The tech world is ever changing and evolving but there are some rivalries that just don’t give up.
One of these rivalries is the age-old tale of Samsung vs. Apple. Trying to one up each other when it comes to making the best smartphones you can find on the market, these two tech giants have been fighting worse than brother and sister since ‘09.
But, as you know, like sharing with an 11 year old sibling buying a phone can be a tough decision to make.
This is partly down to the scary fact that you have to spend the next 2 to 3 years with the phone you get. And while companies are expected to be more and more transparent with their products for the customer, it is still wise to do your research.
The 2 smartphones we will be putting against each other today are Apple’s iPhone 12 series and the Samsung Galaxy S20 series.
iPhone 12 series:
iPhones are known to provide Apple fans with luxury and performance at the expense of absolutely nothing. And that is the major reason why they are priced high as well.
1. Chipset:
All the phones in the iPhone 12 series rock the new A14 bionic chip which is Apple silicon based on a 5nm process. What this means is that the distance between the transistors on the chip is only 5nm. Not only does it mean that the chip is super powerful and can perform everyday and demanding tasks with no issue at all, but also is more efficient and hence draws less power from the battery at the same time.
2. Build:
Apple is known for their screen build quality and they mean to stop at nothing to improve that even further. The stainless-steel edges on the pro lineup of the 12 series and the aluminum edges on the 12 and 12 mini provide plenty of strength and rigidity to your device. This year they have opted for a more rectangular industrial design with squared off edges than the rounded ones from last year. Not only does it look aesthetically pleasing but also aids in providing more space for the internals inside.
Apple is using ceramic shields in their front glass that form microscopic crystals thereby improving the strength of the glass. It is more scratch resistant than last year and will survive drops better.
3. Camera:
As far as cameras are concerned, we all know Apple has some of the best computational and hardware photography out there when it comes to smartphones. The iPhone 12 and 12 mini rock a 12 MP main and an ultrawide 120 degrees field of view sensor. While the pro and pro max add a 3rd one into the mix, offering a 2x telephoto zoom lens that allows you lossless optical zoom up to 2 times.
The camera has great dynamic range and does well in maintaining details in shadows. The night mode does a great job at making the most detail out of a dark situation and Apple is the king when it comes to shooting smartphone video. This time they have even added HDR video recording with Dolby Vision at a smooth 60 fps.
4. Battery:
Battery depends on 2 things. Its size and the battery chemistry tied in with how well the software manages it. iPhones have great standby times; we all know that. The iPhone 12 pro and 12 pro max can easily last you a full day of moderate to slightly heavy use with around 20% left at the end. The 12 also does a great job but the 12 mini has a very small battery. You are looking at around 4 hours of screen on time and you can easily kill it in a day. It is not an all-day battery life phone. So, go for the one that suits your needs best. Keep in mind the price will increase with a bigger phone.
Samsung Galaxy S20 series:
Samsung is known for pushing the limits right to the bleeding edge when it comes to technology. And they have done exactly that with their Galaxy S20 series.
1. Chipset:
Samsung has caught some heat when it comes to chipsets. The company is known for shipping some of their phones with their inhouse Exynos chipset while others with a Snapdragon 865. The Exynos chipset is known for performing not as well as the flagship Snapdragon chip does. Depending on the region you are in, you will either receive a snapdragon variant or an Exynos variant. North America and Korea get the Snapdragon variant while the UK and most of Europe get the Exynos variant. So, make sure which one you get.
Snapdragon is a very powerful chip and does great in day to day as well as heavy tasks. It is a 7nm chip with an explanation similar to Apple’s A14 bionic chip when it comes to transistors. The Exynos chip is also no slouch.
2. Build:
The S20 series, which includes the S20, the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra, all use Corning’s Gorilla Glass 6 which is plenty strong and scratch resistant. The body of the phone is built with aluminum which is a very strong material and ages well with time. You will not have an issue with the build quality.
3. Display:
Display is a huge aspect of all Samsung flagship smartphones. They simply make the best screens you will find on the market and the S20 is no exception. The S20 series rocks a quad HD panel with HDR 10 plus and is super AMOLED. It also has a 120 Hz refresh rate which means it refreshes twice as fast as the iPhone screen, making it one of the smoothest and most responsive smartphones on the market.
The touch-sampling rate is also 240 Hz which basically tells you how quick it will respond to your touch. This one is also twice as fast as the iPhone.
4. Camera:
Samsung also has one of the best-known computational photography software out there. It is right up there with Apple and Google Pixel. The camera has a main sensor of 108 MP on the S20 Ultra! The S20 and the S20 Plus have a 64 MP camera sensor. This means you will be getting a lot of detail. The high dynamic range is great and also does a great job with shadows and at night. The S20 Ultra variant has a 100x hybrid zoom which is a mixture of optical and digital zoom. You can also capture video up to 8k resolution at 30 fps.
5. Battery:
The battery sizes on the android side of the game are usually big and the S20 series does exactly that. They have all day batteries and you will not have a dead phone by the end of the day. The charging technology is also pretty fast so you will be back up to a confident percentage of battery in little time of charge.
Conclusion:
Choosing a smartphone can be a hectic decision to make, as you are usually bound by a length contract. Has this made it somewhat easier for you to make your decision? We hope so!
Know that Apple has an ecosystem, which ties you into buying more Apple products once you become a part of it. The services work seamlessly together and hook you into buying more of their products. An example of this is how iMessage works seamlessly on a Macbook, Macpro and iPhones.
With the price tag on both phones it makes it difficult to warrant a pricey piece of kit being carried around on a day to day basis. The most common worry is dropping the phone and smashing the screen.
Both of these smartphones are great in their own rights and no matter which one you choose today, we say that you’d be noticing a difference in this year’s upgrade. What one do you think wins the battle? Let us know!