Galaxy S24 Ultra's relatively inferior titanium costs 4x less compared to iPhone 15 Pro Max
Like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Galaxy S24 Ultra also has a titanium frame. The material makes the new phones more durable and somewhat lighter than their predecessors. This doesn't mean the phones have the same build quality though and to find out which phone has more titanium, Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything set the Galaxy S24 Ultra on fire.
Nelson had previously done the same with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and found out that the titanium frame stayed intact after the abuse it was put through. That wasn't wholly surprising though, as the furnace inside of which the phone was torched didn't get hot enough to burn titanium.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra was also put through the same conditions. As is the case with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the Galaxy S24 Ultra isn't entirely made out of titanium as that would make the phone too expensive.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra's exterior frame has a cosmetic border of titanium and the inner structure is aluminum, with plastic in between as an intermediary layer.
More precisely, the inner structure is 6061 aluminum, while the exterior frame is Grade 2 titanium, per an XRF scan. For reference, the iPhone 15 Pro Max's outer frame features Grade 5 titanium.
There are many grades of titanium and each has different characteristics. Grade 5 is harder than Grade 2, though the latter also offers an excellent balance of moderate strength.
When Nelson torched the Galaxy S24 Ultra, he successfully extracted the titanium from it. Samsung and Apple's highest-end phones appear to be using the same amount of titanium, judging by the thickness of the titanium exoskeleton.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max features $10 to $15 worth of titanium, according to Nelson, while Samsung used $3 to $5 worth of raw material. Of course, with the casting and shaping process factored in, the cost would be higher.
Regardless, the titanium exteriors of both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are more cosmetic than structurally significant but Apple's custom solid-state diffusion process and higher quality titanium probably make its phone a little bit more durable than Samsung's flagship.
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