The iPhone 12 is the shiny new phone on the block, but the Samsung Galaxy S20 is still very much a formidable rival, especially since a price drop has brought both of these phones under $800.
Apple’s iPhone 12 brings a host of upgrades to the table, including a blazing A14 Bionic chip, 5G connectivity, improved cameras and a sleeker design with a tougher Ceramic Shield display. But don’t count out the Galaxy S20.
The Galaxy S20 has a lot of things going for it, including a more versatile camera system, a larger battery and a smooth 120Hz display. So which of these phones wins? Our iPhone 12 vs Galaxy S20 face-off will help you decide which device is the best phone for you.
iPhone 12 vs Galaxy S20: Price and value
The iPhone 12 starts at $799 through carriers and $829 unlocked with 64GB of storage. You can upgrade to 128GB for $849 and 256GB for $949.
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 has a list price of $999, but you’ll often find it on sale at $799 through such retailers as Best Buy and Amazon. There’s only one storage option of 128GB; all S20 models offer a microSD card slot except for Verizon.
Overall, the S20 has the edge on value provided you can find it on sale because you get double the storage for the same price. Check out our iPhone 12 deals and Galaxy S20 deals pages for the latest discounts.
Winner: Galaxy S20
iPhone 12 vs Galaxy S20: Design
The iPhone 12 brings a whole new look to this fight with its flat-edge design. The display is perfectly flat, too, unlike the Galaxy S20. Samsung’s curved display can lead to accidental touches.
Another advantage for the iPhone 12 is its Ceramic Shield display, which promises 4x the drop performance compared to iPhone 11. Apple’s handset has performed very well in iPhone 12 drop tests, so it seems to be living up to the hype.
The Galaxy S20 is a bit taller than the iPhone 12 and a bit lighter at 5.7 ounces vs 5.76 ounces for Apple’s device.
The iPhone 12 has more color options. You can take your pick from black, white, red, green and blue, whereas the S20 is limited to gray, blue, pink and white. The only strike against the iPhone 12 is the prominent notch, which looks pretty big compared to the S20’s front camera punch hole.
Winner: iPhone 12
iPhone 12 vs Galaxy S20: Display
The Galaxy S20 6.2-inch OLED display is more advanced than the iPhone 12’s 6.1-inch panel, and that’s because only Samsung’s phone supports a 120Hz refresh rate. This enables smoother scrolling and animations, as well as more fluid gameplay in titles that support 120Hz.
The S20’s screen has a resolution of 3200 x 1440, which is sharper than the 2532 x 1170 display on the iPhone 12. Samsung’s panel also wins on brightness, as it was able to reach 857 nits in our testing, compared to 569 nits for the iPhone 12.
Samsung’s display is also capable of producing more colors, as it registered 163% of the DCI-P3 color space, compared to 81% for the iPhone 12. However, the iPhone 12’s colors proved more accurate, as it turned in a Delta-E score of 0.29 vs 0.37 for the Galaxy S20. In this case, a perfect score is zero.
Winner: Galaxy S20
