The battle between Apple and Samsung is going to intensify later this year because the Cupertino company is reportedly planning to step into a territory long dominated by Samsung. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will release a giant 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus alongside the second-gen iPhone X and an LCD iPhone later this year. The iPhone X Plus will be Apple’s most expensive smartphone offering this year, and it will compete directly with Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 9. Let’s dive into the iPhone X Plus vs Galaxy Note 9 comparison to see how the two phones would stack up against each other.
Neither Apple nor Samsung has confirmed anything about their upcoming flagship devices. But industry analysts have revealed some interesting details on both the handsets. Samsung trademarked the “Note 9” moniker in Colombia last month. Meanwhile, Korean media recently claimed that Samsung would start mass producing OLED panels for the iPhone X Plus in May, several months before the phone’s debut.
iPhone X Plus vs Galaxy Note 9: Design & display
Rosenblatt Securities analyst Jun Zhang has told investors that Apple’s three upcoming devices are Jaguar (6.1-inch LCD iPhone), Porsche (5.8-inch iPhone X2), and Rolls-Royce (6.5-inch iPhone X Plus). The new iPhones would not get any major design changes compared to last year’s iPhone X. The iPhone X Plus would have the same design as the iPhone X with a notch and a bezel-less OLED display that covers almost entire front panel.
VentureBeat contributor Evan Blass has learned from inside sources that Samsung is developing the Galaxy Note 9 under the code-name “Crown.” The Note 9 won’t bring any major surprises in terms of design. According to the rumor mill, it would have a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display with curved edges. Samsung is unlikely to adopt the iPhone X-like notch. In terms of appearance, it would be similar to the Galaxy S9 Plus with a Bixby button and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
iPhone X Plus vs Galaxy Note 9: Hardware specs
Ming-Chi Kuo has learned from supply chain sources that the iPhone X Plus would feature 4GB RAM. The RAM might not seem huge compared to what premium Android vendors offer, but Apple tightly integrates its software and hardware to deliver maximum performance even with a lower RAM. The new iPhone is expected to be available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options. As always, there will be no microSD card slot.
The iPhone X Plus will be powered by the A12 chip that is being manufactured by TSMC using the 7nm manufacturing process. The A12 would be the world’s first 7nm chip, bringing a whole new level of performance and energy efficiency. TSMC claims its 7nm chips will be 20% faster than the 10nm chips while consuming 40% less power. Kuo claims the iPhone X Plus would pack a 3,300mAh to 3,400mAh two-cell, L-shaped battery with fast charging and wireless charging support. The iPhone X Plus is also rumored to get dual-SIM support, but the dual-SIM variant is unlikely to be sold in the US.
The Galaxy Note 9, on the other hand, is said to be powered by Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 845 chipset that runs the current Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. The Snapdragon 845 is a powerful processor, but it won’t be as powerful as Apple’s 7nm A12 chipset. Last year’s A11 Bionic has outperformed most Android phones in benchmark tests, and we can expect the A12 to be even better. Samsung will also sell an Exynos 9810-powered variant of Galaxy Note 9 in Asian and European markets.
The Note 9 would pack at least 6GB RAM and 64GB of base storage along with a microSD card slot for external memory expansion. Twitter tipster Ice Universe recently revealed that the Galaxy Note 9 would feature a 3,850mAh or 4,000mAh battery, which should be more than enough to last a full day of normal usage.
iPhone X Plus vs Galaxy Note 9: Stylus support
This is where things get interesting. Apple has so far resisted the temptation to offer stylus support on its flagship iPhones, something the Galaxy Note phablets have been offering for years. Rosenblatt Securities analyst Jun Zhang reports that Apple would finally offer stylus support with the iPhone X Plus. The stylus dubbed “iPen” would be similar to the Apple Pencil for iPads. However, users will not be able to house the stylus inside the phone. Zhang claims Apple will likely sell the ‘iPen” separately.
The Galaxy Note 9 would come with its signature S Pen stylus. Though Samsung added tons of features to the S Pen last year, the company executives have indicated that the stylus would get a major upgrade this year.
iPhone X Plus vs Galaxy Note 9: Security
Apple took a bold decision last year by ditching the tried-and-tested Touch ID fingerprint sensor from the iPhone X in favor of a new Face ID technology. Face ID is pretty secure, and it is here to stay. Apple claims there is only one in a million chance a random person would be able to fool the Face ID technology. The iPhone X Plus would come with the same TrueDepth camera system that supports Face ID and Animoji features on the iPhone X. We expect Apple to improve the facial recognition technology’s speed.
Samsung has been offering biometric security features for a long time, but its face detection technology is not as secure as Face ID. The Korean company introduced a new Intelligent Scan feature with the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, which combines data from the iris scanner and facial recognition to authenticate the user. The S9 and S9 Plus also came with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor because the Intelligent Scan is still not reliable enough.
The Galaxy Note 9 will likely have an improved Intelligent Scan feature for security. Samsung was long rumored to add an in-display fingerprint sensor to the Note 9. But KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the company is still facing “technological difficulties.” So, the optical fingerprint reader would not debut with the Note 9. However, recent reports coming out of South Korea suggest Samsung is considering one of the 3-4 methods developed by Samsung Display to integrate the fingerprint scanner under the Galaxy Note 9 display.
iPhone X Plus vs Galaxy Note 9: Camera
The iPhone X had a great camera, but Huawei’s P20 Pro has raised the bar in smartphone photography. The iPhone X Plus is expected to have the same 12MP wide-angle and 12MP telephoto lens on the back, but we expect Apple to improve the camera through software to stay at the top. The X Plus will likely have the same 7MP selfie camera as the iPhone X.
Samsung introduced the dual camera with last year’s Galaxy Note 8, and improved it further with the Galaxy S9 Plus. The Galaxy Note 9 camera would be similar to the Galaxy S9 Plus. It would have two 12MP lenses on the back – one with a fixed aperture and another with variable apertures to take clearer pictures in low-light conditions. Just like S9 Plus, the Note 9 would also have a super slow-mo mode.
iPhone X Plus vs Galaxy Note 9: Price and release date
Both the handsets are going to be expensive. According to the rumor mill, the Galaxy Note 9 would be priced at $950 in the US. The iPhone X Plus is said to have a starting price of $999. Last year’s iPhone X was priced at $999. The rumor mill was expecting the iPhone X2 to cost $999 and iPhone X Plus to be sold at $1,099. But industry experts have said that poor iPhone X sales have forced Apple to relook at its pricing strategy. The iPhone X2 is said to cost $899 while the iPhone X Plus would start at $999.
The iPhone X Plus, along with the second-gen iPhone X and the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, will be unveiled in September. The new flagship is unlikely to be delayed because Apple has resolved the manufacturing issues it faced with the iPhone X. Samsung traditionally refreshes the Galaxy Note line in late August or early September. But a recent report claimed that the Galaxy Note 9 could arrive sooner than usual due to “less-than-stellar” sales of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. It added that the Note 9 could be unveiled in late July or early August.
