Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max Manufactured in September, 2021, with display 6.7 with chipsetApple A15 Bionic, vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Manufactured in August, 2018 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • Larger display: 6.7in
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 4352mAh vs 4000mAh
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Note 9
  • Higher pixel density: 514ppi
  • Lighter design: 201g vs 240g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 6/128 GB
- 6/256 GB
- 6/512 GB
- 6/1024 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/512 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Super AMOLED
Size 6.7 in 6.4 in
Resolution 1284x2778 pixels 1440x2960 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 18.5:9
Pixel density 458 ppi 514 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (10-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 1000 nits 520 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10
Screen-to-body ratio 87.7 % 84 %
Features DCI-P3 Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
1049 nits
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
657 nits
sRGB gamut99.9 %144.6 %
PWM (Flicker)238 Hz227 Hz
Response time8.5 ms8 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 160.8 mm (6.33 in) 161.9 mm (6.37 in)
Width 78.1 mm (3.07 in) 76.4 mm (3.01 in)
Thickness 7.65 mm (0.3 in) 8.8 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 240 g (8.47 oz) 201 g (7.09 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Black
- Silver
- Gold
- Blue
- Green
- Black
- Blue
- Brown
Fingerprint sensor No Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
87.7 %
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
84 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A15 Bionic Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810
Max Frequency 3230 MHz 2700 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/2.02 (Blizzard)
- 2/3.23 (Avalanche)
- 4/1.9 (Cortex-A55)
- 4/2.9 (Exynos M3)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 5 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Yes
Graphics Apple A15 GPU Mali-G72 MP18
GPU Cores 640 324
GPU Frequency 1338 MHz 572 MHz
FLOPS 1712.6 GFLOPS 370.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
2266
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
828
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
5459
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
2026
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)2266828
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)54592026
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
1326730
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
457443
CPU327704147238
GPU434683137906
Memory24849886902
UX31584585397
NanoReview Score1326730457443
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
9444
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
2333
Max Surface Temp.45.8 °C48.7 °C
Stability82 %95 %
Graphics Test56 fps13 fps
Graphics Score94442333
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
n/a
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
6325
Writing scoren/a6182
Web scoren/a5312
Video editingn/a5462
Data manipulationn/a5867
NanoReview Scoren/a6325

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 6 GB - 6 GB
- 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 1794 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 1024 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
Storage TypeNVMeUFS 2.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS iOS 15 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) Android 8.1 (Upgradeable to Android 10)
OS Size 13 GB 19 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI 2.5

Battery

Volume 4352 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 23 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes Qi/PMA (15 W)
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (42% in 30 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (50% in 35 min)
Full Charge Time 1:46 h 1:40 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
28:08
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
19:26
Web Browsing11:16 h07:31 h
Video Playback17:03 h11:36 h
Games06:41 h05:01 h
Standby Mode136 h96 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Optical, 3x Optical, 2x
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Depth
Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.5f/1.5 - 2.4
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX703Samsung SAK2L3
Sensor size1/1.661/2.55
Pixel size1.9 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.8f/2.4
Focal length77 mm52 mm
SensorSony IMX713Samsung
Sensor size1/3.41/3.4
Pixel size1 μm1 μm
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MPn/a
Aperturef/1.8n/a
Focal length13 mmn/a
SensorSony IMX772n/a
Sensor size1/3.4n/a
Pixel size1 μmn/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
140
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
107
Video quality
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
146
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
94
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
141
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
103
Bokeh75n/a
Preview81n/a
Zoom119n/a

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/1.7
Focal length 23 mm 25 mm
Sensor Sony IMX514 Samsung S5K3H1
Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.6
Pixel size 1 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1440p at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor Yes No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
128
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
143
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features LE, A2DP PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type n/a USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*12
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoYes
2G BandsGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzGSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsUMTS 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHzHSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B66/B71)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
LTE category1818
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
80.2 dB
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
71.6 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced September, 2021 yr August, 2018 yr
Release Date September, 2021 yr August, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) 1100 1000
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor
- Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max the clear winner in this comparison.

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