Samsung Galaxy S10e vs Apple iPhone XR

Samsung recently released the Galaxy S10e alongside the other Galaxy S10 lineup, as a direct competitor to the Apple iPhone XR. Just like Apple did with the iPhone XR, Samsung has given its "cheaper" variant some of the best features of its higher-end flagships, while reserving some premium features for its higher price point devices. Both handsets are priced equally at launch. So which one is better?

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Feature
iPhone XR
Galaxy S10e
Price
$749
$749
Display
6.1" Liquid Retina
5.8" Dynamic AMOLED
Resolution
1792x828 (326 ppi)
2280x1080 (438 ppi)
Processor
Apple A12 Bionic
Snapdragon 855
RAM
3GB
6GB / 8GB
Rear Camera
12MP Single
12MP + 16MP Dual
Biometrics
Face ID
Fingerprint / Face
Ports
Lightning
USB-C + 3.5mm Jack
Protection
IP67
IP68

SIZE & HANDS-ON

The larger 6.1-inch display on the iPhone XR makes it slightly bigger than the Galaxy S10e with its 5.8-inch display. Samsung's budget flagship is also thinner and lighter. While some may prefer the larger display size, others may lean toward the smaller dimensions of the Galaxy S10e for easier one-handed use.

NOTCH VS. INFINITY-O

Samsung has introduces a screen cutout called "Infinity-O," essentially a hole punched into the display for the front camera. This allowed both Apple and Samsung to offer larger screen real-estate with slim bezels. Ideally, we hope that both the notch and the punch are interim steps on the path to actual full-display phones.

SCREEN RESOLUTION

The iPhone XR was criticized for its lower-resolution LCD display. Pure quality goes to Samsung, who outfitted the Galaxy S10e with a Full HD+ AMOLED panel and support for HDR10+ for superior picture quality.

STORAGE & EXPANSION

Samsung gives customers 128GB of storage on the base Galaxy S10e, compared to Apple's 64GB. Crucially, the Galaxy S10e also includes microSD storage expansion, which Apple's iPhones continue to lack.