Apple iPhone XS Max vs Samsung Galaxy S10
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone XS Max and the Samsung Galaxy S10, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £141 | £149 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 3,174 mAh | 3,400 mAh |
| Wired charging | 15W | 15W |
| RAM (max) | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.5 in | 6.1 in |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 16 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 208 g | 157 g |
| Released | Sep 2018 | Mar 2019 |
Summary: Apple iPhone XS Max is ahead on screen size. Samsung Galaxy S10 is ahead on our rating, battery, ram (max), main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S10 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Apple iPhone XS Max is the cheaper option.
Display
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Super Retina OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM) | Dynamic AMOLED, HDR10+ |
| Size | 6.5 inches | 6.1 inches, 93.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1242 x 2688 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) | 1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~550 ppi density) |
| Protection | Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
Platform
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS 12, upgradable to iOS 18.7 (as of current date) | — |
| Chipset | Apple A12 Bionic (7 nm) | Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) - USA/China or Exynos 9820 (8 nm) - EMEA |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x Vortex + 4x Tempest) | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) - USA/China or Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M4 & 2x2.31 GHz Cortex-A75 & 4x1.95 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEA |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Adreno 640 - USA/China or Mali-G76 MP12 - EMEA |
Memory
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot for dual SIM model) |
| Internal | 64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Dual 12 MP | — |
| Wide | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS | — |
| Telephoto | 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec. | 4K@60fps (no EIS), 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS |
| Triple | — | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, AF, OIS, 2x optical zoom; 16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.0µm, Super Steady video |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | Single 7 MP | — |
| Standard | 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard) | — |
| Features | HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30/60fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Single | — | 10 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF |
Battery
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 3174 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3400 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 15W wired, 50% in 30 min (advertised); Qi wireless charging | 15W wired (PD2.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm (6.20 x 3.05 x 0.30 in) | 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm (5.90 x 2.77 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 208 g (7.34 oz) | 157 g (5.54 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back (Gorilla Glass), stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and eSIM) | Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| IP Rating | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 2m for 30 min) | — |
| Protection | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Apple iPhone XS Max | Samsung Galaxy S10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2018, September 12 | February 2019 |
| Status | Available. Released 2018, September 21 | Released March 8, 2019 |
| OS | — | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 12, One UI 4.1 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone XS Max or Samsung Galaxy S10?
Samsung Galaxy S10 — 3,174 mAh for the Apple iPhone XS Max versus 3,400 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Which has more RAM, Apple iPhone XS Max or Samsung Galaxy S10?
Samsung Galaxy S10 — 4 GB for the Apple iPhone XS Max versus 8 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone XS Max or Samsung Galaxy S10?
Samsung Galaxy S10 — 208 g for the Apple iPhone XS Max versus 157 g for the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone XS Max or Samsung Galaxy S10?
Samsung Galaxy S10 — Sep 2018 for the Apple iPhone XS Max versus Mar 2019 for the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Is the Apple iPhone XS Max or the Samsung Galaxy S10 rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone XS Max 7/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S10 8/10.