Samsung Galaxy Note9 vs. Apple iPhone XS Max

Phone Comparison, Reviews and Tests

Side by side comparison and review of Samsung Galaxy Note9 and Apple iPhone XS Max. 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

Samsung Galaxy Note9 vs. Apple iPhone XS Max Comparison Chart
DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Product Type Smartphone Smartphone
Manufacturer Model Number SM-N960F/DS A2101
Form Factor Touch Touch
Height 161.9 mm 157.5 mm Samsung Galaxy Note9 has greater height than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Width 76.4 mm 77.4 mm Apple iPhone XS Max has greater width than Samsung Galaxy Note9.
Depth 8.8 mm 7.7 mm Apple iPhone XS Max is narrower than Samsung Galaxy Note9.
Weight 201 g 208 g Samsung Galaxy Note9 is lighter than Samsung Galaxy Note9.
Body Colour Cobalt blue | Metallic copper | Deep black | Ocean blue | Midnight black | Lavender purple Space grey | Silver | Gold
Body Material - Glass, surgical‑grade stainless steel
Protection Dustproof, splashproof, waterproof Dustproof, splashproof, waterproof
Waterproof (Water-resistant) Yes Yes Both phones are waterproof.
IP rating IP68 IEC 60529 IP68
Repairability Index - 6.9 (out of 10)
SAR Value 1.509 W/kg (body), 0.381 W/kg (head), 2.24 W/kg (limb) 0.99 W/kg (body), 0.99 W/kg (head)
Integrated Components Heart rate sensor -
Connector Type USB Type-C - 24 pin USB-C
Headset jack - mini-phone 3.5mm
Lightning
SIM Card Type (Size) Nano 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 Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Display Type OLED display OLED display
Display Technology Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Super Retina HD
Screen Size (Display Size) 6.4" 6.5" Apple iPhone XS Max has larger screen size than Samsung Galaxy Note9.
Screen Resolution (Display Resolution) 2960 x 1440 pixels 2688 x 1242 pixels Samsung Galaxy Note9 has better screen resolution than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Display Format QHD+ -
Pixel Density 516 ppi 458 ppi Samsung Galaxy Note9 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 Apple iPhone XS Max has HDR.
HDR Technology - HDR10
Display Enhancement Technology - Dolby Vision
Display Refresh Rate - 120 Hz
Display Features Always-on display, Edge Screen, Infinity Display, Edge-to-Edge screen True Tone display, Wide colour display (P3)
Display Protection (Screen Protector) - Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
PROCESSOR Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Processor Type (CPU) Samsung Exynos 9 Apple A12 Bionic
Processor Number 9810 -
Clock Speed 2.7 GHz -
Processor Core Qty 8-core 6-core Samsung Galaxy Note9 has higher processor core quantity than Apple iPhone XS Max.
64-bit Architecture Yes Yes Both phones have 64-bit architecture.
Graphics System (GPU) Mali-G72 MP18 -
MEMORY Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
RAM LPDDR4 SDRAM - 6 GB -
Internal Memory Size (Storage Capacity) 128 GB 64 GB Samsung Galaxy Note9 has more internal memory than Apple iPhone XS Max.
User Memory 108.9 GB -
Supported Flash Memory Cards (Expandable Memory) microSDHC, microSDXC - up to 512 GB -
CAMERA Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
MAIN CAMERA
Number of Main Cameras 2 2
Sensor Resolution 12 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Both phones have the same camera resolution.
Sensor Size 1/2.55" -
Sensor Type - BSI
Lens Type Wide-angle lens Wide-angle lens
Lens Aperture F/1.5 & f/2.4 F/1.8 Samsung Galaxy Note9 has better lens aperture than Samsung Galaxy Note9.
Lens Construction - 6-element
Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) Both phones have optical image stabilization.
Focus Adjustment Automatic Automatic
Optical Zoom 2x 2x Both phones have the same optical zoom.
Digital Zoom 10x 10x Both phones have the same digital zoom.
Special Effects HDR, Bokeh effect, Grid Line Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono
HDR Mode - Smart HDR
Camera Modes Panorama, Pro mode, Timer mode, HYPERLAPSE, Auto mode, Food mode, Super Slow-mo, AR Emoji, Portraits, Flowers, Indoor scenes, Animals, Landscapes, Greenery, Trees, Sky, Mountains, Beaches, Sunrises and sunsets, Watersides, Street scenes, Night scenes, Waterfalls, Snow, Birds, Backlit, Text, Disney AR Emoji 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
Face Recognition (Face ID) Face detection Body and face detection Both phones have face detection.
Light Source LED flash True Tone quad 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, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 30 fps, 3840 x 2160 (4K) at 60 fps, Super slow motion video 1280 x 720 (720p) at 960 fps, Slo-mo video 1920 x 1080 (1080p) at 240 fps, 2560 x 1440 (QHD) at 30 fps 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
Camera Features (Functions) Quick Launch, Playback zoom, Motion photo, VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilisation), Live Focus, Dual Capture, High CRI LED flash, Tracking AF, Video location tags, Stamps, location tags, Continuous autofocus video, Hyperlapse video support 1080p, Live focus with bokeh filters, Super Speed Dual Pixel, background blur, Scene Optimiser, Eye blink, Motion blur, Lens smudge, Backlit, Full view, Flaw detection, 9.1MP still photos recording 4K video 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
SECOND CAMERA
Sensor Resolution (2nd Camera) 12 Megapixel 12 Megapixel Both phones have the same second camera resolution.
Sensor Size (2nd Camera) 1/3.4" -
Lens Type (2nd Camera) Telephoto lens Telephoto lens
Lens Aperture (2nd Camera) F/2.4 F/2.4 Both phones have the same second camera lens aperture.
Camera Functions (2nd Camera) - Capture depth information
FRONT CAMERA
Number of Front Cameras 1 2
Sensor Resolution (Front) 8 Megapixel 7 Megapixel Samsung Galaxy Note9 has better front camera resolution than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Sensor Size (Front) 1/3.6" -
Sensor Type (Front) - BSI
Lens Type (Front) Wide-angle lens -
Lens Aperture (Front) F/1.7 F/2.2 Samsung Galaxy Note9 has better front lens aperture than Samsung Galaxy Note9.
Focus Adjustment Automatic -
Special Effects (Front) HDR, Grid Line Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono
HDR Mode (Front) - Smart HDR
Camera Modes (Front) Timer mode, wide selfie mode, selfie mode, AR Emoji, selfie focus Burst mode, Timer mode, Live Photos, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Portrait Lighting
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) Quick launch, Motion photo, Stamps, location tags, VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization), Full view, Flaw detection FaceTime HD camera, Exposure control, Auto image stabilisation, Animoji, Memoji, TrueDepth camera, Extended dynamic range for video, Cinematic video stabilisation
SECOND FRONT CAMERA
Camera Functions (2nd Front) - Infrared camera for Face ID
Camera Features (2nd Front) - Flood Illuminator, Dot Projector
BATTERY AND CHARGING Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Battery Capacity (Battery Size) 4000 mAh -
Fast Charging Technology - Apple fast charging technology Apple iPhone XS Max has fast charging technology.
Wireless Charging Yes Yes Both phones can be charged wirelessly.
Wireless Charging Standards WPC, PMA Qi
Talk Time 1740 minutes 1500 minutes Samsung Galaxy Note9 has longer battery life when making calls than Apple iPhone XS Max.
Run Time Details Talk (3G): up to 1740 min
Active online usage (3G): up to 14 hrs
Active online usage (4G): up to 16 hrs
Active online usage (Wi-Fi): up to 17 hrs
Playback (audio): up to 59 hrs
Playback (audio (Always On Display Off)): up to 95 hrs
Playback (video): up to 20 hrs
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
Battery Technology - Lithium Ion
CELLULAR Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Technology TD-SCDMA / WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM
Mobile Broadband Generation 4G 4G Both phones have the same mobile network generation.
Operating System Android 8.1 Oreo iOS 12
Intelligent Assistant Bixby Siri
Payment Technology Samsung Pay Apple Pay
Navigation GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
COMMUNICATIONS Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Data Transmission GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE, DC-HSDPA, LTE Advanced, VoLTE, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE, VoWiFi, Gigabit LTE
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 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 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
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 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 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
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, ANT+/ANT IEEE 802.11ac
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 LE Bluetooth 5.0
NFC Yes Yes Both phones have an NFC reader for mobile payments.
Messaging Services SMS, MMS SMS, MMS
MEDIA Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Supported Digital Audio Standards WAV, WMA, AAC, PCM, AMR, MP3, FLAC, XMF, OGG, MIDI, APE (Monkey's Audio), M4A, apt-X, DSF, DSD, MXMF, OGA, 3GA, AWB, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DFF, MID, DSD64, DSD128 Audible, MP3, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AC-3, AAC-LC, LPCM, HE-AAC, Audible AAX, Audible AAX+, protected AAC, EAC3, HE-AAC v2
Supported Digital Video Standards MKV, FLV, AVI, MPEG-4, WMV, ASF, 3GP, M4V, WebM, 3G2 M-JPEG, H.264, HEVC, MPEG-4 Part 2, HEIF
Sound Enhancements Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Atmos sound technology, Acoustic Overload Point, stereo speakers tuned by AKG, Dolby Digital sound Dolby Digital Plus sound, Dolby Digital sound
FEATURES Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
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, proximity sensor, barometer, gyro sensor, hall sensor, RGB sensor, pressure sensor, geomagnetic sensor Accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, 3-axis gyro sensor, digital compass, barometer
Security Devices Face recognition, fingerprint reader, eye scan Face recognition
Security Technology - Face ID
Additional Phone Features S Pen multi-input, Face Unlock, Wi-Fi Miracast, Screen Write, Smart Select, MU-MIMO technology, Fast Charging, Samsung KNOX, Face recognition, High AOP Mic, Smart View, Live message, Screen off memo, Samsung DeX support, Bixby Vision, Smart Performance Adjuster, Dual Audio, water-carbon cooling system, S Pen remote function TTY compatible, FaceTime, MIMO technology, Wi-Fi Calling, iBeacon microlocation, QuickType keyboard, Apple TV support (2nd or later), Neural Engine, AirPlay Mirroring
OTHERS Samsung Galaxy Note9 Apple iPhone XS Max
Included Accessories Power adapter, tweezer, SIM card removal tool, USB connector, USB-C cable, S Pen, Pen nibs, headset (tuned by AKG) Power adapter, Apple EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to USB cable
Compliant Standards IP68 IEC 60529 IP68, HAC (Hearing Aid Compatible)
Max Depth of Water Resistance 1.5 m 2 m
Max Operating Temperature - 35 °C
Min Operating Temperature - 0 °C
Humidity Range Operating - 5 - 95% (non-condensing)
Other projects: