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iPhone 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max vs. Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 lineup

We stack Apple and Samsung's 2020 flagship lineups against each other, spec by spec.

Lynn La Senior Editor / Reviews - Phones
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Lynn La

Though no one can predict the future, let alone anything that could happen in 2020, it's likely that Apple and Samsung have finished releasing their premium 5G phones for this year. In August, Samsung took the wraps off its ultra high-end Note 20 line. The new line includes two devices: the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. Both sport three rear cameras, generously sized screens and an embedded S Pen smart stylus. After that came Apple, which unveiled its iPhone 12 line in October. 

The iPhone 12 lineup features the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 ProiPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 12 Mini. These phones have Apple's powerful proprietary A14 Bionic processor and the Pro models include a new lidar scanner in their cameras for depth scanning.

To see how these devices stack up against one another, we put them side-by-side in the spec chart below. Note that because these phones all boast top-tier hardware and big screens, we didn't include the smaller iPhone 12 Mini.

iPhone 12 lineup vs. Galaxy Note 20 lineup


Apple iPhone 12Apple iPhone 12 ProApple iPhone 12 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy Note 20Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Display size, resolution 6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels6.7-inch OLED; 2,778x1,284 pixels6.7-inch OLED; 2,400x1,080 pixels6.9-inch OLED; 3,088x1,440 pixels
Pixel density 460ppi460ppi458ppi393ppi496ppi
Dimensions (Inches) 5.78x2.82x0.29 in5.78x2.82x0.29 in6.33x3.07x0.29 in6.36x2.96x0.33 in6.49x3.04x0.31 in
Dimensions (Millimeters) 146.7x71.5x7.4 mm146.7x71.5x7.4 mm160.8x78.1x7.4 mm161.6x75.2x8.3 mm164.8x77.2x8.1mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.78oz, 164g6.66 oz, 189g8.03 oz, 228g6.84 oz, 194g7.33 oz, 208g
Mobile software iOS 14iOS 14iOS 14Android 10Android 10
Camera 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto)12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto)12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto)12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 108-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera 12-megapixel12-megapixel12-megapixel10-megapixel10-megapixel
Video capture 4K4K4K8K8K
Processor Apple A14 BionicApple A14 BionicApple A14 BionicSnapdragon 865+Snapdragon 865+
Storage 64GB, 128GB, 256GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB128GB128GB, 512GB
RAM UndisclosedUndisclosedUndisclosed8GB12GB
Expandable storage NoNoNoNoUp to 1TB
Battery Undisclosed; Apple lists 15 hours of video playbackUndisclosed; Apple lists 17 hours of video playbackUndisclosed; Apple lists 17 hours of video playback4,300mAh4,500mAh
Fingerprint sensor No (Face ID)No (Face ID)No (Face ID)In-screenIn-screen
Connector LightningLightningLightningUSB-CUSB-C
Headphone jack NoNoNoNoNo
Special features 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) Lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) Lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) S Pen stylus; 5G connectivity; Wireless PowerShare; water resistant (IP68)120Hz screen refresh rate, 5x optical zoom, 120Hz display; UWB sharing, S Pen stylus; 5G connectivity; Wireless PowerShare; water-resistant (IP68)
Price off-contract (USD) $829 (64GB), $879 (128GB), $979 (256GB)$999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB)$1,099 (128GB), $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB)$800 (128GB)$1,100 (128GB), $1,250 (512GB)
Price (GBP) £799 (64GB), £849 (128GB), £949 (256GB)£999 (128GB), £1,099 (256GB), £1,299 (512GB)£1,099 (128GB), £1,199 (256GB), £1,399 (512GB)£849 (4G), £949 (5G)£929 (5G)
Price (AUD) AU$1,349 (64GB), AU$1,429 (128GB), AU$1,599 (256GB)AU$1,699 (128GB), AU$1,869 (256GB), AU$2,219 (512GB)AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,019 (256GB), AU$2,369 (512GB)AU$1,490 (4G), AU$1,649 (5G)AU$1,849 (4G), AU$1,999 (5G)

*prices listed in the chart are as of Nov. 17, 2020

The iPhone 12 Pro Max looks premium in gold

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