Samsung’s finally unveiled its new top dog Galaxy S20 Ultra, which of course has led phone buyers to immediately question how it compares to Apple’s latest iPhone 11 Pro.
Here to help answer the question, we’ve run the two head-to-head, breaking down how their specs and feature sets compare.
The S20 Ultra is Samsung’s 5G offering in the all-new phone family and also the largest entry to that family, sitting above the normal S20 and the S20 Plus. So, if you’re a Samsung fan on the hunt for faster internet speeds and better streaming on the go, then this could be the phone for you.
The higher end S20 phone will of course come with a heftier price tag, but how does it compare to its rival, the iPhone 11 Pro? We crunched some of the numbers to find out.
Related: iPhone 11 Pro review — Our verdict
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro: At a glance
- The iPhone 11 has been hugely popular since release. The iPhone 11 Pro is a more high-end, premium version of the hit phone, offering more features and an extra camera.
- The iPhone 11 Pro comes with an 18w charger.
- The Samsung S20 Ultra is the high-end entry in Samsung’s new S20 family of phones.
- The S20 Ultra is 5G enabled and packs four cameras.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro: Specs and camera
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra packs an impressive four camera array. Samsung is clearly trying to out-do some of the competition here with the photo-snapping firepower that the company has crammed into this model.
The array includes a 108MP main camera, with a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 48MP 10x telephoto and a depth-sensor.
Comparably, the iPhone 11 Pro packs three 12MP sensors, wide, ultra-wide and telephoto.
Both phones will take great photos, but it looks like Samsung is trying to out-gun its main competitor on the camera front.
The S20 Ultra has some pretty impressive specs, take a look below.
- 6.9-inch 120Hz-capable display
- 108MP main camera
- 4oMP selfie camera
- 5000mAh battery
- 45w charging
- Exynos 990/Snapdragon 865
- 7nm 64-bit Octa-Core Processor (Max 2.73GHz + 2.0 GHz)
- 5G option
- 12GB/16GB RAM
- 128GB /512GB storage.
By comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro has less RAM, but does work efficiently with what it has, thanks to its A13 chip. It falls a little short in terms of storage, or at least the basic 64GB version does. If you’re getting an iPhone 11 Pro we recommend going for the heftier 256GB storage option.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro: Battery life and charging
The iPhone 11 Pro saw a good battery upgrade from its predecessors and will last most people into a second day of usage. It also has wireless charging features.
Meanwhile, the Samsung has a 5000 mAh battery + 25W fast charge. We’ll have to wait to get our hands on one to see how it really compares to that of the iPhone 11 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro: Look and feel
The iPhone 11 Pro was larger than the conventional iPhone 11. Equally the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra seems to be the biggest of Samsung’s new range. So, these are model better suited to buyers who like a bigger phone and a larger display. If you do a lot of streaming on your phone, this larger display panel could suit you.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro: How much do they cost?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra starts at £1199 and goes up to 1399. You can see below how this compares to the pricing of the iPhone 11 Pro.
| iPhone 11 | iPhone 11 Pro | ||
| 64GB | £729 / $699 | £1049 / $999 | |
| 256GB | £779 / $749 | £1199 / $1149 | |
| 512GB | £879 / $849 | £1399 / $1349 |
Related: Best Galaxy S20 Ultra Deals
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs iPhone 11 Pro: opening thoughts
Right now we can’t offer too much in terms of a definitive verdict as we’ve had a lot of time with the iPhone 11 Pro and none, at time of writing, with the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
The specs of the Ultra certainly look good on paper and we’re looking forward to getting hands on with the phone and really testing out how well it performs.
Related: Best phone 2020 — The nine best smartphones for you
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
