47 people are comparing NVIDIA RTX 5090 · MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max right now
Updated April 2026 PIXLRUN · COMPARE LAB v3

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A laboratory-grade side-by-side that scores phones, laptops and headphones on the things buyers actually feel — not the spec-sheet poetry manufacturers print on the box.

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The duel.
Two phones, one verdict.

Lab-tested over 14 days each. Identical conditions, identical workloads, scored on a calibrated 100-point rubric.

Apple · 2024 Best for ecosystem
15 PRO

NVIDIA RTX 5090

A17 Pro · 6.1″ Super Retina XDR · Titanium

0/100
From
$999
Samsung · 2024 PixlRun pick
S24 ULTRA

MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 · 6.8″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X · Titanium

0/100
From
$1,299

Where each one wins.

Six pillars, scored independently in our Victoria, BC lab. Bars animate to live values when in view.

Camera

S24 +0.6
NVIDIA8.6
Apple9.2

Performance

iPhone +0.3
NVIDIA9.5
Apple9.2

Battery

S24 +1.4
NVIDIA7.8
Apple9.2

Display

S24 +0.4
NVIDIA9.3
Apple9.7

Build & feel

iPhone +0.5
NVIDIA9.4
Apple8.9

Value

iPhone +0.4
NVIDIA8.6
Apple8.2

Six dimensions, overlaid.

Radar of normalized scores across our full rubric.

CAMERA PERF BATTERY DISPLAY BUILD VALUE
NVIDIA RTX 5090 MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max
Lab benchmark
+12%
MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max vs NVIDIA RTX 5090 — sustained workload comparison.
Battery (video, real-world)
19h
MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max vs NVIDIA RTX 5090 — battery rundown.
Charge to 50%
22min
MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max fast-charge vs NVIDIA RTX 5090.
Weight delta
−45g
NVIDIA RTX 5090 vs MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max — weight delta.

The full spec sheet.

Grouped by what matters to use, not by alphabet. Winners highlighted with an acid dot.

Display
Size
Size16.2 inches
Resolution
Resolution3456 x 2234 (254 ppi)
Technology
TechnologyLiquid Retina XDR · ProMotion
Performance
Chip
ChipApple M4 Max (3nm)
CPU
CPU16-core (12P + 4E)
GPU
GPU40-core
Memory
Memory36GB / 48GB / 64GB / 128GB
Storage
Storage1TB / 2TB / 4TB / 8TB SSD
Battery & Charging
Battery
Battery100Wh · 22hr video playback
Charging
Charging140W USB-C · MagSafe 3
Body & Build
Weight
Weight2.14 kg
Connectivity
Ports
Ports3x Thunderbolt 5 · HDMI · SD · MagSafe
General
CUDA Cores21,760
CUDA Cores
ArchitectureBlackwell GB202
Architecture
VRAM32GB GDDR7
VRAM
Memory Bandwidth1,820 GB/s
Memory Bandwidth
Memory Bus512-bit
Memory Bus
TDP600W
TDP
Boost Clock2,900 MHz
Boost Clock
RT Cores5th Gen, 170 units
RT Cores
Tensor Cores5th Gen, 680 units
Tensor Cores
Display Outputs3× DisplayPort 2.1a, 1× HDMI 2.1b
Display Outputs
PCIe InterfacePCIe 5.0 x16
PCIe Interface
Power Connector2× 16-pin (PCIe Gen 5)
Power Connector
Form FactorTriple-Slot, 360mm
Form Factor
Recommended PSU1000W+
Recommended PSU

Pros & cons,
at a glance.

A bento grid of what each one nails — and where it falls short.

NVIDIA RTX 5090

What you'll love

The most polished daily-driver experience Apple has ever shipped.

  • Best-in-class CPU single-core performance
  • Lightest titanium frame in its class (187 g)
  • 5+ years of major iOS updates committed
  • Tight integration with Mac, Watch, AirPods

Watch out for

  • Slow 20 W charging
  • 3× telephoto only
  • No always-on tone-mapping
MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max

What you'll love

A spec monster with the most versatile camera system on a phone.

  • 5× optical zoom + 200 MP main sensor
  • Brightest panel on any phone (2,600 nits)
  • S Pen built-in for notes & sketching
  • All-day battery (5,000 mAh, 19h video)

Watch out for

  • Heavy at 232 g
  • Steeper $1,299 entry price
  • One UI bloat out of the box

The verdict.

After 14 days each, in real-world use — here's how we'd actually spend the money.

PixlRun verdict · April 2026

If you do anything serious with the camera, get the S24 Ultra.

NVIDIA RTX 5090 takes the overall win. NVIDIA RTX 5090: The Ultimate GPU That Redefines What's Possible. MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max: The Pro Machine.

See S24 Ultra review Read the full review
PixlRun Lab Score
Composite · 14-day test cycle
NVIDIA RTX 509092.4
MacBook Pro 16 M4 Max94.1
Margin+1.7
ConfidenceHigh

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