When pooled together side by side, Samsung S20 and Apple iPhone 11 look rather similar to each other. Both of them boast Gorilla Glass glass, 12 megapixels camera with 120 degrees vision angle and they are water and dust resistant all the same. Moreover, while each one gives great audio quality, none of them include any Jack input! So how can we decide which of these 2 devices is the right one for us as per our usage of a smartphone? In this article, we’ll review the 6 key differences between Samsung Galaxy S20 and Apple iPhone 11 in order of significance.
Connectivity
The most differentiating is that Samsung’s Galaxy S20 is 5G-Ready whereas iPhone 11 only runs on (now-standard) LTE. 5G network is a really big breakthrough and it is the future of wireless communications. It will be made available to the public over the next 2 to 4 years. Considering the fact that we usually keep our smartphones for a period of 5 years on average, it is probably a good thing to consider for your next purchase.
Also, the Galaxy S20 is a 4x4MIMO smartphone. It means that the device has 4 antennas. This means into a better reception of your carrier’s signal. In contrast, iPhone 11 is a 2×2 MIMO device.
Camera
As we know both devices have the same capacity when it comes to the resolution of their cameras (12 megapixels). That being said, there is more to review between the 2 challengers here in order to decide which one is best at photography. Surely, both devices can take pictures. However, it is quite certain that the Galaxy S20 makes crustier pictures thanks to its larger camera sensor (1.7 larger than the iPhone’s).
Whereas both smartphones are equipped with optical stabilization, Samsung pushes it a bit further with a 3X hybrid optical zoom! That gives a relative advantage for shots taken at a distance… Also, Samsung has made the headlines for releasing the first smartphone capable of recording 8K video. It’s clearly of a show-off at this point. Indeed fewer consumers are equipped to output and edit such digital assets outside of the S20. However, this can still provide awesome High Definition and Ultra High Definition (4K) video footage!
Screen
The third point of the differences between Samsung Galaxy S20 and Apple iPhone 11 is the size of the screen. Although both devices feature a similar size of the screen (6.2 inches for Galaxy S20 and 6.1 for iPhone 11), they are standing quite far apart from each other.
With its lighting at 625 nits, the screen on the iPhone 11 can be more difficult to read than its challenger’s. In addition to that, the screen of the Galaxy S20 will boast deeper contrast levels and sharper images with its AMOLED and Full High Definition Plus resolution (2280 x 1080 pixels). In comparison, the iPhone 11 seems to fall a bit short again with an LCD screen and a standard HD screen. On the other hand, 120Hz frame rate on the Samsung’s Galaxy S20 provides a more responsive experience while the user is swiping between screens. Plus increased touch response rate at 240Hz. Once again, iPhone 11 comes second by far with 60Hz for refreshment rate and 120Hz for its touch response rate.
Battery
It seems really clear that Galaxy S20 is meant to be a real push by Samsung on Apple’s territory. Accordingly, it seems that the brand aims at overtaking its rival on every possible mark. The battery capacity has not been overlooked for the S20 with 4000mAh (against 3110 for the iPhone 11) and a fast charger.
Even more, the Galaxy S20 is sold with a 25 watts power socket standard. You will get the iPhone 11 with a regular 5-watt socket and can only hope to grab an 18-watt socket at a premium off the shelve… Furthermore, while Both Galaxy S20 and iPhone 11 are featuring Wireless charging, the S20 features Wireless Charging 2.0 and reverse wireless. This allows transferring power to other devices.
Body
With its thicker, bolder and rounded edges, iPhone 11 inherits and perpetuates the characteristic look of the iPhone brand. However, this comes at a cost. When compared to Galaxy S20’s more subtle and sharper outline, iPhone inevitably weighs heavier on the scale with 194 grams (6.84 oz) against 168 grams (5.93 oz) for the S20. On top of that, the screen-to-body ratio (the proportion on the screen’s surface compared to the whole body of the smartphone) is only 79% for the iPhone 11 against 88% for the Galaxy S20.
Performances & storage
Nobody wants to change a winning team. So iPhone 11 features the same A13 Bionic than its predecessors in the range. Conversely, Samsung adopted the Android consortium’s Snapdragon 865 chip for the Galaxy S20. They also boosted the device’s capacities with 8 to 12 gigabytes of Random Access Memory. An essential resource for any smartphone in order to compute multiple tasks at a time in a timely manner. Additionally, the new operating system for Android (One UI) aims at bridging the gap with Apple’s IOS. In that sense, Android’s new release shows smoother interactions and functionalities of its own to compete with Apple’s Facetime, Airdrop and likes. Although, IOS still has the advantage thanks to its renowned system optimizations.
Besides, when compared to its rival, the Galaxy S20 features greater storage with 128 gigabytes, which is twice more than the iPhone. Plus, the S20’s storage is expandable. The iPhone’s is not.
The bottom line
With the Galaxy S20, you can’t miss that Samsung is fiercely challenging Apple’s hegemony of the smartphone market. The Galaxy S20 clearly raises the bar for the whole industry, bringing consumers and manufacturers in a whole new territory. Although it hasn’t lost its core proficiencies and remains a decent challenger, iPhone 11 is not the winner here. On the other hand, the Galaxy S20 seems to be the perfect smartphone for many profiles of consumers: the Instagrammers (thanks to its camera and its astonishing capacities), the gamers with super dynamic AMOLED screen and effective battery capacity. The device is also ready for the future and 5G and its innovative body design.
Thank you for reading about the 6 key differences between Samsung Galaxy S20 and Apple iPhone 11. We hope you have found this interesting and helpful. However, if you are still hesitating, feel free to drop a line in the comments below and we’ll be happy to help. You can also use our online virtual advisor.
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