Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

68 out 100
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
VS
63 out 100
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Manufactured in November, 2020, with display 6.7 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Manufactured in August, 2020 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 990. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    • Larger display: 6.9in
    • Higher pixel density: 496ppi
    • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
    • Lighter design: 208g vs 226g
    • Higher battery capacity: 4500mAh vs 3687mAh
    • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.1 vs 5
    • Fingerprint scanner

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 6/128 GB
    - 6/256 GB
    - 6/512 GB    		 - 8/256 GB
    - 12/128 GB
    - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    Display
    Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
    Camera
    Main & front camera tests
    Performance
    App & system performance
    Games
    3D gaming performance
    Battery
    Battery life, charging speed & type
    Connectivity
    Connectivity features
    NanoReview Score
    Overall score by NanoReview
    Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
    Customize your score
    Function
    Importance (Weight)
    Display:
    Camera:
    Performance:
    Gaming:
    Battery:
    Connectivity:
    Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

    Tests & specs

    Specs & test comparison
    Smartphones:
    iPhone 12 Pro Max
    vs
    Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type OLED Dynamic AMOLED
    Size 6.7 in 6.9 in
    Resolution 1284x2778 pixels 1440x3088 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 458 ppi 496 ppi
    Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (10-120 Hz)
    Max brightness 800 nits 600 nits
    HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10+
    Screen-to-body ratio 87.7 % 91.8 %
    Features DCI-P3 - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    864 nits
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    1020 nits
    sRGB gamut99.4 %96.9 %
    PWM (Flicker)238 Hz245 Hz
    Response time8 ms6 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max], [Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 160.8 mm (6.33 in) 164.8 mm (6.49 in)
    Width 78.1 mm (3.07 in) 77.2 mm (3.04 in)
    Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 8.1 mm (0.32 in)
    Weight 226 g (7.97 oz) 208 g (7.34 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Cooling system n/a Vapor chamber
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - Silver
    - Gold
    - Gray
    - Blue    		 - White
    - Black
    - Brown
    Fingerprint sensor No Yes In-Display
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    87.7 %
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    91.8 %

    Performance

    Testing Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Samsung Exynos 990
    Max Frequency 3100 MHz 2730 MHz
    CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (2 + 2 + 4)
    Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
    - 2/3.1 (Firestorm)    		 - 4/2 (Cortex-A55)
    - 2/2.5 (Cortex-A76)
    - 2/2.73 (Exynos M5)
    Process TSMC Samsung
    Transistor Size 5 nm 7 nm
    Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Yes
    Graphics Apple A14 GPU Mali-G77 MP11
    GPU Cores 256 704
    GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 800 MHz
    FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS 1126 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    1976
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    1173
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    5114
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    3168
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19761173
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)51143168
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    1139529
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    765381
    CPU309114207699
    GPU346277247886
    Memory174323144292
    UX309815165504
    NanoReview Score1139529765381
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    7880
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    4250
    Max Surface Temp.45 °C37.3 °C
    Stability75 %49 %
    Graphics Test47 fps25 fps
    Graphics Score78804250
    Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max], [Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra]
    PCMark 3.0
    PCMark 3.0
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    n/a
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    10807
    Writing scoren/a12145
    Web scoren/a8848
    Video editingn/a6906
    Data manipulationn/a8762
    NanoReview Scoren/a10807

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 6 GB - 8 GB
    - 12 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5
    Memory Frequency n/a 2750 MHz
    Channels 2 n/a
    Storage
    Storage Capacity- 128 GB
    - 256 GB
    - 512 GB    		- 256 GB
    - 512 GB
    Storage TypeNVMeUFS 3.1
    Memory CardNoMicroSD

    Software

    OS iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) Android 10 (Upgradeable to Android 13)
    OS Size 16 GB 34.7 GB
    UI Skin n/a One UI 5.0

    Battery

    Volume 3687 mAh 4500 mAh
    Max Charging Power 20 W 25 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (15 W)
    Reverse Charging No Yes (Wireless)
    Fast Charging Yes (55% in 30 min) Yes (43% in 30 min)
    Full Charge Time 1:32 h 1:20 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    22:52
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    18:32
    Web Browsing08:35 h07:27 h
    Video Playback13:38 h12:33 h
    Games05:29 h05:16 h
    Standby Mode116 h81 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 12 MP 108 MP
    Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 12000x9000 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 2.5x Optical, 5x
    Flash Dual LED LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording No Up to 24FPS
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 240 fps)
    Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (720p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
    Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP
    Depth    		 Standard: 108 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP
    Depth: 0.3 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix12 MP108 MP
    Aperturef/1.6f/1.8
    Focal length26 mm26 mm
    SensorSony IMX603Samsung Bright S5KHM1
    Sensor size1/1.91/1.33
    Pixel size1.7 μm0.8 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Laser autofocus
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix12 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/3.0
    Focal length65 mm103 mm
    SensorSony IMX613Samsung S5K3M5
    Sensor size1/3.41/3.4
    Pixel size1 μm1 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/2.4f/2.2
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    SensorSony IMX372Samsung S5K2L3
    Sensor size1/3.41/2.55
    Pixel size1 μm1.4 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    131
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    122
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    130
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    106
    Overall camera score
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    131
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    120
    Bokeh70n/a
    Preview80n/a
    Zoom115n/a
    Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max], [Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra]

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 10 MP
    Photo resolution 4290x2800 pixels 3872x2592 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
    Focal length 23 mm 26 mm
    Sensor Sony IMX514 Sony IMX374
    Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.2
    Pixel size 1 μm 1.22 μm
    Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
    TOF 3D sensor Yes No
    Selfie camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    127
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    n/a
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    140
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    n/a

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
    Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display
    Bluetooth version 5 5.1
    Bluetooth features LE, A2DP PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
    USB type No USB Type-C
    USB version n/a 3.2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Galileo
    - QZSS    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - NAVIC
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*12
    SIM TypeNanoNano
    SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
    eSIM Support *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotNoYes
    2G BandsGSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM 700 / 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 / 2000 / 2300 / 2500
    3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)UMTS 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
    LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/B66)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2000/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
    LTE category1820
    5G SupportYesYes

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo Stereo
    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No Yes
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    81.2 dB
    Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
    88.8 dB

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced October, 2020 yr August, 2020 yr
    Release Date November, 2020 yr August, 2020 yr
    Launch Price ($) 1100 1299
    Sensors - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Face Sensor    		 - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

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