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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs Apple iPhone 11 – How Do They Compare?
The iPhone 11 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10 are perhaps the two biggest launches of 2019. Samsung got the drop on Apple by releasing the Galaxy Note 10 on August 7th. Apple followed up a month later when it unveiled the iPhone 11 on September 10th.
I’m super interested in both these phones, so I’ve been researching the crap out of them! What follows is a breakdown of all the key features for both the iPhone 11 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10. I’ve done it for two reasons: 1) because I wanted to know, and 2) to give you an idea about the key differences between what is likely to be 2019’s biggest phone releases. Right, let’s do this!
Design
- iPhone 11 – The iPhone 11 has a 6.1in LCD display and features Apple’s biometric authentication system called Face ID. Its industrial design features a glass and aluminium body and comes in a wide range of six color options, including a new green model.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – In direct contrast to the iPhone 11, Samsung will comes out guns blazing for the Galaxy Note 10. It features a new design, a curved OLED display with a single-lens punch-hole camera inside it (no notch), and a metal frame. Sadly, there will be no headphone jack. And it looks like Samsung killed Bixby too.
Winner? Galaxy Note 10 – The notchless phone just looks better than the iPhone 11.
Displays
- iPhone 11 – The iPhone 11 features an edge-to-edge LCD display that is 6.1in and has a 1792 x 828-pixel resolution at 326ppi.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 features an AMOLED display with a 2280 x 1080-pixel resolution at 401ppi.
Winner? Galaxy Note 10 – OLED? Check? Notchless? Check. Higher resolution? Check.
CPU/Processor
- iPhone 11 – The iPhone 11 features the A13 chipset. This A13 is a 7nm chip with 6 cores, which is absolutely INSANE.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 features the Snapdragon 855 chipset, which is about 30% slower than the A13.
Winner? iPhone 11 – The A13 kills the 855 in virtually all tests.
Cameras
- iPhone 11 – The iPhone 11 features a 12MP front-facing camera. But on the rear camera you get a dual-lens 12MP rear camera complete with a wide-angle and telephoto lens and dual optical zoom. It also supports advanced photo features like portrait photography.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – The Galaxy Note 10 features a triple-lens system, which includes a 16MP Ultra Wide, 12MP Wide-angle, and 12MP Telephoto lens. You can find a full breakdown of the Galaxy Note 10’s camera here.
Winner? Galaxy Note 10 – The triple-lens system beats the dual-lens found in the iPhone 11.
Storage Options
- iPhone 11 – 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – 256GB
Battery Life
- iPhone 11 – The iPhone 11 Pro’s battery will get you about 18 hours of battery life with mixed usage. It also features wireless charging.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – The Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s battery will get you about 11 hours of battery life with mixed usage. It also features wireless charging.
Winner? iPhone 11 – It offers up to 30% more battery life.
Price
- iPhone 11 – The 6.1in iPhone 11 costs £729 (64GB) and £779 (128GB) and £879 (256GB).
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – The 6.3in Samsung Galaxy Note 10 costs £869 (256GB).
Which Phone is More Exciting, Apple’s iPhone 11 or The Galaxy Note 10?
On paper and in the flesh, it’s pretty simple: the Galaxy Note 10 is a vastly more interesting update. It features a new design, a gamut of new specs and hardware, and a heavily updated camera with new capabilities and better Time of Flight performance. Oh, and the Galaxy Note 10 will support 5G at launch too, unlike Apple’s entire range…
The iPhone 11, while very much more of the same, is still a pretty significant update. Apple’s new A13 chipset is the most powerful CPU on the market by a considerable margin, bringing with it plenty of performance updates and boosts over last year’s models. Imaging-wise, Apple’s iPhone 11 will also be rather impressive too; things like Night Mode sound truly interesting.
In this respect, both handsets are going to be good updates. But for overall “excitingness”, I think it is clear than Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 is where all the action is going on; it’s a ball-out release that is designed to grab headlines and consumers’ attention. It has a stylus, it has a curved OLED display, and it might have up to 512GB of storage (5G model only) – basically, it’s a marketing department’s dream!
The iPhone 11, meanwhile, is like getting new windows installed on your home. It’s expensive and kind of boring. But it does bring plenty of benefits into your life – most of which are derived from the fact that it is more efficient. The A13, like modern glazing, is more efficient and more capable, meaning better performance and an easier life. Weird analogy, I know, but it worked in my head, so I hope you get the point.
Apple’s biggest problem with the iPhone 11 is its lack of 5G; any iPhone users wanting 5G connectivity will have to wait until late-2020 for the release of the iPhone 12. And to make matters worse, nearly all Android phones released from now on will support 5G, thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 platform.
iPhone 11 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Full Specs
Here are the specs for the iPhone 11:
- Display: 6.1in LCD Liquid Retina display with a 1792 x 828-pixel resolution at 326ppi
- Dimensions: 150.9mm x 75.7mm x 8.3mm
- Weight: 194 grams
- Storage: 64, 128, or 256GB
- Processors: A13 Bionic chip with third-generation Neural Engine
- Front camera: 12 MP TrueDepth camera with 4K video recording at up to 60 fps
- Rear camera: Dual 12MP Ultra Wide and Wide cameras with Night mode; 4K video
- Battery: Up to 18 hours (video playback)
- Other: Face ID, NFC, wireless charging, IP68 waterproof (2m)
And here are the specs for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10:
- Display: 6.3in FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a 2280 x 1080-pixel resolution at 401ppi
- Dimensions: 71.8mm x 151.0mm x 7.9mm
- Weight: 168 grams
- Storage: 256GB
- Processors: Snapdragon 855
- Front camera: 10MP Selfie camera with 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps
- Rear camera: Triple-lens system (16MP Ultra Wide, 12MP Wide-angle, 12MP Telephoto); 4K video
- Battery: Around 11 hours
- Other: Fingerprint sensor, Face recognition, NFC, wireless charging, IP68 waterproof (1.5m)