iPhone 11 Pro vs Galaxy Note 10 | Which to spend your $1,000 on

Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro was in stores from Sept 20 and just like Samsung’s pitch in favor of the Galaxy Note 10, it is being touted as the device for people who rely on their smartphone to get things done.

Apple came out swinging just this month with the announcement of its new smartphones, and they are now firmly placed among the top handsets on the market. Considering the competition out here in the smartphone market, this is quite impressive.

Nevertheless, does the new 11 Pro stack up against the Galaxy Note 10? Well, read on to find out.

The $999, 5.8-inch iPhone sports an all-new triple-lens camera system, refined design, and Apple’s new A13 Bionic chipset stated to be the most powerful the company has ever embedded into a phone.

On the other hand, the $949, 6.3-inch Note 10 is an absolute powerhouse device packed full of excellent features, a super-powered camera and an efficient processor chip to keep things running smoothly. It also has its signature S Pen stylus, the narrowest bezels we’ve seen on a flagship handset this year (maybe this is thanks to the Infinity-O front-facing camera cutout) and comes standard with four times the storage of the iPhone 11 Pro.

Which new phone is the best for anyone who’s looking for a lot of features packed into their handset? Here’s how the iPhone 11 Pro and Galaxy Note 10 compare.

iPhone 11 Pro vs. Galaxy Note 10: Specs

iPhone 11 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10 display: Which looks best?

The Galaxy is bigger but has roughly the same technology behind the display as compared to the iPhone 11 Pro which is shorter than the Galaxy Note 10, but both devices are just about equally wide and thick. Although despite the fact that Note 10 is carrying an entire stylus, Apple’s handset turns out to be noticeably heavier; 6.63 ounces to the Note’s 5.93.

Additionally, we can’t deny the fact that the Note 10 offers a fresher design, too, with slimmer bezels, a larger screen-to-body ratio, and no notch. Samsung opted for a very small hole punch-style camera within the display.

The Note 10 has a 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED display that houses 2280×1080 pixels and the screen stretches out of the entire front of the phone. It is a super expansive screen and has HDR+ and a massive range of color and TrueTone, meaning games, pictures, and Netflix all look amazing on-screen.

When it comes to the iPhone 11 Pro, it has a smaller, more refined display, measuring 5.8-inches. Apple released a new bit of screen tech with the 11 series, bringing in the Super Retina XDR OLED display which has more pixels stuffed into it (2436×1125).

However, depending on which phone you choose, both are super-powered OLED displays with HDR capabilities that look bright and powerful. The displays will perform incredibly well no matter where you are using it because each is capable of looking bright and clear in extreme sunlight or pitch blackness.

But you might want to keep that in mind that if you watch a lot of content on your phone, the iPhone 11 Pro might look a bit clearer because of its smaller screen size and with more pixels back in.

iPhone 11 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10 camera: Triple threats or Nah?

Of course, the biggest difference with the iPhone 11 Pro’s design comes courtesy of its triple-lens cameras which appears to be a trend for smartphones recently; each of which protrudes out of a larger, sculpted ugly square base. It doesn’t look as bad as we feared it might from leaked renders, though compared to the Note 10’s much more streamlined approach, it sticks out like a sore thumb!

However, the iPhone 11 Pro received its “Pro” status thanks to its camera, and we do feel that this device might just be the better option if you like taking snaps.

Apple packed a trio of 12-megapixel cameras into its 2019 flagship; a telephoto capable of 2x optical zoom, and another that is tied to a 120-degree ultra-wide lens that can pull out to 0.5x zoom. The front-facing camera has also been upgraded, up from a 7-MP sensor in the iPhone XS to a new 12-MP one capable of slow-motion video touted “slofies”.

The 11 Pro also has a dedicated Night Mode which takes incredible photos at ultra-low-light, meaning those night-club snaps and sunset selfies will glow and look bright, without losing quality. Apparently there’s a software behind the camera that makes this smartphone impressive. Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and a new advancement called Deep Fusion; which will take several photos before you even click the shutter button, piecing together the best pixels from each shot to give you the optimum image. We have no idea how this tech works, but this technical wizardry makes pictures look incredible.

Another improvement on the iPhone 11 is the taking of videos, as you can film from both lenses at the same time, giving you different perspectives from the same angle. For example, if you are filming a football match in a stadium, you can use the regular wide lens and seamlessly switch to the ultra-wide without losing quality or time in the shot to get that full-pitch angle.

Now in comparison, the Galaxy Note 10 also has three lenses on the rear a bit similar to Apple’s. The primary 12-MP lens is flanked by 12-MP telephoto and 16-MP ultra-wide shooters, the last of which pulls out to a 123-degree field of view.

Although the difference is that Samsung has an aperture advantage as well; while the iPhone’s main lens is fixed at ƒ/1.8, the Note’s can switch from ƒ/1.5 to ƒ/2.4, depending on the lighting of the scene.

Note 10 also has similar software features like Light Mode, but sadly the phone has lacked quality in recent tests and doesn’t hold up as expected.

iPhone 11 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10 battery: Which one lasts longer?

Note 10 has an outrageously large 3,500mAh battery that sees it get a day’s average use. If you use it heavily with games and apps running on a bright screen you should expect around 9 hours of use. The Galaxy phone also comes with a 25W charger so it will charge super-fast (you get about 50% of your battery in half an hour).

On the other hand, Apple may not be advertising it, but the iPhone 11 Pro has a bigger battery than its predecessor, rated at 3,046 mAh. If that’s true, the new iPhone’s battery is more than 400 mAh bigger than the one in the iPhone XS, and about 400 mAh smaller than the one inside the Galaxy Note 10.

Nevertheless, the company is really pushing the battery power with the iPhone 11 pro, claiming it is the longest-lasting battery the company has ever built. At the Apple Event, Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed you would get an average of four hours more battery from the iPhone 11 Pro compared to last year’s 5.8-inch model. And for the first time, Cupertino is shipping these premium models with 18-watt USB Type-C chargers in the box.

Previously, iPhone owners had to buy their own fast chargers, although the 6.1-inch iPhone 11 still doesn’t come with one. This faster charger gets the device to 55% capacity in a half-hour according to tests. The Galaxy Note 10’s 25W brick got the phone to 47% in the same amount of time.

Both devices may support wireless charging, but only the Note 10 can wirelessly charge other devices.

iPhone 11 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 10 conclusion: So which smartphone should you get?

The iPhone 11 Pro ships with iOS 13 on board, which offers new features like Dark Mode, Look Around in Maps, Voice Control for hands-free system navigation and swipe typing.

BTW iOS 13 just came out recently, Sept. 19, for current iPhones, a day before the new models arrived in stores.

The Galaxy Note 10 sports Samsung’s One UI interface atop Android 9 Pie, with Android 10 likely to come next year.

Nonetheless, the device’s S Pen feature is what really differentiates it from other phones on the market, like the ability to transcribe notes and navigate some apps using the stylus’ Air Gestures. There’s also Samsung’s Dex Mode, which allows you to access a desktop interface for your Note when plugged into a monitor or PC.

However, whether you’re into Apple products or not you’ll have to bear with our honesty, we do think the iPhone 11 Pro is a better handset.

It may be much more expensive, but Apple has pulled the stops out with the new handsets and made the battle for the best smartphone much more interesting, especially if taking the best possible photos is extremely important to you. Or if you’re an iPhone user who could really use some extra battery life, the iPhone 11 Pro presents a worthwhile upgrade.

Bigger battery, more compact and punchy screen and the fantastic camera (ignoring how ugly the square bump is) all definitely makes this a worthy upgrade.

Although there’s no objection if you want to stay loyal to Android because you will not be upset with the Note 10, as it is still the best device from that OS.

Based on its more futuristic design, the Galaxy Note 10 isn’t a bad choice either as the added functionality of the S Pen and all the extra storage you get for $200 less than you’d have to pay for a similar iPhone. Those especially concerned with price can take the camera and performance shortcomings in stride knowing they got the best bang for their mullah.

If you have budget restrictions go for the Galaxy Note 10, but if you want to treat yourself, we suggest the iPhone 11 Pro.