Samsung Galaxy S20 FE vs. iPhone 11 Pro Max: A Detailed Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing long-term software support and a refined user experience, the iPhone 11 Pro Max remains a strong choice, especially at current discounted prices. However, the Galaxy S20 FE, particularly the Snapdragon 865 variant, offers comparable performance and a more versatile camera system for significantly less money.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S20 FE | 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, 20, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66 - International | 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 (5CA) Cat19 1800/200 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 |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 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, September 23 | 2019, September 10 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, October 02 | Available. Released 2019, September 20 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 159.8 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm (6.29 x 2.93 x 0.33 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 | 190 g (6.70 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 3 | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~407 ppi density) | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.5 inches, 101.0 cm2 (~84.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED, 120Hz, 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 M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 1Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 2 | Hexa-core (2x2.65 GHz Lightning + 4x1.8 GHz Thunder) |
| Chipset | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - Version 1Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) - Version 2 | Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm+) |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MP11 - Version 1Adreno 650 - Version 2 | 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 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | 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 8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm | 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@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS | 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 | No | 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, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Virtual proximity sensing 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 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 3969 mAh, non-removable (15.04 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud Navy, Cloud White, Cloud Red, Cloud Orange | Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green |
| Models | SM-G780F, SM-G780F/DSM, SM-G780G | A2218, A2161, A2220, iPhone12,5 |
| Price | About 390 EUR | $ 233.00 / C$ 369.75 / £ 226.95 / € 249.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.16 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.24 W/kg (head) 1.45 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 FE
- More versatile camera system with telephoto lens
- 120Hz display for smoother visuals
- Faster charging speeds (25W wired)
- Reverse wireless charging
- Exynos variant can suffer from thermal throttling
- Software update support is shorter than iPhone
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Excellent video recording quality
- Long-term software support and updates
- Seamless iOS integration
- Strong resale value
- 60Hz display
- Slower charging speeds
Display Comparison
The iPhone 11 Pro Max boasts a measured peak brightness of 820 nits, providing excellent outdoor visibility. While the S20 FE’s peak brightness isn’t specified, its Super AMOLED panel delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks. The S20 FE’s 120Hz refresh rate is a significant advantage, offering smoother scrolling and animations compared to the iPhone’s 60Hz display. The iPhone’s ‘infinite’ contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, ensures exceptional image quality, but the S20 FE’s adaptive refresh rate can conserve battery life when high refresh rates aren’t needed.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in camera performance, but approach it differently. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is renowned for its consistently excellent video recording quality and natural image processing. The S20 FE offers a more versatile camera system with a dedicated telephoto lens for greater optical zoom. While both phones offer excellent dynamic range, the S20 FE’s image processing tends to be more saturated and vibrant, appealing to users who prefer a bolder look. The S20 FE’s camera system benefits from features like Single Take mode, offering a variety of shots with a single press of the shutter button. The iPhone’s strength lies in its computational photography and consistent results across all lenses.
Performance
The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s A13 Bionic chip, a 7nm+ processor with a hexa-core CPU, remains remarkably capable. However, the Galaxy S20 FE offers two chipset options: the Exynos 990 and the Snapdragon 865. The Snapdragon 865 variant, built on a 7nm+ process, generally outperforms the Exynos 990 in sustained performance and thermal management. The Snapdragon’s Cortex-A77 cores provide a performance edge over the Exynos’ Mongoose M5 cores. Both phones feature 4GB of RAM, but iOS’s efficient memory management often allows the iPhone to feel more responsive despite the similar RAM capacity. The S20 FE’s potential for throttling under heavy load is a concern with the Exynos variant.
Battery Life
Both the Galaxy S20 FE and the iPhone 11 Pro Max achieve an impressive endurance rating of 102 hours, indicating comparable battery life in real-world usage. However, the S20 FE offers faster charging with its 25W wired charging support (PD3.0) compared to the iPhone’s 50% charge in 30 minutes (PD2.0). The S20 FE also includes 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, features absent on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. While the iPhone’s battery optimization is excellent, the S20 FE’s faster charging speeds provide a more convenient experience for users who frequently need to top up their battery.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE if you need a flexible Android experience, a 120Hz display, and a more modern camera system with greater zoom capabilities, all while staying within a tighter budget. Buy the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max if you prioritize seamless iOS integration, guaranteed software updates for years to come, and a consistently excellent video recording experience, and are willing to pay a premium for the Apple ecosystem.