Compare iPhone XS vs Samsung Galaxy S10: Specs, Features, Price (Unofficial)

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 13 Feb 2019

Galaxy S10

While the Galaxy S10 series is yet to be officially unveiled by Samsung, detailed leaks over the last couple of weeks have left little for one’s imagination. So, based on these leaks, how do the Galaxy S10 specs compare to the iPhone XS? 

The Galaxy S10 is easily going to be one of the best Android smartphones to release this year. Just like Apple, Samsung has been receiving tough competition from Chinese OEMs and with the Galaxy S10, the company is hoping to keep its numero uno spot in the smartphone market intact. The Galaxy S10 and S10+ will also take on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max which also features a 7nm chipset, an impressive dual-camera setup, and more. Between the two then, which phone is better? The Galaxy S10 or the iPhone XS?

Compare Samsung Galaxy S10 vs iPhone XS Specs

IP Certification IP68 IP68
Dimensions N/A 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm
Weight 157g 177g
Display 6.1-inch QHD+ (3040 x 1440), 550ppi 5.8-inch (1125×2436) OLED display
Infinity-O Display 120Hz touch-sensing, bezel-less design
HDR10+ Certified HDR certified, 3D Touch
800nits brightness 600nits+ brightness
Chipset 8nm Exynos 9820 7nm A12 Bionic
7nm Snapdragon 855
RAM 6, 8GB RAM 4GB RAM
Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 64GB, 256GB, 512GB
Camera Primary: Primary:
12MP Dual Aprture (f/1.5, f/2.4) 12MP OIS (f/1.8)
1.4um pixel 1.4um pixel
Dual Pixel, OIS OIS
Secondary: Secondary:
16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle (123-degree) 12MP (f/2.4) telephoto sensor
4K@60fps video recording 4k@60fps video recording
Zoom effect Portrait mode with Depth control
Color point effect Portrait Lighting
Live Focus Smart HDR
Front Camera 10MP, f/1.9 aperture 7MP, f/2.2 aperture
Dual Pixel AF TrueDepth
4K video recording Full HD video recording
Battery 3100mAh 2658mAh
Fast wireless charging, Reverse Wireless Charging 7.5W Qi wireless charging
Fast wired charging Fast (18W) wireless charging
Connectivity USB-C Lightning connector
3.5mm headphone jack
Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi ac
Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.0
NFC NFC
Dual SIM Dual SIM
microSD card Face ID
Software Android 9.0 Pie iOS 12
One UI
Software Features AR Emoji Animoji
Stickers Memoji
Samsung Pay Apple Pay

Compare Samsung Galaxy S10 vs iPhone XS Features

iPhone Xs Max back

While the Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS trade blow in most department, the former does have an advantage in many areas. The Galaxy S10 packs many features which the iPhone XS lacks. Below is a look at some of them.

In-display Fingerprint Scanner

While the iPhone XS only relies on Face ID as a form of biometric authentication, the Galaxy S10 and S10+ feature an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner apart from Face unlock. The latter is obviously not as secure as Face ID since it only uses the front camera for authentication but the addition of ultrasonic fingerprint sensor means that users at least have an option. While Face ID might be good, it definitely has its own set of annoyances and that’s where the inclusion of an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S10 comes in.

4K Video Recording from Selfie Camera

The Galaxy S10 and S10+ come with an upgraded 10MP f/1.9 aperture selfie camera with Dual Pixel. Apart from improved image clarity, the upgraded selfie camera along with the more powerful Exynos 9820/Snapdragon 855 chipset allows the S10 to record 4K videos from the selfie camera — the first for a smartphone. In comparison, the iPhone XS and XS Max are limited to recording videos in Full HD resolution from the front camera.

Reverse Wireless Charging

Many might call this a gimmick but the Galaxy S10 series comes with reverse wireless charging. This means that one can use the Galaxy S10 to charge other devices that support wireless charging. While using the phone to charge another phone might be impractical, at least it can be used to charge something like the Galaxy Buds — Samsung’s upcoming AirPods competitor — or the AirPods itself once Apple gets around to releasing its Qi-compatible wireless charging case.

More RAM and Storage

Even if one removes the inclusion of a microSD card slot on the Galaxy S10 from the equation, it is commendable to see Samsung ship the base variant of its flagship phones with 128GB storage and 6GB RAM. Apple should definitely learn from this as it continues to ship the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max with 64GB storage.

Compare Samsung Galaxy S10 vs iPhone XS Price

The iPhone XS starts from $999. The Galaxy S10 will certainly have a lower price tag of around $800-$900. Plus, unlike Apple, Samsung is known to offer generous pre-order and launch day bundles that will further reduce the total blow to one’s pocket if they decide to buy the Galaxy S10.

The inclusion of a microSD card slot on the S10 also means that it is not necessary for one to spend extra money to upgrade to a higher storage variant. Instead, they can buy a microSD card for cheap to expand storage on the device.


What do you think about the Galaxy S10 based on the above comparison? Does it look good enough for you to ditch your iPhone XS? Or are you going to stick to it? Drop a comment and let us know.