Apple iPhone XS vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: Which Is Better?

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Photo by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Luis Silva (October 2020, updated: February 2021)

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Introduction

Is the iPhone XS good enough, or should you pick something newer to compare against the Galaxy S20 FE? Maybe you should. But before you find that out, let me state that this is the 5G version of the S20 FE (also known as S20 Fan Edition or S20 Lite), and that's the one you should go after if you prefer something from the Galaxy lineup.

In October of 2020, Samsung started selling its Galaxy S20 FE, while Apple's iPhone XS hit the stores in September of 2018.

We've run down the specs, design, price, and much more in this guide to help you choose between the iPhone XS and the Galaxy S20 FE.

If you have the time, click here to skip the spoilers and continue to the full comparison.

These two have a considerable price difference between them. That is something worth considering when comparing them.

You'll also see down below a "Tek-Score" for every section that we analyze. All the specifications were examined to allow you a faster discerning of the variation between the phones. You'll also have a global comparison rate if you aren't sure about these two.  ? 

This score is consumer-based from research done by Globalwebindex.com about the most wanted features from people looking to buy new smartphones.

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

You're going to find a red or green bar next to some features. That's to show how they compare with other smartphones with similar prices.  ? 

By clicking here:  i  you'll see which ones we've analyzed, but we've only included smartphones within a 40% price range.

You can click on any underlined feature to check the related top 10 listings for any budget.

Price*			vs.
Device	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
Release Date	2018, September	2020, October	2y.
OS Updates	6 years	3 years	-3y.
Security Updates	6 years	3 years	-3y.

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Performance

What about their chipsets? The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE features the previous generation Snapdragon 865 processor and the Apple iPhone XS, the Apple A12 processor.

If you play heavy games on your phone, you should know that the former has last year's Adreno 650, while the latter has a proprietary Apple GPU.

Performance-wise, Geekbench 5 (IOS)(Android) rates the Galaxy S20 FE 21% ahead on the multi-core rankings. It's something to consider, but it shouldn't be a deal-breaker. iOS is much lighter than Android because it is a more optimized OS.  ? 

The Galaxy S20 FE is also a top performer for its price range. The average rate is 2618, but it got 3296.

We can classify the Galaxy S20 FE as high-end.

The iPhone XS features the iOS 12 OS, and the Galaxy S20 FE got the Android 10 and OneUI.

The 4G variant of the S20 FE comes with the Exynos 990 and the Mali-G77.

There's a performance decrease of about 15% on the Exynos 990 for the Galaxy S20 FE.

Performance*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
SoC	Apple A12	Snapdragon 865
Graphics	Apple GPU	Adreno 650
Geekbench 5 Score	2716	3296	580
OS	iOS 12	Android 10 and OneUI
Tek-Score	6.5	7.5	1.0

*Reference: Apple iPhone 12.

Display

The Galaxy S20 FE features a 6.5" AMOLED display, while the iPhone XS has a smaller 5.8" AMOLED display. Which one would you choose? Do you favor AMOLED screens?

Are you looking for small screens? Then, the iPhone XS is your holy grail. At least it's short when compared to the average phone for its price range.

If you're looking for the most high-resolution display, the iPhone XS is a winner here. If you can't get over the iPhone XS's notch, then at least you still have a choice here.

Screens seem to get bigger each year, so it's essential to know what kind of glass protection they have. The Galaxy S20 FE features a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display. The iPhone XS has a Corning toughened glass. I was expecting something better from Samsung, at least Gorilla Glass 5, because this is from 2013.

There's a phone with an Always-On display here, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.

If you don't manually set the screen brightness, the iPhone XS can go up to 660 nits, and the Galaxy S20 FE can top at 823 nits.  ? 

The iPhone XS has HDR10 video support, and the Galaxy S20 FE has an HDR10+ screen.

If you favor smooth scrolling over battery life, the Galaxy S20 FE, with its 120hz screen, is clearly the winner here.

If you haven't noticed yet, the Galaxy S20 FE is getting outperformed here.

If you're leaning towards the iPhone XS, 90% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an AMOLED screen, and 75% of them have an Always-On display. At the same time, only 20% of them have over 60hz of refresh rate and feature Gorilla Glass 6 or Victus.

Concerning the Galaxy S20 FE, 86% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and 91% of them have an AMOLED screen.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
Size	5.8	6.5	0.7
Screen Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	1125x2436	1080x2400	-148500
Refresh Rate	60hz	120hz	60
Dots per Inch	462.63	404.89	-57.73
Always-On-Display	No	Yes
Notch	Wedge	Hole
Peak Brightness	660 nits	823 nits	163
HDR	HDR10	HDR10+
Sub Tek-Score	3.0	9.1	6.0
Protection	Corning toughened glass	Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Tek-Score	5.9	4.4	-1.5

*Reference: Sony Xperia 1.

Cameras

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

You can also count on another 12 MP camera with an aperture of f/2.4 plus a 52mm telephoto lens.

With the selfies camera, you get a 7 MP shooter, with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 32mm lens.

DxOMark reviewed this camera and gave it 118 points. By including its telephoto lens, it'll get 126** points. If you want to know more about it, click here.

I hope this helps: keep in mind that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 80% of them feature Optical Image Stabilization. Yet, only 25% of them feature a macro lens.

If you want to compare both 12 MP cameras, you won't find many differences from the iPhone XS. There's also an extra dual sensor with 8 MP (f/2.4 plus a 76mm telephoto lens) and 12 MP (f/2.2) with a 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens, working together to give more freedom when framing shots.

On the front, there's an f/2.2 32 MP camera and a 26 mm wide-angle lens.

DxOMark's gurus gave this shooter a score of 119. Plus, combining with the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, we'll get to the final rate of 131 points. You can click here to check it out.

PS: This Dxo score is for the 4G variant, but this variant should be close enough.

Furthermore, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. Additionally, only 23% of them feature a macro lens.

Be aware that the Galaxy S20 FE's picture quality is, on average, 40% above other smartphones with comparable prices. But between these two, it doesn't matter.

If you're not a numbers person, we can tag the Galaxy S20 FE as a high-end.

The one thing I love about these cameras is their telephoto zoom of about 3x and 2x. As soon as you get used to it, you'll know what I mean.

**Please take this with a grain of salt, especially with cameras with less than 40MP and no telephoto lens. They just changed their protocol, and there aren't enough reviewed cameras to extrapolate a backward-compatible score.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	1.8	1.8	0.0
Lens	26mm	26mm	0
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	1	1	0
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	126	131	5

*Reference: Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

Extra Camera(s)	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE	vs.
Megapixels	12	8	-4
Aperture	2.4	2.4	0.0
Lens	52mm (2x zoom)	76mm (3x zoom)	24
Lens Type	Telephoto lens	Telephoto lens
Megapixels	-	12
Aperture	-	2.2
Lens	-	13mm
Lens Type	-	Ultra-wide-Angle
Score	8	12	4

Selfie Camera	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE	vs.
Megapixels	7	32	25
Aperture	2.2	2.2	0.0
Lens	32mm	26mm	-6

	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE	vs.
Tek-Score	7.4	7.7	0.3

Body

The iPhone XS is 143 mm (5.63 inches) tall and 70 mm (2.76 inches) wide. The Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, is 16 mm taller and 4 mm larger (about 0.63 inches by 0.16 inches).

The first has a thickness of 7 mm (0.28 inches), while the second has about 8 mm (0.32 inches).

The iPhone XS is presented in a sleek design, consisting of a glass body, contrasting with its competitor's plastic body. The Galaxy S20 FE is a little bit heavier: About 13 g. (0.51 oz). If you're looking for a lightweight device, the iPhone XS has a "weight to screen size" score of 4.2, meaning it has an acceptable score for its display size. In the meantime, the Galaxy S20 FE has 5.0, so nothing to state here.  ? 

You can purchase the Apple iPhone XS in Space Gray, Gold, and Silver. And you can pick the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE in Cloud Lavender, Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, Cloud Orange, Cloud Red, and Cloud White.

If the iPhone XS is big enough for you, then excellent. If not, then really consider getting the other one.

What about a fingerprint scanner? The Galaxy S20 FE included one under the display. Unfortunately, the iPhone XS doesn't have any.

You'll still get a second-best on the iPhone XS. At least, Apple decided to include a Face ID scanner.

You can drop the iPhone XS into the water, up to 1 to 3 meters deep, just like the Galaxy S20 FE. That should be for up to 30 minutes, and it's standby mode only. So don't take photos underwater.

Looks*			vs.
Body	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
Size	143 x 70 x 7 mm (5.04 x 2.47 x 0.25 in)	159 x 74 x 8 mm (5.61 x 2.61 x 0.28 in)	24058
Weight	177 g. (6.24 oz)	190 g. (6.70 oz)	13
Build	Front and back glass	Front glass
Colors	Space Gray, Gold, and Silver	Cloud Lavender, Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, Cloud Orange, Cloud Red, and Cloud White
Screen To Body Ratio	82.53%	86.69%	4.17
Disp.Size To Weight Score	4.2	5.0	0.9
Looks	8.1/10	6.6/10	-1.5
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Biometrics	Face ID	Under Display Fingerprint
Tek-Score	7.6	6.8	-0.8

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

Battery

When it comes to battery life, in theory, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, with its 4500 mAh of battery capacity, wins over the Apple iPhone XS, with only 2658 mAh of battery capacity, without a doubt. But how would both perform in a real-world scenario? If you do a full charge and run these tests, this is what you'll find out about the iPhone XS:  ? 

• By talking for 1 hour, browsing the web for 1 hour, and playing videos for 1 hour, you'll end up with 74% of the battery charge.
• After 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll still have 54% left for the rest of the day.
• If you do 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, this is where your battery will be: 56%.

And this is what you'll get out of the Galaxy S20 FE:

• If you do 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll have 85% of the battery remaining.
• After 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll probably have 71% left for the rest of the day.
• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, this is where your battery will be: 74%.

And the winner is... the Galaxy S20 FE.

Clearly, the iPhone XS's battery capacity is well below the average in this price range. These tests show that it lasts up to 15% less.

For the record, the Galaxy S20 FE can also easily defeat most devices. Do check our top 10 list.

If one of these will end up being the one, you'll have quick-charging on your next phone: 15w for the iPhone XS and 25w for the Galaxy S20 FE.

It's good to know that both phones support wireless charging at up to 5w vs. 15w.

The Galaxy S20 FE also supports reverse wireless charging at 4.5w/hour for Qi-enabled devices.

The 4G variant of the S20 FE also has lower battery efficiency (about 10% less screen-on-time).

Battery*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
Capacity (mAh)	2658	4500	1842
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	74% left	85% left	11
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	54% left	71% left	17
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	56% left	74% left	18
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	5.7	5.1	-0.6
Sub Tek-Score	6.1	7.7	1.5
Fast Charging	15w	25w	10
Wireless Charging	5w	15w	10
Reverse Charging	No	4.5w	4.5
Tek-Score	5.5	7.4	1.8

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy A31.

Storage

The iPhone XS features 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. There's no expandable storage. If 4k videos and games are your things, it could be an issue sooner than later. Furthermore, other devices from this budget usually have more RAM and more storage. Right now, the average is 122Gb of storage and 7GB of RAM.

The Galaxy S20 FE offers 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. You can add a MicroSD card if you want.

Most people should be OK with their internal storage. However, if videos or big games are your things, 64 GB will be a problem sooner than later.

The 4G variant of the S20 FE may start at 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Storage*			vs.
Features	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
RAM (GB)	4GB	6GB	2
Internal (GB)	64GB	128GB	64
Micro SD	No	microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)
Tek-Score	2.8	7.5	4.8

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

Connectivity

Both devices feature the standard Bluetooth 5.0 module. Both phones also have NFC.

There isn't much to say about the 3.5mm headphone jack, except that it simply isn't here. You can buy an adapter, but the wireless buds are your only option. Luckily, you can still get it on other phones if you're willing to forget about them. Either the Galaxy Note 10 Lite or the Galaxy M51 can give you a headphone jack.

You can find the Galaxy S20 FE in the LTE or (LTE and) 5G variants. This allows you to get a version of the Galaxy S20 FE with an Exynos 990 and a Mali-G77 GPU.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
Network	LTE	5G (also available in LTE)
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	No
Tek-Score	4.6	4.6	0.0

Price

The Apple iPhone XS surely wins over its competitor in this round. That, of course, depends on the place and the deals that you'll eventually find. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, is usually more costly, but I believe that it shouldn't come as a surprise at all.

I hope the following tables will help you make a wiser decision.

If you're looking for old phones, I do hope you're considering second-hand here.

Here are their recently updated prices:

I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. It doesn't affect the price you pay nor my opinions, but it will mean a lot if you click on one of these buttons before purchasing your next phone. You'll be helping to take this to the next level.

Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.

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.

Value for money	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE	VS
Amazon	1.67 !	1.01	-
eBay	0.85	1.27	0.42
Best Buy	-	1.06	-
Wallmart	1.46 !	-	-

And this is the "The Best Smartphones On A Budget" list.

The 4G variant of the S20 FE should be about 20% cheaper.

Are you curious to know what their global score is? For reference purposes, I'll tell you where most of its rivals average. It's 6.2 for the iPhone XS and 6.7 for the Galaxy S20 FE.

Verdict: What Makes the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Stand Out?

The iPhone XS may not be your best option against the Galaxy S20 FE, and here's why: -Performance isn't bad, just not as good. -Display isn't perfect, but not that bad. -Cameras are OKish, but not quite there. -Battery life is terrible. Yes, that bad. -And storage may be too short for these days. But at least it has several additional years of software updates and better glass protection.

Pros	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
#1	Performance	Performance
#2	AMOLED	AMOLED
#3	Cameras	Always-On-Display
#4	Fast Charging	Cameras
#5	Wireless Charging	Battery Life
#6	Glass Protection	Fast Charging
#7		Wireless Charging
#8		MicroSD Slot
#9		Glass Protection

Cons	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
#1	Always-On-Display	Weight
#2	Battery Life	3.5mm Jack
#3	MicroSD Slot	Price
#4	3.5mm Jack	Glass Protection
#5	Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	iPhone XS	Galaxy S20 FE
Gaming Score	5.7	7.5	1.8
Tek-Score	5.68	6.86	1.18

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

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