Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Apple iPhone X
It’s the Battle of the $1,000 Smartphones! That Figure Is No Doubt Substantial, Especially Considering How Flagships Were Typically Priced Around the $650...
Design
Right off the bat, we’ll certainly agree that the iPhone X is easier to handle. Apple's pride and joy still requires two-handed operation sometimes, but it is still more manageable than the Note 9, which is significantly taller, wider, and heavier. Nevertheless, they both boast the glass-meets-metal design that has become the standard amongst flagships. However, the stainless-steel frame of the iPhone X makes the construction a bit sturdier-feeling in the hand than the Note 9 vs iPhone X.
To Samsung’s credit, though, they’ve engineered a masterpiece. For a phone of its caliber, the Note 9 deserves attention for including a 3.5mm headphone jack, a slot for the S Pen, dual speakers, a heart rate sensor, an iris scanner, and a fingerprint sensor. All of that is housed in a premium design that has an IP68 water-resistant construction – versus the IP67 rating of the iPhone X. And then there’s the matter regarding the iPhone X’s notch, which does take a little away from the uniformity of the phone. So, while the iPhone X feels like the more solidly constructed phone, the Note 9 certainly shows us it’s that a phone can still look good while retaining a full set of features in the process.
It’s also worth pointing out the advantages that come along with the Note 9’s S Pen, which now features Bluetooth LE for even more functionality. From jotting down quick notes to sketching a drawing, the S Pen is a valuable tool that the iPhone X can’t emulate. Adding to that, the S Pen is now an extension of the Note 9 because it can be used as a remote shutter for the camera, a clicker of sorts when navigating through a slideshow presentation, and it can even be used for media playback functions.
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Display
On the surface, we can say that the displays on both phones are exquisite – exhibiting top-notch qualities that capture our attention. In the specs department, it’s a solid win for the Note 9 and its larger 6.4-inch Quad-HD+ 1440 x 2960 Super AMOLED display. There are more pixels crammed into it than the iPhone X’s 5.8-inch 1125 x 2436 Super Retina OLED panel. But in reality, most people would be hard-pressed to notice the Note 9’s details superiority from a normal viewing distance.
Moving beyond the details, the two displays actually boast several favorable qualities. In particular, they have wide viewing angles, excellent color temperatures, and accurate color reproductions in the sRGB color gamut chart. The only notable thing to mention, though, is that the iPhone X achieves a peak brightness output of 640 nits – versus 575 nits with the Note 9. Regardless of that, there are no issues whatsoever when trying to view either displays outdoors in direct sunlight.
And about that notch on the iPhone X, some might see it as a distraction, while others may not be bothered by it at all. But we have to admit that it breaks up the display’s uniformity and can even be annoying when watching full-screen videos because of the cutout.
Display measurements and quality
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