Samsung Galaxy A12 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy A12 Manufactured in December, 2020, with display 6.5 with chipsetMediaTek Helio P35, 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 Samsung Galaxy A12
  • Larger display: 6.5in
  • Higher battery capacity: 5000mAh vs 4000mAh
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Note 9
  • Higher pixel density: 514ppi
  • Lighter design: 201g vs 205g
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 2/32 GB
- 3/32 GB
- 3/128 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 6/128 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/512 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy A12 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 PLS TFT Super AMOLED
Size 6.5 in 6.4 in
Resolution 720x1600 pixels 1440x2960 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 18.5:9
Pixel density 270 ppi 514 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 450 nits 520 nits
HDR support No Yes HDR10
Screen-to-body ratio 82.1 % 84 %
Features n/a Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy A12
470 nits
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
657 nits
sRGB gamut96.3 %144.6 %
PWM (Flicker)337 Hz227 Hz
Response time52 ms8 ms
Contrast864:1∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 164 mm (6.46 in) 161.9 mm (6.37 in)
Width 75.8 mm (2.98 in) 76.4 mm (3.01 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.8 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 205 g (7.23 oz) 201 g (7.09 oz)
Water resistance No IP68
Back panel Plastic Glass
Frame Plastic Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Red
- Black
- Blue
- Brown
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes rear
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy A12
82.1 %
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
84 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy A12 and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset MediaTek Helio P35 Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810
Max Frequency 2300 MHz 2700 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/2.3 (Cortex-A53)
- 4/1.9 (Cortex-A55)
- 4/2.9 (Exynos M3)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 12 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor No Yes
Graphics PowerVR GE8320 Mali-G72 MP18
GPU Cores 32 324
GPU Frequency 680 MHz 572 MHz
FLOPS 43.5 GFLOPS 370.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A12
480
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
828
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy A12
1522
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
2026
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)480828
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)15222026
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy A12
147439
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
457443
CPU52120147238
GPU18126137906
Memory3927686902
UX3791785397
NanoReview Score147439457443
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy A12
n/a
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
2333
Max Surface Temp.n/a48.7 °C
Stabilityn/a95 %
Graphics Testn/a13 fps
Graphics Scoren/a2333
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Samsung Galaxy A12
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 - 3 GB
- 4 GB
- 6 GB
- 6 GB
- 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 1866 MHz 1794 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
Storage TypeeMMC 5.1UFS 2.1
Memory CardMicroSDMicroSD

Software

OS Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 13) Android 8.1 (Upgradeable to Android 10)
OS Size 13 GB 19 GB
UI Skin One UI Core 5.1 One UI 2.5

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 4000 mAh
Max Charging Power 15 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No Yes Qi/PMA (15 W)
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (20% in 30 min) Yes Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (50% in 35 min)
Full Charge Time 3:03 h 1:40 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy A12
26:02
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
19:26
Web Browsing11:00 h07:31 h
Video Playback13:25 h11:36 h
Games06:03 h05:01 h
Standby Mode133 h96 h

Main camera

Matrix 48 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 8000x6000 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Zoom Digital Optical, 2x
Flash LED Dual LED
Stabilization Digital Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording No Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 30 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion No 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 123 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 48 MP
Ultra-wide: 5 MP
Macro: 2 MP
Depth: 2 MP
Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.0f/1.5 - 2.4
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung S5KGM2Samsung SAK2L3
Sensor size1/21/2.55
Pixel size0.8 μm1.4 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationDigitalOptical
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
Matrix5 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.2n/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy A12
96
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
107
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy A12
80
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
94
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy A12
90
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
103

Front camera

Matrix 8 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 3264x2448 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/2.0 f/1.7
Focal length n/a 25 mm
Sensor CMOS Samsung S5K3H1
Sensor size n/a 1/3.6
Pixel size n/a 1.22 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 1440p at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 a/b/g/n) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP 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
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *NoNo
Hybrid SlotNoYes
2G BandsGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
3G BandsUMTS B1 (2100), B5(850), B8 (900)HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B38/B40/B41)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2300/B2500/B2600)
LTE category718
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers Mono Stereo
3.5 mm Jack Yes Yes
FM Radio Yes No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy A12
80.9 dB
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
71.6 dB

Other

Class Budget Flagship
Announced November, 2020 yr August, 2018 yr
Release Date December, 2020 yr August, 2018 yr
Launch Price ($) 180 1000
Sensors - Proximity Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Fingerprint 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 Samsung Galaxy Note 9 the clear winner in this comparison.

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