Samsung Galaxy Note10 5G vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max: A Deep Dive Comparison
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a seamless, polished experience and long-term software support, the iPhone 11 Pro Max emerges as the stronger choice. Its A13 Bionic chip, coupled with iOS optimization, delivers consistently smooth performance, and its excellent battery life provides all-day usability. However, the Note10 5G’s 5G connectivity and S Pen functionality offer compelling advantages for specific users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Note10 5G | Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 46, 48, 66, 71 - USA | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2218 |
| 5G bands | 78 NSA/Sub6 | - |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps, 5G (2+ Gbps DL) | HSPA, LTE 1.6 Gbps DL, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - USA | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2161, A2220 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2019, August. Released 2019, August | 2019, September 10 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2019, September 20 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 151 x 71.8 x 7.9 mm (5.94 x 2.83 x 0.31 in) | 158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 168 g (5.93 oz) | 226 g (7.97 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus, 42ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 4m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2280 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.3 inches, 98.6 cm2 (~90.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED, HDR10+ | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.9 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA/LATAMOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) - USA/China | Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) |
| Chipset | Exynos 9825 (7 nm) - EMEA/LATAMQualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) - USA/China | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP12 - EMEA/LATAMAdreno 640 - USA/China | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 12, One UI 4 | iOS 13, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| UFS 3.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | - | 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.1, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.0µm, Super Steady video | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.6" |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | FM radio (USA & Canada only) | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired, PD3.0 12W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min Wireless (Qi) |
| Type | Li-Ion 3500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3969 mAh, non-removable (15.04 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Aura Glow, Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Pink, Aura Red | Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green |
| Models | SM-N971U, SM-N971N | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | About 1100 EUR | $ 233.00 / C$ 369.75 / £ 226.95 / € 249.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.16 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.95 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 256GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 874.46 |
| 512GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 1,004.31 |
| 64GB 4GB RAM | - | $ 435.00 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 485.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | - | Noise -94.3dB / Crosstalk -81.5dB |
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 102h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 459713 (v7), 536883 (v8) GeekBench: 13870 (v4.4), 3503 (v5.1) GFXBench: 57fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy Note10 5G
- Integrated S Pen for productivity and creativity
- Faster 25W wired charging
- 5G connectivity for faster data speeds
- Performance lags behind the iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Software updates are less consistent than iOS
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Superior performance with the A13 Bionic chip
- Excellent video recording quality
- Long-term software support and updates
- Slower wired charging compared to the Note10 5G
- No S Pen functionality
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a peak brightness of 820 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. While the Note10 5G’s display specs aren’t provided, Samsung historically excels in display technology, likely offering vibrant colors and high contrast. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, provides deep blacks and a more dynamic image. The Note10 5G’s display technology is unknown, but it likely lacks the iPhone’s high peak brightness. The iPhone’s display is a clear advantage for outdoor use.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in camera performance, but approach it differently. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is renowned for its exceptional video recording capabilities and natural image processing. While sensor sizes aren’t specified, the iPhone’s image processing prioritizes realistic colors and dynamic range. The Note10 5G, typical of Samsung, likely employs more aggressive image processing, resulting in vibrant, sometimes oversaturated, photos. The Note10 5G’s 5G capabilities could facilitate faster uploads of high-resolution photos and videos. The iPhone’s consistent video quality and user-friendly interface give it an edge for content creators.
Performance
The core of the performance difference lies in the chipsets. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s A13 Bionic (7nm+) consistently outperforms the Samsung Galaxy Note10 5G’s Exynos 9825 (7nm) or Snapdragon 855 (7nm) in CPU and GPU benchmarks. The A13’s hexa-core architecture, with its two high-performance ‘Lightning’ cores clocked at 2.65 GHz, provides a significant edge in single-core tasks. The Note10 5G’s octa-core configuration, while offering more cores, doesn’t translate to superior real-world performance due to architectural differences and software optimization. The iPhone’s superior thermal management also prevents throttling during sustained workloads, maintaining consistent performance. The Note10 5G’s performance varies depending on the region (Exynos vs. Snapdragon).
Battery Life
Both devices achieve an impressive endurance rating of 102 hours, indicating comparable battery life. However, the Note10 5G offers faster 25W wired charging with PD3.0, allowing for quicker top-ups compared to the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s PD2.0 charging (50% in 30 minutes). The Note10 5G also includes 12W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, features absent on the iPhone. While both offer all-day battery life, the Note10 5G’s faster charging and wireless capabilities provide greater convenience.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note10 5G if you need the versatility of the S Pen, require 5G connectivity for faster data speeds, and prefer the open ecosystem of Android. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prioritize a refined user experience, exceptional camera video quality, long-term software updates, and a tightly integrated ecosystem.