iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB vs Samsung S22 Ultra 256GB

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It’s time for me to upgrade my Samsung S9+.

I can get the Samsung for $1K or iPhone for $1200, so cost isn’t an issue.

Which one would you get and why?

 

[ryanosaur]

I’ve never been an android fan. Love the iPhone 13 pro max. It’s been one of the better phone upgrades I’ve had.

So much of this comes down to personal preference and I’ve been a long time Mac user.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm not an apple guy except for a poor experience with iTunes on PCs. However, at that kind of price difference I might go for the apple, altho both are way beyond what I find needed in a phone these days (retired and all). The samsung/android thing can get old....have done that for a while and the performance and ads and bloatware have been somewhat annoying (but I suppose that's partially the cell service, too). OTOH more stuff will run on them than Apple devices afaik so might depend on the apps you use?

 

[Bucknekked]

I will declare my bias for the iPhone upfront. I have owned both Android and iPhones.
I didn't want to buy an iPhone several generations ago (i have an XR) but my company switched and eliminated Androids so I was pushed in. I have actually enjoyed the experience.
Probably the strongest argument for the iPhone is my wife. My wife is the most non-technical person in the world. She is a user, not a techie. I bought her an iPhone and pretty much just gave it to her because I was on Android at the time. No help. No hints. I thought she would drown. She had the hang of it immediately. She is very proficient at making it work.

One side note would be if I take her iPhone and look at it I can't make any sense at all out of how she has it organized. I can't find ANYTHING. But she can find anything at the drop of a hat. The metaphor is very flexible and easy enough for the most non-techie amongst us. And of course you can get as techie as you want with it.
Mine is still going strong. Mine is an XR (which I think is a generation 10). That makes it 4 generations old and it still is as quick as it was when it was new. Never hiccups.

 

[Verdinut]

I have a Galaxy S9 which I bought last year used on eBay from a reliable Toronto seller for only CAD$325. So far I like it as it answers my needs. I don't use it on a daily basis. It is useful mostly when I'm on the road driving.

What I don't like about Apple products is that they are expensive. The company also tries to control you as you are limited on apps which you can use with their phones and their PCs. I will surely avoid them if at all possible.

I've started to use the Waze phone app as a GPS for getting to new places. It's free and it works in North America and in many European counties. If you haven't used one of those driving direction softwares, I recommend that you try it. It's a lot better than a Garmin GPS, and it also warns you of radar surveyance and police on the road ahead. Another good feature is that it warns you of heavy traffic ahead and will suggest detours to avoid long delays. In addition it tells you how long it will take to get to your destination. Moreover, with it you are not bothered with as many ads as with the Google Maps app. You only get short ads when you're on a stop. IMO, it is an amaizing tool which is easy to use.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

My experiences and "biases": I consider myself a Hardcore Android fan, going back from 2009's original Motorola Droid to the latest Galaxy S10+. Due to work, a few years ago, I had to switch to iPhone (currently last few weeks on my "ancient" 11 Pro Max, soon to be 14 Pro Max)

Samsung has better/beefier hardware, but two years of updates and a long history of hardware issues (see Note 7 battery fires and plenty of first gen Fold issues)
Customizations that Samsung makes on stock Android are amateurish at best.
So if you like customizations of Android or have a solid need to sideload apps, go with the Google Pixel phone. 7 should come out soon. It is more stable, has more extended software support, and has faster updates than Samsung phones.

Now to iPhones, They are unbeatable in performance. Not even funny how much faster they are compared to any Android phone. They are 1-2 generations ahead. That goes to the lack of user interface lag and app speed, even complex ones. Case in point: My S10+ Android Auto was pretty slow, but none of that slowness with 11 Pro Car play is much smoother and faster. Battery life is also excellent, especially on Max or Plus devices.
On the negative side, you'd have to live with a stock phone with minimal customization. The app store is the only one controlled by Apple, and photo cloud backup is limited to 5GB (free, more $). Optical zoom on new iPhones is only 3x, vs. 10x on Galaxy Ultra - not sure if this is a big deal for you since otherwise, iPhones had always been one of best and most consistent camera performance.

My biggest gripe with iPhones has always been ads that I couldn't easily block, but recently I found a neat solution called NextDNS.io.

I won't vote for you which one YOU should get, as you've a big boy, and all I can do is to help you understand differences.

 

[Trebdp83]

Still not compelled to upgrade 11 Pro Max for 14. Running iOS 16 just fine now. I upgrade every five years so a couple of more to go before I get a 16 or whatever they call it by that time. I’m in too deep.

Airplay 2 and Airdrop are just so easy and convenient and apps are very abundant. The Macs, iPads, iPhones and Apple TVs just all work well together on my network and I love the Onkyo Controller and Yamaha MusicCast apps. The damn thing is also a remote controller for my Apple TV 4K and XBOX.

Oh, and Airplay 2 has no Zone restrictions when casting to receivers so all Zones can accept the same music from one Apple device. One can also include a Mac in the mix of Airplay devices if it is connected to powered speakers or an older receiver so it can be an additional Zone. What I’m saying is, stick with the Samsung.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Still not compelled to upgrade 11 Pro Max for 14. Running iOS 16 just fine now. I upgrade every five years so a couple of more to go before I get a 16 or whatever they call it by that time. I’m in too deep.

Airplay 2 and Airdrop are just so easy and convenient and apps are very abundant. The Macs, iPads, iPhones and Apple TVs just all work well together on my network and I love the Onkyo Controller and Yamaha MusicCast apps. The damn thing is also a remote controller for my Apple TV 4K and XBOX.

Oh, and Airplay 2 has no Zone restrictions when casting to receivers so all Zones can accept the same music from one Apple device. One can also include a Mac in the mix of Airplay devices if it is connected to powered speakers or an older receiver so it can be an additional Zone. What I’m saying is, stick with the Samsung.

Don't get me wrong, absolutely nothing with my 11 pro max. I'm only upgrading since it's on the company's dime
Only two things I wish it had, face recognition with a face mask and the second is 5G support.

 

[Alex2507]

Probably the strongest argument for the iPhone is my wife.

Same but for different reasons. I still had a flip phone when she got an iPhone5 that was to be handed down to me after 5 years or so. I'm up to an 8 now and SWMBO is on a 12.

I've started to use the Waze phone app as a GPS for getting to new places.

Using Waze to get to known locations in Boston during rush hour is for people who want to stay lost. I know Canada is different in that you only have like 6 streets in the whole country.

Moreover, with it you are not bothered with as many ads as with the Google Maps app. You only get short ads when you're on a stop.

I'm pretty sure I use Google Maps (comes with the phone) and I have never seen an ad.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm pretty sure I use Google Maps (comes with the phone) and I have never seen an ad.

I use Google Maps GPS every day on my Samsung‘s for about 10 years now. I have never seen an ad either.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I use Google Maps GPS every day on my Samsung‘s for about 10 years now. I have never seen an ad either.

Back in 2012, I visited my friend in another country and pre-google buying Waze, it showed ads on every car stop. Haven't seen any ads on Waze since after Google bought them (in 2013). Never seen ads on google maps on mobile during navigation. Yes, some places like McD, are highlighted icons, but easy to ignore.

 

[Alex2507]

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

My Samsung S9+ works perfectly. But it is the old 4G and my wife and daughters' iPhone 13-Pro's have 5G.

I was thinking about getting the S22-Ultra. But my wife and daughters keep telling me I should get the 14-Pro.

So far from my online-searching, this is what I've seen:

1. iPhone-14-Pro-Max has much faster CPU benchmark for both single-core and multi-core, even though the S22-Ultra-256GB has 8-cores/12GB-RAM vs 6-cores/6GB-RAM on the iPhone.

2. iPhone-14-Pro-Max has much longer Battery Life, even though the S22-Ultra has a bigger Battery.

3. The 14-Pro's Camera/Pictures look more "Neutral", while the S22-Ultra look more "Colored". I love the camera pictures on my Samsung S9+ because every picture looks like HDR - kind of fake looking, but pretty and colorful.

 

[Movie2099]

Wife and I just upgraded. Wife is a Samsung user and went from Note10+ to the S22+. She really likes it. Huge upgrade she said. She said the camera on the S22+ is 10x better than on her Note10+.

I'm an iPhone user. Going from 11pro Max to 14 Pro Max. I'm not an Apple fan boy at all, but I just prefer their phone to Samsung. I like simple and Apple provides that with their phones.

Personally, if you've been a long time Samsung user, it might be annoying when you switch. I will say, Apple's phones do have a better battery life than Samsung's. My wife's phone was always around 30% at the end of the day while mine was always above 75% and I used mine a lot more.

 

[Eppie]

I prefer Android over iOS but got tired of the Samsung bloatware preinstalled on the phone, which you can not easily uninstall. Got a Google Pixel last year and have been very happy with it. It's also unlocked, while the Samsungs in Canada are usually tied to a particular provider. Pixel 7 is supposed to be very good and there are good deals on the 6 right now. I'll give the upper hand to Apple for battery life and the iPhone is usually better for photos and video, but the iOS interface drives me crazy. S22 is still a great phone so it comes down to battery usage and whether you do any content creation.

 

[j_garcia]

I have the S22 Ultra and it is a very good phone, especially with the latest software. Cameras are excellent, battery life is excellent, connectivity is great. I also have an iPhone XR with iOS 16 (work, I get a 13 next month) and I actually don't mind it, but iOS still isn't as flexible or easy to use as Android. Both OSs have their pluses and minuses, but I prefer Android by far. The people who say Apple is easier is not because you don't need to do things, but for me it is that you can't do certain things. Hardware wise, while the 14 on paper may be faster, that really isn't as important to me as usability IMO.

If it is the 14, I'd wait because they seem to be in stock everywhere and that means we'll start seeing discounts quickly. It is the first one that did not sell out on day 1. Not because it isn't good, but likely due to economy, cost and the fact that most phones are already good enough that constant upgrades aren't necessary anymore.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Wife and I just upgraded. Wife is a Samsung user and went from Note10+ to the S22+. She really likes it. Huge upgrade she said. She said the camera on the S22+ is 10x better than on her Note10+.

I'm an iPhone user. Going from 11pro Max to 14 Pro Max. I'm not an Apple fan boy at all, but I just prefer their phone to Samsung. I like simple and Apple provides that with their phones.

Personally, if you've been a long time Samsung user, it might be annoying when you switch. I will say, Apple's phones do have a better battery life than Samsung's. My wife's phone was always around 30% at the end of the day while mine was always above 75% and I used mine a lot more.

Well, my tablets and laptops have always been Apple. But my phones have always been Samsung. My desktops have always been Windows PC.

So I am acquainted with Apple products.

Whichever phone I get, I probably won't buy another phone for 5 or more years - unless they come out with 6G - haha.

 

[Movie2099]

I have the S22 Ultra and it is a very good phone, especially with the latest software. Cameras are excellent, battery life is excellent, connectivity is great. I also have an iPhone XR with iOS 16 (work, I get a 13 next month) and I actually don't mind it, but iOS still isn't as flexible or easy to use as Android. Both OSs have their pluses and minuses, but I prefer Android by far. The people who say Apple is easier is not because you don't need to do things, but for me it is that you can't do certain things. Hardware wise, while the 14 on paper may be faster, that really isn't as important to me as usability IMO.

If it is the 14, I'd wait because they seem to be in stock everywhere and that means we'll start seeing discounts quickly. It is the first one that did not sell out on day 1. Not because it isn't good, but likely due to economy, cost and the fact that most phones are already good enough that constant upgrades aren't necessary anymore.

Weird, that they are in-stock by you. They are sold out where I am. Went to my AT&T store a week after releasing and they were all sold out. So I just ordered it online through their website and they were back ordered about 3 weeks. Now, if you're talking just the entry model 14, I think those specific models are available but the Pro and the Pro Max are extremely popular right now and sold out.

 

[Movie2099]

Well, my tablets and laptops have always been Apple. But my phones have always been Samsung. My desktops have always been Windows PC.

So I am acquainted with Apple products.

Whichever phone I get, I probably won't buy another phone for 5 or more years - unless they come out with 6G - haha.

Oh, I'm a windows user as well. Have always been a windows user and will always be a windows user for PC/laptop's.

I have an apple tablet I bought back in 2013. Used it for a year or so and now it sits in a drawer collecting dust. haha.

I agree with you on using a phone for a long time. I wanted to use my current phone for 5 years but with them offering $1k bucks for it. I thought I would take advantage of that. The 11pro max was the cutoff for the $1k, it dropped to $800 for older. I will wait at least another 3 possibly 4 generations before upgrading again. I don't think checking emails, texting and making phone calls are going to drastically change from year to year.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Weird, that they are in-stock by you. They are sold out where I am. Went to my AT&T store a week after releasing and they were all sold out. So I just ordered it online through their website and they were back ordered about 3 weeks. Now, if you're talking just the entry model 14, I think those specific models are available but the Pro and the Pro Max are extremely popular right now and sold out.

I just looked at Best Buy online. It shows 14 days local pickup or shipping for iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Samsung S22U is available now. So seems like the 14-Pro-Max is not in stock in OKC either.