Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S20 and Apple iPhone XS - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S20 vs Apple iPhone XS

62 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S20
VS
52 out 100
Apple iPhone XS
Samsung Galaxy S20
Apple iPhone XS

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S20 Manufactured in March, 2020, with display 6.2 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 9 Octa 990, vs Apple iPhone XS, Manufactured in September, 2018 with chipsetApple A12 Bionic. 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 Samsung Galaxy S20
  • Larger display: 6.2in
  • Higher pixel density: 563ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 163g vs 177g
  • Higher battery capacity: 4000mAh vs 2658mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Fingerprint scanner
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone XS

    Versions

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

    Review

    Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S20 and Apple iPhone XS
    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:
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    vs
    Apple iPhone XS

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type Dynamic AMOLED OLED
    Size 6.2 in 5.8 in
    Resolution 1440x3200 pixels 1125x2436 pixels
    Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 563 ppi 458 ppi
    Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate No No
    Max brightness 800 nits 625 nits
    HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes Dolby Vision
    Touch Sampling Rate n/a 120 Hz
    Screen-to-body ratio 88.5 % 81.1 %
    Features - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display    		 DCI-P3
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    809 nits
    Apple iPhone XS
    635 nits
    sRGB gamut99.8 %98.8 %
    PWM (Flicker)242 Hz240 Hz
    Response time8.5 ms4.4 ms
    Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S20], [Apple iPhone XS]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 151.7 mm (5.97 in) 143.6 mm (5.65 in)
    Width 69.1 mm (2.72 in) 70.9 mm (2.79 in)
    Thickness 7.9 mm (0.31 in) 7.7 mm (0.3 in)
    Weight 163 g (5.75 oz) 177 g (6.24 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - Gray
    - Blue
    - Red    		 - Silver
    - Gold
    - Gray
    Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display No
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    88.5 %
    Apple iPhone XS
    81.1 %

    Performance

    Testing Samsung Galaxy S20 and Apple iPhone XS In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 990 Apple A12 Bionic
    Max Frequency 3020 MHz 2490 MHz
    CPU Cores 8 (2 + 2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
    Architecture - 4/2 (Cortex-A55)
    - 2/2.5 (Cortex-A76)
    - 2/2.73 (Exynos M5)    		 - 4/1.6 (Tempest)
    - 2/2.49 (Vortex)
    Process Samsung TSMC
    Transistor Size 7 nm 7 nm
    Neural Processor Yes Neural Engine
    Graphics Mali-G77 MP11 Apple A12 GPU
    GPU Cores 704 256
    GPU Frequency 550 MHz 1100 MHz
    FLOPS 1126 GFLOPS 576 GFLOPS
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    1139
    Apple iPhone XS
    1307
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    3080
    Apple iPhone XS
    3447
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)11391307
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)30803447
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    680061
    Apple iPhone XS
    733639
    CPU206940202576
    GPU180770217548
    Memory136999146853
    UX155352166662
    NanoReview Score680061733639
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    4221
    Apple iPhone XS
    5698
    Max Surface Temp.49.7 °C44.8 °C
    Stability51 %63 %
    Graphics Test25 fps34 fps
    Graphics Score42215698
    Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S20], [Apple iPhone XS]
    PCMark 3.0
    PCMark 3.0
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    11213
    Apple iPhone XS
    n/a
    Writing score13300n/a
    Web score9221n/a
    Video editing6001n/a
    Data manipulation8487n/a
    NanoReview Score11213n/a

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 8 GB 4 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
    Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 2133 MHz
    Channels 2 2
    Storage
    Storage Capacity128 GB- 64 GB
    - 256 GB
    - 512 GB
    Storage TypeUFS 3.0NVMe
    Memory CardMicroSDNo

    Software

    OS Android 10.0 (Upgradeable to Android 13) iOS 12 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2)
    OS Size 20.1 GB 11.8 GB
    UI Skin One UI 5.1 n/a

    Battery

    Volume 4000 mAh 2658 mAh
    Max Charging Power 25 W 15 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) Yes Qi (10 W)
    Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) No
    Fast Charging Yes (100% in 75 min) Yes (50% in 60 min)
    Full Charge Time 1:15 h 2:40 h
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    16:07
    Apple iPhone XS
    16:06
    Web Browsing06:49 h05:44 h
    Video Playback10:33 h09:44 h
    Games04:30 h03:54 h
    Standby Mode69 h84 h

    Main camera

    Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
    Photo resolution 4000x3000 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 1.1x Optical, 2x
    Flash LED Quad LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording Up to 24FPS 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 960 fps (720p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
    Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
    Telephoto: 64 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP    		 Standard: 12 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix12 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
    Focal length26 mm26 mm
    SensorSamsung S5K2LDApple iSight X
    Sensor size1/1.761/2.55
    Pixel size1.8 μm1.4 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix64 MP12 MP
    Aperturef/2.0f/2.4
    Focal length29 mm52 mm
    SensorSamsung Bright S5KGW2n/a
    Sensor size1/1.721/3.4
    Pixel size0.8 μm1 μm
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MPn/a
    Aperturef/2.2n/a
    Focal length13 mmn/a
    SensorSamsung S5K2LAn/a
    Sensor size1/2.55n/a
    Pixel size1.4 μmn/a
    StabilizationDigitaln/a

    Front camera

    Matrix 10 MP 7 MP
    Photo resolution 2592x3872 pixels 3088x2316 pixels
    Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
    Focal length 26 mm 32 mm
    Sensor Samsung S5K3J1 CMOS
    Sensor size 1/3.2 n/a
    Pixel size 1.22 μm 1.12 μm
    Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Phase autofocus
    Stabilization Digital Digital
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
    TOF 3D sensor No 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 - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display    		 - Dual Band
    - Wi-Fi MiMO
    - Wi-Fi Direct
    - Wi-Fi Hotspot
    - Wi-Fi Display
    Bluetooth version 5 5
    Bluetooth features LE, A2DP SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP
    USB type USB Type-C No
    USB version 3.1 2
    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*21
    SIM TypeNanoNano
    SIM ModeDual SIM Standbyn/a
    eSIM Support *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotYesNo
    2G BandsGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
    3G BandsHSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100HSDPA 850, HSDPA 900, HSDPA 1900, HSDPA 2100
    LTE Bands*LTE (B850/B900/B1700/B1900/B2100)LTE (B700/B800/B850/B900/B1700/B1800/B1900/B2100/B2600)
    LTE category2216
    5G SupportNoNo

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo Stereo
    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Samsung Galaxy S20
    85.9 dB
    Apple iPhone XS
    87.3 dB

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced February, 2020 yr September, 2018 yr
    Release Date March, 2020 yr September, 2018 yr
    Launch Price ($) 999 1000
    Sensors - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Compass
    - Fingerprint sensor    		 - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Face Sensor
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S20 the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

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