iPhone XS vs Galaxy Note 9 (Updated 2023)

Apple iPhone XS VS Galaxy Note 9

Tech giants Apple and Samsung released monster devices this August and September, respectively. With meaty processors in their arsenal, the iPhone XS and Galaxy Note 9 are contenders for the king of performance titles. Spoiler Alert, if you're a gamer you'd be better off if you buy iPhone XS as its chipset is based on 7nm technology.

Check out these benchmark results to see who emerges victorious:

The First Contender: iPhone XS

Apple's latest product in this long history of releases is the iPhone XS, the successor of the iPhone X. Packing an A12 Bionic chip, built on the next-generation 7-nanometer process, this smartphone has 6 cores dedicated for high power and 4 cores for efficient processing.

Notable Specs:

At 12 megapixels, both cameras work to deliver photos with the better overall quality in different lighting. It also improved the face recognition first introduced by the X with faster recognition speeds.

Benchmark Test Results:

To test the overall potentials of this phone, Geekbench 4 is used to measure its speeds. The iPhone XS returned a score of 11,420, with almost a thousand-point margin compared to its predecessor, the iPhone X. Its app open times are also impressive at 26 seconds for Fortnite, 7.2 seconds for Pokemon Go, 10 seconds for Asphalt 9, and 19.7 seconds for Tekken. Note that these apps are known to be demanding, so these records offer insights on their performance speed-wise. Some people were facing charging issues at the launch, but the issue was easily fixed. Check out iPhone XS charging issue to read more.

To test video editing speed, the two phones were used to transcode 2-minute video footage to 1080p using Adobe Clips. If you want to pick one of these devices, check out Samsung refurbished mobile phones, you can have yourself a perfect working device for fraction of the cost of a new one. The second hand iPhone XS was able to do it in 39 seconds. However, the 3DMark Slingshot Extreme test to measure graphics performance saw a decline in the XS' scores with only 4,244, as compared to the highest faring device, the OnePlus 6's 5,124. The XS returned with the bang by doing better (1,774.1 frames for Aztec Ruins and 1,674.3 for Car Chase) in the GFXBench5.0/Metal test which is far more straining and longer.

The Second Contender: Galaxy Note 9

Samsung's newest contender in its Note Series is the Galaxy Note 9. Known for being a holistic phone perfect for business, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 carries a Snapdragon 845 processor built on the 10-nanometer process, with 8-cores.

Notable Specs: The S Pen offers an innovative twist to the stylus. It is Bluetooth compatible unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, acting as a remote control for taking selfies, presentations, music control, and other purposes. It also boasts of an AI camera for smart setting adjustments.

Benchmark Test Results:

For Geekbench 4, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 fared lower than the XS with a score of 8,876, which is still far better than the Galaxy S9+ with 8,295 points. At app open times, Note 9 also fell behind, although not-so-significant differences, with 35 seconds for Fortnite, 7.2 seconds for Pokemon Go, 9.1 seconds for Asphalt 9, and 29.38 for Tekken.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Note 9 does not support Adobe Clips, but video editing speeds are remarkably slower than its counterpart, the Galaxy S9+, at 2 minutes and 32 seconds. However, it emerged victorious with the graphics performance test faring with 4,639 points. The XS was able to outpace the Note 9 in the GFXBench 5.0/Metal, with the Samsung phone getting only 851.7 frames for Aztec Ruins and 1,103 frames for Car Chase.

Galaxy Note 9 VS Apple iPhone XS The Verdict

Looking at the numbers of Apple and Samsung, it is clear that Apple's iPhone XS packs more power and great mobile deals can be found for it online when it comes to speed. It outruns the Galaxy Note in 4 out of 5 tests, gaining the title of the king of performance.

Made your decision to go for the iPhone XS? If you'd like to know more, check out iPhone XS vs. iPhone XS Max where we take an in-depth look at both of them or check our Samsung S10 and iPhone XS comparison.