The $1,199 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra may be cheaper than its predecessor, but it is $100 more expensive than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, one of the best phones money can buy. So what do you get for that premium? Quite a bit, actually.

In fact, Samsung's top-end model outperforms Apple's flagship in several ways, offering features that the iPhone can't deliver, from the dual-zoom camera to optional S Pen support. Samsung was lackluster with last year's Galaxy S20 Ultra, but has certainly raised the bar this year.

Of course, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is superior in several ways, notably performance and a more durable design. And there are many who simply prefer iOS. But don't overlook Samsung's top-of-the-line model; here are seven things the Galaxy S21 Ultra does better than the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra's display beats the iPhone 12 Pro Max in several important ways. First, the refresh rate is faster on the Galaxy S21 Ultra at 120Hz, whereas the iPhone is only 60Hz. This allows for smoother scrolling and better performance in games and movies that support 120Hz.

Additionally, the S21 Ultra's panel is brighter, registering 821 nits compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max's 654 nits.

While the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a measly 2.5x optical zoom, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has two telephoto lenses, 3x and 10x. As a result, Samsung's phone allows users to get much closer to distant subjects.

In terms of digital zoom, the Galaxy S21 Ultra can zoom up to 100x with the space zoom feature, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max can zoom up to 12x. According to my tests, you can get really good results up to 30x on the Samsung. Also, thanks to the new zoom lock feature, you can get decent shots at higher levels.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra takes full advantage of its 5,000 mAh battery, which lasted a whopping 11 hours and 25 minutes in our web surfing battery test at 5G. This is with the screen brightness at 150 nits and 60 Hz display mode on. The above runtimes put the Galaxy S21 Ultra on our Best Battery Life list.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max endured 10 minutes and 53 seconds in the same test. The Samsung dropped to 10:07 with adaptive display mode (120Hz) turned on, but we generally expect the S21 Ultra's unplugged time to be longer.

We will run more tests in parallel, but so far, from what we have seen, the Galaxy S20 Ultra offers faster 5G speeds than the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Using AT&T first, the S21 Ultra averaged 84 Mbps downloads, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max did not even reach 37 Mbps. Elsewhere on T-Mobile's network, the iPhone 12 Pro Max averaged 93 Mbps, while the Note 21 Ultra exceeded 160 Mbps.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra, with its newer and more powerful X60 Qualcomm modem, may have made the difference.

Face ID works very well on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but is useless in pubs where you have to wear a mask. I don't see that stopping anytime soon.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra has an in-screen fingerprint sensor that is 1.7 times larger than the S20 Ultra, making login easier. It is fast and proved accurate in my tests. iPhone 13 is rumored to offer an in-screen Touch ID sensor, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max is Face ID only.

While Samsung has the disadvantage of cramming too many features into its phones, the S21 Ultra has some welcome additions that I think many will appreciate.

The first is Director's View, which allows users to shoot video using the front and back cameras simultaneously. I also like the fact that the camera shows live thumbnails of all the different lens views so you can see if it's worth switching.

The updated Single Take 2.0 records many photos and videos at once and uses AI to highlight the most share-worthy moments. The new version also allows users to create slow-motion videos from the photos they take.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra's S Pen support is something of a bonus, especially since the pen itself does not come with the phone like the Galaxy Note 20. However, it is nice to know that you can purchase an optional stylus if you really need one.

With the S Pen, you can take notes on the display, draw pictures, and edit photos in detail; the S Pen is priced at $39, and you can also purchase a case and pen combo for $69