If you have $1100, should you get the Note 10+ or iPhone XS Max?
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Samsung's best
Galaxy Note 10+
Pros
- Outstanding AMOLED display
- Gorgeous hardware
- Consistently good cameras
- Great battery life and charging speeds
- The S Pen is unmatched
Cons
- Not that different from the cheaper S10+
- First Note without a headphone jack
If you want one of the most gorgeous and powerful smartphones money can buy, the Galaxy Note 10+ is the way to go. It's equipped with a ridiculously good display, has great battery life, super-fast charging speeds, and the S Pen is still unmatched in the smartphone space. You're getting a lot for your money.
Ultimate iPhone
iPhone XS Max
Pros
- Blazing-fast performance
- AMOLED display is colorful and color-accurate
- Face ID is stupidly good
- iMessage, AirDrop, etc.
Cons
- Cameras aren't very impressive
- Using a Lightning port in 2019 is annoying
- The iPhone 11 Pro is right around the corner
The iPhone XS Max is, unsurprisingly, the best iPhone you can buy. It has a huge display that's a joy to look at, it's got the fastest mobile processor currently available, and iOS comes with all of the goodies you've come to expect — such as iMessage, AirDrop etc.
If you've got $1100 burning a hole in your pocket and want a premium flagship smartphone, you can't go wrong with either of these two options. Both the Note 10+ and iPhone XS Max bring a lot to the table, but if it were our money, we'd pick Samsung's offering. The Note 10+ has a more vibrant display, more capable rear cameras, superior battery life/charging, and the endless functionality that comes with the S Pen. Then again, if an iPhone is what you're after, the XS Max is the best of the best.
Why the Galaxy Note 10+ wins this battle
Both of these phones justify their steep price tags in their own right, but if we had to pick a winner between the two, the Galaxy Note 10+ goes that extra mile to stand out as something special.
The display is the thing you interact with most on your phone, and with the Note 10+, you're getting one of the very best screens the smartphone market has to offer. It's big, colorful, super sharp, and often looks too good to be true. Whether you're watching videos, playing games, or just scrolling through Twitter, this is a display that'll make everything on your phone look stupendous.
Such a large and vibrant display draws a lot of power, but this is another area where the Note 10+ soars. The 4,300 mAh unit allows for awesome endurance, with it consistently having enough juice for a full day's worth of use in our testing. On top of that, Samsung's charging options blow the XS Max out of the water. The Note 10+ comes with a 25W wired charging brick in the box, which is already miles better than the 5W charger that comes with the iPhone. If you want to go even faster, you can buy a more powerful adapter that delivers 45W speeds. Wireless charging is snappy, too, with the Note 10+ seeing 15W charge speeds in these regards.
Cameras are another strong suit for the Note 10+. Not only is the main 12MP shooter great for day-to-day use, you also get reliable telephoto and ultra-wide angle sensors to give you added flexibility with the types of photos you can capture. The iPhone XS Max also offers a telephoto camera along with its primary lens, but the absence of an ultra-wide option is sorely felt in 2019.
Last but certainly not least, we can't talk about the Note 10+ without mentioning the elephant in the room — the S Pen.
There's nothing quite like the S Pen on any other smartphone, and it helps the Note 10+ stand out quite a bit. You can use the S Pen for a wide variety of things, such as taking hand-written notes without having to unlock the phone, a remote camera shutter button, presentation clicker, and much more.
Some people might see the S Pen as a gimmick, but once you get used to using it, it's tough to live without it.
| Note 10+ | iPhone XS Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie One UI 1.5 |
iOS 12 |
| Display | 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 3040 x 1440 HDR10+ |
6.5-inch Super Retina HD 2688 x 1242 HDR |
| Processor | Snapdragon 855 | A12 Bionic |
| Memory | 12GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB | 64GB/256GB/512GB |
| Expandable | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Rear Camera 1 | 12MP wide-angle f/1.5-2.4 aperture |
12MP wide-angle f/1.8 aperture |
| Rear Camera 2 | 12MP telephoto f/2.1 aperture |
12MP telephoto f/2.4 aperture |
| Rear Camera 3 | 16MP ultra-wide f/2.2 aperture |
❌ |
| Rear Camera 4 | VGA DepthVision f/1.4 aperture |
❌ |
| Front Camera | 10MP f/2.2 aperture |
7MP f/2.2 aperture |
| Security | Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor | Face ID |
| Ports | USB-C | Lightning |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh 45W wired 15W wireless |
Unspecified (up to 15 hours of video playback) 18W wired 10W wireless |
| Water Resistance | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9mm 196g |
157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7mm 208g |
Where the iPhone XS Max still stands strong
While we think the Note 10+ is the superior phone in this comparison, there are a couple of areas in which the iPhone XS Max still stands out strong.
Apple's A12 Bionic processor is the fastest around, the XS Max's AMOLED display looks incredible, and Face ID is undeniably the best face unlock system we've seen on a smartphone so far. In just about every regard, the iPhone XS Max is a strong performer.
When pitted against the Note 10+, however, what really makes the XS Max shine is the fact that it runs iOS. That might seem like a divisive thing to say on a website called "Android Central", but it's true. Say what you will about iOS not being as customizable, there are certain things it offers that just will not find on an any Android smartphone.
What are we talking about? iMessage is one of the most popular messaging apps around, and the iPhone is the only way to access it. AirDrop is also an incredible feature, allowing you to easily share files and text between an iPhone and a Mac if you use one.
Then there's the matter of software support. The iPhone XS Max is bound to get major software updates for multiple years to come, meaning you can buy it today and know that it'll continue to get new features and security patches for quite a while. Samsung, on the other hand, has a rocky track record for software updates. The Note 10+ will more than likely get Android 10 and 11, but you might end up waiting a while for them to arrive. Samsung can also be sporadic with its security update rollouts, which is something to keep in mind if that's important to you.
Buy the phone that's the best fit for you
It's fun to compare Android flagships against iPhones, but at the end of the day, your best bet is to purchase the phone that'll fit best into your lifestyle.
The Note 10+ is an incredible piece of tech and the device we prefer, but if you're deep in Apple's ecosystem and want something that'll work well with your other fruit-branded gadgets, the iPhone XS Max makes the most sense. Sure, the Note 10+ might technically be the better phone in a lot of regards, but if you're all about the Apple life, go for the iPhone.
On the other hand, if you're more platform agnostic and are either comfortable with using Android or want to try it for the first time, the Note 10+ is a force to be reckoned with. Yes, it's expensive, but it's also one of the best Android phones you can buy right now.
If you are considering the iPhone, just keep in mind that Apple is expected to announce new models in early-September. The XS Max is still an incredible handset, but if you want to save some money on it or wait for the latest and greatest, it might be best to hold off on making your purchase for a little while longer.
Samsung's best
Galaxy Note 10+
The best Galaxy phone you can buy in 2019.
There's not much the Note 10+ doesn't do. It has one of the best displays currently available on a smartphone, a huge battery with fast charging speeds, three capable rear cameras, and one of the most stunning designs around. Yes, it's a bummer that the headphone jack is gone, but if you want a phone that does it all, the Note 10+ is for you.
Ultimate iPhone
iPhone XS Max
The biggest, baddest iPhone around (at least for now).
For those of you that want an iPhone, the iPhone XS Max represents the very best Apple has to offer — at least for right now. The XS Max has unmatched performance, a great display, and some of the best software support of any smartphone out there. Just keep in mind that Apple is preparing to announce its successor in early-September.
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