Samsung Galaxy A02 vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max - Detailed Phone Comparison

Detailed Comparison

Specification

General

Launch Date January 27, 2021 September 22, 2023
Release Year 2021 2023

Physical

Volume 113.27 cm³ 101.79 cm³
Screen Size to Weight Ratio 3.16 "/g 3.03 "/g
Weight 206 g 221 g
Height 164 mm 159.9 mm
Width 75.9 mm 76.7 mm
Thickness 9.1 mm 8.3 mm
Foldable Design No No
Available Colors
  • Black
  • Blue
  • Black Titanium
  • White Titanium
  • Blue Titanium
  • Natural Titanium

Display

Screen Size 6.5 " 6.7 "
Resolution 720 x 1600 1290 x 2796
Aspect Ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Screen-to-Body Ratio 81.9 % 89.8 %
Pixel Density 270 PPI 460 PPI
Refresh Rate N/A 120 Hz
Typical Brightness N/A 1000 nits
HBM Brightness N/A 2000 nits
Peak Brightness N/A N/A

Hardware

Battery Capacity per Screen Area 118.34 mAh/in² 98.93 mAh/in²
Battery Density 44.14 mAh/cm³ 43.63 mAh/cm³
Battery Capacity 5000 mAh 4441 mAh
NFC Support No Yes
Chipset Mediatek MT6739W (28 nm) Apple A17 Pro (3 nm)
CPU Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 Hexa-core (2x3.78 GHz + 4x2.11 GHz)
GPU PowerVR GE8100 Apple GPU (6-core graphics)

Connectivity

USB Version 2.0 3.2
OTG Support
DisplayPort 1
DisplayPort Version N/A N/A
USB Features microUSB 2.0 USB Type-C 3.2, Gen 2, DisplayPort

Software

Operating System Android iOS
Initial OS Version 10 17
Maximum OS Version 11 18

Comparison Summary

1. Specifications Comparison

Design

FeatureSamsung Galaxy A02Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxPractical Impact
Dimensions164 × 75.9 × 9.1 mm159.9 × 76.7 × 8.3 mmA02 is slightly taller and thicker, while the 15 Pro Max is wider. The A02 has a larger overall volume, suggesting a bulkier feel in hand.
Weight206g221gThe A02 is lighter, potentially making it more comfortable for extended use. The 15 Pro Max is heavier, giving a more substantial feel.
BuildNot specifiedNot specifiedBuild materials and overall feel is not specified.

Display

FeatureSamsung Galaxy A02Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxPractical Impact
Size6.5"6.7"The 15 Pro Max offers a slightly larger viewing area, enhancing media consumption and multitasking.
Resolution720x16001290x2796The 15 Pro Max has significantly sharper images, with much greater detail in text and graphics.
PPI270460The 15 Pro Max will have a much clearer and crisper display. Text will be sharper, and images will be more detailed.
TechnologyPLS LCDOLEDThe 15 Pro Max's OLED panel offers superior contrast, deeper blacks, and more vibrant colors. The A02 has an LCD screen which won't be as vibrant or have as deep blacks.
Refresh Rate60Hz120HzThe 15 Pro Max offers much smoother scrolling and animations. It will provide a more fluid experience, especially during gaming or fast-paced app interactions.
Brightness0 nits2000 nitsThe 15 Pro Max is significantly brighter, making it much more readable outdoors in sunlight. The A02 brightness is not specified, and this is a considerable limitation.

Performance

FeatureSamsung Galaxy A02Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxPractical Impact
ChipsetMediatek MT6739W (28 nm)Apple A17 Pro (3 nm)The 15 Pro Max uses a significantly more powerful and energy-efficient chipset, allowing much faster performance. The A02's chipset is quite old and very basic and will struggle with modern apps.
AnTuTu Score50,7741,641,883The 15 Pro Max performs significantly faster, enabling smoother multitasking, faster app loading, and better overall responsiveness. The A02 will be significantly slower in all usage scenarios.
GPUPowerVR GE8100Apple GPU (6-core)The 15 Pro Max has a much more powerful GPU, resulting in superior gaming performance and graphics rendering. The A02's GPU will struggle with modern games and graphics heavy applications.

Camera

FeatureSamsung Galaxy A02Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxPractical Impact
Rear Camera (Standard)13MP, f/1.9, 1.12 µm pixel size48MP, f/1.78, 1/1.3" sensor, 1.22 µm pixel sizeThe 15 Pro Max has much higher resolution and captures more detailed images with its larger sensor and wider aperture, performing better in low light conditions.
Selfie Camera5MP, f/2.012MP, f/1.9The 15 Pro Max offers higher resolution selfies with its wider aperture, capturing more light and better quality.
Telephoto LensNot Available12MP, f/2.8, 1.12 µm pixel sizeThe 15 Pro Max provides optical zoom capabilities, enabling closer shots without digital zoom, useful for portraits and distant subjects.
Macro Lens2MP, f/2.4Not AvailableThe A02 offers a dedicated macro lens for close-up photography.
Wide Angle + MacroNot Available12MP, f/2.2, 1/2.55" sensor, 1.40 µm pixel sizeThe 15 Pro Max allows ultra-wide-angle shots, which is useful for landscape and group photos.
Video1080p@30fps; No StabilizationUp to 4K@60fps HDR, Optical StabilizationThe 15 Pro Max allows much higher-quality videos with stabilization, and more frame rate options. The A02 does not offer video stabilization.
DXOMarkNot testedMobile: 154 (Photo 153, Video 158), Selfie: 149 (Photo 145, Video 156)The 15 Pro Max offers excellent photo and video performance in both the main and front-facing cameras. The A02 has not been tested and won't be anywhere near the quality of the 15 Pro Max.
Camera FeaturesBasic featuresCinematic Mode, Noise reduction, Face unlock, Pro Video Mode, 4K Video, Digital zoom, Optical zoom, Triple camera, Digital image stabilization, Optical Stabilization (OIS), Ultra stable video, Autofocus, Touch focus, Continuous autofocus, Manual focus, Phase detection autofocus (PDAF), Continuous shooting, Geotagging, Panorama, HDR, Face detection, White balance settings, ISO settings, Exposure compensation, Scene mode, Self-timer, RAW, Night ModeThe 15 Pro Max offers many advanced features, allowing much more control over image capture and more creativity. The A02 has basic standard camera features.

Battery

FeatureSamsung Galaxy A02Apple iPhone 15 Pro MaxPractical Impact
Capacity5000mAh4441mAhThe A02 has a slightly larger battery capacity, which could mean better endurance, but this depends on how efficiently each phone uses its power.
Charging7.5W fast charging27W fast charging, 15W MagSafe Wireless Charging, 7.5W Qi Wireless ChargingThe 15 Pro Max charges significantly faster and offers convenient wireless charging, providing more flexibility. The A02 has slow charging compared to modern standards.
Battery FeaturesNon-removableNon-removable, Wireless ChargingThe 15 Pro Max offers a wireless charging, a convenient feature for some users, which the A02 does not have.

2. Key Differences Analysis

Samsung Galaxy A02 Advantages

  • Lighter Weight: The A02 is noticeably lighter, which could make it more comfortable for long periods of use.
  • Larger Battery: The A02 has a slightly higher battery capacity that may provide longer battery life depending on power management.
  • Dedicated Macro Lens: Offers a dedicated macro lens that allows for close-up photography, a feature missing in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
  • Dual Sim: Supports using two SIM cards simultaneously.
  • Lower price point: The A02 is likely significantly cheaper compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Advantages

  • Superior Display: The OLED display is much better, with higher resolution, better contrast, and a faster refresh rate, offering a far superior viewing experience.
  • Vastly Superior Performance: The A17 Pro chip makes the 15 Pro Max significantly faster in all tasks including app loading, gaming, and multitasking.
  • Advanced Camera System: The 15 Pro Max has a much more versatile and higher-quality camera setup, including telephoto and ultrawide lenses, capable of shooting professional-quality photos and videos.
  • Faster Charging and Wireless Charging: The 15 Pro Max has faster wired charging, and convenient wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi, a big upgrade over the slow charging on the A02.
  • Better Connectivity: The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers more modern WiFi and Bluetooth versions and more GPS satellite systems, offering better speed and stability, and more accurate location information.
  • Premium build quality and materials: The iPhone 15 Pro Max is made from premium materials (Titanium Frame and Ceramic Shield Glass) compared to the plastic build of the A02.
  • Advanced Software Features: The iPhone 15 Pro Max offers many features in the camera, and software not seen in the A02 such as Cinematic mode, Noise Reduction, RAW photo capture, Face ID, Pro Video Mode, and many other features.
  • Longevity and Software Support: iPhones typically receive software updates for many years, while budget Android phones may receive very few updates or no software support after a few years.

Significant Trade-offs

  • Price: The iPhone 15 Pro Max is significantly more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy A02.
  • Battery: The Samsung Galaxy A02 has a slightly larger battery, although real-world battery life will depend on efficiency, with the 15 Pro Max likely having better battery life due to its more efficient processor.
  • Size and Weight: The iPhone 15 Pro Max is heavier.
  • eSIM only: The iPhone 15 Pro Max only allows one physical SIM card (the other is an eSIM), where the A02 supports 2 physical SIM cards.

3. User Profiles & Recommendations

Samsung Galaxy A02 Ideal Users

  • Budget-Conscious Users: Individuals looking for a basic smartphone for essential tasks without breaking the bank.
  • First-Time Smartphone Users: Simple enough for older adults, young children, or others new to smartphones.
  • Users with Basic Needs: Suited for calls, texts, basic social media, and casual browsing.
  • Backup Phone: Good as a backup or secondary phone due to its low cost and light weight.

Use Cases:

  • Basic communication and occasional web browsing.
  • Use as a secondary phone for emergencies.
  • Media consumption for video/audio but at basic level.
  • Simple tasks with limited processing power.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Ideal Users

  • Power Users: Professionals, creatives, and gamers who need top-tier performance and multitasking capabilities.
  • Photography and Videography Enthusiasts: Users who prioritize exceptional camera quality and advanced video recording features.
  • Apple Ecosystem Users: Individuals already invested in the Apple ecosystem looking for a seamless user experience and all the benefits the Apple ecosystem brings.
  • Users Prioritizing Long-Term Support: Those who want a device that will receive regular software updates and security patches for years.

Use Cases:

  • Professional photography and videography.
  • High-end gaming and graphic-intensive apps.
  • Content creation and editing.
  • Power users who need multitasking and high-end performance for work or school.
  • Users who require the best possible smartphone experience.

4. Decision Framework

Key Questions for Buyers

  1. Budget: What is your budget? Are you willing to pay a premium for the best performance and camera, or do you need a more affordable option for basic use?
  2. Primary Use: What do you mostly use your phone for? Do you need it for heavy tasks, or will light usage and basic features be enough?
  3. Ecosystem: Are you already in the Apple ecosystem, or is an Android platform okay?

Scenario-Based Recommendations

  • Scenario 1: Budget is a Primary Concern - Choose the Samsung Galaxy A02. It is the more affordable option and will handle basic tasks.
  • Scenario 2: Performance is a Must - Choose the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. Its superior chipset, display, and camera make it the best choice for demanding tasks.
  • Scenario 3: Photography is a Priority - Choose the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. The advanced camera system offers significantly better quality and versatility, as well as many advanced photo and video features.
  • Scenario 4: A Secondary Device: If you are just looking for a cheap secondary phone for backup, or as a phone to use while out doing physical activities (running, cycling etc), the Samsung Galaxy A02 would be a better choice due to its low cost and light weight.

My Choice

If I were to choose between the two, I would choose the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. Even though the Samsung Galaxy A02 is more affordable, the vast difference in display quality, performance, camera quality, software features, connectivity, and build quality on the iPhone 15 Pro Max are well worth the significant increase in cost. The A02 is very basic in its hardware and would struggle to provide a good experience in most usage scenarios. As a power user, I would want a phone that I can rely on every day that has smooth performance, a great screen, excellent camera, and many software features, all of which the iPhone 15 Pro Max delivers. The iPhone will also last much longer in terms of software updates, meaning the phone will last many years. While the budget is always important, I would choose the iPhone due to its much higher quality and user experience.

Emily Harper
Emily Harper

Technology Insights Specialist

Dedicated technology writer specializing in mobile device analysis and technology communication. Expert at translating complex smartphone features into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.

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  • Mobile technology analysis
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Bridging technical complexity with engaging, accessible narratives.