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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxvsSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8

The short answer

Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max for peak brightness, battery capacity, video playback time and faster charging. Choose the Galaxy Z Flip8 for lower weight. The Galaxy Z Flip8 is £150 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,149 against £1,299). The Galaxy Z Flip8 gets security updates until July 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer.

Released
2026-09-18Apple Newsroom UK — Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, retrieved 2026-09-10
Price
£1,299Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-10
Security updates until
Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-09-10
Released
2026-08-07Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8 launch, retrieved 2026-09-10
Price
£1,149Samsung Newsroom UK — Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8 and Flip8, retrieved 2026-09-10
Security updates until
2033-07-31Samsung UK spec API — Galaxy Z Flip8, retrieved 2026-09-22

4 wins for iPhone 18 Pro Max1 win for Galaxy Z Flip80 differences you won’t notice£150 apart at RRP

Verdict: iPhone 18 Pro Max ahead on 4 rows, Galaxy Z Flip8 on 1 row

On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on peak brightness (3,000 nits against 2,600 nits), battery capacity (5,391 mAh from GSMArena against 4,300 mAh from the maker), claimed video playback (43 h against 31 h) and fast charging (60 W against 25 W); the Galaxy Z Flip8 wins on weight (180 g against 249 g). Both state the same display size, refresh rate, storage (base) and RAM. The other 38 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

iPhone 18 Pro Max · 163.4 × 78.0 mmGalaxy Z Flip8 · 85.7 × 75.4 mm

Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.

Specifications

A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.

Body

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mmOfficial
85.7 x 75.4 x 13.1 mmOfficial
Weight
249gOfficial
180gOfficialwins this row

Galaxy Z Flip8 is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

BuildDiffers, but not ranked.
Aluminium unibody design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backOfficial
Armor Aluminum frame; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 coverOfficial
SIMDiffers, but not ranked.
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)Official
Nano-SIM + eSIM / Dual eSIMOfficial
Water/dust ratingDiffers, but not ranked.
IP68Official
IP48Official
UnlockDiffers, but not ranked.
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official
Fingerprint SensorOfficial

Display

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
Display typeDiffers, but not ranked.
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Main: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz; Cover FlexWindow: Super AMOLEDOfficial
Display sizeSame.
6.9inOfficial
6.9inOfficial
ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
2868 x 1320Official
2520 x 1080Official
Pixel density
460ppiOfficial
No verified data
Refresh rateSame.
120HzOfficial
120HzOfficial
Peak brightness
3000nitsOfficialwins this row
2600nitsOfficial

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Typical brightness
1000nitsOfficial
No verified data
HDR peak brightness
1600nitsOfficial
No verified data
Screen protectionDiffers, but not ranked.
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial
Gorilla Glass Victus 2 (cover)Official

Platform

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
iOS 27Official
Android 17, One UI 9Official
OS versions supported
iOS 27Official
No verified data
ChipsetDiffers, but not ranked.
A20 Pro chipOfficial
Exynos 2600Official
CPUDiffers, but not ranked.
6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
Deca-Core, 3.8GHz, 3.26GHz, 2.76GHzOfficial
GPU
7-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial
No verified data

Memory

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
Storage (base)Same.
256GBOfficial
256GBOfficial
Storage optionsDiffers, but not ranked.
256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBOfficial
256GB/512GBOfficial
RAMSame.
12GB3rd party
12GBOfficial
Card slotSame.
No3rd party
No3rd party

Camera

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
Main cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Pro Fusion camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 24mm with variable aperture (f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4.0) and second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2; 48MP Fusion Telephoto 100mm (4x) f/2.8 with 3D sensor-shift OIS; 8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 40xOfficial
50MP Wide Dual Pixel AF OIS f/1.8; 12MP Ultra-Wide f/2.2; 10MP front f/2.2Official
Main sensor resolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
48MPOfficial
50MPOfficial
Main apertureDiffers, but not ranked.
f/1.48 to f/4.0 (variable)Official
f/1.8Official
Main sensor sizeDiffers, but not ranked.
1/1.28"3rd party
1/1.57"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisationOfficial
No dedicated telephoto lens; 2x optical-quality zoom from the 50MP Adaptive Pixel wide cameraOfficial
UltrawideDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2Official
12MP Ultra-Wide, f/2.2Official
Front cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
10MP front, f/2.2Official
Video captureDiffers, but not ranked.
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 (Fusion Main) or 120 fpsOfficial
UHD 4K (3840 x 2160)@60fpsOfficial

Battery

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
Battery capacity
5391mAh3rd partywins this row
4300mAhOfficial

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Battery per charge
No verified data
44.17hOfficial
Claimed video playback
43hOfficialwins this row
31hOfficial

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Battery lifespan
No verified data
1200cyclesOfficial
Fast charging
60WOfficialwins this row
25WOfficial

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Wireless charging
25WOfficial
No verified data

Connectivity

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
Wi-FiDiffers, but not ranked.
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)Official
BluetoothDiffers, but not ranked.
6Official
5.4Official
USBDiffers, but not ranked.
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1Official
NFCSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
PositioningDiffers, but not ranked.
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official
GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSSOfficial

Benchmarks

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
No verified data
51713rd party

Misc

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Z Flip8
ColoursDiffers, but not ranked.
Black, Silver, Glacier, BurgundyOfficial
Pink, Graphite, Cream, MintOfficial
SAR (EU, head)
No verified data
0.74W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)
No verified data
COfficial
4 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for

Google Mobile Services · Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) · AnTuTu benchmark · DXOMARK camera score. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.

Questions

Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max better than the Galaxy Z Flip8?

On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (Samsung UK), battery capacity, 5,391 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,300 mAh (Samsung UK), claimed video playback, 43 h (Apple UK) against 31 h (Samsung UK) and fast charging, 60 W (Apple UK) against 25 W (Samsung UK); the Galaxy Z Flip8 wins on weight, 180 g (Samsung UK) against 249 g (Apple UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.

Which has the better battery?

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 43 h (Apple UK) against 31 h (Samsung UK). The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 5,391 mAh (GSMArena) against 4,300 mAh (Samsung UK).

Which is lighter?

The Galaxy Z Flip8, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 180 g (Samsung UK) against 249 g (Apple UK).

Which has the brighter screen?

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 3,000 nits (Apple UK) against 2,600 nits (Samsung UK).

Which gets updates for longer?

The Galaxy Z Flip8 gets security updates until July 2033; Apple publishes no date for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037, our estimate, not Apple’s. On that estimate neither clearly gets them for longer. Sources: dates from Samsung UK spec API; Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.

Which is cheaper?

The Galaxy Z Flip8 is £150 cheaper at UK RRP (£1,149 against £1,299). Prices from iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple UK store; Galaxy Z Flip8: Samsung Newsroom UK.

The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.