Galaxy Note10 vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max: A Battle of Endurance and Ecosystems
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing longevity and consistent performance, the iPhone 11 Pro Max emerges as the winner. Its superior battery endurance (102h vs 92h) and the optimized A13 Bionic chipset provide a smoother, more reliable experience over the long term, despite the Note10's S Pen functionality.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Note10 | 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, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - Global, LATAM | 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 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps | HSPA, LTE 1.6 Gbps DL, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66, 71 - Canada | 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 07. Released 2019, August 23 | 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 + 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 8GB 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, 1080p@30fps | 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-N970F, SM-N970U, SM-N970U1, SM-N9700, SM-N970W, SM-N9700, SM-N970N, SM-N970X | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | About 590 EUR | $ 233.00 / C$ 369.75 / £ 226.95 / € 249.00 |
| SAR | 0.85 W/kg (head) 1.08 W/kg (body) | 1.16 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.21 W/kg (head) 1.52 W/kg (body) | 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 -92.8dB / Crosstalk -94.0dB | Noise -94.3dB / Crosstalk -81.5dB |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 92h | Endurance rating 102h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -26.2 LUFS (Good) | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 344442 (v7), 452400 (v8) GeekBench: 10353 (v4.4), 2241 (v5.1) GFXBench: 28fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 459713 (v7), 536883 (v8) GeekBench: 13870 (v4.4), 3503 (v5.1) GFXBench: 57fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy Note10
- Integrated S Pen for enhanced productivity and creativity
- Faster wired charging (25W vs. iPhone's PD2.0)
- Reverse wireless charging for accessories
- Lower battery endurance compared to iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Exynos variant prone to thermal throttling
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Superior battery life and efficiency
- More powerful and consistently performing A13 Bionic chip
- Excellent video recording capabilities
- Lacks S Pen functionality
- Slower wired charging compared to Note10
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a slightly brighter display at 820 nits compared to the Note10’s 789 nits, offering better visibility in direct sunlight. Both feature an 'infinite' (nominal) contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels. While neither utilizes the latest LTPO technology for variable refresh rates, the iPhone’s color accuracy is generally considered more consistent, benefiting content creators. The Note10’s display, however, benefits from the S Pen integration, offering a unique interactive experience.
Camera Comparison
Both devices excel in photography and videography, but approach it differently. While both offer photo and video capabilities, the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s image processing leans towards natural colors and detail, while the Note10 tends to produce more saturated and vibrant images. Sensor size data is unavailable, but the iPhone’s computational photography algorithms are generally considered more refined. The Note10’s versatility is enhanced by its wider range of shooting modes, but the iPhone’s consistent video quality and cinematic mode are standout features. The 2MP macro camera on the Note10 is largely a marketing gimmick and offers limited practical benefit.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipset architecture. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s Apple A13 Bionic (7nm+) utilizes a hexa-core configuration, while the Note10 ships with either an Exynos 9825 (EMEA/LATAM) or a Snapdragon 855 (USA/China). The A13 Bionic consistently outperforms both Exynos and Snapdragon variants in benchmark tests and real-world application loading times. The Exynos 9825, while powerful, is known to exhibit more thermal throttling under sustained load compared to the A13. The Snapdragon 855 variant of the Note10 offers better thermal performance than the Exynos, but still trails the A13. Both phones feature 4GB of RAM, but Apple’s software optimization allows it to manage memory more efficiently.
Battery Life
The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s endurance rating of 102 hours significantly surpasses the Note10’s 92 hours. This is due to a combination of a more efficient chipset and optimized software. The Note10 supports 25W wired charging with PD3.0, allowing for a relatively quick charge, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max supports wired charging with PD2.0, reaching 50% in 30 minutes. The Note10 also offers 12W wireless charging (Qi) and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, features absent on the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note10 if you need the versatility of the S Pen for note-taking, sketching, or remote control functionality, and prefer the open ecosystem of Android. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prioritize exceptional battery life, a streamlined user experience, and a consistently powerful processor, and are invested in the Apple ecosystem.