iPhone 11 Pro vs Galaxy Note 10: here's what a $ 1,000 phone buys you today

Of the three new iPhones Apple announced Tuesday, two of them – the iPhone 11 Pro (starting at $ 999) and the iPhone 11 Pro Max (starting at $ 1,099)) – cross the $ 1,000 price threshold that Apple itself created when introducing the iPhone X in 2017. Since then, the $ 1,000 superphone has become the norm for 4G devices, with high-end 5G phones like the $ 1,300. Galaxy S10 5G and Rating 10 Plus 5G achieve even higher costs. But what you get for your money does not always match the same thing, especially when you compare two phones at the same price.

In the case of the iPhone 11 Pro, its main competitors are two Samsung phones: the brand new Galaxy Note 10 ($ 949) and the Galaxy S10 Plus of March ($ 1,000). To convince iPhone fans, these Samsung devices will not matter. On the contrary, their question will boil down to what model of iPhone 11 to buy. But if you're wondering which high-end phone offers you the best value, the compromises are interesting and informative.

Keep in mind that we will not know which phone is "best" before having tested the iPhone 11 Pro and the Note 10 or the S10 Plus side by side. But we have a pretty good idea of ​​how they are going to compete.

If you're looking for the cheapest premium phone, the iPhone 11 (which updates the iPhone XR) starts at $ 699 and the Galaxy S10E starts at $ 750. (If you want to be really low, here are the best phones we tried for less than $ 500.)

Galaxy S10 Plus has the largest OLED display

For a long time, a bigger screen meant a better screen, but it's an unfair summary now. If you prefer a smaller screen, the 5.8-inch screen of the iPhone 11 Pro still leaves you plenty of room to operate without the volume of a phone anymore. large.

For pixel density, the Galaxy S10 Plus captures the corona with 522 pixels per inch versus 458 dpi for the iPhone 11 Pro and 401 dpi for the Note 10. That said, these differences are generally negligible to the naked eye. What matters most is the clarity, precision, and readability of words in a bright environment.

The color tone is also intangible – some screens have a more yellow appearance and others a harder blue. We will have to compare them side by side in various lighting scenarios to be sure. For now, let's call it a draw.

Screen size and resolution

	iPhone 11 Pro	Samsung Galaxy Note 10	Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Display size, resolution	Super Retina XDR 5.8-inch OLED; 2,436 x 1,125 pixels	AMOLED 6.3 inches; 2,280 x 1,080 pixels	6.4 inches AMOLED; 3,040 x 1,440 pixels
Pixel density	458 ppi	401 ppi	522 ppi

The triple camera of the iPhone 11 Pro promises a lot

In a first Apple, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max have a third camera on the back, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, associated with the main sensor of the camera and at telephoto with 2x optical zoom.

Both Galaxy phones also have this, as well as the ability to seamlessly switch between the three lenses. We are not sure about the picture quality. In our previous photo tests, the Galaxy S10 Plus and the iPhone XS each have an advantage, depending on the scene. But the iPhone 11 Pro has new sensors that could change the way it processes images.

We will also compare the night mode dedicated to phones, which Apple has reviewed without sharing much. The S10 Plus and Note use exactly the same software and the same objectives.

Front and rear cameras

	iPhone 11 Pro	Samsung Galaxy Note 10	Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Camera	12 megapixels (wide), 12 megapixels (ultra-wide), 12 megapixels (telephoto)	12 megapixels (wide angle), 16 megapixels (ultra wide angle), 12 megapixels (telephoto)	12 megapixels (wide angle), 16 megapixels (ultra wide angle), 12 megapixels (telephoto)
Front facing the camera	12 megapixels with face identification	10 megapixels	10 megapixels, 8 megapixels

Still, the iPhone 11 Pro can stand out in different ways. Deep fusion is a new Apple camera feature that we will see in the future that promises to combine nine photos to create a unique composition with more detail and reduced image noise. Apple will also allow you to start recording videos while you're shooting still images, which is the first time this feature is being used on a phone.

Selfies also attract a lot more attention, with a wide angle view (the Galaxy phones also have it), slow selfies and better 4K video recording. There is also a jump from 7 to 12 megapixels. While these "slofies"Attract users, it's a feature that I could see Samsung and other rivals add to their phone in less than a year.

Power of treatment is in the air

The Apple chipset is still a little impenetrable. The company compares speed and efficiency with previous models, but it's hard to weigh a processor – in this case the A13 Bionic chip – with another completely different chipset, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 used in the Galaxy S10 Plus and the Galaxy Note 10..

Based on the promises of the video and photography of the iPhone 11 (for example, a 4K video at 60 frames per second, idle selfies and the type of computer photography you need to process photos in night mode), we can assume that its chip will be a beast. But the Snapdragon 855 is too.

Once again, we will have to test everything from silky to game, through the rigorous graphics, the speed of processing photos and even the completion of daily tasks.

battery life of the iPhone could give the pursuit

Apple has just told us that the iPhone 11, Pro and Max batteries will last up to an hour, four hours and five hours longer than their counterparts last year. It's … not very descriptive, since everyone uses their phone differently.

Apple does not share battery capabilities like any other manufacturer, but CNET does internal testing to establish a baseline that we can use to compare phones. We start at 100% and loop a video in airplane mode (volume and brightness of the screen at 50%) until it goes off.

Projection of the battery life

	iPhone 11 Pro (Projection Based on CNET's iPhone XS Battery Consumption Test)	Samsung Galaxy Note 10	Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Live battery on the video loop test	17 hours, 17 minutes	16 hours (tests continue)	21 hours
Battery capacity	Unknown	3,500 mAh	4,100 mAh

We are still testing the Galaxy Note 10, but to date, the phone displays an average of 16 hours of use. If this average keeps up and the iPhone 11 Pro's battery lives up to what Apple claims, it could overtake Samsung's $ 950 phone.

Samsung's storage is much cheaper than an iPhone

Apple does not offer expandable storage, unlike Samsung (although Note 10 is an exception). Apple is also launching the iPhone 11 Pro with 64GB of built-in storage, compared to 256GB with the Galaxy Note 10 and 128GB for the least expensive configuration of the Galaxy S10 Plus.

Compared to the iPhone 11 Pro, Samsung offers you twice as much storage space to buy the Galaxy S10 Plus base model (which also supports an external 512GB storage card), and a quadruple ROM if you buy Note 10 (Again, do not confuse the $ 1099 Note 10 Plus).

You will have to shell out $ 1,149 to upgrade to 256GB of storage on the iPhone 11 Pro, which is an additional $ 200 compared to Note 10 for the same capacity.

Security updates and software: iPhone 11 at the forefront

Apple has always had the advantage here because it can transmit software and security updates to all supported phones at the same time. For example, iOS 13 will arrive on eligible iPhones on September 19th.

Meanwhile, most phone manufacturers are slow to put the latest version of Android in line with their proprietary software skins. For example, Google Pixel phones are the the only ones to sport Android 10 right now. Samsung and others regularly update their phones with patches, but major operating system updates take longer to synchronize.

Extras to go beyond

All have:

• Waterproof coatings
• Fast wired load
• Wireless charging

iPhone 11 Pro has:

Note 10 a:

• Reverse wireless charging, which allows you to charge wireless accessories and other phones to the back of the device
• S Pen Pen, a unique Samsung feature in the Note range

S10 Plus a:

• A dedicated headphone jack
• Extended storage support

When will we have a winner

We first need to look at the iPhone 11 Pro, then extensive comparison tests with the Galaxy S10 Plus and Note 10, starting with the camera.

We will come back to it as soon as possible. In the meantime, here are the five features of the iPhone 11 camera, we are looking forward to most and here is the Complete comparison of specifications between all new models of iPhone 11.

Originally published earlier this week.

iPhone 11 Pro vs. Note 10 vs. S10 Plus

	iPhone 11 Pro	Samsung Galaxy Note 10	Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Display size, resolution	Super Retina XDR 5.8-inch OLED; 2,436 x 1,125 pixels	AMOLED 6.3 inches; 2,280 x 1,080 pixels	6.4 inches AMOLED; 3,040 x 1,440 pixels
Pixel density	458 ppi	401 ppi	522 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	5.67×2.81×0.32 in	5.94×2.83×0.31 in	6.20×2.92×0.31 in
Dimensions (millimeters)	144×71,4×8,1 mm	151×71,8×7,9 mm	157.6×74.1×7.8 mm
Weight (ounces, grams)	6.63 oz; 188 g	5.93 oz; 168 g	6.17 ounces; 175 g
Mobile Software	iOS 13	Android 9.0 Pie	Android 9.0 with Samsung One UI
Camera	12 megapixels (wide), 12 megapixels (ultra-wide), 12 megapixels (telephoto)	12 megapixels (wide angle), 16 megapixels (ultra wide angle), 12 megapixels (telephoto)	12 megapixels (wide angle), 16 megapixels (ultra wide angle), 12 megapixels (telephoto)
Front facing the camera	12 megapixels with face identification	10 megapixels	10 megapixels, 8 megapixels
Video capture	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Apple A13 Bionic	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 or Samsung Exynos 9825 processor	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Storage room	64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB	256 GB	128 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
RAM	Not disclosed	8GB	8 GB, 12 GB
Expandable storage	No	No	Up to 512 GB
Drums	Undisclosed, but Apple says it will last up to 4 hours longer than the iPhone XS	3,500 mAh	4,100 mAh
Fingerprint detector	None (facial identity)	On the screen	In-screen (ultrasound)
connector	Lightning	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	No	No	Yes
Special features	Water resistant (IP68); dual SIM card (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging	Pen S Pen; Wireless PowerShare; perforated screen notch; water resistant (IP68)	Wireless PowerShare; perforated screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast wireless charging 2.0
Price excluding contract (USD)	$ 999 (64 GB), $ 1,149 (256 GB), $ 1,349 (512 GB)	$ 949	$ 1,000 (128 GB), $ 1,249 (512 GB), $ 1,599 (1 TB)
Price (GBP)	£ 1,049 (64 GB), £ 1,199 (256 GB), £ 1,399 (512 GB)	£ 899	£ 899 (128 GB)
Price (AUD)	€ 1,749 (64 GB), € 1,999 (256 GB), AU $ 2,349 (512 GB)	AU $ 1,499	€ 1,499 (128 GB)