Samsung galaxy z fold 3 vs iphone 12 pro max

Q: Is it worth getting the Z fold 3?

Toms Guide Verdict The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is best foldable phone yet, with a more durable design and S Pen support, and the multitasking features are even better. You need a case to store the stylus and the cameras are not upgraded, but overall the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a great choice for power users.

Table of Contents Show

Key differences
Value for money
Tests and specifications
Design and build
Performance
DxOMark camera tests
Connectivity
Cast your vote
Related comparisons
Is it worth getting the Z fold 3?
Is it worth to buy Samsung Z fold?
How many times can you fold the Galaxy Z fold 3?
How long does Z fold battery last?

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 7.6-inch Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G) that was released on August 11, 2021, against the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is powered by Apple A14 Bionic and came out 10 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the gadgets.

Differences
Review
Specs
Benchmarks
Battery life
Camera
Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone

Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G

Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
Has a 0.9 inch larger screen size
Has 2x more RAM: 12GB versus 6GB
Comes with 713 mAh larger battery capacity: 4400 vs 3687 mAh
Modern USB Type-C port
Newer Bluetooth version (v5.2)
Fingerprint scanner
Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 2750 MHz

Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
Shows 48% longer battery life (35:25 vs 23:53 hours)
The rear camera has a 2.5x optical zoom
Apple releases software updates and supports their phones a few years longer than Samsung
22% higher pixel density (458 vs 374 PPI)
Better grip in hands – the body is 50 mm narrower
47% faster in single-core GeekBench 5 test: 1621 and 1100 points
Weighs 45 grams less

Review

Display

Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness

Performance

CPU/GPU performance in apps and games

Battery

Battery life, charging type and speed

Camera

Photo and video recording quality

Connectivity

Networks, ports, data transmission

NanoReview score

Final comparison evaluation

Value for money

You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests

Display

Type	Dynamic AMOLED	OLED
Size	7.6 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution	1768 x 2208 pixels	1284 x 2778 pixels
Aspect ratio	22.5:18	19.5:9
PPI	374 ppi	458 ppi
Refresh rate	120 Hz	60 Hz
Max rated brightness	500 nits	800 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR	1200 nits	-
HDR support	Yes, HDR10+	Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass Victus	Ceramic Shield
Screen-to-body ratio	88.8%	87.4%
Display features	- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display	- DCI-P3

Display tests

RGB color space	97.3%	99.4%
PWM	245 Hz	238 Hz
Response time	6.4 ms	8 ms
Contrast	∞ Infinity	∞ Infinity

Peak brightness test (auto)

Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height	158.2 mm (6.23 inches)	160.8 mm (6.33 inches)
Width	128.1 mm (5.04 inches)	78.1 mm (3.07 inches)
Thickness	6.4 mm (0.25 inches)	7.4 mm (0.29 inches)
Weight	271 gramm (9.56 oz)	226 gramm (7.97 oz)
Waterproof	IPX8	IP68
Rear material	Glass	Glass
Frame material	Metal	Metal
Colors	Black, Silver, Green	Silver, Gold, Gray, Blue
Fingerprint scanner	Yes, in home button	No

Performance

Tests of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G and Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max in the benchmarks

SoC

Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G	Apple A14 Bionic
Max. clock	2840 MHz	3100 MHz
CPU cores	8 (1 + 3 + 4)	6 (2 + 4)
Architecture	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 3 cores at 2.42 GHz: Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78) - 1 core at 2.84 GHz: Kryo 680 Prime (Cortex-X1)	- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Icestorm - 2 cores at 3.1 GHz: Firestorm
L3 cache	4 MB	-
Lithography process	5 nanometers	5 nanometers
Graphics	Adreno 660	Apple GPU
GPU clock	840 MHz	-
FLOPS	~1720 GFLOPS	-

Memory

RAM size	12 GB	6 GB
Memory type	LPDDR5	LPDDR4X
Memory clock	2750 MHz	-
Channels	4	2

Storage

Storage size	256, 512 GB	128, 256, 512 GB
Storage type	UFS 3.1	NVMe
Memory card	No	No

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)

CPU	207270	185620
GPU	272918	285974
Memory	144935	111321
UX	151113	135642
Total score	776239	725227

3DMark Wild Life Performance

Stability	62%	75%
Graphics test	32 FPS	47 FPS
Graphics score	5395	7880
PCMark 3.0 score	13506	-

Software

Operating system	Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 12)	iOS 14.1 (Can be upgraded to iOS 16)
ROM	One UI 4.1.1	-
OS size	39 GB	16 GB

Battery

Specifications

Capacity	4400 mAh	3687 mAh
Charge power	25 W	18 W
Battery type	Li-Po	Li-Ion
Replaceable	No	No
Wireless charging	Yes (10 W)	Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse charging	Yes, (wireless)	No
Fast charging	Yes (33% in 30 min)	Yes (55% in 30 min)
Full charging time	1:46 hr	1:32 hr

Battery life tests

Web browsing	07:38 hr	12:04 hr
Watching video	11:50 hr	14:25 hr
Gaming	04:51 hr	07:11 hr
Standby	75 hr	122 hr

Camera

Specs and camera test of smartphones

Main camera

Matrix	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	4000 x 3000	4032 x 3024
Zoom	Optical, 2x	Optical, 2.5x
Flash	Dual LED	Dual LED
Stabilization	Optical	Optical
8K video recording	No	No
4K video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording	Up to 60FPS	Up to 60FPS
Slow motion	960 FPS (720p)	240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens	123°	120°
Lenses	3 (12 MP + 12 MP + 12 MP)	4 (12 MP + 12 MP + 12 MP + 0 MP)
Wide (main) lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.76", Sony IMX555 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/1.6 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.7 micron - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization
Telephoto lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 52 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.6", SK Hynix Hi-1337 (CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 65 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4", Sony IMX613 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization
Ultra-wide lens	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/3.06", Sony IMX258 (Exmor-RS CMOS)	- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 13 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4", Sony IMX372 (Exmor-RS CMOS)
Depth lens	-	Yes
Camera features	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support	- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support
Samples	Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G from DxOMark	Photo samples of Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels	10 megapixels	12 megapixels
Image resolution	3648 x 2736	4290 x 2800
Aperture	f/1.8	f/2.2
Focal length	-	23 mm
Pixel size	2 microns	1 microns
Sensor type	CMOS	Exmor-RS CMOS
Video resolution	2160p (4K) at 30 FPS	2160p (4K) at 60 FPS

DxOMark camera tests

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.2	5
Bluetooth features	PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP	LE, A2DP
USB type	USB Type-C	No
USB version	3.2	-
USB features	- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG	- Charging - USB-Storage mode
GPS	GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, SBAS	GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC*	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No

Network

Number of SIM*	1	1
Type of SIM card	Nano	Nano
eSIM support*	Yes	Yes
Hybrid slot	No	No
LTE Cat*	20	18
5G support	Yes	Yes

Sound

Speakers	Stereo	Stereo
Headphone audio jack	No	No
FM radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Other

Category	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	August 2021	October 2020
Release date	August 2021	November 2020
SAR (head)	-	0.99 W/kg
SAR (body)	-	0.99 W/kg
Sensors	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint	- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor

*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G

46 (71.9%)

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

18 (28.1%)

Total votes: 64

You can share your opinion or ask a question in the comments below

Is it worth getting the Z fold 3?

Tom's Guide Verdict The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is best foldable phone yet, with a more durable design and S Pen support, and the multitasking features are even better. You need a case to store the stylus and the cameras are not upgraded, but overall the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a great choice for power users.

Is it worth to buy Samsung Z fold?

Bottom line. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a stellar foldable phone that offers great multitasking capabilities, fantastic cameras and a large display. At $1,799, it's not going to be a phone for everyone. Instead, it's still priced for early adopters or those who can find a good use for everything the Z Fold 4 has to offer.

How many times can you fold the Galaxy Z fold 3?

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a rating of 200,000 folds for its hinge mechanism, but it appears that it is just half of what the phone is capable of.

How long does Z fold battery last?

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 battery life and charging speeds With the same battery size, the Z Fold 4 predecessor lasted 8 hours and 15 minutes of screen-on time in our browsing test with the high refresh rate turned on and a bit shorter endurance of 7 hours when streaming YouTube videos.