The iPhone 12 Pro Max vs the Samsung Note 20 Ultra – check out these competitors

When premium smartphones go head-to-head, it’s difficult to decide which is the best option for you. If you’re investing in a top-end piece of technology, you want to know its best features and how it’s going to benefit your lifestyle. 

iPhone 12 Pro Max: superfast with a professional camera

A beautiful phone designed with plenty of modern technology that delivers excellent performance due to the A14 Bionic chip making it faster than the Samsung Note 20 Ultra. If gaming is important to you then this high-spec performance is the optimum choice. However, the screen on the Note 20 Ultra delivers a sharper OLED display and a higher brightness level. The triple cameras on both phones offer the latest generation technology and in terms of image quality, both are practically the same, except the Samsung has slightly better low-level light camera quality. The 12 Pro Max claims its winning status with its night mode feature for less harm to your eyesight when using it for long periods in low light – which is historically better on iPhones than Androids. Video footage also comes out top, being more stable and clearer. While the battery is smaller than the Note’s, size isn't what counts. Apple’s iOS is known for better battery life and the 12 Pro Max is no exception, giving you more use out of your device.

Samsung Note 20 Ultra: no need for pen and paper

The S Pen is an added feature that makes this smartphone stand out from the 12 Pro Max. This is an ideal tool if you like to make notes or draw your ideas, especially when commuting if you don’t want to get your laptop out. The Ultra has a larger screen than the Pro Max, at 6.9-inches compared to 6.7-inches – an important detail if you’re obsessed with screen size and enjoy watching videos. The Samsung also has a higher refresh rate of 120Hz, double that of the Pro Max’s 60Hz. In terms of optics, the Note 20s camera has an edge over the Pro Max, with its 5x optical zoom outweighing the Note 20s 2.5x.  Both have protective glass, the Samsung sporting Gorilla Glass, which is deemed stronger than the iPhone’s, which is constructed with ceramic glass. You can choose up to 512 GB of storage on each device, with the Samsung having the added benefit of a microSD card for extra videos and game storage – especially useful these days as we all keep so much on our smartphones.

It's not an easy choice, as both these phones are top runners for first choice. We’d select the iPhone 12 Pro Max if we had to decide, due to the unbeatable processing power and excellent night mode capabilities.