Samsung Galaxy S20 5G vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max: A Head-to-Head Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support and consistent performance, the iPhone 11 Pro Max emerges as the winner. Its A13 Bionic chip, coupled with Apple’s optimized software, delivers a smoother experience and superior battery endurance despite the S20 5G’s faster charging.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S20 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, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - SM-G981B | 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 | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G981B | - |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ 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 |
| 2, 5, 41, 66, 71 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G981U | 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 | 2020, February 11 | 2019, September 10 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, March 06 | 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 | 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm (5.97 x 2.72 x 0.31 in) | 158 x 77.8 x 8.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 163 g (5.75 oz) | 226 g (7.97 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | 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 | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~563 ppi density) | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.2 inches, 93.8 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD refresh rate | - | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA | Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) |
| Chipset | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) - USA | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5.1 | iOS 13, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 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/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/2.0, 29mm (telephoto), 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical zoom, 3x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, 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 | 8K@24fps, 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), 1/3.24", 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 | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | 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 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min Wireless (Qi) |
| Type | Li-Ion 4000 mAh | Li-Ion 3969 mAh, non-removable (15.04 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud Pink, Cloud White, Aura Red | Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green |
| Models | SM-G981, SM-G981F, SM-G981F/DS, SM-G981B/DS, SM-G981U, SM-G981U1, SM-G981N, SM-G981B, SM-G9810, SM-G981W, SC-51A, SCG01 | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | $ 158.44 / £ 144.99 / € 272.39 | $ 233.00 / C$ 369.75 / £ 226.95 / € 249.00 |
| SAR | 1.07 W/kg (head) 1.03 W/kg (body) | 1.16 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.38 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 -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 S20 5G
- Faster charging speeds (25W wired)
- 120Hz display for smoother visuals
- 5G connectivity for faster data speeds
- Android's open ecosystem and customization options
- Exynos 990 can suffer from thermal throttling
- Software updates may be less frequent than on iPhone
- Image processing can be overly saturated for some tastes
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Exceptional performance with the A13 Bionic chip
- Superior battery efficiency and longevity
- Consistent and natural camera image quality
- Long-term software support from Apple
- Slower charging speeds compared to S20 5G
- Less customization options compared to Android
- Closed ecosystem can be restrictive for some users
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a peak brightness of 820 nits, providing excellent visibility outdoors. While the S20 5G’s display specifications aren’t provided, Samsung historically excels in display technology, and the S20 series introduced 120Hz refresh rates (though often limited to FHD+ resolution). This higher refresh rate on the S20 5G offers a noticeably smoother visual experience, but at the cost of battery life. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, delivers deep blacks and vibrant colors. The S20 5G’s display likely matches this in terms of color accuracy, but the 120Hz advantage is a key differentiator for some users.
Camera Comparison
Both devices excel in camera performance, but approach it differently. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is renowned for its natural image processing and excellent video recording capabilities. While specific sensor sizes aren’t provided, Apple’s computational photography algorithms prioritize realism. The S20 5G, on the other hand, leans towards more vibrant and saturated images. The S20 5G’s camera system likely includes a wider range of focal lengths, but the iPhone’s consistent image quality and superior video stabilization give it an edge. The inclusion of a 2MP macro camera on the S20 5G is largely a marketing gimmick, offering minimal benefit over digital zoom.
Performance
The core of the performance difference lies in the chipsets. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s A13 Bionic, a 7nm+ chip with a hexa-core CPU, consistently outperforms the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G’s Exynos 990 (global variant) or Snapdragon 865 (US variant) in many benchmarks. The A13’s architecture, with its ‘Lightning’ and ‘Thunder’ cores, is optimized for both single-core and multi-core tasks. The Exynos 990, while powerful, has been known to exhibit thermal throttling under sustained load, particularly in the global variant. The Snapdragon 865 variant in the US model mitigates this issue, but still generally trails the A13 in efficiency. Both phones feature 4GB of RAM, but Apple’s software optimization allows the iPhone to manage memory more effectively.
Battery Life
Both the Galaxy S20 5G and iPhone 11 Pro Max achieve an impressive endurance rating of 102 hours, indicating similar overall battery life. However, the iPhone achieves this with a smaller battery capacity, showcasing the efficiency of the A13 Bionic chip and Apple’s software optimization. The S20 5G offers faster charging with its 25W wired charging (PD3.0) compared to the iPhone’s 50% in 30 minutes (PD2.0). The S20 5G also includes 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, features absent on the iPhone.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G if you need the flexibility of Android, prioritize 5G connectivity, and value a higher refresh rate display for smoother scrolling. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prefer a streamlined user experience, prioritize long-term software updates, and demand exceptional battery life and consistent performance.