Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus: Should You Go iOS Or Android?

Introduction

Does one of the best and biggest from Apple outstand one of the best and biggest from Samsung?

Let's start the drums of war.

In August of 2019, Samsung launched its Galaxy Note 10 Plus. The iPhone 11 Pro Max, however, has seen the light of day one month later.

We are looking at how the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus compare to each other to help you decide which might be the right one for you.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus and the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max are about the same price, but you'll usually find the iPhone 11 Pro Max at a lower price. Remember that when you're comparing the two models.

You'll also see down below a "Tek-Score" for every section that we analyze. For a quicker analysis of how far they are from each other, we'll consider all their specifications. The global score will help you compare them to other phones because you'll probably have other phones in mind.  ? 

Our Tek-Score is based on a study done by Globalwebindex.com about the most wanted features from people looking to buy new smartphones. But don't let that daunt you. You can set it based on whatever you like. You can skip to the end, or just keep reading.

For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.

Some features are underlined with a red or green progress bar. It's there for you to better understand how they compare with other smartphones with similar prices.  ? 

By clicking here:  i  you'll see which ones we've analyzed, but essentially, we're ignoring smartphones that are more than 20% cheaper or expensive.

Some items are underlined, and you can tap to access the related top 10 listings for up to seven different budgets.

Price*			vs.
Device	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Release Date	2019, September	2019, August	0y.
OS Updates	6 years	3 years	-3y.
Security Updates	6 years	4 years	-2y.

*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Which One Has The Best Performance?

On the multicore portion of Geekbench 5 (IOS)(Android), which measures overall performance, the iPhone 11 Pro Max was, on average, 61% quicker while finishing its tests. Speed isn't everything, but in this case, it's a lot! iOS is much lighter than Android because Google does have a hard time optimizing Android.  ? 

We can classify the iPhone 11 Pro Max as high-end and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus more like an upper mid-range.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus is available with the Exynos 9825 processor, while the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max brings the Apple A13 processor.

Now about the graphics chipset, while the former has a Mali-G76 MP12, the latter features a proprietary Apple GPU.

iOS 13 runs out-of-the-box on the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus got the Android 9 (Pie) and OneUI.

PS: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (with the Adreno 640 GPU) and the Exynos 9825 (with the Mali-G76) are market-dependent.

There's a performance increase of about 20% on the 855 for the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

Performance*			vs.
Features	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
SoC	Apple A13	Exynos 9825
Graphics	Apple GPU	Mali-G76 MP12
Geekbench 5 Score	3435	2137	-1298
OS	iOS 13	Android 9 (Pie) and OneUI
Tek-Score	7.7	5.6	-2.2

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 12.

Which Phone Has The Best Display?

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus's display does stand out, and it should be noticeable.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen, which is slightly smaller than the Galaxy Note 10 Plus's 6.8-inch AMOLED display. Which one would you choose? Me, I'd go for an AMOLED screen, but a decent LCD can be just as good.

If you're into big displays, don't waste your time searching for other devices, and go for the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Other similarly priced smartphones just aren't that enormous.

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus has a higher-resolution 1440x3040 Quad HD display, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max makes do with a 1242x2688 Full HD panel. If you fancy edge-to-edge displays, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus isn't perfect, but it's pretty close to that.

No one likes to look at a shattered screen, so it's essential to know what kind of glass protection they have. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is shielded with a Corning toughened glass. The Galaxy Note 10 Plus display is preserved with a previous generation's Gorilla Glass 6.

There's a phone with an Always-On display here, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

If you set these displays for auto-brightness, these two go up to about 811 nits.  ? 

Most similarly priced devices only do around 633 nits, but there's a 161 nits gap above that for the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

Are you considering watching HDR content? The iPhone 11 Pro Max does HDR10, while the Galaxy Note 10 Plus does HDR10+.

About the iPhone 11 Pro Max, just know that all of its rivals can play HDR content and have an AMOLED screen, 78% offer you more than 60hz of refresh rate and have Gorilla Glass 6 or better, and 83% have an Always-On display.

Considering the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, I should say that 88% of its rivals have an AMOLED screen, and 79% have an Always-On display. Then again, only 8% of them have over 60hz of refresh rate, and only 17% of them feature Gorilla Glass 6 or Victus.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Size	6.5	6.8	0.3
Screen Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	1242x2688	1440x3040	1039104
Refresh Rate	60hz	60hz	0
Dots per Inch	455.55	494.68	39.13
Always-On-Display	No	Yes
Notch	Wedge	Hole
Peak Brightness	811 nits	794 nits	-17
HDR	HDR10	HDR10+
Sub Tek-Score	3.2	9.1	5.9
Protection	Corning toughened glass	Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Tek-Score	5.9	8.0	2.1

*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.

Which Phone Has The Best Cameras?

Looking at DXOMARK's ranking, one can conclude that the Galaxy Note 10 Plus is approximately 27 points above other cameras with comparable prices. Although as of now, it isn't good enough.

What about its shooters? Apple's iPhone 11 Pro Max features a 12 Megapixels camera with an aperture of f/1.8, a 26mm wide-angle lens, four flash LEDs, HDR capabilities, and Optical Image Stabilization. It can record videos at up to 2160p.

It also has a secondary 12 Megapixels camera with an aperture of f/2.0, plus a 52mm telephoto lens. And a third of 12 Megapixels (f/2.4) with a 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens.

The selfie camera is a 12 MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture complemented with a 23 mm wide-angle lens.

DXOMARK reviewed this camera and gave it 132 points. By including the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, it can go up to 143 points. If you click here, you can check what they think of it.

PS: keep in mind that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization, and 78% feature a telephoto lens. On the other hand, none of them feature a macro lens.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, in its turn, features a 12 Megapixels camera with an f/1.5 aperture and a 27mm, wide-angle lens. Then it has one flash LED, HDR capabilities, and Optical Image Stabilization. It records videos at up to 2160p. There's also an extra dual sensor with 12 Megapixels (f/2.1 plus a 52mm telephoto lens) and 16 Megapixels (f/2.2) with a 12mm ultra-wide-angle lens, plus a depth sensor, working together to give more freedom when framing shots.

The Galaxy Note 10+ has a dual aperture camera. You can choose between f/1.5 or f/2.4.

Samsung included a 10 MP (f/2.2) sensor for selfies and a 26 mm wide-angle lens.

On DXOMARK's reviewing article, they gave this shooter 118 points. And if we consider the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, we'll get to the final score of 130 points. For an out-and-out review, check their article.

Furthermore, if you must know, 88% of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, and all have an ultra-wide-angle lens.

One can place the iPhone 11 Pro Max more as a high-end and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus as lower high-end.

The one thing I love about these cameras is their telephoto zoom of about 2x. It will enable you to get a closer view of the subject before taking your picture.

As a side note, the iPhone 11 Pro Max zoom lens is 63mm below what you'll commonly find within similarly priced rivals.

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus's lens can be great in low light conditions and yield sharper results along the way without introducing camera shake because of its aperture.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	1.8	1.5	-0.3
Lens	26mm	27mm	1
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	4	1	-3
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	143	130	-13

*Reference: 100: Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

Extra Camera(s)	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus	vs.
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	2.0	2.1	0.1
Lens	52mm (2x zoom)	52mm (2x zoom)	0
Lens Type	Telephoto lens	Telephoto lens
Megapixels	12	16	4
Aperture	2.4	2.2	-0.2
Lens	13mm	12mm	-1
Lens Type	Ultra-wide-Angle	Ultra-wide-Angle
Megapixels	-	0.3
Lens Type	-	Depth Sensor
Score	11	12	1

Selfie Camera	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus	vs.
Megapixels	12	10	-2
Aperture	2.2	2.2	0.0
Lens	23mm	26mm	3

	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus	vs.
Tek-Score	8.4	7.6	-0.8

Who has the best frame?

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus does have an advantage here, thanks to its weight. But that doesn't mean the iPhone 11 Pro Max is that bad.

These phones have different heights (158 mm / 6.23 inches vs. 162 mm / 6.38 inches), but they share about the same width (77 mm / 3.03 inches).

They all come close in thickness: 8 mm (0.32 inches) vs. 7 mm (0.28 inches).

All of that goodness is presented in a sleek glass body. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is 30 g. (1.06 oz) heavier than its rival, which sits at 196 g. (6.91 oz). But because screen size also matters, I've developed a formula for a kind of "display size to phone weight" ratio. The iPhone 11 Pro Max got a score of 1.7, showing it's one of the heaviest phones for its screen size. Having said that, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus has 5.3, so nothing to state here.  ? 

If you like having color options, you can buy the iPhone 11 Pro Max in Space Gray, Gold, Silver, and Midnight Green. The Galaxy Note 10 Plus, in its turn, comes in Aura Glow, Aura Black, Aura White, and Aura Blue.

They share their size, so there ain't much to see here.

Is the lack of a fingerprint scanner a deal-breaker to you? There's one under the display of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus but not on the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

That doesn't mean you're out of security options on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. At least, Apple decided to include a Face ID scanner.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max truly is water-resistant. It can be submerged 1 to 3 meters deep, identical to the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Remember that it shouldn't be for over half an hour, in standby and freshwater only, so no saltwater or pools here.

Looks*			vs.
Body	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Size	158 x 77 x 8 mm (5.57 x 2.72 x 0.28 in)	162 x 77 x 7 mm (5.71 x 2.72 x 0.25 in)	-10010
Weight	226 g. (7.97 oz)	196 g. (6.91 oz)	-30
Build	Front and back glass	Front and back glass
Colors	Space Gray, Gold, Silver, and Midnight Green	Aura Glow, Aura Black, Aura White, and Aura Blue
Screen To Body Ratio	85.31%	92.52%	7.21
Disp.Size To Weight Score	1.7	5.3	3.6
Looks	9.6/10	10.0/10	0.4
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Biometrics	Face ID	Under Display Fingerprint
Tek-Score	6.4	7.3	0.9

*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.

Which has the best battery?

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 3969 mAh battery, and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus has a 4300 mAh. But as reported by GSMArena, you shouldn't expect notable differences here.

If you charge it up, this is what you'll find out about the iPhone 11 Pro Max:  ? 

• By talking for 1 hour, browsing the web for 1 hour, and playing videos for 1 hour, you'll end up with 83% of the battery charge.
• If you do 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, this phone should end up with 69%.
• For 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, you'll likely end up with 73% of the battery charge.

And this is what you'll get out of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus:

• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you should have 84% of the battery left for the rest of the day.
• From 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, this phone should end up with 68%.
• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, you'll likely end up with 74% of the battery charge.

Just be aware that the Galaxy Note 10 Plus is also beating most smartphones. You can check here if it still is on our best-of listing.

Both phones support fast charging. You can charge the iPhone 11 Pro Max at a maximum of 18w/hour and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus up to 45w/hour.

If you value wireless charging, they can do 5w vs. 15w.

You can wirelessly charge any compatible device from the Galaxy Note 10 Plus at up to 9w.

If you fancy quick charges, you can count on the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. That's rare because phones from this budget can only do about 22w.

Galaxy Note 10 Plus's Quick wireless charging is likewise snappy. You won't find many phones as fast at about its price.

Battery*			vs.
Features	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Capacity (mAh)	3969	4300	331
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	83% left	84% left	1
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	69% left	68% left	-1
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	73% left	74% left	1
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	3.6	3.3	-0.3
Sub Tek-Score	7.5	7.5	0.0
Fast Charging	18w	45w	27
Wireless Charging	5w	15w	10
Reverse Charging	No	9w	9
Tek-Score	6.5	7.6	1.0

*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A31.

Which has more storage?

Definitely, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. There's no extra storage here. It may not be a deal-breaker, but it sure is something to keep in mind. Be aware that at this price segment, others have more storage and more RAM. They're closer to 171Gb of storage and 9GB of RAM.

On the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, you'll find 256GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. If you ever run out of free space, you can add a MicroSD card. Again, you can get less RAM and less storage from almost all of their competitors. 6Gb/96Gb. That's the average.

Storage shouldn't be an issue on any of these phones. However, if you love to have or record tons of videos, 64 GB will be a problem sooner than later.

Storage*			vs.
Features	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
RAM (GB)	4GB	12GB	8
Internal (GB)	64GB	256GB	192
Micro SD	No	microSDXC (shared SIM slot)
Tek-Score	2.8	10.0	7.3

*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).

Which is the most connectivity-friendly?

If you still don't know which to pick, you can skip this section.

When it comes to connectivity, you can count on the traditional Bluetooth 5.0 chip. Both phones also have NFC, so nothing special here.

If you got used to counting on the good-old 3.5mm headphone jack, forget about it. Want a piece of advice? Forget about adapters and go for the wireless buds. You can also check other devices if you're willing to forget about them. The Galaxy Note 10 Lite or the Sony Xperia 1 II can help you with that.

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus has two network variants: LTE or (LTE and) 5G.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Network	LTE	LTE (also available in 5G)
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	No
Tek-Score	3.6	3.6	0.0

Which is more affordable?

You're likely not considering the iPhone 11 Pro Max to make all your pennies count. That, of course, depends on the place and the deals that you'll eventually find. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, in its turn, isn't that cheap, but if it's worth it or not, it's up to you to decide.

Let's see if it really worths it or not.

Here are the best prices that we've found:

Reference: $900

$1,081.05!

$1,099.99

Check now

$729.99!

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max

Reference: $949

Check now

$505.00

Check now

$829.00

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus

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Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).

How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).

Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.

Also, don't forget to check the latest deals from these four stores, and the state of the art on mobile technology, if you don't want to overpay on your next smartphone.

Related articles:

Best smartphone deals

The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets

Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)

So, what about that global score? We'll get there. Just so you have an idea, take a look at where its adversaries average. The iPhone 11 Pro Max class is at 7.5, and the Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5.8.

Verdict: What Makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus Stand Out?

The iPhone 11 Pro Max's performance does stand out but the Note 10 Plus stands out pretty much elsewhere.

It has the perfect display, decent battery life that you can quickly charge and the ideal storage combination (256GB of internal storage plus a MicroSD slot). Unfortunately, it misses out on the 3.5mm audio jack.

You can easily find the Note 10 Plus cheaper than the 11 Pro Max. So, unless you love Apple's ecosystem, or plan to keep your next phone for up to 4 or 5 years, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the reasonable choice to make.

Pros	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
#1	Performance	AMOLED
#2	AMOLED	Always-On-Display
#3	Cameras	Cameras
#4	Battery Life	Battery Life
#5	Fast Charging	Fast Charging
#6	Wireless Charging	Wireless Charging
#7	Glass Protection	MicroSD Slot
#8		Storage
#9		Glass Protection

Cons	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
#1	Always-On-Display	Weight
#2	MicroSD Slot	3.5mm Jack
#3	Weight	Price
#4	3.5mm Jack
#5	Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	iPhone 11 Pro Max	Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Gaming Score	6.2	7.5	1.3
Tek-Score	6.12	7.65	1.53
Your Score

Scroll the sliders down below to get your own personalized score. Let's suppose you value performance and battery life, and you don't really care about anything else. Then, just set the "Performance" and the "Battery" sliders up to 5 (5+5=10), and then the other sliders down to 0. You'll know what's the best phone for you.

*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

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