Samsung and Apple have been two of the biggest manufacturers of cell phones over the last two decades. Incidentally, their flagship cell phones are going to veer against each other this year. With the flagship mobiles being the least expensive models of their baselines, both Galaxy S20 and iPhone 11 have a huge possibility of competing for market supremacy. Interestingly, both Apple and Samsung decided to bring out the iPhone SE, and the Galaxy S20 FE in order to bring the budget-conscious among their ranks.
What you choose will completely depend on whether you are more comfortable with Android, or iOS. But in the scenario that you don’t really care much about OS, and simply want to get an idea as to the specifications of both these cell phones, you are at the right place. You will be able to get information regarding the camera, software, performance, and design of both Galaxy S20, and iPhone 11.
Apple iPhone 11
Easily Affordable With Good Camera Features
You don’t really find iPhones that are cheap, but if you compare that with the price of the Galaxy S20. But, it also comes with the catch of not having as many features as the new Galaxy S20- be it the expandable memory, high-refresh display, or 5G. Regardless, the iPhone 11 is quite an elegant and fast phone that contains a high-profile camera which is perfectly capable of taking amazing photos.
Samsung Galaxy S20
Expensive but Progressive
Although it is true that the Galaxy S20 is quite a bit expensive, it has a host of features that don’t just make it beautiful, but also useful. These features come in a handset that has been designed beautifully. The features involve a 120 Hz screen, 5G connectivity, 8K video, and most importantly- a fast processor.
Galaxy’s Feature-filled Camera vs the Grab and Go Approach of iPhone
Before we begin, let’s just put it out there that both these cell phones have amazing cameras. And you wouldn’t be missing out on much if you choose either device- yet, there are certain features that are amiss in both these devices. It doesn’t take anything away from them- simply adds certain features. The Apple iPhone 11 consists of two rear cameras, one of which includes a lens that is ultra-wide. This feature allows one to click landscapes, or close-ups that are creative enough to look dramatic. Also, the iPhone 11 has a Night Mode feature that helps brighten pictures taken in low-light scenes.
Deep Fusion is yet another upgrade that the iPhone 11 has- something that optimizes the picture details, while improving the quality of the picture at the same time. This will help you click impressive pictures even in rooms, or other enclosed spaces. The quality for Video is pretty smooth, which allows you to take videos in slow-motion using the selfie camera of iPhone 11.
On the other hand, the Galaxy S20 consists of a setup with three rear cameras, one that includes a telephoto lens. The camera can zoom upto 30x- which means that you will be able to zoom in on objects with impressive clarity. The low-light mode of the Samsung Galaxy S20 is also pretty great- and comes with a countdown clock which will tell you how much you have to hold on to the handset if you still want to take some shot. Single Take is yet another tool that will allow you to use a lot of camera features in one click. If you press on the shutter once, the Galaxy S20 is going to capture a video of 10 seconds. And through this video, you will be provided with curated photos which have features added to them- wide-angle, live-focus, and others. This feature can be of much use if you are lacking time.
But if you are actually looking for what sets the Galaxy S20 apart, it is probably their ability to shoot videos in 8k resolution. Ironically, you can only use the feature if you have a 8k screen where the content will be displayed. Nevertheless, with Youtube and TVs moving towards 8k, you wouldn’t be missing out on much in the near future. You need to remember though, that 8k videos take up an impressive amount of storage.
Design: Galaxy S20’s display is bright and smooth
One of the many differences that are actually noticeable is the difference in the design of both the cell phones. While the iPhone 11 consists of an LCD display, the Galaxy S20 actually has an AMOLED Display. You will be able to watch videos on both in quite amazing ratios, but there are still some bonus points that Galaxy S20 accrues due to it being more vibrant, and the contrast is much higher. The details of Galaxy S20’s display are extraordinarily refined due to a much higher resolution. The Samsung Galaxy S20 contains a hole-punch notch for its front camera, whereas the iPhone 11 has a much more obtrusive notch that keeps the sensors and cameras in place.
If we had to choose, the best thing about the display of Galaxy S20 would be its 120 Hz refresh rate. The refresh rate of the iPhone 11 is 60 frames every second, whereas the Galaxy S20 refreshes 120 times. This simply means that you will be able to scroll through social media or play immersive games pretty smoothly.
In the category of durability, both phones are pretty much rated the same. Both the phones come with a water resistance rating of IP68 which means that they are water resistant upto 2 meters. The drop tests, on the other hand, showed a different picture. The iPhone 11 was performing well after a 3 feet, 6 feet, and 8 feet drop. All it received was a small scratch on the camera housing. When dropped from a height of 11 feet, the iPhone 11’s camera stopped working, but the screen didn’t crack. On the other hand, the Galaxy S20 is much more fragile. A three-foot drop broke the back of the S20, with cracks running along the edge of the frame. When dropped from 5 feet, the screen completely shattered.
What makes both these phones interesting is that there are several color options that you can choose from if you are not happy with one. The Galaxy S20 comes clothed in pastel blue while the iPhone 11 comes in cases of yellow, green, purple, and red. The iPhone 11 doesn’t have a headphone jack though.
Performance: iPhone 11 is faster
These flagship phones have processors that are top-of-the-line with the phones being extremely smooth and super fast. The Galaxy S20 has a processor which is a chipset of Snapdragon 864 from Qualcomm. On the other hand, the iPhone 11 comes with an A13 Bionic processor that is under the ownership of Apple. If you are wondering which phone is faster for doing everyday tasks, both are on the same level. Surfing the internet, firing up the camera, and launching apps take pretty much the same amount of time without any conceivable difference. On paper though, the iPhone 11 did edge out the Galaxy S20.
The battery for iPhone 11 streams videos at 13 hours, 52 minutes. If put on Airplane Mode, it would last 15 hours, 24 minutes. Interestingly, an iPhone 11 usually lasts almost a day and half if used normally. Samsung Galaxy S20 streams videos at an average of 13 hours, and 45 minutes with a 120 Hz refresh rate. But for day-to-day observations, a Galaxy Samsung S20 can last an entire day.
Software: Digital assistants, file sharing, and biometric security in both Galaxy S20 and iPhone 11
When you are focusing simply on the software of both iOS and Android, it all comes down to which you prefer more. iOS is much more secure and quite simple to use, but it can be quite narrow in its approach, thereby limiting options for users. On the other hand, Android is hugely customizable and has a lot of tweakable features- although the software is incredibly buggy and not as user-friendly.
The security of both these phones is quite rigid, employing biometric, elegant solutions that can be used to unlock one’s phone without putting in a PIN. Galaxy S20 has a fingerprint sensor, while the Apple iPhone 11 uses face recognition.
Both Galaxy S20 and iPhone 11 are world class phones in their own right- and buying either one of them is a good bargain at the price they are being sold at.