan flipped to the Democrats.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

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2 weeks ago

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October 8, 2024

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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

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