Apple iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy S9+: Which is Better?

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At the moment, the iPhone X and the Galaxy S9+ are two of the best phones in the mobile market right now, and you can’t go wrong picking up either. They’re like the best of both worlds and if you’re wondering which one to go for, this article should give you valuable pointers.

We’ve already done full reviews on both devices. If you need to check the nitty-gritty of the whole thing, the first impressions and full review articles are listed below:

Price

When I reviewed the iPhone X last year, I did mention that it was a bit overpriced. My opinion hasn’t changed. At $1,000, the iPhone should be close to perfect, but this isn’t the case. I was even recently talking about a bug on the phone that remains unfixed since last year. Although it’s got a great design, nice features and all, I’m still think the iPhone X should have been around $800.

The Galaxy S9+, on the other hand, costs only $839. It’s cheaper, and you’re definitely getting value for your money.

But in the long run, we all know Apple products tend to retain value over time. If you’re planning to upgrade next year and you intend to sell your iPhone X on eBay or OLX, there’s a good chance you might sell it at a fairly good price if well used.

Design

Coming to the design, this is a matter of personal preference. I think both devices are well designed and look great. Apparently, both of them are fragile with glass around the front and back for wireless charging. However, the main reasons a lot of people dislike the iPhone X are the presence of a notch and the absence of an audio port.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ doesn’t have a notch and you still have the good old port for your headphones. That’s another plus.

Display

The displays on both devices look great. With the iPhone X using an OLED display manufactured by Samsung with a bit of improvement from Apple, the Galaxy S9+ sports Samsung’s fabulous Super AMOLED panel.

However, if an ultra-bright and a highly saturated display is your thing, the 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S9+ is what you’re looking. The iPhone X on the other hand also has an OLED display, but I think it’s got a better color accuracy.

Nonetheless, the bigger display on the Galaxy S9+ is definitely another advantage. The iPhone X has a 5.8-inch screen with the notch still taking a chunk of it.

Performance

On the performance side of things, I think both devices are more or less the same. Both ave great processors. Even though you have 6GBs of RAM on the Galaxy S9+ and just 3GBs of RAM on the iPhone X, the iPhone X is definitely no slouch.

iOS is optimized to function optimally on little resources. Both process heavy stuff efficiently, both have great multitasking capabilities. Although there’s a bit of a gap in benchmark scores, real-life performance is more or less the same on both devices.

Software

You can’t compare these two phones without talking about the operating system, and I’m not trying to start the usual Android vs iOS war. While some prefer Android because of its flexibility, some love iOS because of its simplicity.

But if the annoying restrictions on iOS are not for you, you should stay off the iPhone X. Samsung puts all the control in your hand, just like every other Android device manufacturer.

But still, some people love iOS as it is. I do. As a matter of fact, I’m comfortable using both operating systems. In this regard, it boils down to choice.

Battery Life

When I reviewed the Galaxy S9+, I said that the battery life was poor. It’s still poor. And I guess it’s because I’m using the Exynos 9810 variant. It’s actually below average. The iPhone X has much a better battery life but I can’t say how that compares with the Snapdragon 845 variant of the Galaxy S9+.

The bottom line is, the iPhone X has a much better battery life than the Galaxy S9+ judging with my own personal experience.

Security

Talking about security, all you have on the iPhone is Face ID. Even though Face ID has about 98% success rate and works in all kinds of lighting condition, I sometimes wish there was a fingerprint sensor.

On the Galaxy S9+, you’ve got Face unlock, iris unlock, and fingerprint unlock. There are so many options and that’s a good thing.

Camera

With the Galaxy S9+ camera, Samsung is setting a new standard for flagship devices. The variable aperture feature is a new trend I see a lot of device manufacturers adopting starting this year. In extreme low-light photography, it makes a whole lot of difference. I tried comparing photos shot in low light from these two phones and the shot taken with the Galaxy S9+ looks way better. It’s brighter, less grainy, and more detailed. That’s what you can achieve with a f/1.5 wide aperture.

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Well, regular photos on both devices look great and it’s difficult to pick a winner.

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The Galaxy S9+ photos look bright and colorful in a lot of cases, but the iPhone X images tend to stay true to natural colors. Both have their strengths and weakness which cannot be covered in this article, but the bottom line is that both have incredible cameras and that highlights how far mobile photography has come.

Conclusion

Choosing which phone is better eventually comes down to your needs and personal preference. Despite its flaws, the iPhone X still remains a formidable device used as the yardstick to benchmark other phones. The Galaxy S9+ too brings in improvements where the iPhone X lags.

You can’t go wrong picking up either of these off the shelf even though it appears the Galaxy S9+ has several advantages over the iPhone X. Ultimately, this kind of completion in the mobile market favors the consumers, not the manufacturers.