The Galaxy S20 and the iPhone 11 were two of the most popular smartphone models on the market in 2020. Apple released their flagship series in September 2019, while Samsung followed up with the S20 series in February 2020. Let's see how these two rivals compare head to head.

Camera

Both the iPhone 11 and Galaxy S20 come with excellent cameras, with which most average users will likely be satisfied. The iPhone 11 has two rear camera lenses including a 12MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide camera. The Galaxy S20 boasts an extra lens for 3 total: 12MP main, 64MP telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide. This gives the Galaxy S20 the advantage with more photo versatility and better zoom capabilities, but both phones have Night Modes that deliver great low-light shots.

Battery

In terms of battery life, the Galaxy S20 has a 4000 mAh battery while the iPhone 11 has a 3110 mAh battery. On paper, that means that the S20 should last longer on a single charge than the iPhone 11, but in testing, the iPhone 11 actually delivered 1-2 more hours on average. This is likely due to the efficiency of Apple software and processor.

Display

The display is very similar for these devices: the Galaxy S20 features a 6.2 inch display with 1440 x 3200 px resolution while the iPhone 11 features a 6.1 inch display with 828 x 1792 px resolution. The S20 does offer a better video viewing experience with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

Color and Storage Options

Both phones come in multiple colors; The Samsung Galaxy S20 was released in Cosmic Gray, Cloud Blue and Cloud Pink while you can find the Apple iPhone 11 in Black, White, Green and Purple colors. In terms of storage capacity, you'll find more options available on the iPhone 11. The iPhone 11 offers internal storage options of 64, 128 and 256 GB, while the Galaxy S20 only comes with 128 GB, but it does offer external storage up to 1TB.

Processor

When it comes to chipset & processor speed as well as RAM capacity, the Samsung Galaxy S20 offers a Snapdragon 865 chip along with an octa-core processor clocked at 2.73 GHz & 2.5 GHz respectively, coupled with 12GB RAM. Apple’s iPhone 11 packs the A13 Bionic chip along with Hexa-core processor clocked at 2.65GHz & 1.8GHz respectively, coupled with only 4GB RAM. However, Apple's chip normally outperforms Samsung's meaning it generally runs faster, but the 3x RAM that the S20 offers gives it an advantage in multi-tasking.

Overall, the iPhone 11 was originally released at a lower price, so you might find it for less compared to the Galaxy S20. You'll also find more battery life, faster processing and more internal storage options on the iPhone 11. The Galaxy S20 on the other hand gives you a brighter, smoother display, more versatile camera and 5G connectivity. So you'll likely be happy with either phone, but you'll want to pick one based on what you value in your smartphone.