iPhone 11 vs. Galaxy S20: Which phone should you buy?

Apple and Samsung are the two largest phone manufacturers in the world, and their latest flagship phones are some of the best you can buy. Apple’s iPhone 11 and Samsung’s serve as the starting point for their latest lines Galaxy S20 are also the cheapest models, starting at $ 699, £ 729 and AU $ 1,199 (64GB) and $ 999, £ 899 and AU $ 1,499 respectively. (The prices shown for the Galaxy S20 are for the 128GB 5G model – although cheaper 4G Galaxy S20 variants are sold in the UK and Australia.)

Depending on whether you are one iOS or Android users will greatly affect your preference between the two. However, if you are operating system independent or just curious about the pros and cons of each phone, we will discuss their cameras, design, performance, software, and additional features to see how they compare. For more information, see the CNETs iPhone 11 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra camera comparison.

Continue reading: The new 2020 iPhone SE review

How we tested

Camera: The iPhone’s grab-and-go approach compared to the feature-rich camera from Galaxy

Both phones have great cameras, and you’d be right to be happy if you chose one of the two devices for all of your imaging needs. But every phone has functions that distinguish it in different ways.

The iPhone 11 has two rear cameras, including an ultra wide-angle lens. This way, you can take stunning landscape shots or creative close-ups that look just as dramatic. The iPhone 11 Night mode brightens and captures Low-light scenes in impressively clear details.

Another camera upgrade on iPhone 11 is Deep fusionThis improves the photo quality and optimizes details for pictures taken in medium light environments, e.g. B. in a building or room. (To see this in action, read CNETs iPhone 11 vs. iPhone XR comparison.) The video quality is smooth and you can Record slow motion video on the selfie camera of the iPhone 11 that Apple has regrettably branded as “slofies”.

The Galaxy S20 has a triple rear setup that includes a telephoto camera. Together with the 30x zoom, this means that you can zoom in much closer to objects while maintaining clarity. (Based on CNET’s Galaxy S20 test and camera comparisons, the 10x zoom is about as close as you’d like to take photos).

The Galaxy S20’s low-light mode also works great and has a countdown clock, so you know how long you have to hold the handset to take a picture. Another tool, Single Take, lets you use several different camera functions at the same time. Just tap the shutter button once and the Galaxy S20 records a 10-second video. From there you will receive a number of curated photos and videos, such as wide-angle and an animated live focus image, as well as an intelligently cropped image. Although it’s a gimmick, it can be useful if you don’t have a lot of time and want to get the most out of a scene.

However, what makes the S20 stand out is its ability to record videos in 8K resolution. You can only benefit from this directly if you have one 8K screen To view content or (if you are a video editor) you want to crop 8K videos. Regardless, 8K is the direction in which devices and platforms such as TV and YouTube are moving. However, keep in mind that 8K video files are very large. A one-minute video takes up about 600 MB of storage space.

winner: Both phones take beautiful pictures in all settings. But which phone suits you best depends on what type of photographer you are. If you want to take great shots and videos without thinking too much about it, the iPhone is the best choice. However, if you’re looking for a phone with lots of features and tools that you can tweak, the Galaxy S20 is the way to go.

Design: The display of the Galaxy S20 is bright and fluid

One of the most notable design differences between the iPhone 11 and the Galaxy S20 are the displays. The iPhone 11 has an LCD screen, while the Galaxy S20 has an AMOLED display. While watching videos and browsing photos looks great on both phones, the colors displayed on the Galaxy S20 have higher contrast, are more vivid, and the blacks are richer in ink. The display of the Galaxy S20 also has a higher resolution and a higher pixel density, which means that the details are refined. The Galaxy S20 also has a small hole notch for its front-facing camera. The iPhone 11 has a much larger, more intrusive notch that houses the camera and various sensors for facial recognition.

The best thing about the Galaxy S20’s display is its refresh rate of 120 Hz. While most phones, including the iPhone 11, are updated at 60 frames per second, the Galaxy S20 is updated 120 times. That means scrolling through Twitter and websites, or playing graphics-intensive games that look and feel more fluid.

In terms of durability, both phones have IP68 protection for water resistance. In practice, this means that they are waterproof in up to 2 meters of water for 30 minutes. When We already dipped the iPhone 11 in DecemberIt survived an immersion of about 12 meters in salt water, which is more caustic than fresh water. For your information, the Galaxy S20 has yet to undergo our extreme water tests.

In our drop tests The iPhone 11 has largely survived A three-, six-, and eight-foot fall remained intact (in the last test, the back of the iPhone 11 had a small scratch on the bumper and a scratch on the body of the camera). At 11 feet, the screen of the iPhone 11 did not crack, but the rear view camera no longer worked. The The Galaxy S20 is more fragile. With a height difference of three feet, the back of the S20 broke and cracks ran along the metal frame and around the camera module. At five feet, the screen of the phone shattered under the screen protector, which is preinstalled by Samsung.

The great thing about both phones is that you don’t just have to use the black or gray color options. The Galaxy S20 is available in pastel blue and pink. You can buy the iPhone 11 in green, yellow, purple and red. They also have no headphone jacks.

winner: Although the Galaxy S20 needs one case more than the iPhone 11, it’s the vibrant and fluid display that makes the phone win this round.

Performance: iPhone 11 is faster

Both phones are equipped with first-class processors and the phones are super fast and reliably smooth. The iPhone 11 has a proprietary A13 Bionic processor from Apple, while the Galaxy S20 has a Snapdragon 864 chipset from Qualcomm. With daily tasks like starting apps, starting the camera and surfing the Internet, both phones were fast and there should be no difference between the two. On paper, however, the iPhone 11 has displaced the Galaxy S20, as these benchmark results show:

During our lab tests for continuous video playback, the iPhone 11 streamed for 13 hours and 52 minutes. In airplane mode, it took 15 hours and 24 minutes. Anecdotally, the iPhone 11 lasted about a day and a half in normal everyday use. The Galaxy S20 streamed videos on average for 13 hours and 45 minutes, with the display set to 120 Hz. Daily observations show that the phone can last from day to night on a single charge.

winner: The iPhone 11 wins for its higher benchmark values ​​and its slight advantage over the battery life.

Software: digital assistants, file sharing and biometric security

As always, when comparing Apple and Samsung phones, you have to decide which operating system is more suitable for you: iOS or Android. Each of them has its own advantages – iOS is safe and easy to use, but can be limited to users. Android is highly customizable with several optimizable features, but the software can sometimes be buggy and not as user-friendly.

Both phones have digital search assistants: the iPhone has Siri, the Galaxy S20 two, Google Assistant and Bixby. (For more information on the differences between the three, see CNET comparison. Siri vs. Google Assistant vs. Bixby). Since the phones have no physical home buttons, their interfaces are instead based on swipe gestures to switch between apps.

What’s new in the Galaxy S20 Fast sharing, that’s Samsung’s answer to Apple AirDrop. It allows you to quickly transfer photos and files from one phone to another. Unlike AirDrop, which works on many iPhone models, Quick Share currently only works on the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and Ultra.

For security reasons, both phones use elegant, biometric solutions, so you can unlock your phone without having to enter a PIN. The Galaxy S20 has an on-screen fingerprint sensor, while the iPhone 11 uses face scanning.

winner: Toss-up; Both phones have their own unique features, and the selection you are likely to make depends on what you are already familiar with.

Continue reading:: The Samsung Galaxy S20 raises the bar for cell phones in eight ways

5G and other goodies

The Galaxy S20 has 5GHowever, a cheaper 4G model is available in some countries, such as the UK and Australia. Before you get too excited, however, you should know that the observed speeds may not be as high as you expected. Jessica Dolcourt, CNET editor, said: “With the exception of an unpublished Verizon model, the Galaxy S20 support the 5G type known as Sub-6, which leads to slower top speeds. The download speed will still be higher than 4G, but not as fast as the (theoretical) top speeds of the approaching technology known as the millimeter wave. “And while the fact that none of the iPhone 11s has 5G shouldn’t be a deal breaker, You’ll have to wait At least until later this year or next year to see a 5G iPhone.

Comparing the 128 GB models of both phones, the iPhone 11 is still cheaper at USD 749, GBP 779 and AU $ 1,279. But the The Galaxy S20 also has expandable memory up to 1 TB via a microSD card. For users who don’t plan to take a lot of photos / videos or rely on a cloud service to secure their phones, this may not matter (for example, Apple’s iCloud service costs $ 10 for 2TB ). External storage is helpful for those who want to store their content locally.

One of the few functions of the Galaxy S20 is Reverse wireless charging. This means that other phones and accessories like Galaxy Buds or a Galaxy Watch can be charged by placing the items directly on the back of the phone. If necessary, it is very useful and means carrying one charger less.

winner: The Galaxy S20 offers a lot of additional functions, but that makes sense given the higher price.