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

Apple iPhone XS Max vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

54 out 100
Apple iPhone XS Max
VS
48 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
Apple iPhone XS Max
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone XS Max Manufactured in September, 2018, with display 6.5 with chipsetApple A12 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 XS Max
  • Larger display: 6.5in
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
  • Higher pixel density: 531ppi
  • Lighter design: 189g vs 208g
  • Higher battery capacity: 3500mAh vs 3174mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

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

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone XS Max 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.
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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 XS Max
vs
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED Super AMOLED
Size 6.5 in 6.2 in
Resolution 1242x2688 pixels 1440x2960 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.4:9 18.5:9
Pixel density 456 ppi 531 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 625 nits 631 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes HDR10
Touch Sampling Rate 120 Hz n/a
Screen-to-body ratio 85.4 % 83.6 %
Features DCI-P3 Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone XS Max
657 nits
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
629 nits
sRGB gamut98.8 %n/a
PWM (Flicker)240 Hz215 Hz
Response time11.2 ms7 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone XS Max], [Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 157.5 mm (6.2 in) 158.1 mm (6.22 in)
Width 77.4 mm (3.05 in) 73.8 mm (2.91 in)
Thickness 7.7 mm (0.3 in) 8.5 mm (0.33 in)
Weight 208 g (7.34 oz) 189 g (6.67 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gold
- Gray		 - Black
- Gold
- Gray
- Red
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor No Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone XS Max
85.4 %
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
83.6 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone XS Max and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A12 Bionic Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810
Max Frequency 2490 MHz 2900 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.6 (Tempest)
- 2/2.49 (Vortex)		 - 4/1.9 (Cortex-A55)
- 4/2.9 (Exynos M3)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 7 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Neural Engine Yes
Graphics Apple A12 GPU Mali-G72 MP18
GPU Cores 256 324
GPU Frequency 1100 MHz 572 MHz
FLOPS 576 GFLOPS 370.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone XS Max
1310
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
751
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone XS Max
3458
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
1909
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1310751
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)34581909
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone XS Max
700191
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
467429
CPU198067142642
GPU185355140091
Memory15213899705
UX16463184991
NanoReview Score700191467429
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone XS Max
5703
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
2328
Max Surface Temp.45.2 °C40.7 °C
Stability66 %95 %
Graphics Test34 fps13 fps
Graphics Score57032328
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone XS Max], [Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Apple iPhone XS Max
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 4 GB 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency n/a 1794 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 64 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB		64 GB
Storage TypeNVMeUFS 2.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS iOS 12 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) Android 8.0 (Upgradeable to Android 10)
OS Size 16 GB 13.9 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI 2.5

Battery

Volume 3174 mAh 3500 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes Qi (10 W) Yes Qi/PMA (10 W)
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 30 min) Yes (40% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 03:29 h 1:40 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone XS Max
17:28
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
16:44
Web Browsing06:43 h06:05 h
Video Playback10:28 h10:25 h
Games04:11 h04:17 h
Standby Mode87 h84 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom Optical, 2x 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 240 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 960 fps (720p)
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP		 Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.5 - 2.4
Focal length28 mm26 mm
SensorApple iSight XSamsung SAK2L3
Sensor size1/2.51/2.55
Pixel size1.4 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.4f/2.4
Focal length52 mm52 mm
Sensor size1/3.41/3.6
Pixel size1 μm1 μm
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone XS Max
110
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
104
Video quality
Apple iPhone XS Max
96
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
91
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone XS Max
105
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
99
Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone XS Max], [Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus]

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 3088x2316 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/1.7
Focal length 32 mm 25 mm
Sensor BSI CMOS Samsung S5K3H1
Sensor size n/a 1/3.6
Pixel size n/a 1.22 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps 1440p at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone XS Max
97
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone XS Max
119
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) 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 SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
USB type No USB Type-C
USB version 2 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo		 - 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 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsHSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
LTE Bands*LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2600)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
LTE category1618
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone XS Max
77.2 dB
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
85.6 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced September, 2018 yr February, 2018 yr
Release Date September, 2018 yr March, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) 1100 840
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face 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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