If you’re in Market looking for the premium smartphone then you would be spoilt with lot of options, which makes decision making very difficult. Recently Samsung has launched Galaxy S20 Ultra it is an awesome device in all sense – from its 108 MP camera, 5g connectivity, 5000mah battery, 120Hz display. It is here to prove that it is a compelling alternative for the king of the market iphon11 pro Max.
Which one is better? Isn’t it a hard question? Commenting that they are on par with each can be a cop-out. But every year it’s becoming harder to choose either one of them.
Yes, we can argue iOS vs android argument, where I can say Apple has N number of apps and android does not. However, Samsung has entered into couple of software partnerships (majorly Microsoft), which enhances its software portfolio as well.
At the end both these phone are the best phones with awesome screens and fantastic cameras. Samsung’s S-Pen that will make you fall in love with handwriting, digital display and split screens and iPhone 11 pro max does what it is best at smooth, fast predictable performance and App store which still has couple of high quality exclusive apps for creative professionals.
This makes it even difficult decide which phone should you buy. But don’t worry: IPhone 11 Pro Max and Galaxy note 20 ultra-faceoff would help you fuss out the differences and determine which one is best for you.
Price:
If you think iPhone11 pro, Max price expensive then Galaxy Note 20 price tag will certainly scare the shit out of you. $1299 for the cheapest version of Galaxy Note 20 ultra with 128GB storage and 12GB RAM is $200 expensive than the base version iPhone 11 pro Max with 64GB of storage .
Does this $200 increase justify the Double storage? I can say it does justify considering we have to shell out another $149 to get the 256GB storage in the iPhone driving the price to $1249 still then you will not have the option to expand the storage through micro SD card on apple device.
Display and Design
Galaxy Notes were always known for the bigger displays than the usual ones in the market in fact it opened a new subcategory for the bigger sized phones. And this time Galaxy Note 20 Ultra comes with 6.9’inch screen and 19.3:9 aspect ratio , 1440×3200 AMOLED screen with 511 pixels per inch, the Note 20 ultra is huge phone that towers over the iPhone Pro Max‘s 6.5-inch 19.5:9 display , 1242×2688 AMOLED screen with 458 pixel per inch.
Above all this you will be getting more screen real estate on Note 20 Ultra, as it does not have notch – just a tiny hole for front camera.
What about displays then? Well, both the phones come with OLED displays, off course made by Samsung.
The iPhones display comes with Apple’s preferred color calibration – It’s accurate and Fantastic. While Galaxy Note 20 ultra has the Natural mode , which produces more down to earth colors and a vivid mode, which delivers the vibrancy for fans of classic punchy AMOLED screens.
The Galaxy note 20 ultra also has a 120Hz Refresh rate, making the animations smooth like butter. It becomes very hard to go back to 60Hz Screen once you have scrolled to emails on a high refresh rate display like iPhone 11 pro max
Display measurements
In terms of design both devices look and feel great. The good thing about Samsung is it always tweaks and evolves its design by a bit. Even though Note 20 ultra does not look entirely different from its old siblings, it does look fresh. On the other hand, Apple likes to stick to its designs, which is one of reason you can recognize an iPhone in a crowd. iPhone 11 pro max still looks pretty and fits right in the hand with its curvy sides, but for those who want something fresh might feel its bit dated.
Both these devices are heavy 208gm for Note 20 ultra and 226gm for iPhone pro max, you can definitely feel them in the pocket; we can say these phones are for the people who doesn’t mind extra heft on their pockets and are ready to use 2 hands.
Nowadays triple and quadruple cameras are a norm. Both of these phones comes huge camera modules. Remember those memes on iPhone pro max’s camera module, those stove jokes? The camera bump on Note 20 is huge, it gets in the way when holding the phone and it definitely keeps proper up while lying on a table.
This can be a thing, which annoys you or something that you would like.
Camera:
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra comes with 108MP f/1.8 main camera along with 12MP f/3.0 telephoto lens and 12MP f/2.2 ultra wide lens. The main telephoto lens have optical image stabilization (OIS) and is capable of 5X optical zoom and 50x space zoom.
This phone can shoot 8K videos at 24fps and also has a 10MP f/2.2 front facing camera.
iPhone 11 pro max has triple lens camera with a 12MP f/1.8 main sensor, a 12MP f/2.0 telephoto lens and 12MP f/2.4 ultra wide one. The main telephoto lens has optical image stabilization (OIS) and is capable of 2x optical zoom.
This phone can shoot maximum of 4k videos at 60fps, and there is 12MP f/2.2 front facing camera.
Software and updates:
Well this is a difficult choice to make; it all depends on the personal choice. Both these operating systems have their own upsides and downsides. Most of the cases you already know which one you would prefer.
On a positive note, barriers between these two operating systems have reduced over the years (considering iOS is adding widgets to its next version). So switching between these two operating system shouldn’t make huge difference which was once been.
Samsung Adds its one skin on the stock order (one UI) which adds additional customization features on top android. While One UI 2.0 has some good features, probably this the reason its takes Samsung so long to update its software.
Samsung is known for taking 6 months to 1 year to deliver the newest version of android to its phones, whereas its not the same in the case of iPhones. Apple normally pushes out the updates on the same day of its release.
Apple also supports iPhone longer than any other manufacturer. For example, the iPhone6S from 2015 will be getting iOS14 and this type of support you can expect from any android manufacturer
Performance, Battery and Charging
Comparing Android device to an iPhone has always been like comparing apples to oranges. Since both these android and iOS work differently at their core and treat hardware differently, simply staring at their specs sheet would be misleading. It is only when you use these phones one would realize the reality.
The Galaxy Note 20 ultra is powered by the best chipsets, which Samsung has access to Snapdragon 865+ in US from Qualcomm and the Samsung Exynos 990 internationally. The iPhone 11 pro max has Apple’s A13 Bionic chip, which is also a best in its class.
Both of these can run anything you can find in their respective App stores without a hitch. When it comes to gaming or switching through apps everything happens in snap.
These two systems handle multitasking very differently. The note 20 ultra features split-screen and picture –in-picture, while it’s 12GB of RAM keeps everything readily available in the background. Apple iOS may fly quickly, but it works on a more of a “one at a time” philosophy. There is no Split screen, no floating windows and whenever you leave an app, its gets frozen in the background.
The Note 20’s productivity side is further enhanced by Samsung Dex – Connect the phone to a monitor or smart TV , add a mouse and keyboard , and you’ve got yourself a desktop UI , which feels like home for windows users. The iPhone has nothing to rival this.
In addition, Note 20 comes with a bunch of drawing and writing apps, so you can make full use of the S-Pen, as a partnership with Microsoft that will give you three months’ worth of Xbox game pass and Microsoft XCloud when it launches. Also depending on where you buy, you would also get YouTube premium.
Whereas iPhone buyers will get a year of free Apple TV+, in case they have not redeemed that with another Apple purchase in past.
Battery:
The Galaxy note 20 ultra certainly needs a lot of juice to keep all that multitasking and the 120 Hz screen going. And it gets all of that from a 4500 mAh cell. An impressive power pack that does give us a full day of use, even if we abuse the phone heavily.
The iPhone 11 pro max does not lag behind with 3969mAh cell keeps the lights on for quite a while, even with heavy usage
Both these phones support fast charging – iPhone11 pro max comes with 18W charger out of the box, while the Note 20 ultra comes with 25W power brick.
Special features
The iPhone 11 Pro Max certainly is not lacking in special features. First is Face ID, Apple’s unlocking method that takes 3D scan of your face and uses it to open your phone. This same feature also powers the memoji and animoji feature and allows you to make a cartoon version of yourself or an animal head that copies your head movements. iOS 13 added an excellent system –wide dark mode , which is perfect for when the lights go down.
The iPhone is up against a Galaxy note, though a Phone range known for its special features. You have got all the features you would expect from a flagship Samsung phone, including Dex desktop mode and 5G – But you also have the S Pen. This little stylus can control your phone as remote or with air gestures, can scrawl quick notes down on the phone’s display, and adds a degree of precision you cannot get with a finger.
Specs
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max | |
| Size | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm (6.48 x 3.04 x 0.32 inches) | 158 x 77.8 x 8.1mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches) |
| Weight | 208 grams (7.34 ounces) | 226 grams (7.97 ounces) |
| Screen size | 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Screen resolution | WQHD+ | 2,688 x 1,242 pixels (458 pixels per inch) |
| Operating system | Android 10 (under One UI 2.0) | iOS 13 |
| Storage space | 256GB, 512GB | 64GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| MicroSD card slot | Yes, up to 1TB | No |
| Tap-to-pay services | Samsung Pay, Google Pay | Apple Pay |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus | Apple A13 Bionic chip |
| RAM | 12GB | 4GB |
| Camera | Triple lens 108-megapixel, 12MP telephoto lens, and 12MP ultrawide lens rear, 10MP front | Triple lens 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto rear; 12MP TrueDepth front |
| Video | 8K at 24 frames per second, 4K at 60 fps, 1080p at 240 fps, 720p at 960 fps | 4K at up to 60 fps, 1080p at 240 fps |
| Bluetooth version | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | USB-C | Lightning |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes, in-display | No, Face ID instead |
| Water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Battery | 4,500mAh Fast charging (25W) Qi wireless charging Wireless Powershare | 3,969mAh Fast charging (18W) Qi wireless charging |
| App marketplace | Google Play Store | Apple App Store |
| Network support | AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon | AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon |
| Colors | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White | Midnight Green, Space Gray, silver, gold |
| Price | $1,299 | $1,100 |
| Buy from | Samsung, AT&T | Apple, Best Buy |
Take away
Based on the above differences between iPhone 11 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra. Differences between both of these phones are very thin. If iPhones battery is good Samsung Note 20 ultra pampers with you lot of features.
If you are an Apple fan boy then your choice is clear. If you are an Android Fan you have lot of options , would suggest to invest on Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ultra only if you have a big pocket and if you are an power user who would use all the productivity features in it.
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