Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro Max: Battle of the Giants

Mina Aryal

4 years ago

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20th August 2020, Kathmandu

It’s the big phone arena and the battle is between the newly released Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and iPhone 11 Pro Max. We will see which one thrives and which one fails to impress in terms of design, display, camera, and performance.

We got two flagship smartphones from Samsung with the launch of Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. However, the 4G LTE versions of these devices were released in Nepal.

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (8/256GB) and iPhone 11 Pro Max (4/256GB) has a vast price difference for sure. However, we believe it’s fair to compare the latest flagships of the smartphone giants.

After all, buyers need to have a good idea of what they should be opting for.

So, let’s go ahead and see what these two devices have to offer!

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro Max: Specs Comparison

	Galaxy Note 20 Ultra	iPhone 11 Pro Max
Size	164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm (6.48 x 3.04 x 0.32 inches)	158 x 77.8 x 8.1mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches)
Weight	208g	226g
Display	6.9 – Dynamic AMOLED 2X display 120Hz refresh rate Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	6.5 – OLED Super Retina display 60Hz refresh rate Corning Gorilla Glass
Resolution	WQHD+ (3088 x 1440 pixels) 13.3:9 aspect ratio	XDR (1242 x 2688 pixels) 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Rear Camera	– 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), PDAF, Laser AF, OIS – 12 MP, f/3.0, 120mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom, 50x hybrid zoom – 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide) Features – LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama Video – 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS	– 12MP wide-angle f/1.8 primary camera, OIS, True Tone flash – 120° FOV 12MP Ultra Wide f/2.4 camera – 12MP Telephoto f/2.0 for 2x optical zoom in, digital zoom up to 10x Features – Quad-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) Video – 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec.
Front Camera	10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF Video – 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps	12MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) Video – 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS
Chipset	– Exynos 990 (Global) – Snapdragon 865+ (USA, China, South Korea)	– Apple A13 Bionic
CPU	– Global: Octa-core (2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) – USA: (1×3.0 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 585)	– Hexa-core (2×2.65 GHz Lightning + 4×1.8 GHz Thunder)
GPU	– Mali-G77 MP11 – Global – Adreno 650 – USA	– Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
RAM	8GB (LTE), 12GB (5G); LPDDR5	4GB
Storage	128/256/512GB (5G) 256/512GB (LTE) UFS 3.1 Expandable up to 1TB using micro SD card	64/256/512GB (LTE) Non-expandable
OS	Android 10, One UI 2.5	iOS 13
Color Variants	Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray, Mystic White	Matte Space Gray, Matte Silver, Matte Gold, Matte Midnight Green
Sensors	Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer	Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer; Siri voice commands
Battery	Non-removable Li-Po 4500mAh battery 25-watt Fast Charging Support 15W wireless charging	Non-removable Li-Ion 3969mAh battery 18-watt Fast Charging Support Qi wireless charging
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/BDS, USB 3.2 Type-C, Samsung Wireless DeX	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/QZSS, USB 2.0
Price	NPR 1,39,999 (256GB)	NPR 2,06,000 (256GB)

Design and Display

Let’s start with the size of the two flagship devices. The Note 20 Ultra is a bit taller with 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm in size. Meanwhile, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a height of 158 mm.

Though the two devices are quite similar in size, the iPhone 11 Pro Max weighs more with a difference of 18 grams (226 – 208 grams).

The Note 20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch display compared to a 6.5-inches in iPhone 11 Pro Max. Moreover, the bezels on the Note 20 Ultra are also smaller along with a small cutout for the selfie camera.

In fact, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra gives a higher screen-to-body ratio and resolution. One thing you will notice straight away is the difference in refresh rate.

Both displays are OLED displays but the iPhone 11 variant has a 60Hz refresh rate, whereas the Note 20 Ultra has an impressive 120Hz. This makes the Samsung flagship much smoother.

So, the clear winner in terms of the display is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Cameras

The camera department has some improvements for both these flagship phones compared to their predecessors.

The Note 20 Ultra sports a triple-camera setup with a 108MP primary lens. Accompanying it is a 12MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens. The rectangular camera module on the Note 20 Ultra also has a Laser AF sensor.

The selfie shooter is a 10MP camera that can record 4K videos @ 30/60 fps.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a square camera module with three 12MP camera lenses. Yes, all the rear cameras are 12MP that consists of a wide-angle primary camera, an ultrawide angle camera with 120-deg FOV, and a telephoto lens with up to 2x optical zoom.

Likewise, the front camera on this Apple device is also a 12MP lens that can record 4K videos @ 24/30/60 fps.

The Note 20 Ultra’s periscope zoom camera gives 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom, which Samsung calls Space Zoom. On the other hand, the iPhone 11 Pro Max only gives 10x digital zoom.

Again, if we really need to compare the video recording on these devices, the Note 20 Ultra can record up to 8K videos @ 24fps. Whereas, the iPhone 11 Pro Max can record up to 4K videos @ 60fps.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

Performance and Memory

Both Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and iPhone 11 Pro Max are high-powered flagships. Powering the Note 20 Ultra is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus but it is Exynos 990 in case of Nepal.

Regardless, there won’t be any hassle during app swapping, 3D gaming, and any high-power apps usage. You can say the same for the iPhone 11 Pro Max that uses the A13 Bionic processor.

As far as the RAM is concerned, there is a huge difference but it doesn’t seem to have too much of an impact. But if you have to know, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is available in 8GB RAM (LTE) and 128, 256, and 512 GB storage variants.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max comes in only one RAM variant – 4GB. Meanwhile, buyers can choose between 64, 256, and 512GB of internal storage. It is important to note that the storage is expandable in the case of the Samsung device, whereas it is not the case in this iPhone.

Note 20 Ultra would be a clear winner with the Snapdragon 865+ but the global version includes the inferior Exynos 990.

In terms of big storage capacity, the clear winner is the Note 20 Ultra. However, it has to be iPhone 11 Pro Max in the performance game, especially due to the inferior chipset on the Note 20 Ultra global version.

Battery Life

Let’s move on to the battery life of these incredible devices. The Note 20 Ultra has a larger battery with 4500mAh. Meanwhile, the iPhone 11 Pro Max sports a 3969mAh battery.

With modest use, the apple smartphone can go for two days without charging. The same can be said for the Note 20 Ultra but let us remind you that the S20 Ultra had a 5000mAh monstrous battery.

The Note 20 Ultra also comes with 20W fast wired and 15W wireless charging. Moreover, it also supports reverse wireless charging.

On the other hand, the iPhone 11 Pro Max supports 18W fast charging and Qi wireless charging. However, the best battery should be the one that needs to be charged the least.

For now, the winner is the iPhone just because the Note 20 Ultra has just come out with minimum tests.

Winner: iPhone 11 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro Max: Price and Availability

As mentioned earlier, there is a huge difference in the pricing of these two flagship smartphones. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (8/256GB) costs Rs. 139,999. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max is up for grabs at Rs. 206,000 for the 4/256GB variant.

Customers can pre-order the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra till September 4 and get exciting offers. The smartphone is available at Samsung brand shops and retail stores all over Nepal.

On the other hand, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has been around for almost a year now. Buyers can get their hands on Apple’s flagship device from authorized Apple resellers like Oliz Store, Evo Store, and Future World.

Smartphone Model	Price in Nepal
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (8/256GB)	NPR 139,999
iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB)	NPR 178,000
iPhone 11 Pro Max (256GB)	NPR 206,000

Overall Winner

For us, it is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Well, the Samsung device came out on top in most metrics. However, you don’t have to accept this outcome since it entirely depends on your requirements.

The verdict is also based on the fact that Samsung Note 20 Ultra comes with the magnificent S-Pen and Microsoft’s partnership that will enhance buyers’ gaming experience.

However, it doesn’t mean that the iPhone 11 Pro Max lacks special features. It has an amazing Face ID that takes a 3D scan of your face for unlocking. Also, Memoji and Animoji features capture your head movement to create a cartoon version of yourself.

Well, we have given our verdict and all we have to say at last is make your decision wisely. Again, it depends on what you need on your smartphone.