Samsung’s Galaxy S10 is entering the ring to take on its direct competitor, Apple’s iPhone XS. Very premium, the two flagships are very different nonetheless. So where Apple relies on 3D facial recognition, Samsung offers a fingerprint sensor under the ultrasonic display. While the South Korean manufacturer relies on screen space and always more RAM, the Cupertino company prefers to bet on the notch and lightness of iOS… Examples abound.
Comparison of technical data sheets
| Galaxy S10 spec sheet | iPhone XS spec sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8mm | 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm |
| Weight | 157g | 177g |
| Screen | 6.1 Super AMOLED Infinity-O | 5.8″ OLED |
| Definition | QHD+ | 2436 x 1125 pixels |
| photo / video | Rear: 12 MP (f/1.5-2.4) 12 MP (f/2.4) telephoto 16MP (f/2.2) ultra wide angle front: 10 MP (f/1.9) autofocus, 2160p@30fps |
Rear: 12 MP f/1.8 + 12 MP f/2.4 Front: 7MP f/2.2 |
| BONE | Android 9 Pie (Single UI) | iOS12 |
| internal memory | 128/512GB | up to 512GB |
| Micro SD | Yup | no |
| connection | Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual band, WiFi Direct, hotspot | Wi‑Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| NFC | Yup | Yup |
| SoCs | Exynos 9820/ Snapdragon 855 | at 12 |
| data store | 8GB | 4GB |
| Fingerprint sensor / face recognition | Yeah yeah | No Yes |
| water resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| battery | 3400mAh | 2716mAh |
| charging port | USB-C | Lightning |
| Fast charging | Yup | Yup |
| Wireless Qi charging | Yup | Yup |
| Colors | black, green, white, blue | Grey, Silver, Gold |
Infinity-O vs Notch
Since the iPhone X was released in September 2017, all iPhones have adopted the notch mode. In this aesthetic feature, Apple has hidden Face ID, the 3D components required for 3D facial recognition. So the XS looks like two drops of water compared to its predecessor. We discover a glass back, dual vertical photo sensors, a proprietary Lightning port, no jack ports (say goodbye to the iPhone 7) and a 5.8-inch OLED display.
Up front, the Galaxy S10 is enhanced with a massive 6.1-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display. First of all, the smartphone draws attention with its hole in the screen that hides the front camera. At the back, it is equipped with a triple horizontal photo sensor and glass back. It also benefits from a jack port and a USB-C port. Visually they are very different.
Yield
With its 4GB of RAM and A12 Bionic SoC, the iPhone XS sits comfortably on the throne of the most powerful smartphone on the market. This success is mainly due to the lightness of iPhone, iOS and the mobile operating system integrated into the SoC developed by Tim Cook.
As the first tests revealed on Geekbench and AnTuTu prove, the Galaxy S10 can’t compete with Apple’s latest flagship. That said, it’s equipped with Samsung’s latest high-end SoC, the powerful Exynos 9820 and 8GB of RAM. The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, manages to beat the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and is already proving itself as the most powerful Android smartphone on the market, which is not bad.
Whether you are in love with iPhone or Galaxy, you will have a smooth and hassle-free experience in any situation. In use, the differences in performance are really small. However, we will give the iPhone XS an advantage on this ground.
Autonomy
On the other hand, in the field of autonomy, the Galaxy S10 risks putting the iPhone XS in a difficult situation. The Apple phone is indeed equipped with a 2716mAh battery, slightly less than the iPhone X, and lasts a little over a day and a half without needing to be recharged like the Galaxy S9. Galaxy S10 goes against it with a 3400mAh batteryThis should allow the smartphone to reach two days of autonomy. We will verify these initial predictions in a future test.
Both smartphones are compatible with QI wireless charging. The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, stands out thanks to its reverse wireless charging integration. Like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, the smartphone has the ability to wirelessly charge another compatible smartphone or Galaxy Buds, wireless earbuds designed by Samsung.
Dual and triple rear cameras
The iPhone XS has a 12 MP wide-angle ƒ/1.8 aperture and a 12 MP dual camera with telephoto and ƒ/2.4 aperture. The smartphone offers a very successful portrait mode, excellent color rendering and shots full of details. Facing it, the S10 is equipped with a camera consisting of 3 sensors: a 12 MP photo sensor (f / 1.5-2.4), a second 12 MP (f / 2.4) telephoto
and the latest 16 MP (f / 2.2) ultra wide angle module. Frankly, we are waiting for a full test to decide between the two devices.
Price
The iPhone XS was offered at a starting price of €1159 at launch. Right now you can get it for a total of €1089 on Amazon, for example. The Galaxy S10 is available starting at €909 for the variant with 128GB internal storage. The tightest of budgets will turn to Samsung more easily than Apple.
Before we jump to the S10 instead of the iPhone XS, we’ll remember that an iPhone loses its value faster than an Android flagship. By dropping a new iPhone in 2019, you could sell it for more than 60% of its original price a year later. That probably won’t be the case with the Galaxy S10. If you are the type to change your phone every year, this information should be taken into account.
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