Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 15 vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

80 out 100
Apple iPhone 15
VS
48 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
Apple iPhone 15
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 15 Manufactured in September, 2023, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A16 Bionic, vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, Manufactured in March, 2018 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810. 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 15
  • Lighter design: 171g vs 189g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
  • Larger display: 6.2in
  • Higher pixel density: 531ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 3500mAh vs 3349mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
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:
Apple iPhone 15
vs
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Super AMOLED
Size 6.1 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1179x2556 pixels 1440x2960 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 18.5:9
Pixel density 460 ppi 531 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 2000 nits 631 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10
Screen-to-body ratio 86.4 % 83.6 %
Features DCI-P3 Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 15
1646 nits
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
629 nits
sRGB gamut99.6 %n/a
PWM (Flicker)306 Hz215 Hz
Response time2 ms7 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 15], [Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 147.6 mm (5.81 in) 158.1 mm (6.22 in)
Width 71.6 mm (2.82 in) 73.8 mm (2.91 in)
Thickness 7.8 mm (0.31 in) 8.5 mm (0.33 in)
Weight 171 g (6.03 oz) 189 g (6.67 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Black
- Blue
- Green
- Pink
- Yellow		 - Black
- Gold
- Gray
- Red
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor No Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 15
86.4 %
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
83.6 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A16 Bionic Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810
Max Frequency 3460 MHz 2900 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/2.02 (Sawtooth)
- 2/3.46 (Everest)		 - 4/1.9 (Cortex-A55)
- 4/2.9 (Exynos M3)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 4 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Yes
Graphics Apple A16 GPU Mali-G72 MP18
GPU Cores 640 324
GPU Frequency 1398 MHz 572 MHz
FLOPS 1789.4 GFLOPS 370.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 15
2599
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
751
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 15
6545
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
1909
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)2599751
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)65451909
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPhone 15]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 15
1415281
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
467429
CPU378046142642
GPU449766140091
Memory26164299705
UX32582784991
NanoReview Score1415281467429
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 15
9632
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
2328
Max Surface Temp.44.3 °C40.7 °C
Stability81 %95 %
Graphics Test59 fps13 fps
Graphics Score96322328
Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Apple iPhone 15
n/a
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
6261
Writing scoren/a6167
Web scoren/a5425
Video editingn/a5459
Data manipulationn/a5611
NanoReview Scoren/a6261

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 6 GB 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 1794 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB64 GB
Storage TypeNVMeUFS 2.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS iOS 17 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.5) Android 8.0 (Upgradeable to Android 10)
OS Size 18 GB 13.9 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI 2.5

Battery

Volume 3349 mAh 3500 mAh
Max Charging Power 20 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes Qi/PMA (10 W)
Reverse Charging Yes No
Fast Charging Yes (58% in 30 min) Yes (40% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:50 h 1:40 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 15
25:31
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
16:44
Web Browsing10:47 h06:05 h
Video Playback16:55 h10:25 h
Games05:36 h04:17 h
Standby Mode112 h84 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8064x6048 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom 114 Optical, 2x
Flash Dual 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 240 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP		 Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.6f/1.5 - 2.4
Focal length26 mm26 mm
Sensorn/aSamsung SAK2L3
Sensor size1/1.51/2.55
Pixel size1 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrixn/a12 MP
Aperturen/af/2.4
Focal lengthn/a52 mm
Sensor sizen/a1/3.6
Pixel sizen/a1 μm
Stabilizationn/aOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.4n/a
Focal length13 mmn/a
SensorSony IMX633n/a
Sensor size1/2.55n/a
Pixel size1.4 μmn/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 15
147
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
104
Video quality
Apple iPhone 15
153
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
91
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 15
145
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
99
Bokeh80n/a
Preview84n/a
Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 15], [Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus]

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/1.9 f/1.7
Focal length 23 mm 25 mm
Sensor Sony IMX714 Samsung S5K3H1
Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.6
Pixel size 1.12 μm 1.22 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1440p at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor Yes No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 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 5.3 5
Bluetooth features LE PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort Yes n/a
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*n/a2
SIM TypeeSIMNano
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 ()LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
LTE category1818
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers n/a Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone 15
81.6 dB
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
85.6 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced September, 2023 yr February, 2018 yr
Release Date September, 2023 yr March, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) n/a 840
MSRP ($) 799 n/a
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No n/a
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPhone 15 the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
0 (0%)
0 (0%)
Total Votes: 0

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below