-
Samsung / Pocket-lint
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest folding phone from Samsung. It brings a refined design compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, along with some great internal upgrades.
Pros- Huge foldable display
- Thin bezels
- Powerful
Cons- Expensive
- Cameras could be better
-
Apple / Pocket-lint
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has powerful hardware and a familiar design in a large package with a 6.7-inch OLED display, which again has Always-On technology and the Dynamic Island, and there’s a bigger battery.
Pros- Fantastic display
- Great cameras
- Stellar battery life
Cons- No large folding screen
- No USB-C
Key Takeaways
- The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 are both expensive phones with high-end specs, making them both fantastic options.
- The iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1099 for the 128GB model, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 starts at $1799 for the 256GB version.
- The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a traditional smartphone design with a giant screen, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a smaller external display and a huge folding internal display, making it more like a hybrid between a tablet and a smartphone.
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 might seem like an unlikely duo. One is a giant foldable phone, and the other is a traditional flagship, but they’re both expensive phones with high-end specs. Just because they have a different form factor doesn’t mean you might not be torn between them, and that’s why we’re putting them head-to-head. Our review gave the iPhone 14 Pro Max a perfect 5 out of 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 a 4.5 out of 5, so they’re both fantastic phones.
Prices, availability, and specs
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is now available from Apple and almost every other major retailer in Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, and Space Black. It starts at $1099 for the 128GB model. The 1TB model, the largest storage amount you can get, is $1599.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available in Phantom Black, Cream, and Icy Blue everywhere phones are sold. You can also get Gray and Blue exclusively from Samsung.com. The 256GB version of the phone starts at $1799, and the 1TB version goes for $2159.
If you’re curious about the two phones’ specs, the table below offers a quick rundown. They’re both powerful phones with high-end specs. Specs only tell part of the story, so check out the other comparison sections below to decide which phone is right for you.
-
Apple / Pocket-lint
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
The iPhone 14 Pro Max has the same hardware and design as the iPhone 14 Pro, but in a larger package with a 6.7-inch OLED display, which again has Always-On technology and Dynamic Island, and there’s a bigger battery.
- Brand
- Apple
- SoC
- A16 Bionic
- Display
- 6.7-inch, OLED, 2796 x 1290, HDR, 2000nits, 120Hz
- Storage
- 128/256/512/1TB
- Operating System
- iOS
- Front camera
- 12MP f/1.9, autofocus
- Rear cameras
- 48MP f/1.78 main, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, 12MP f/2.4 telephoto
- IP Rating
- IP68
-
Samsung / Pocket-lint
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest folding phone from Samsung. It brings a refined design compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, along with some great internal upgrades.
- Brand
- Samsung
- SoC
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Display
- 6.2-inch AMOLED, 2316 x 904, 120Hz (cover) / 7.6-inch AMOLED, 2176 x 1812, 120Hz (main)
- Storage
- 256GB
- Operating System
- Android 13, One UI
- Front camera
- 10MP f/2.2 (cover), 4MP f/1.8 UPC (under-display)
- Rear cameras
- 50MP f/1.8 main, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, 10MP f/2.4 telephoto
- IP Rating
- IPX8
Design and build
This is, without a doubt, where the two phones are most different. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is a traditional smartphone with one giant screen and no folding parts. On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a smaller external display and a huge internal display that folds down the middle. It’s almost like a hybrid between a tablet and a smartphone.
Aside from the prominent bigger screen offered by the Z Fold 5, another difference that comes from the foldable design is the thickness. When closed, it’s a whopping 13.46mm thick. This is a lot of extra pocket bulk compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 7.85mm. Conversely, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is slightly wider at 72mm compared to the Z Fold 5’s 67mm. This isn’t nearly as noticeable as the difference in depth, though.
On the back of the phones, Apple has its camera lenses arranged in a triangle, and Samsung’s are in a straight line. This shouldn’t be a huge decision factor for you, but it’s worth noting nevertheless.
A drawback of all the major foldable phones is a lack of dust protection. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers an IPX8, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max has an IP68 rating. That means they’re equally water resistant, but the iPhone provides vastly superior protection from solid particles, which could be a big deal if durability is important to you.
Display
The display is another huge difference between these two phones. There are two displays on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and one on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Galaxy offers a 6.2 inches external display with a 2316 x 904 resolution. It has a long and thin 23.1:9 aspect ratio. Inside, it has a 7.6-inch screen with a 2176 x 1812 resolution.
The iPhone has a 6.7-inch Super Retina display with a 2796 x 1290 resolution. It’s a big screen that feels tiny next to an opened Galaxy Z Fold 5. Of course, not everyone needs a giant screen; some might even find the 6.7-inch display too big. Thankfully, there’s an iPhone 14 Pro with a 6.1-inch display or a Galaxy S23 for those people.
Hardware
These are high-end flagships, so they have fantastic specs with stellar performance. Samsung uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, which is one of the most powerful mobile chips on the market. It’s only rivaled by the Tensor G2 (exclusive to Google Pixel phones) and the Apple A16 Bionic, found in the iPhone 14 Pro models. You’ll have difficulty telling the difference between the two during daily usage, so you shouldn’t let the processor be a huge deciding factor.
You get double the RAM with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. It features 12GB to the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 6GB. However, don’t let the numbers fool you, as the iPhone 14 Pro Max doesn’t feel sluggish or like it struggles to multi-task. That’s due to fantastic optimization by Apple. In fact, our review called “multi-tasking on the iPhone an absolute dream.” On the other hand, our Z Fold 5 review spoke about its performance, saying, “The performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has only been impressive, it’s a slick and fast performer and I’ve found it to continue to run smoothly when you have multiple apps open to take advantage of the larger display.”
Samsung offers a 4400mAh battery with 25W fast charging and 15W wireless charging support. Despite its smaller size, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 4,323mAh battery, but its wired charging is marginally slower at 20W. It does offer MagSafe wireless charging at 15W. Neither is particularly fast for charging, but you get faster with the Samsung phone.
Cameras
The cameras are great on both phones. On the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you get a 48MP main, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 12MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a similar 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto. The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 12MP camera for selfies, and the Z Fold 5 brings a 10MP cover shooter and a 4MP under-display camera on the inside.
Both phones come with high-end camera systems, though neither does much to stand out. We’d recommend choosing between the two phones based more on the form factor and software than the cameras.
Software
While the design of the phones might be the most immediately noticeable difference, the software will also be a major decision factor. Do you prefer Android or iOS? If you have a clear answer to this question, you should use the phone with the OS you like. Be that Android on the Z Fold 5 or iOS on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. A debate between Android and iOS is well beyond the scope of this article, and you probably already know the one you like better and are more comfortable with.
Which is right for you?
If you’re a traditional smartphone user, we recommend sticking with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, as it offers the design we’ve been using for the last decade or more. If you’re adventurous and think you can get a lot done with the large screen, then you should absolutely give the Z Fold 5 a shot.
Apple / Pocket-lint
There’s no right or wrong between these two phones. If you like Apple’s iOS, get the iPhone 14 Pro Max. If you like Android, get the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Prefer a huge screen and don’t care about the price? The Z Fold 5 is for you. Want a more traditional screen? Get the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Samsung / Pocket-lint
Trending Products
