Galaxy S20 is the most basic phone in Samsung’s new flagship range. It arrives in the market to compete with the iPhone 11, Apple’s most basic phone in 2019. The two phones are known for their advanced technical specifications. Even so, they differ in features such as screen, camera, and processor. There is also a substantial price difference of 30% of the S20 compared to the iPhone, at least in the United States, where the Samsung model comes out at $999. In the following paragraphs, learn more about the two devices.
iPhone 11 vs Galaxy S20
| Specifications | iPhone 11 | Galaxy S20 |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | September 2019 | February 2020 |
| Current price | $577 | $529 |
| Screen | 6.1 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Screen resolution | 1792 x 828 pixels | 3200 x 1440 (Quad HD+) |
| Processor | A13 Bionic | octa-core up to 2.8 GHz |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB or 12 GB |
| Storage | 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB | 128 GB |
| Memory card | No | Yes, microSD |
| Main camera | dual, 12 megapixel | triple, 64, 12 and 12 MP |
| Front camera | 12 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
| Battery | 3,110 mAh | 4,000 mAh |
| Operating system | iOS 13 | Android 10 |
| Dimensions and weight | 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm; 194 grams | 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm; 163 grams |
| Available colors | Black, green, yellow, purple, red and white | Gray, blue and pink |
Screen and design
The handsets come with a small difference in size, but the 6.2-inch display of the Galaxy S20 is expected to display better resolution than the 6.1 inches on the iPhone 11. There are 1,792 x 828 pixels on Apple’s phone and almost twice as much on Samsung’s, which boasts 3,200 x 1,440 pixels of resolution (Quad HD+). Also, Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED panel offers more contrast and has a 120 Hz refresh rate that helps make your animations more fluid. An important consideration for gamers.
The S20 also optimizes its space and, despite the larger display, has a narrower, thinner and lighter body than its rival. It also makes it easier to keep the front camera housed inside the screen, while on the iPhone it’s positioned in the notch that takes part of the top.
The two mobile phones feature metal construction with Gorilla Glass surface on the front and back, and protection against water and dust (IP68 certified). Besides, the Samsung model no longer comes with a traditional P2 headset input. It offers only one USB-C port. A headset is included in the box, just like Apple does with Lightning standard headphones that come with the latest iPhones.
Cameras
The main cameras in the phones have very similar specifications: 12 MP resolution, 26 mm lens with f/1.8 aperture, and optical stabilization (OIS). The numbers suggest similar performance in environments with the same lighting conditions. Both also bring 12 MP ultrawide to capture images with a more open angle, but there’s a slight advantage in Galaxy’s light capture capability, which brings f/2.2 aperture slightly higher than the iPhone’s f/2.4.
The Galaxy S20 also features a third camera with a telephoto lens and powerful 64 MP (f/2) sensor, also with OIS and capable of 3x optical zoom. On iPhone 11 there’s only digital zoom, which naturally brings more distortion to the image.
Among the S20’s camera features is Single Take, which uses all the lenses and photo and video modes of the phone at the same time with one touch of the shutter. The function is designed for unique moments. The Artificial Intelligence built into the device suggests the best clips and images.
On iPhone 11, Night Mode is worth mentioning, a night photography feature that lets you click in places with almost complete darkness. A similar feature is available in Galaxy but still needs to be tested.
Performance and storage
iPhone 11 is considered one of the most powerful smartphones in the world. In the Antutu ranking, the 2019 device scores higher than Asus ROG Phone 2, last year’s most powerful Android. It’s not yet known how the Galaxy S20 will do in the comparison platform tests, but the data-sheet is promising.
Samsung’s launch has 8 GB RAM or 12 GB (in the 5G model). The octa-core processor can be the Snapdragon 865, more modern from Qualcomm, or Exynos 990, manufactured by Samsung.
The iPhone 11 has the A13 chip, developed by Apple itself. The chip works together with the 4 GB RAM, so far they are considered enough to maintain a good level of multitasking in the company’s optimized system.
iPhone 11 offers 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of storage. The S20 is offered globally with 128GB or 256GB. Unlike the Apple phone, Samsung has microSD card support.
Battery
The Galaxy S20 features a 4,000 mAh battery against 3,110 mAh on iPhone 11. But it’s still too early to tell which of the two gets the best of daily autonomy. Only Apple releases expectancy numbers for video playback: up to 17 hours.
Operating system
The Galaxy S20 comes out of the box with Android 10, the latest version of Google’s software. The same happens with iPhone 11, which runs iOS 13, the latest to date. Taking into account the company’s history, Apple’s phone has a better chance of staying up to date for longer, which may help the phone’s durability.
The usability of the software no longer differs as much as in the past. Today, each has its strengths and weaknesses: Android is more customizable and gives more freedom to the user, while iOS 13 is more secure and stable.
Additional features
The Galaxy S20 offers more extra features to explore on the phone than the iPhone 11. These include Wireless PowerShare, which allows you to charge other wireless devices, the ultrasonic digital reader under the screen and support for two chips.
Samsung’s model also supports a wider range of connectivity standards such as Wi-Fi 6 and HE80, MIMO, and 1024-QAM wireless technologies, plus 5G connection.
The iPhone 11 highlight goes to Face ID, a facial recognition system that uses an advanced set of sensors to unlock the cell phone quickly. The Galaxy S20’s facial unlock is not so sophisticated and, therefore, ends up being also less secure. The Apple smartphone can also support two phone lines, one physical and one in eSIM format.
Price and Availability
The Galaxy S20 is available for purchase on Amazon around $529 while the iPhone 11 is also available on Amazon for price around $577.99.
- Buy iPhone 11
- Buy Galaxy S20
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