Comparing Apple’s iPhone X With Samsung’s Galaxy S9: Which One to Buy

Now that Samsung has released its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the company is marketing its latest Android handsets ad alternatives to Apple’s high-end iPhone X. Those three devices, two running Android and one based on iOS, are equipped with high-end processors, a variety of security options, and high-resolution OLED screens that make video, web pages and apps look sharp. But all features come at a significant cost. Those shopping for the best value for the price might not be able to easily distinguish which model might be better than the other. This slide show addresses some of those questions and to help buyers determine which model might be best for their needs.

Apple’s iPhone X comes with a 5.8-inch OLED screen featuring a 2,436-by-1,125-pixel resolution and 458 pixels per inch. It also comes with fingerprint-resistant coating and a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio. Samsung’s Galaxy S9 has a 5.8-inch curved display with a 2,960-by-1,440-pixel resolution and 570 pixels per inch. The Galaxy S9+’s 6.2-inch curved display has the same resolution as the Galaxy S9, translating to 529 pixels per inch.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 ships with a single rear-facing camera featuring a 12-megapixel sensor. It has optical image stabilization and digital zoom that magnifies up to 8 times. The Galaxy S9+ has the same camera on the back, but adds a 12-megapixel telephoto lens for a vertically aligned dual-camera array. It’s a similar story on the iPhone X, which comes with two 12-megapixel vertically aligned cameras. One is a wide-angle lens and the other delivers telephoto shots.

Apple’s iPhone X comes with the A11 Bionic chip featuring 64-bit architecture. It also has an embedded M11 motion coprocessor and a neural engine feature to accommodate a variety of augmented reality experiences. Both of Samsung’s smartphones ship on the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. While they’re both powerful, benchmarks tests indicate the iPhone X CPU outperforms the Snapdragon in the Galaxy S9 models.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 ships with 4GB of onboard memory and 64GB of storage, which Samsung argues, should suffice for most users. The Galaxy S9+ has the same 64GB of storage, but its 6GB of RAM should translate to slightly better performance with resource-intensive apps than the Galaxy S9. Those shopping for Apple’s iPhone X can choose between 64GB and 256GB of storage. Apple’s iPhone X has 3GB of RAM.

On Apple’s iPhone X, users can take advantage of a new feature the company calls Animoji. The feature tracks a person’s facial movements and translates those into fanciful 3D animal characters. The result can then be shared with friends and family over messages. The Galaxy S9s come with a feature called AR Emoji that similarly allows for messages to be sent by user-created 3D characters. However, AR Emoji offers users the ability to send a 3D version of themselves to others.

Apple and Samsung’s products have distinct designs. Apple’s iPhone X, for instance, has glass panels on both the front and back and comes with a notch at the top of its screen. That feature, which some consider an eyesore, houses the earpiece and front-facing camera. Samsung’s devices offer curved screens and like the iPhone X have eliminated the front-facing physical home button. However, Samsung’s devices come with a physical fingerprint sensor and don’t have the notch at the top of the screen.

Apple offers a single biometric security option in the iPhone X with Face ID. The feature scans a user’s face to unlock the operating system and verify purchases made through the company’s Apple Pay mobile payment service. Galaxy S9 owners will find a fingerprint sensor, iris scanner, and face scanner in the devices. A new Intelligent Scan feature uses the face scanner and iris scanner simultaneously to verify a person’s identity and give him or her access to the operating system.

Samsung offers outstanding battery life in its Galaxy S9s. The Galaxy S9 comes with talk time up to 22 hours on a single charge and can play music continuously for up to 80 hours. The Galaxy S9+ bumps those measures to up to 25 hours and up to 94 hours on talk time and music playback. Apple’s iPhone X can deliver up to 21 hours of talk time. It can play audio for up to 60 hours. All three handsets support wireless charging.

Third-party software is of course another point of concern for some users. So, it’s important to note that while the devices are running different operating systems, they provide access to all the apps users could possibly want, thanks to the Google Play marketplace on the Galaxy S9s and the Apple App Store on the iPhone X. Best of all, since all the devices are powerful, they can work with any app available in those marketplaces.

All of the devices in question are available at the major carrier networks in the U.S., including Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T. Users can also buy the devices unlocked. Samsung’s Galaxy S9 starts at $720. The Galaxy S9+ starts at $840. Apple’s iPhone X is available for $999 to start, though if users want more storage, they’ll pay $1,149.