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iPhone 15 Pro Max
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Galaxy A42
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What we think

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The PerfectRec phone team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you're looking for a phone with a premium camera experience, the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max will excel with better photo and video quality and offers more advanced features like Dolby Vision HDR video. However, it does come at a premium price. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A42 is more budget-friendly, yet still provides a decent camera and longer battery life. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a larger and higher quality OLED display, while the Galaxy A42's screen is slightly smaller with a lower resolution. The iPhone also has a fresher design with glass back versus the plastic on the A42, and boasts a more powerful processor and more RAM, which should result in better performance. The Galaxy A42 has the benefits of expandable storage via SD card and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which the iPhone lacks. Operating system preferences also come into play as the iPhone runs on iOS and the Galaxy A42 on Android. Consider what matters most to you: camera quality and performance, or a lower price point with some additional features. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • Best in class for taking photos
  • Best in class for recording videos
  • Best in class display quality
  • Best in class performance
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy A42
  • Best in class battery life

Key differences

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Overall Camera Quality

10.0
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Galaxy A42
5.3
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max has best in class overall camera quality, while the Samsung Galaxy A42 has poor overall camera quality.

Photo Quality

10.0
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Galaxy A42
5.3
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max takes best in class photos, while the Samsung Galaxy A42 takes poor photos.

Video Quality

10.0
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Galaxy A42
5.2
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max takes best in class videos, while the Samsung Galaxy A42 takes poor videos.

Battery

9.8 Hours
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Galaxy A42
10.7 Hours
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max has 9.8 hours of battery life. The Samsung Galaxy A42 has 10.7 hours of battery life.

Cost

$1,100
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Galaxy A42
$360
Product image
Product image

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max has a price of $1,100 and the Samsung Galaxy A42 costs $360.
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Key similarities

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Screen Size

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max has a screen size of 6.7 inches and the Samsung Galaxy A42 is 6.6 inches.

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How the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy A42 compare to other phones

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Spec Comparison

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Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy A42
Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy A42

GENERAL

Price
$1,100
$360
Brand
AppleSamsung
Operating System
iOSAndroid
Release Date
September 22, 2023November 11, 2020

SCREEN

Screen Size
6.7"6.6"
Resolution
2796 x 12901600 x 720
Variable refresh rate
YesNo
Pixels Per Inch
460266
Display Type
OLEDOLED

INTERNAL

Processor
A17SD750
Internal Storage
256 GB64 GB
RAM
8 GB4 GB

CAMERA

Overall Camera Quality Score
10/105.4/10
Photos Score
10/105.4/10
Videos Score
10/105.2/10
Rear Cameras
Main, Ultrawide, Super TelephotoMain, Ultrawide, Macro
Main Camera
48 megapixels + OIS48 megapixels

BATTERY

Battery Life
9.8 Hours10.7 Hours
Battery Capacity
4441 mAh5000 mAh
Wireless Charging
YesNo
Wireless charging Speed
15 W0 W
Reverse wireless charging
NoNo

PHYSICAL

Size
6.3" x 3.02"6.47" x 2.99"
Weight
7.80 oz6.81 oz
Back Material
GlassPlastic
Stereo Speakers
NoNo

CONNECTIVITY

Dual SIM
YesNo
Bluetooth Version
5.35.0
A2DP
YesYes
WiFi Version
6e5
NFC
YesYes
US 5G Bands
(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79(SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)2, 25, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6)1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 41, 78, 79

OTHER FEATURES

Biometric unlock
Face unlockFace unlock, Fingerprint sensor: Under Display
Unlockable Bootloader
NoNo
Color
Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Black TitaniumBlack, Gray, White
Stock Android
N/ANo
SD Card
NoYes

Shopping

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Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

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Dig into reviews and images

Tom's Guide

Mark Spoonauer | September 2023
"The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a powerful flagship phone that delivers upgrade-worthy features, including a lighter and more compact titanium design, a bigger 5x zoom and a useful Action button. The A17 Pro chip is the fastest around and enables console-quality gameplay, while the battery lasts an epic 14 hours."

Samsung Galaxy A42

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Dig into reviews and images

Android Central

Ara Wagoner | July 2021
"I need a battery that won't care if I forget to charge it every night, and I need a nice big screen for watching my shows on the go. The 5,000mAh battery will let you get two full days out of the A42. The A42 is right up your alley as an affordable 5G phone that won't die just because you had to crash at a friend's and forgot your phone charger at home."

Get a great deal on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy A42

About Apple

The tech giant called Apple is synonymous with the most popular smartphone in the world: the iPhone. Known for their build quality and aesthetics, as well as for their excellent integration between hardware and software, iPhones have defined the smartphone industry ever since their conception and they continue to do so by setting new industry standards. Apple's own operating system, called iOS, is known for its simplicity and ease of use, and the company tends to complement it well by creating devices with some of the most powerful processing hardware available in the mobile world. The iPhone is also known for its robust ecosystem of accessories, as it facilitates a very seamless experience when interacting with other Apple products, more so than most of its competitors.

About Samsung

Samsung is one of the most recognizable names in the smartphone industry, standing as the undisputed best-selling brand of Android smartphones in the United States for many years now. Samsung is known for offering a variety of smartphones in all available price points, as well as for implementing cutting-edge technology and innovative features in their flagship devices, ones that often shape the market going forward. The company offers its own unique spin on Android, called One UI, which focuses on offering a multitude of features and is heavily customizable, according to user preference.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec phones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest phone information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

68
Phones evaluated
7,820
Phones stats compiled
8
Proprietary Phones ratings developed
129,900
Recommendations made
73,610
Consumer hours saved

About the phone team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Phones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Seth Peoples

Phones Expert
Seth is a US-based product expert focusing on smartphones and he is a moderator of one of the largest smartphone subreddits. His tailored recommendations have helped him earn over 87k comment karma, putting him in the top 1% of Redditors.

Efthimis Kotanidis

Phones Expert
Efthimis is a Greece-based product expert focusing on smartphones. He has been recommending phones for 4 years and his recommendations on Reddit have earned him over 35k karma.

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