With the iPhone XS freshly announced, Apples new flagship naturally stands ready for comparison to a whole host of other smartphones.
The most logical competitor is Apples fiercest rival: Samsung.
So, lets take a look at how the new iPhone XS stacks up against the Samsung Galaxy S9.One thing that weve already noticed is how many ways the two devices are similar.
From their sizes and some aspects of their design, theyve got a good bit of overlap.
Except this time, since Samsung led the charge for bezel-reduced designs, Apples not likely to take Samsung to court for the similarities.DesignNeither the Galaxy S9 nor the iPhone XS have the most original designs.
Both of them are mostly upgrades on last years flagship models with little change to the look.
The Galaxy S9 has little visibly changed from the Galaxy S8, and the iPhone XS looks a lot like the iPhone X.In size, the two phones are closely matched.
The Galaxy S9 measures 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm next to the iPhone XSs slightly shorter, shallower, but wider 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm.
The iPhone XS is built with a glass front and back and a stainless steel frame, while the Galaxy S9 uses an aluminum frame, but is otherwise all glass as well.The aluminum in the Galaxy S9 may have helped it trim a few grams.
Its weighs 163g, just a hair less than the 177g iPhone XS.Both have a premium feel with that mix of metal and glass, and both have tried to ensure their phones dont break too easily.
Youll find a dust and water-resistance rating of IP68 on both, though Apple notes the iPhone XS is rated for 30 minutes at depth of 2 meters underwater compared to Samsungs 1.5-meter depth.Samsung has used Gorilla Glass 5 to keep the Galaxy S9 from turning into a shattered mess after a shallow fall, though wed still suggest a Galaxy S9 case.
Apple has a custom design that it says is the most durable glass ever in a smartphone, but well just have to wait and see how that translates to a flat drop onto concrete.The Galaxy S9 has a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microSD card slot - three things the iPhone XS doesnt have.
To get more storage on the iPhone XS, you have to buy it up front.
Headphones can connect to the iPhone XS wirelessly, or through the Lightning Connector at the bottom of the phone.
Both phones have stereo speakers, with Samsung noting that the Galaxy S9s speakers are tuned by AKG and support Dolby Atmos.Apples iPhone XS has a notch at the top of the display where it houses the front-facing camera and sensors for Face ID unlocking.
The Galaxy S9 doesnt have a notch, but does have bezel at the top and bottom of the display, with the front-facing camera and sensors for iris scanning and facial recognition above the display.
Samsung also has a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the phone, while Apple has ditched the scanner.DisplayThe Galaxy S9 and iPhone XS displays arent all that different.
Both are 5.8-inch OLED panels, though Samsungs is Super AMOLED.
The Galaxy S9 display is also a sharp 2,960 x 1,440 resolution, which gives it an incredibly dense 570ppi.
In contrast, Apples iPhone XS display is 2,436 x 1,125 for 458ppi.While Samsung gets the edge in the pixel department, Apple boasts broader HDR support with a 60% increase in dynamic range.
The Galaxy S9 is certified for Mobile HDR Premium content, but it doesnt support Dolby Vision.
The iPhone XS does support Dolby Vision as well as HDR10, the later being an upgrade over the Dolby Vision-supported iPhone X.On paper, there are clear differences between the two displays.
But, in the real world, youre not likely to notice that much difference underneath the glass.
Both are going to look plenty crisp, with great contrast ratios.
The most noticeable thing is going to be Apples screen notch and Samsungs elegantly curved display along the sides.3D Touch and a 120Hz touch-sensing screen are differentiators the iPhone XS has, but those arent major selling features.
The Galaxy S9 will still feel plenty smooth swiping around, and it 3D Touch-like control even if it doesnt use actual pressure-sensing tech.OS and powerHeres where the iPhone XS and Galaxy S9 really separate themselves.
The iPhone XS is running iOS 12 on Apples proprietary A12 Bionic chipset, which introduces the Neural Engine for some advanced photography, video, and image processing.
The Galaxy S9 runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, though should see an update to Android 9.0 Pie early next year (probably around the same time the Samsung Galaxy S10 launches).The Galaxy S9 runs on a Snapdragon 845 chipset, which is great, but Apple has been showing the superior power of its custom chipsets, and we expect the A12 Bionic will be smashing just about all the smartphone chipset competition it gets benchmarked against.
The Neural Engine is likely going to give it the edge in AR applications as well.
That said, both phones are going to feel incredibly fast, and OS preference will play a big role in deciding a which phone is more worth your money.Neither phone is rocking a major battery either.
Samsungs Galaxy S9 has a pretty typical 3,000mAh battery.
Apple doesnt state the size of the battery in the iPhone XS, but we believe itll be somewhere slightly below the 3,000mAh mark.
The iPhone X had about a 2,700mAh , and Apple says the XS will last 30 minutes longer than last years X.
With big, bright displays, both phones should be handling about a day of use, but two days is out of the question for serious users.Both phones support wireless and fast charging, but the iPhone XS doesnt come bundled with the charger needed for fast charging, while the Galaxy S9 does.
And, Samsung often offers bundles that can include one of its wireless charging docks.On the storage front, both phones start with a base storage of 64GB.
But, the iPhone XS can go all the way up to (an absurd) 512GB of built-in storage.
That much storage will cost you, but well get into that later.
The Galaxy S9 can go up to 256GB with built-in storage, but you can upgrade it even further than the iPhone XS via the previously mentioned microSD slot.
The iPhone XS offers Apples Siri virtual assistant, while the Galaxy S9 comes with Samsungs Bixby and the option of Google Assistant.
This is another matter of preference, but while we have found Apples Siri to be falling behind next to Google and Alexa, Bixby is consistently the poorest performer in our tests.One advantage Samsung does gain in this category comes from the ability to use the Galaxy S9 as a portable computer.
By plugging it into a Dex Pad, you can connect to a keyboard, mouse, and external monitor to run the Galaxy S9 like an Android-based computer.
So, for an all-in-one solution, Samsung pulls ahead.CameraWere going to have to wait until weve had ample testing time with the iPhone XS cameras to call this faceoff.
But, theres little doubt youll be looking at phenomenal photos from either phones cameras.The new iPhone XS has a dual-sensor system on the rear with a 12MP, f/1.8 wide-angle camera and a 12MP, f/2.4 telephoto camera.
The latter gives the iPhone XS 2x optical zoom.
Theres optical image stabilization in both cameras, and Apple has a Quad-LED True Tone flash paired with the sensors.
On the video front, they can capture 4K video at up to 60fps and 1080p slo-mo at up to 240fps.The Galaxy S9 only has one image sensor on the rear, but its 12MP with optical image stabilization.
Samsung has given it a neat trick, too, with the ability to change aperture between a fast f/1.5 and f/2.4.
Since the Galaxy S9 rear camera has 1.4-micron pixels, and the iPhone XS wide-angle camera does as well, the wider aperture offered by the Galaxy S9 should at least give it stronger low-light performance.
But a lot of this comes down to software and your personal preference on how photos turn out.
When it comes to video, these phone offer the same 4K video recording resolution.
Neither has a clear advantage before we dive into camera tests.The front-facing cameras are a little different.
Samsung has an 8MP sensor on the front of the Galaxy S9 with a wide f/1.7 aperture.
It should perform better in low-light than the iPhone XSs 7MP, f/2.2 front-facing camera.
Between Samsungs AR Emoji and Apples Animoji and Memoji, their offerings are fairly similar, though.PriceSamsung takes a staggering lead in the price competition.
The Galaxy S9 starts at just $719 (739 / AU$1,199) for the 64GB model.
And, since it isnt brand new, Samsung Galaxy S9 deals arent hard to find, especially if youre into freebies by way of bundles.The iPhone XS, on the other hand, starts at the headache-inducing $999 (999 / AU$1,629), the same price as last years iPhone X.
And, thats also for the 64GB model.
For Apples 512GB iPhone XS, the price leaps up to $1,349 (1,349 / AU$2,199).With the Galaxy S9 costing about a quarter less than the iPhone XS, this part of the contest quickly goes to Samsung.TakeawayWith the Galaxy S9 and iPhone XS, youve got two incredibly capable and dazzlingly designed phones.
Since they are both more of internal upgrades than overhauls of last years flagships though, you wont be getting the freshest new looks.Both give you large, bright, and color-rich OLED screens that will impress your eyes equally, even if the on-paper specs are in Samsungs favor.
Similarly, Apple would appear to have the edge in the camera department, but only proper testing will show whether Apples dual-lens rear camera is better than Samsungs single lens.
And, when it comes to how powerful they are, Apple is probably going to show advantage in benchmarks, even if typical users will experience super smooth, snappy performance from both.For anyone who hasnt picked sides on the Android vs iOS battle, theres one serious factor thatll likely decide this face-off, and its price.
With both phones offering so much and plenty similar between them, the huge price difference that lands heavily in Samsungs favor makes the Galaxy S9 a better value than the iPhone XS.