# iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra Speed Test: Which Device Prevails?
When Apple launched the iPhone 16 series in September 2024, it made a striking assertion: the A18 Pro chip within the iPhone 16 Pro models is “the fastest CPU in any smartphone.” This naturally set the stage for a showdown with other premium devices, especially Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, which utilizes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. As both devices symbolize the peak of their respective ecosystems, the pressing question is: which one offers superior speed during actual usage?
## A18 Pro vs. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Apple’s A18 Pro chip, constructed using a 3nm process, claims noteworthy advancements in both performance and energy efficiency. Conversely, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, renowned for providing high-end performance for Android smartphones.
Benchmarks consistently indicate that the A18 Pro surpasses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in sheer processing capability. For instance, in Geekbench 6 CPU assessments, the iPhone 16 Pro Max achieves higher scores in both single-core and multi-core operations compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. However, benchmarks reveal only a fraction of the overall picture. What truly matters to most consumers is how these devices function in routine scenarios, such as launching applications, multitasking, and gaming.
## Real-World Speed Test: iPhone 16 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra
To better understand how these two smartphones compare in practical usage, **PhoneBuff** carried out a thorough speed test. This examination involves opening a collection of applications, including games, productivity tools, and social networks, while measuring the speed at which each phone completes the tasks.
### Round 1: Launching Applications
The initial round of the test centers around how swiftly each phone can launch a specific group of apps from scratch. This phase is vital as it mimics the experience of a user starting apps for the first time after a reboot or clearing the device’s memory.
– **iPhone 16 Pro Max**: The iPhone 16 Pro Max consistently opened apps marginally faster than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, with the difference often measured in milliseconds. The A18 Pro’s exceptional single-core performance provides it a slight advantage in this phase, particularly when launching more resource-intensive applications like games.
– **Galaxy S24 Ultra**: Although the Galaxy S24 Ultra was marginally slower in most instances, it still exhibited impressive performance. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a robust chip, and the disparities in app loading times were so negligible that most users wouldn’t perceive them during regular use.
### Round 2: Multitasking and RAM Management
The second phase of the test focuses on multitasking, where the devices reopen identical apps from memory. This rounds tests the RAM management capabilities of each device and how effectively they can keep apps active in the background.
– **iPhone 16 Pro Max**: With 8GB of RAM, the iPhone 16 Pro Max successfully maintained most apps in memory, enabling quicker reopening. However, its RAM management is more conservative when compared to Android devices, leading it to occasionally reload apps that the Galaxy S24 Ultra retained in memory.
– **Galaxy S24 Ultra**: The Galaxy S24 Ultra, benefiting from its 12GB of RAM, had a competitive edge in this round. It kept a greater number of apps in memory, allowing it to reopen them more swiftly than the iPhone in select scenarios. Nonetheless, the difference was minimal, and the iPhone still managed to secure this round by a narrow margin.
## Conclusion: A Close Contest
Ultimately, the iPhone 16 Pro Max emerged as the winner of the speed test, but only by a slight margin. The differences between the two smartphones were so minor that most users wouldn’t detect them in daily activities. Both devices exhibit remarkable speed, and unless you’re a power user needing the ultimate performance, either choice will serve you well.
### Reasons Why the iPhone 16 Pro Max Prevails
The iPhone 16 Pro Max’s triumph can be attributed to several key elements:
1. **A18 Pro Chip**: Apple’s bespoke silicon continues to excel in raw performance metrics, especially in single-core operations that frequently feature in daily smartphone tasks.
2. **iOS Optimization**: iOS is celebrated for its seamless integration with Apple’s hardware, maximizing the efficiency of available resources. This is particularly noticeable in iOS’s effective management of RAM and background operations.
3. **Long-Term Software Support**: Apple ensures long-lasting software support for its devices, guaranteeing that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will receive ongoing performance enhancements and feature updates for years ahead.
### Why the Galaxy S24 Ultra Remains an Excellent Option
