iPhone 12 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: compact versus phablet

Date:
Sat, 10 Jul 2021 12:00:41 +0000

Description:
Apples pocket dynamo takes on Samsungs seasoned S Pen slate in a spot of asymmetrical warfare.

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The top end of the smartphone market is ruthlessly fast-moving. Todays hot handset can start to look decidedly off the pace in just six months.

Thats not the case with our two featured handsets for today. Both the iPhone 12 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra launched in late 2020, yet they remain thoroughly relevant in the second half of 2021.

But which of these premium phones holds up better? Which one would we rather slap our own money down on today? Lets get into it. iPhone 12 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra price and availability

Apples iPhone 12 Pro arrived on October 23, 2020, with prices starting from $999 / 999 / AU$1,699 for the 128GB model. Upping that fee to $1,099 / 1,099
/ AU$1,899 gets you 256GB, while $1,299 / 1,299 / AU$2,219 gives you the range-topping 512GB model.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra came to us a little earlier in the year on August 21, 2020. Over in the US, prices started from $1,299 for the 128GB model, while UK and Australia customers had to stump up 1,179 / AU$1,849 for
a model with 256GB. The top 512GB model set you back $1,449 / 1,279 /
AU$2,199 at the time. (Image credit: TechRadar)

Youll find the same pricing holds true today for Apples phone, but you might just find a discount on Samsungs if youre lucky. Its held its price pretty well for an older Android phone, though, which reflects its enduring appeal. Design

Youll struggle to find two more distinctively handsome phones than the iPhone 12 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Despite that, they could
scarcely be more different.

Samsungs phone is bigger than Apples at 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm and 208g. The iPhone 12 Pro measures 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm and 189g. This size difference isnt a massive surprise, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max is really more of a direct competitor, but weve handled that elsewhere.

In terms of looks, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is far curvier, with a display
and a rear section that appear to melt into an almost non-existent side
frame. That frame expands into a flat top and bottom.

Apple does a lot more than hint at flatness with the iPhone 12 Pro.
Everywhere you look there are angles and perfectly symmetrical surfaces. Its
a welcome return to the days of the iPhone 5 , though it does make the iPhone 12 Pro a little less comfortable to hold in the hand than the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Samsungs phone looks particularly stunning in its Mystic Bronze variant,
which continues to be the best take on gold(ish) weve seen in a phone - probably because its more bronze than gold. Conversely, the iPhone 12 Pros Silver, Graphite, Gold, and Pacific Blue lack the same iconic appeal. (Image credit: TechRadar)

One rare common point here is that both phones use shiny stainless steel for their frames, which is much more premium (not to mention tough) than the
usual aluminum.

The iPhone 12 Pro fits a unique Ceramic Shield to its flat front, which purportedly adds a four-fold increase in drop protection over your typical display glass. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra goes with the more off-the-shelf (but still very tough) option of Gorilla Glass Victus.

Theres no getting away from it - the Samsung Galaxy Note 20s huge camera module sticks out an awful lot. But while this leads to more snaggages and table wobbles than the iPhone 12 Pros relatively petite module, Samsung has successfully made a feature of it.

We should also mention the two distinct approaches to selfie cameras. While Apple goes all in with a widows peak-shaped notch, Samsungs central hole
punch camera is far more discreet. Of course, thats because Apple has implemented Face ID for properly secure facial recognition.

Samsung, on the other hand, gives you a more COVID-friendly, but also more sluggish ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. Apples is more convenient and reliable, right up until you go out with a mask on. (Image credit: TechRadar) Display

Its no secret that Samsung supplies most of the AMOLED displays to the smartphone industry - including to Apple itself.

You shouldnt be remotely surprised, then, when we state unequivocally that
the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 wins the display round. Its bigger, sharper, brighter, and potentially faster.

Lets break that last sentence down. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch OLED compared to the iPhone 12 Pros 6.1-inch OLED.

The larger display can go up to a 1440 x 3088 (aka QHD) resolution compared
to the iPhones 1170 x 2532. And peak brightness is 1,200 nits for the iPhone 12 Pro and 1,500 nits for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Its on refresh rate that real damage is done here. While the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra can go all the way up to 120Hz, the iPhone 12 Pro is stuck at a none-too-pro 60Hz. (Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

Theres a caveat here, in that the Samsung cant maintain 120Hz and a QHD resolution simultaneously. But at least it offers you the option.

We do appreciate the fact that the iPhone 12 Pros screen (which, lets be clear, is still excellent) is perfectly flat. Samsung has lessened the curvature of its own displays in recent years, but theres still a slightly distorted effect to the left and right edges of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, meaning you dont get a perfect picture with landscape video content and the like. Cameras

Both of these phones made our recently-revised list of the best camera phones on the market, which tells you a lot about their enduring quality. But not everything.

Both are triple camera offerings that eschew gimmicky stat-bolstering sensors for the holy trinity of wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto. But thats just about where the similarities end.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (number four in the rankings, since youre asking) offers a huge 1/1.33" 108MP wide sensor thats capable of capturing suitably crisp, bright shots.

But its the 12MP telephoto sensor that really sings here. This includes a periscope lens that can produce 5x optically zoomed shots, and up to 50x hybrid zoom shots. Ignore that fanciful claim though, as such shots are unusable. Whats really impressive is the potential for decent 10x hybrid shots. (Image credit: TechRadar)

The iPhone 12 Pro (number seven on the list) cant get close on the telephoto front, with a rather underwhelming (though still crisp) 12MP 2x telephoto.

But wed possibly take the iPhones main sensor for general shooting. Its only 12MP, and its physically much smaller than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultras. But Apples algorithms are much more advanced than Samsungs and its color science is more natural-looking.

Apples software is the most advanced in the business, and this time around it adds the likes of Smart HDR 3 and Deep Fusion for better shot selection and superior contrast. The ProRAW function, meanwhile, takes the info-dense RAW format that pros use and applies the computational benefits of the JPEG format.

Apples still the video king, too. While the iPhone 12 Pro only supports up to 4K video at 60fps next to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultras 8K/24fps, Apples footage still looks better.

Overall wed give the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera the edge for its greater flexibility - that telephoto really adds something unique to the package -
but theres a case to be made for the iPhone 12 Pro as the superior point and shoot machine. (Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri) Specs and performance

Samsung has eked out a lead in a few areas at this point. But the iPhone 12 Pro absolutely hammers the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra when it comes to raw performance.

Apple is simply streets ahead of the competition with its own A-series of mobile processors, and the A14 Bionic that powers the iPhone 12 Pro is its current champ.

Samsung, by contrast, is slightly behind the packs with its own custom Exynos chips. And its one of these that powers most Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra models.

The Exynos 990 is the chip of choice for the global model, with only US and China models getting the superior Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus. The Samsung would appear to hit back with double the RAM (12GB vs 6GB), but that really doesnt mean an awful lot considering the core differences between iOS and Android. (Image credit: TechRadar)

Ultimately, the A14 Bionic scores much higher on all the benchmarks. In the CPU-focused Geekbench 5, the iPhone 12 Pro attain around 4100 for multi-core and 1600 for single-core.

Contrast that with the global Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which scores around 2748 and 900 respectively, and its not even close. The Snapdragon 865 Plus model does better, but still nowhere near as well as the iPhone 12 Pro.

Its a similar story on the GPU front, wheres Apples silicon is far more adept at chucking about polygons and fancy lighting effects than either Samsungs or Qualcomms.

In practice, this huge performance gap doesnt manifest itself all that much, if at all. No current app or game will test either device, and general tasks like app switching and jumping into the camera from sleep are super fluid on both. Indeed, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra may actually feel faster in some respects, thanks to that 120Hz refresh rate.

But this is still a big win for the iPhone 12 Pro, because its a far more future-proof device. If history teaches us anything, its that Apples current champ will feel faster for longer - partly due to that hardware advantage,
and partly because Apple supports its older devices much better than Samsung does. (Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

Indeed, software in general is another area in which Apple has a number of advantages. Youre getting the full unified Apple experience here, whereas the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra gives you Samsungs take on Googles core Android
software.

That custom OneUI interface is way more customizable than iOS 14, but its
also more cluttered and full of bloatware.

Going back to hardware, both phones give you a choice of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage. But only the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will give you the potential of microSD expansion on top of that.

Another hardware advantage of the Samsung is its built-in S Pen stylus. This is very much down to personal preference, but if you prefer to use a finely tuned digital pen to jot notes down, navigate, or even draw pictures with, then theres only one choice. Battery life

Both phones support 15W wireless charging.

If we were purely rating this section on the size of the batteries, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra would win hands down. Its 4500 mAh cell dwarfs the iPhone 12 Pros 2815 mAh equivalent.

But the iPhone 12 Pros hardware is much less demanding, with a smaller, dimmer, less sharp and less fluid display and a superior processor. And iOS
is generally more energy efficient than Android too. (Image credit:
TechRadar)

Sure enough, with light use, we could easily get the iPhone 12 Pro through to midnight with more than half the battery remaining. Its a potential two-dayer if your usage is light and you remain on a stable Wi-Fi connection.

Not that its battery life is particularly good. Its just good at being on standby. Crank up for screen on time and move between mobile networks (including 5G), and that percentage will plummet. When out and about, you can expect to lose between 1015% per hour, even if the phone isnt in constant
use.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra isnt too hot either, though. Itll still get you through a full day of moderate to heavy usage, but will leave you with only about 20% in the tank. Given the size of the phone, wed hope for more.

Recharging is equally underwhelming for both phones. The iPhone doesnt even give you a power brick - youll need to buy your own, and even then itll only support up to 20W wired. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra actually includes a 25W wired charging, but it lags well behind other competitors. Takeaway (Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

While we scored the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra higher than the iPhone 12 Pro in our initial review, the gap has arguably narrowed in the intervening months.

Both of these phones have aged well, and both are currently the second-tier flagship offerings within their respective ranges. We wouldnt have any hesitation in recommending a purchase aside from the fact that both will be directly replaced in the latter half of 2021.

But on that latter front, the iPhone 12 Pro takes a slight edge in terms of ongoing software support. Apple is much better than Samsung at this, and the iPhones superior performance also pays into this forward-looking.

Aside from performance, though, the Galaxy S20 Ultra wins in a couple of key areas. Its display is much better in virtually every way, and its camera proves more flexible thanks to an excellent zoom facility - even though the iPhone 12 Pro remains formidable in point and shoot and video capture scenarios.

Wed give the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra the edge here, but ultimately it could come down to matters of personal preference in terms of ecosystem loyalty, device size, and even Samsungs S Pen stylus. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro
Max: camera-savvy heavy hitters face off



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/iphone-12-pro-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-20-ultra-c ompact-versus-phablet/


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