Both the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the iPhone 12 are TOP flagships for big money. This means you need to choose wisely, because the differences between the phones are dramatic.
Below is an objective comparison of the two smartphones, based solely on the testing results of the GSMArena portal. There is no subjectivity here, only objective data and comparisons based on them.
Prices
iPhones have always been expensive, especially the new ones. An iPhone 12 with 64 GB memory will cost 80 thousand rubles on the white market. This telegram channel constantly publishes discounts on it - you can really find it for 75+ thousand.
iPhone 12 offers:
Samsung S20 costs 60 thousand rubles in M.Video, Eldorado, etc. Often at discounts it is sold for 55 thousand rubles, that is, 20 thousand rubles cheaper.
Samsung Galaxy S20 offers:
The lower price is the first plus of the Samsung Galaxy S20. The difference in price is huge - 15-20 thousand rubles. For this money you can even buy a new mid-range smartphone.
Cons of iPhone 12
I want to immediately say about data transfer, because when I switched from an iPhone to Samsung, Samsung has a built-in program called Smart Switch and it transfers files just perfectly. You simply connect your iPhone to Samsung or any other smartphone to Samsung, and just like you had on your previous smartphone or iPhone, that is, how your folders were arranged, exactly the same way everything will be duplicated on your Samsung, right down to transferring contacts, data, galleries and all this stuff.
As for the iPhone, I was looking for the most convenient method to transfer as much as possible all the data that I have on Samsung, for this I used the “Transfer to iOS” program, it’s called that and you can download it directly from the Apple website. It looks like this wonderful way and is installed exclusively on Android:
Remember, I said that I will start with the minuses, and one of the minuses that I want to talk about is that this program, at least for me, did not work perfectly . I tried three times and three times the applications were still not transferred entirely, probably 50 percent of them are installed and everything is okay, but 50 percent still have to be downloaded somehow.
The second disadvantage that I would like to note about the iPhone is that some applications that are on Android are paid for on the iPhone . Well, for example, the editing application YouCut, which I use. Yes, it is clear that there are a lot of other alternatives on the iPhone, but nevertheless, this feature is present here.
It’s much more unpleasant that some applications that are available in Samsung are not available, for example, in the Apple Store at all. There are applications, specifically 1Money, which I use. I count money there, how much I spend, how much I earn, and unfortunately, I cannot transfer this data to my iPhone and continue to use it. There we again need to look for some alternatives.
Unfortunately, there were no losses at all, and to a greater extent due to the fact that some applications simply are not in the Play Market . These are, of course, isolated stories like the application for learning English “Slovozhora”, without which you can theoretically live, but it’s still not very pleasant. We have to look for an alternative, which is not always completely satisfactory and, for example, for people who make music in GarageBand, it seems to me that such a transition would simply be some kind of tragedy of incredible proportions. Because there will be no suitable alternative on Android.
But objectively, the minus of the iphone is that you cannot install the Yandex application for work, for example, Yandex Taxi or Yandex Food . That is, if you have an old iPhone and want to earn money for a new one, then you will not be able to do this. You will have to buy some simple android, but nevertheless this is an additional cost.
The next disadvantage of the iPhone that I would like to point out is that it cannot record calls . For example, some scammer calls me, and just for fun, I want to record our conversation with him for my friends, how I’m already scamming him, but unfortunately I won’t be able to do this. You can't record calls, but I still used it on Android.
The next disadvantage concerns the user experience. And here I’ll be honest, I thought that I would have more disadvantages in this parameter, but it turned out that when you pick up the iPhone in your hands, you don’t feel much of a difference in use. Everything is intuitive, just like it happens on Samsung, I didn’t really notice any difference.
The only thing, of course, that I don’t really like and that infuriates me is that you can’t close all open applications at once on an iPhone . You need to scroll through it all with your fingers and scroll through it ad infinitum, and when you open a lot of them, this can take quite a lot of time. In Android, as you know, all this can be done with one button and it’s super convenient, but I don’t know why this hasn’t been done on iPhone yet.
Sound
The next minus was honestly unexpected for me, because it concerns sound. And I like the sound in Samsung better, it’s denser than in an iPhone. I can’t say that it’s bad on the iPhone, and I can’t say that it’s out of stock, but compared to Samsung, I can feel this difference with my ears.
SIM card
And of course, for me, a definite disadvantage is that the iPhone only has one physical SIM card. I wish there were two.
Probably the main complaint about the iPhone, and it’s not super obvious, guys, is that I can’t use YouTube on the iPhone. It’s not that I can’t download it, I can’t go there and watch the video. I can do all this calmly. But do you know what function the iPhone does not have and which is available on Android? This is the collapse of a small window in a premium subscription. Why-why can't I do this on an iPhone? I would give anything for this little feature, but it’s not on any iOS device, damn it. It is clear that this can be done on other applications, for example, Kinopoisk, Netflix or simply in Safari, but on Youtube it is not possible. But the trick is that on YouTube you spend most of your viewing time of the entire day. Well, how so, how so?!
Screens
Both phones have OLED displays, but they are completely different.
The Samsung S20 has a 6.2-inch matrix with a resolution of QHD/60 Hz (1440×3200) or FHD+/120 Hz. Animations on a 120Hz display are smoother, which is cool. Naturally, there is support for HDR10+, and there is enough brightness to play HDR content.
Samsung S20 screen test results:
- White brightness: 814 cd/m2
- Black brightness: 0 cd/m2
- Contrast: maximum
- Calibration, DeltaE accuracy: 2 (excellent)
On the iPhone 12, the display is also OLED - 6.1 inches diagonal and with FHD+ resolution, which only works at a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This is a jamb in the 2020-2021 flagship. There is support for HDR10/Dolby Vision, and real support.
iPhone 12 screen test results:
- White brightness: 639 cd/m2
- Black brightness: 0 cd/m2
- Contrast: maximum
- Calibration, DeltaE accuracy: 1.6 (excellent)
Objectively: the display on the Samsung S20 is better due to higher brightness, QHD resolution and the ability to work at 120 FPS, which will give increased smoothness when web scrolling.
Bottom line
People, write in the comments which of these smartphones would you choose? Considering, of course, the price. Would a rear apple be more important to you than a higher refresh rate on the display? Do you really need 3x optical zoom on the S20 FE? Or will the more powerful A14 chip be the determining factor for you?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments? Of course, these are different different ecosystems, and each of them has its own fans. Either way, it's great that two of the world's most famous smartphone brands are offering us such an attractive price for their flagships.
And yet, if I had to spend my money, I would lean towards the S20 FE option and would not know any grief. Ideal value for money. But it’s absolutely normal if you think otherwise, because if we’re talking about the status that the new iPhone will give you, then this is also an important factor. It just doesn't matter to me. Therefore, my choice is Samsung.
Now it's your turn, friends, let me know your opinion!
Autonomy
Most flagships are bad when it comes to battery life. Let's start with Samsung.
The S20 has a 4000 mAh battery - great! GSMArena tested it, and the smartphone was able to hold out:
- 14:20 talk time
- 11:53 h when surfing the web via Wi-Fi (QHD resolution, 60 Hz, brightness 200 cd/m2)
- 12:01 hours of video playback (QHD resolution, 60 Hz, brightness 200 cd/m2)
- Charging speed: 55% in 30 minutes, 100% in 1 hour and 2 minutes
iPhone 12 is equipped with a 2815 mAh battery, which is enough for:
- 19:27 hours of talking
- 12:48 hours of web surfing via Wi-Fi (brightness 200 cd/m2)
- 13:04 h video (brightness 200 cd/m2)
- Charging speed: 58% in 30 minutes or 100% in 1 hour 30 minutes. But a 20 W charger (Power Delivery) must be purchased separately.
The iPhone 12, with its much smaller battery, wins - it lasts longer in all usage scenarios.
Performance
The Apple A14 Bionic on the iPhone 12 is one of the first 5nm processors (the first was on the Huawei Mate 40 Pro), and it is not a competitor to the 7nm Exynos 990 found on the Samsung S20. However, you will find the hardware testing results below.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core):
- iPhone 12 - 4067
- Samsung Galaxy S20 – 3296
GeekBench 5 (single-core):
- iPhone 12 - 1605
- Samsung Galaxy S20 - 906
AnTuTu 8:
- iPhone 12 - 568674
- Samsung Galaxy S20 - 525029
In all benchmarks, the iPhone 12 is higher, which was expected. Optimization and the processor itself are better on the iPhone.
Comparison table between iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S20 flagships
Finally, we have prepared a large table that allows you to visually evaluate the key differences between the current iPhone 12 and the flagship Galaxy S20:
A detailed comparison of the characteristics of the current flagships from Apple and Samsung. Click to enlarge
See also other smartphone tables on our website.
- about the author
- Recent publications
Raik
Igor Andreev is the author of articles for ITRew.ru and Our-Firefox.ru. I am passionate about modern technologies, I talk about them in my texts) Follow me — twitter.com
Raik recently posted (see all)
- Clock error: sites do not open in Chrome and Opera (solution) - 10/01/2021
- All the differences between Apple Watch 7 and Watch SE, 6 and 3 - 09/17/2021
- iPhone 13 and 13 Pro vs iPhone 12 and 12 Pro: all the differences - 09/16/2021
Tell others:
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
- Click here to share content on Facebook. (Opens in a new window)
- Click to print (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
- Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
Cameras
The iPhone 12 has a main 12 megapixel camera with OIS and a wide-angle one without OIS. On the Samsung S20, the main camera is also with a resolution of 12 megapixels and OIS, there is a wide-angle and a telephoto. The latter has a resolution of 64 megapixels, OIS and 3x hybrid zoom. This in itself is already a plus.
Below are pictures that I copied from the GSMArena photography quality comparison tool.
Good light:
iPhone 12
Samsung S20
iPhone 12
Samsung S20
Bad light:
iPhone 12
Samsung S20
iPhone 12
Samsung S20
The Samsung S20 produced better detail and exposure in low light; in good light the frame was clearer. Both phones take good photos, but the Samsung is better, IMHO.
Design
Surprise surprise, both the phones will suit your color needs as they are available in a variety of colors to suit every taste. This makes sense given their price level, which is typically aimed at a younger, more diverse audience.
The matte colors of the Galaxy S20 FE - navy, red, lavender, orange, white or mint - are applied to the surface of polycarbonate, i.e. plastic, while the iPhone 12 is made of glass with a new blue color, but without yellow and purple iPhone 11 shades. In general, the colors of our smartphones are largely the same in number and shades.
The iPhone 12's display panel uses what Apple calls "ceramic glass," which means it's a glass panel infused with pieces of ceramic that Apple claims makes it 4 times harder and more impact-resistant than past iPhone panels of the year. The Galaxy S20 FE uses Corning's Gorilla Glass 3, which is not Corning's latest solution. Based on the specifications, the iPhone's glass panel should be more durable.
