Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S20
The Quick Answer
Both flagships deliver premium experiences with meaningful tradeoffs.
The Verdict
Both flagships deliver premium experiences with meaningful tradeoffs. Apple's iPhone 13 Pro Max edges ahead with its superior A15 Bionic processor, ProRes video recording at 4K 60fps with Dolby Vision, and exceptional 1000-nit display brightness paired with 120Hz LTPO technology for fluid scrolling. The 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen is arguably more color-accurate, and MagSafe wireless charging offers practical ecosystem benefits. Samsung's Galaxy S20 counters with a sharper 3200x1440 AMOLED display, brighter 1200-nit peak brightness, more RAM (12GB vs 6GB), and a versatile camera array headlined by a 64MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom. The Snapdragon 865 and Adreno 650 GPU remain competitive, though the A15 pulls ahead in raw performance. Battery capacity favors Samsung at 4000mAh versus 4352mAh on the larger iPhone, though both deliver similar all-day endurance. Camera quality heavily depends on use case: iPhone excels with video and computational photography, while Samsung's telephoto and 8K recording provide different advantages. At $100 less, the Galaxy S20 offers solid value with better display resolution and more RAM, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max's processing power and premium software experience justify the premium for those prioritizing performance and video creation.
Who Should Buy
Buy the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max if…
- →ProMotion 120Hz display arrived for first time on iPhone Pro
- →Best-in-class battery life among 2021 iPhones
- →ProRes video recording up to 4K
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S20 if…
- →Compact flagship with 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED
- →5G support across all S20 models
- →12 GB RAM was generous
Category Scores
Pros & Cons
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pros
- ProMotion 120Hz display arrived for first time on iPhone Pro
- Best-in-class battery life among 2021 iPhones
- ProRes video recording up to 4K
- Macro photography with ultrawide camera
- Cinematic mode for shallow depth-of-field video
Cons
- Very heavy at 238 g
- Notch still present despite slimmed-down design
- Lightning connector limiting transfer speeds
- Large size is unwieldy for smaller hands
Samsung Galaxy S20
Pros
- Compact flagship with 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED
- 5G support across all S20 models
- 12 GB RAM was generous
- microSD card slot
- Lightweight at 163 g
Cons
- 120Hz required FHD+ resolution at launch
- $999 base price was a $100 increase
- Slow 25W charging
- 64 MP telephoto hybrid zoom not as sharp as optical
- 8K video was impractical due to file sizes
Full Specifications
| Spec | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S20 |
|---|---|---|
| Software | iOS 15 | Android 10, One UI 2.1 |
| Body | ||
| Weight | 238 g | 163 g |
| Material | Stainless steel frame | Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 6 |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.65 mm | 151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9 mm |
| Camera | ||
| Main camera | 12 MP | 12 MP, f/1.8, OIS |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 10 MP, f/2.2 |
| Video | 4K@60fps Dolby Vision ProRes | 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps |
| Telephoto | 12 MP 3x | 64 MP, f/2.0, 3x hybrid zoom |
| Ultrawide | 12 MP | 12 MP, f/2.2 |
| Memory | ||
| RAM | 6 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage options | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB | 128 GB |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 4352 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Charging | 27W wired | 25W wired |
| Wireless charging | 15W MagSafe | 15W wireless |
| Display | ||
| Size | 6.7 inches | 6.2 inches |
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, LTPO | Dynamic AMOLED 2X |
| Resolution | 2778 x 1284 | 3200 x 1440 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Brightness (nits) | 1000 | 1200 |
| Processor | ||
| CPU | Hexa-core | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz + 3x2.42 GHz + 4x1.8 GHz) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (5-core) | Adreno 650 |
| Chipset | Apple A15 Bionic | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| Connectivity | ||
| 5G | ||
| NFC | ||
| USB | Lightning | USB-C 3.2 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
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