Apple vs Samsung

Apple and Samsung are the titans of the smartphone world, but which is the best brand to go for? Here, we explore the features that separate the two and the overall scores of their key models.

If you’re looking for a high-end mobile phone, chances are you’re choosing between the Apple iPhone 11 and XS or the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S9. You may even have your eye on Samsung’s premium Galaxy Note series.  Both brands produce phones that are at the very expensive end of the market.

Phone Design:

Apple’s iPhones have come a long way since the rounded, plastic-backed iPhone first released in 2007. Newer models such as the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max now take on a sleeker glass design with a stainless steel band connecting the front and back. Apple also decided to rid itself of the home button, which doubled as a fingerprint sensor, to provide an edge-to-edge display with only a small bezel at the top of the screen.

Like Apple, Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones have veered away from the plastic design. The S6 Edge was the first of its models to feature its innovative ‘dual-edge’ display in 2015. The most recent flagship S series launch of the Galaxy S10s has developed to feature a larger, bezel-free screen and a hole punch design for the camera to give a more seamless display.

Screen Quality:

The two phones have differing display types. The newest iPhones have a Super Retina XDR OLED display while Samsung’s new models come with Dynamic AMOLED displays. AMOLED displays allow control over each individual pixel, which in theory produces better picture quality. AMOLEDs also have better overall power consumption than OLEDs, but can use more power when displaying brighter colours and aren’t as visible in sunlight as OLED displays.

Camera:

Apple has finally succumbed to the new standard of having multiple lenses on its smartphones with the launch of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, which feature a triple rear camera lens, each lens capturing in 12Mp. Apple was previously known for remaining steadfast with its dual rear camera setup, while some of its competitors are onto their fourth lenses. You can still find a dual 12Mp rear lens on the cheaper iPhone 11.

Samsung is right up there when you’re talking about front runners in camera development. The S10+ made headlines for its three rear-camera lens setup, which features a 16Mp ultra wide angle lens capturing a 123-degree field of view wider than the human eye can see. Samsung Galaxy loyalists can make use of ‘Scene Optimizer’ to automatically adjust and improve scene quality when the camera recognizes the object or scene in the frame. Modes include food, animals, greenery, beaches and sunsets.