Apple iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Manufactured in August, 2018 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 12
  • Lighter design: 164g vs 201g
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Note 9
  • Larger display: 6.4in
  • Higher pixel density: 514ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 4000mAh vs 2815mAh
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 4/256 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/512 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy Note 9
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

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Super AMOLED
Size 6.1 in 6.4 in
Resolution 1170x2532 pixels 1440x2960 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 18.5:9
Pixel density 460 ppi 514 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 625 nits 520 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10
Screen-to-body ratio 87.1 % 84 %
Features DCI-P3 Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 12
646 nits
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
657 nits
sRGB gamut99.4 %144.6 %
PWM (Flicker)226 Hz227 Hz
Response time16 ms8 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 146.7 mm (5.78 in) 161.9 mm (6.37 in)
Width 71.5 mm (2.81 in) 76.4 mm (3.01 in)
Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 8.8 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 164 g (5.78 oz) 201 g (7.09 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Red
- Black
- Blue
- Brown
Fingerprint sensor No Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 12
87.1 %
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
84 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 2700 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)
- 4/1.9 (Cortex-A55)
- 4/2.9 (Exynos M3)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 5 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Yes
Graphics Apple A14 GPU Mali-G72 MP18
GPU Cores 256 324
GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 572 MHz
FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS 370.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 12
1941
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
828
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 12
5008
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
2026
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1941828
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)50082026
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 12
1095315
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
457443
CPU310050147238
GPU323143137906
Memory17377786902
UX28834585397
NanoReview Score1095315457443
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 12
7601
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
2333
Max Surface Temp.41.2 °C48.7 °C
Stability77 %95 %
Graphics Test45 fps13 fps
Graphics Score76012333
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Apple iPhone 12
n/a
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
6325
Writing scoren/a6182
Web scoren/a5312
Video editingn/a5462
Data manipulationn/a5867
NanoReview Scoren/a6325

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB - 6 GB
- 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency n/a 1794 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
Storage TypeNVMeUFS 2.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) Android 8.1 (Upgradeable to Android 10)
OS Size 7 GB 19 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI 2.5

Battery

Volume 2815 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes Qi/PMA (15 W)
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (58% in 30 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (50% in 35 min)
Full Charge Time 1:30 h 1:40 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 12
21:15
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
19:26
Web Browsing08:00 h07:31 h
Video Playback12:09 h11:36 h
Games04:35 h05:01 h
Standby Mode112 h96 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 2x
Flash Quad LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.6f/1.5 - 2.4
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX372Samsung SAK2L3
Sensor size1/3.41/2.55
Pixel size1.4 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a12 MP
Aperturen/af/2.4
Focal lengthn/a52 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung
Sensor sizen/a1/3.4
Pixel sizen/a1 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.4n/a
Focal length13 mmn/a
Sensor size1/3.6n/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 12
127
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
107
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
130
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
94
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 12
117
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
103
Bokeh55n/a
Preview74n/a
Zoom60n/a

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/1.7
Focal length 23 mm 25 mm
Sensor Sony IMX514 Samsung S5K3H1
Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.6
Pixel size n/a 1.22 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1440p at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor Yes No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 12
127
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
140
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
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
Bluetooth version 5 5
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 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*12
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoYes
2G BandsGSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 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/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
LTE category1818
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone 12
81.1 dB
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
71.6 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced October, 2020 yr August, 2018 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr August, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) 800 1000
Sensors - 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

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPhone 12 the clear winner in this comparison.

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