Samsung Galaxy Note 20 vs Apple iPhone 12
66
out of 100
VS
71
out of 100
Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (with Exynos 990) that was released on August 5, 2020, against the Apple iPhone 12, which is powered by Apple A14 Bionic and came out 2 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy Note 20
- The rear camera has a 3x optical zoom
- Comes with 1485 mAh larger battery capacity: 4300 vs 2815 mAh
- Has a 0.6 inch larger screen size
- Has 2x more RAM: 8GB versus 4GB
- Modern USB Type-C port
- Fingerprint scanner
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 2400 MHz
- Has 2 SIM card slots
- Reverse charging feature
- CPU with a higher amount of cores (+2)
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 12
- 48% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1061K versus 718K)
- Apple releases software updates and supports their phones a few years longer than Samsung
- 17% higher pixel density (460 vs 393 PPI)
- More energy-efficient CPU – Apple A14 Bionic
- 69% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1953 and 1155 points
- Weighs 28 grams less
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (
*
) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Value for money
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Super AMOLED | OLED |
| Size | 6.7 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1170 x 2532 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 393 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 600 nits | 625 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Ceramic Shield |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 89.2% | 86% |
| Display features |
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 |
| RGB color space | 99.9% | 99.4% |
| PWM | 250 Hz | 226 Hz |
| Response time | 6.4 ms | 16 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 161.6 mm (6.36 inches) | 146.7 mm (5.78 inches) |
| Width | 75.2 mm (2.96 inches) | 71.5 mm (2.81 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.3 mm (0.33 inches) | 7.4 mm (0.29 inches) |
| Weight | 192 g (6.77 oz) | 164 g (5.78 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 |
| Advanced cooling | Vapor chamber | - |
| Rear material | Plastic | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | Black, Green, Brown | White, Black, Blue, Green, Red |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-display | No |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 990 | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Max clock | 2730 MHz | 3100 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (2 + 2 + 4) | 6 (2 + 4) |
| Architecture |
- 4 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55
- 2 cores at 2.5 GHz: Cortex-A76 - 2 cores at 2.73 GHz: Exynos M5 |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Icestorm
- 2 cores at 3.1 GHz: Firestorm |
| L3 cache | 2 MB | - |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 5 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G77 MP11 | Apple A14 GPU |
| GPU shading units | 704 | 256 |
| GPU clock | 550 MHz | 1278 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~1126 GFLOPS | ~654.3 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
| CPU | 214069 | 221376 |
| GPU | 202411 | 336882 |
| Memory | 134994 | 136582 |
| UX | 164236 | 363783 |
| Total score | 718109 | 1061696 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 38.6 °C | 41.2 °C |
| Stability | 88% | 77% |
| Graphics test | 25 FPS | 45 FPS |
| Graphics score | 4317 | 7603 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 7804 | - |
| Video editing | 5716 | - |
| Photo editing | 29885 | - |
| Data manipulation | 7954 | - |
| Writing score | 11968 | - |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 2400 MHz | - |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 256 GB | 64, 128, 256 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) | iOS 14.1 (Can be upgraded to iOS 17) |
| ROM | One UI 5.0 | - |
| OS size | 35 GB | 7 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 4300 mAh | 2815 mAh |
| Max charge power | 25 W | 18 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes (15 W) | Yes (7.5 W) |
| Reverse charging | Yes, (wireless) | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (50% in 30 min) | Yes (58% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:05 hr | 1:30 hr |
| Web browsing | - | 11:23 hr |
| Watching video | - | 12:11 hr |
| Gaming | - | 05:05 hr |
| Standby | - | 119 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Zoom | Optical, 3x | Digital |
| Flash | Dual LED | Quad LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | Up to 24FPS | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 240FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (1080p) | 240 FPS (1080p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 120° | 120° |
| Lenses | 3 (12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP) | 2 (12 MP + 12 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens |
- 12 MP
- Aperture: f/1.8 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.76", Sony IMX555 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization |
- 12 MP
- Aperture: f/1.6 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/3.4", Sony IMX372 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization |
| Telephoto lens |
- 64 MP
- Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 27 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.72", Samsung Bright S5KGW2 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Phase autofocus - Optical stabilization |
- |
| Ultra-wide lens |
- 12 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Samsung S5K2LA (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
- 12 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4 - Focal length: 13 mm - Sensor: 1/3.6" (CMOS) |
| Camera features |
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode |
| Samples | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 from DxOMark | Photo samples of Apple iPhone 12 from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 10 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3872 x 2592 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 23 mm |
| Pixel size | 1.22 microns | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | BSI CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/3.2" | - |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi features |
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | LE, A2DP | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | No |
| USB version | 3.2 | - |
| USB features |
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode |
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NAVIC | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC * | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM * | 2 | 1 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | - |
| eSIM support * | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat * | 20 | 18 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | August 2020 | October 2020 |
| Release date | August 2020 | October 2020 |
| SAR (head) | 0.359 W/kg | 0.99 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.366 W/kg | 0.99 W/kg |
| Sensors |
- Hall-effect sensor
- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor |
*
Disclaimer!
NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the display, performance, gaming, software, and design are more important to you, then choose the Apple iPhone 12 . But if the battery life and connectivity are more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 .
