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How the Samsung Galaxy S10 measures up against the iPhone XS and the Pixel 3

How the Samsung Galaxy S10 measures up against the iPhone XS and the Pixel 3

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two phones
Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Where the Samsung Galaxy S9 phones last year felt mostly iterative, the latest S10 devices are some of the company’s biggest changes yet, with the company’s modus operandi being to win over customers that didn’t shell out for an upgrade last year.

The latest S10 flagship phones are packing a punch — they have more RAM, larger storage options, newer Snapdragon processors, better screen resolution, and Wi-Fi 6 support. That means that for almost the same weight and dimensions, these phones should be faster and better for streaming Netflix in HD while on the go. There are three rear cameras rather than two and the S10 Plus has dual selfie cameras as well — along with a built-in Instagram mode.

While that all sounds impressive, the past year has also brought some serious flagships like Pixel 3, 3XL, iPhone XS, and XS Max, with the latter offering the biggest screen out of all the devices. What those phones lack, compared to the S10, are in-display fingerprint scanners and built-in cryptocurrency wallets, as well as the headphone jack.

As usual, while specs don’t always help with deciding which phone you should buy, they are useful to look at when comparing your options if you’re looking to purchase a new smartphone soon. We’ll have full reviews of the S10s in the weeks to come to help add more color, but for now here are the hard numbers. Also, if you’re looking for lower-priced devices that don’t cost around a thousand dollars, we’ve compared the S10E with its rival iPhone here.

Samsung Galaxy S10 spec comparison

SpecificationGalaxy S10Galaxy S10 PlusGalaxy Note 9iPhone XSiPhone XS MaxGoogle Pixel 3Google Pixel 3 XL
Display6.1 inches6.4 inches6.4 inches5.8 inches6.5 inches5.5 inches6.0 inches
Resolution3040 x 14403040 x 14402960 x 14402436 x 11252688 x 12422160 x 10802880 x 1440
ProcessorSnapdragon 855 in the US/ Samsung Exynos 9820 elsewhereSnapdragon 855 in the US/ Samsung Exynos 9820 elsewhereSnapdragon 845 (2.8GHz and 1.7GHz, octa-core)A12 BionicA12 BionicSnapdragon 845 (2.5GHz and 1.6GHz, 64Bit octa-core)Snapdragon 845 (2.5GHz and 1.6GHz, 64Bit octa-core)
RAM8GB8GB, 12GB6GB, 8GB4GB4GB4GB4GB
Storage128GB, 512GB128GB, 512GB, 1TB128GB, 512GB64GB, 256GB, 512GB64GB, 256GB, 512GB64GB, 128GB64GB, 128GB
Rear camera12 megapixels, 16 megapixels (ultra-wide), and 12 megapixels (wide)12 megapixels, 16 megapixels (ultra-wide), and 12 megapixels (wide)12 megapixels, 12 megapixels (wide)12 megapixels, 12 megapixels (wide)12 megapixels, 12 megapixels (wide)12 megapixels12 megapixels
Front camera10 megapixels10 megapixels and 8 megapixels8 megapixels7 megapixels7 megapixels8 megapixels, 8 megapixels (wide)8 megapixels, 8 megapixels (wide)
Battery3,400mAh4,100mAh4,000mAh2,659mAh3,179mAh2,915mAh3,430mAh
Water protectionIP68IP68IP68IP68IP68IP68IP68
Wireless charging?YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
PortsUSB-C, headphone jackUSB-C, headphone jackUSB-C, headphone jackLightning portLightning portUSB-CUSB-C
Weight0.35 pounds0.39 pounds0.44 pounds0.39 pounds0.46 pounds0.33 pounds0.4 pounds
Dimensions (in.)5.90 x 2.77 x 0.306.20 x 2.92 x 0.316.37 x 3.01 x 0.355.65 x 2.79 x 0.306.20 x 3.05 x 0.305.70 x 2.70 x 0.306.20 x 3.00 x 0.30
Starting price$899.99$999.99$999.99$999.00$1,099.00$799.00$899.00
Misc.In-display fingerprint scanner, cryptocurrency wallet, dual SIM, records video in HDR+In-display fingerprint scanner, cryptocurrency wallet, dual SIM, records video in HDR+Dual SIM, Bluetooth S Pen, iris scanner, mechanically adjustable apertureFace ID, Dual SIM, software-adjustable apertureFace ID, Dual SIM, software-adjustable apertureGoogle Duplex spam transcription, squeezable sidesGoogle Duplex spam transcription, squeezable sides

Correction February 21st, 3:07PM ET: This article previously described the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL incorrectly as rated IPX8. They are both rated IP68, meaning they’re also dust resistant.