Apple iPhone XS Max vs. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G

Phone Comparison, Reviews and Tests

Side by side comparison and review of Apple iPhone XS Max and Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G. Compare sizes, cameras, batteries, memory capacities and other key specifications and features to simplify the choice of your perfect phone. Our goal is to make it easier for you to decide on the phone that will best meet your expectations by revealing the main differences between the products.

Phone Specifications Comparison

Apple iPhone XS Max vs. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Product Type Smartphone Smartphone
Manufacturer Model Number A2101 SM-N986B/DS
Form Factor Touch Touch
Height 157.5 mm 164.8 mm Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has greater height than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Width 77.4 mm 77.2 mm Apple iPhone XS Max has greater width than Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G.
Depth 7.7 mm 8.1 mm Apple iPhone XS Max is narrower than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Weight 208 g 208 g Both phones are the same weight.
Body Colour Space grey | Silver | Gold Mystic white | Mystic black | Mystic bronze
Body Material Glass, surgical‑grade stainless steel -
Protection Dustproof, splashproof, waterproof Dustproof, splashproof, water-resistant
Waterproof (Water-resistant) Yes Yes Both phones are waterproof.
IP rating IEC 60529 IP68 IP68
Repairability Index 6.9 (out of 10) -
SAR Value 0.99 W/kg (body), 0.99 W/kg (head) 1.47 W/kg (body), 0.338 W/kg (head), 3.29 W/kg (limb)
Integrated Components - Heart rate sensor
Connector Type Lightning USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
SIM Card Type (Size) Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM) Nano SIM, Electronic SIM card (e-SIM)
SIM Card Qty Dual-SIM Dual-SIM
SIM Card Configuration Details - Nano SIM + nano SIM/microSD
DISPLAY Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Display Type OLED display OLED display
Display Technology Super Retina HD Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Screen Size (Display Size) 6.5" 6.9" Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has larger screen size than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 2688 x 1242 pixels 3088 x 1440 pixels Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has better screen resolution than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Display Format - QHD+
Pixel Density 458 ppi 496 ppi Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has better pixel density than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Max Brightness 625 cd/m² -
Colour Depth - 16.7 million colours
Contrast Ratio 1000000:1 -
HDR Yes Yes Both phones have HDR.
HDR Technology HDR10 HDR10+
Display Enhancement Technology Dolby Vision -
Display Refresh Rate 120 Hz 120 Hz Both phones have the same refresh rate.
Display Features True Tone display, Wide colour display (P3) Edge Screen, AOD(Always On Display), Edge Lighting, Video Wallpaper
Display Protection (Screen Protector) Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating -
PROCESSOR Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Processor Type (CPU) Apple A12 Bionic Samsung
Clock Speed - 2.73 GHz
Processor Core Qty 6-core 8-core Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has higher processor core quantity than Apple iPhone XS Max.
64-bit Architecture Yes Yes Both phones have 64-bit architecture.
MEMORY Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
RAM - LPDDR5 SDRAM - 12 GB
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 64 GB 256 GB Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has more internal memory than Apple iPhone XS Max.
User Memory - 221.6 GB
Supported Flash Memory Cards (Expandable Memory) - microSDHC, microSDXC - up to 1 TB
CAMERA Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 2 3
Sensor Resolution 12 Megapixel 108 Megapixel Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has better camera resolution than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Sensor Size - 1/1.33"
Sensor Type BSI -
Lens Type Wide-angle lens Wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture F/1.8 F/1.8 Both phones have the same camera lens aperture.
Lens Construction 6-element -
Field of View (FoV) - 79 degree(s)
Pixel Size - 0.8 μm
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Both phones have optical image stabilization.
Focus Adjustment Automatic Automatic
Laser Auto Focus - Yes
Optical Zoom 2x 5x Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has better optical zoom than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Digital Zoom 10x 50x Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has better digital zoom than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Self-Timer Delay - Yes
Special Effects Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono HDR, Grid Line
HDR Mode Smart HDR -
Camera Modes Burst mode, Panorama, Timer mode, low-light shots, tap to focus, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting, wide colour capture for photos and Live Photos Panorama, Slow motion mode, HYPERLAPSE, Live Focus mode, Super Slow-mo, Flowers, Greenery, Trees, Sky, Beaches, Watersides, Snow, Backlit, Text, Motion Photos, Food, Face, Baby, Person, Dog, Cat, People, Sunset, Sunrise, City, Waterfall, Scenery, Stage, Vehicles, Drinks, Animal, Shoes, Indoor, Clothes, Night view, Live focus video, Night, Mountain, Pro Video mode, Single Take, Pro Video
Face Recognition (Face ID) Body and face detection Face detection Both phones have face detection.
Light Source True Tone quad LED flash High CRI LED flash
Video Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps, 1280 x 720 (720p) at 30 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 120 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 24 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 240 fps 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps, 1280 x 720 (720p) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 120 fps, Super slow motion video 1280 x 720 (720p) at 960 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 240 fps, 7680 x 4320 (8K) at 24 fps
Camera Features (Functions) Sapphire crystal lens cover, Cinematic video stabilisation, Focus Pixels, Cinematic video stabilisation, Playback zoom, Hybrid IR filter, Exposure control, geotagging, LTM (Local Tone Mapping), Stereo Recording, Continuous autofocus video, 8MP still photos recording 4K video, Time‑lapse video with stabilisation, Slow Sync, Advanced red-eye correction, Optical image stabilization for video, Extended dynamic range for video Quick Launch, Playback zoom, Phase Detect Auto-Focus (PDAF), blink detection, VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilisation), Tracking AF, Video location tags, location tags, Hyperlapse video support 1080p, Scene Optimiser, Full view, Flaw detection, Shot suggestions, blur detection, HDR10+ recording, Floating shutter button, Super steady, Zoom-In Mic, Space Zoom, Take 33MP still photos while playing 8K video, AR Doodle, 50x Super Resolution Zoom, HEVC (High Efficiency Video coding) support, Microphone Control (Pro Video only)
SECOND CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (2nd Camera) 12 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Both phones have the same second camera resolution.
Lens Type (2nd Camera) Telephoto lens Telephoto lens
Lens Aperture (2nd Camera) F/2.4 F/3.0 Apple iPhone XS Max has better second camera lens aperture than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Field of View (2nd Camera) - 20 degree(s)
Pixel Size (2nd Camera) - 1 μm
Camera Functions (2nd Camera) Capture depth information -
THIRD CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (3rd Camera) - 12 Megapixel
Lens Type (3rd Camera) - Ultra wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture (3rd Camera) - F/2.2
Field of View (3rd Camera) - 120 degree(s)
Pixel Size (3rd Camera) - 1.4 μm
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 2 1
Sensor Resolution (Front) 7 Megapixel 10 Megapixel Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has better front camera resolution than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Sensor Type (Front) BSI -
Lens Aperture (Front) F/2.2 F/2.2 Both phones have the same front camera lens aperture.
Field of View (Front) - 80 degree(s)
Pixel Size (Front) - 1.22 μm
Focus Adjustment - Automatic
Special Effects (Front) Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono -
HDR Mode (Front) Smart HDR -
Camera Modes (Front) Burst mode, Timer mode, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting Timer mode, wide selfie mode, selfie mode, Live Focus mode, AR Emoji, selfie focus, Live focus video
Face Recognition (Face ID) Body and face detection, face recognition - Apple iPhone XS Max has face detection.
Light Source (Front) Retina Flash -
Video Resolutions (Front) 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 30 fps, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 60 fps -
Camera Features (Front) FaceTime HD camera, Exposure control, Auto image stabilisation, Animoji, Memoji, TrueDepth camera, Extended dynamic range for video, Cinematic video stabilisation Dual Pixel AF
SECOND FRONT CAMERA
Camera Functions (2nd Front) Infrared camera for Face ID -
Camera Features (2nd Front) Flood Illuminator, Dot Projector -
BATTERY AND CHARGING Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) - 4500 mAh
Fast Charging Technology Apple fast charging technology Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, Adaptive Fast Charging, Power Delivery 3.0 Both phones have fast charging technology.
Wireless Charging Yes Yes Both phones can be charged wirelessly.
Wireless Charging Standards Qi WPC, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare
Talk Time 1500 minutes 1440 minutes Apple iPhone XS Max has longer battery life when making calls than Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G.
Run Time Details Talk: up to 1500 min
Active online usage: up to 13 hrs
Playback (wireless video): up to 15 hrs
Playback (wireless audio): up to 65 hrs
Active online usage (LTE): up to 15 hrs
Active online usage (Wi-Fi): up to 16 hrs
Playback (wireless video): up to 19 hrs
Playback (wireless audio): up to 75 hrs
Talk (4G): up to 1440 min
Battery Technology Lithium Ion Lithium Ion
CELLULAR Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Technology WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Mobile Broadband Generation 4G 5G Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G has more advanced generation mobile network.
Operating System iOS 12 Android 10
User Interface - One UI 2.5
Intelligent Assistant Siri Bixby
Payment Technology Apple Pay Samsung Pay
Navigation A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
COMMUNICATIONS Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Data Transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE, DC-HSDPA, LTE Advanced, VoLTE, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, VoWiFi, Gigabit LTE GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, 5G NR FR1
2G Band 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM 850 GSM, 900 GSM, 1800 GSM, 1900 GSM
3G UMTS Band - Band 1, Band 2, Band 4, Band 5, Band 8
3G UMTS Frequency - 2100, 1900, 1700, 850, 900
4G LTE Band Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 13, Band 14, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 29, Band 30, Band 32, Band 34, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 46, Band 66 Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 13, Band 17, Band 18, Band 19, Band 20, Band 25, Band 26, Band 28, Band 32, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41, Band 66
4G LTE Frequency FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700 PS, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 700d, FDD 2300 WCS, FDD 1500 L, TDD 2000, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, TDD 5150, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3 FDD 2100, FDD 1900 PCS, FDD 1800+, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700a, FDD 700c, FDD 700b, FDD 800 lower, FDD 800 upper, FDD 800 DD, FDD 1900+, FDD 850+, FDD 700 APT, FDD 1500 L, TDD 2600, TDD 1900, TDD 2300, TDD 2500, FDD 1700 - 2110 AWS-3
5G NR Band - N1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n28, n77, n78, n40
5G NR Frequency - FDD 2100, FDD 1800, FDD 850, FDD 2600, FDD 900, FDD 700APT, TDD TD 3700, TDD TD 3500, TDD 2300
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11ac IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.0
NFC Yes Yes Both phones have an NFC reader for mobile payments.
Messaging Services SMS, MMS SMS, MMS
MEDIA Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Supported Digital Audio Standards Audible, MP3, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AC-3, AAC-LC, LPCM, HE-AAC, Audible AAX, Audible AAX+, protected AAC, EAC3, HE-AAC v2 WAV, WMA, AAC, PCM, AMR, MP3, FLAC, XMF, OGG, MIDI, APE (Monkey's Audio), M4A, DSF, DSD, MXMF, OGA, 3GA, AWB, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, MID, DSD64, DSD128
Supported Digital Video Standards M-JPEG, H.264, HEVC, MPEG-4 Part 2, HEIF MKV, FLV, AVI, WMV, ASF, 3GP, M4V, WebM, 3G2, MP4
Sound Enhancements Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Digital sound Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Atmos sound technology, Surround sound, Acoustic Overload Point, stereo speakers tuned by AKG, Dolby Digital sound
FEATURES Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Phone Functions Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert Speakerphone, voice control, call timer, conference call, flight mode, voice dialing, vibrating alert
Sensors Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, 3-axis gyro sensor, digital compass, barometer Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, barometer, gyro sensor, hall sensor, geomagnetic sensor
Security Devices Face recognition Fingerprint reader (under display), face recognition
Security Technology Face ID -
Additional Phone Features TTY compatible, FaceTime, MIMO technology, Wi-Fi Calling, iBeacon microlocation, QuickType keyboard, Apple TV support (2nd or later), Neural Engine, AirPlay Mirroring MIMO technology, Screen mirroring, Screen Write, Smart Select, Fast Charging, Samsung KNOX, High AOP Mic, Smart View, Live message, Screen off memo, Samsung DeX support, Bixby Vision, Secure Folder function, Dual Audio, Bixby Routines, Intelligent Performance Enhancer, AR Doodle, PENUP
OTHERS Apple iPhone XS Max Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
Included Accessories Power adapter, Apple EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to USB cable Power adapter, SIM card removal tool, USB-C cable, S Pen, Earphones (USB Type-C) with sound by AKG
Compliant Standards IEC 60529 IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible) VDE, IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible), SGS
Max Depth of Water Resistance 2 m 1.5 m
Max Operating Temperature 35 °C -
Min Operating Temperature 0 °C -
Humidity Range Operating 5 - 95% (non-condensing) -
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