Android’s best vs Apple’s iPhone 11
The iPhone 11 is an incredible phone, but there’s one I like a little better. MICHAEL SIMON reports
It’s time to compare Apple’s iPhone to the leading Android handsets, and it should be a close race. From the launch of the first folding phone to the rise of 5G, dual screens, waterfall displays, and cameras, cameras, cameras, 2019 has delivered a dizzying array of new features. Apple may have surprised everyone with a price cut to its entry-level handset, but can it stack up to the best Android has to offer? Let’s go through the major specs and find out.
The phones
Three phones compete against the iPhone 11 this year:
Samsung Galaxy S10+: I chose this model because it’s cheaper than the official flagship Note 10+. Also, compared to the S10, it’s a) only £100 more, and b) equipped with a much bigger battery.
Google Pixel 4 XL: The newest Pixel phone has a laundry list of issues, but it’s Google so it gets the nod. Plus it has a better screen and bigger battery than the smaller one.
OnePlus 7T: OnePlus is on a roll. The two phones released in the UK in 2019, the 7 Pro and the 7T, raised expectations for what an affordable model can deliver. The newer 7T offers killer specs and a price that undercuts the iPhone 11’s.
Design
While Samsung pushed design boundaries with an impressive reimagining of the Galaxy S10, the iPhone is starting to feel a little stale. It’s more symmetrical than the other phones here, but the notch, the thickish bezels, and the screen-to-body ratio leave much to be desired. It’s also the thickest of the bunch at 8.3mm.
The giant square camera is a polarizing look, and it makes the iPhone 11 wobble when it rests on a table. The camera bump matches your chosen handset colour, and while the new purple and green are nice, the glossy back picks up fingerprints early and often. Rumours suggest that Apple may dump the notch and make other changes for the iPhone 12. I hope that’s the case.
If the iPhone 11 is bland, the Pixel 4 XL is just plain blah. It loses last year’s notch for a sizable forehead, a small chin, and chunky side bezels. Like Apple, Google has added a square camera array in the upper left corner, but the Pixel 4 XL’s bump is black regardless of body colour.
I do like Google’s choice of materials, however. The luxurious frosted glass now covers the entire back of the phone, and it resists fingerprints, scratches, and smudges. The brushed-aluminium sides echo the frosted look, and the colour options – which adds orange this year to the classics black and white – are appealing. I love the coloured accent button. If Google ever decides to get serious about smartphone design, it should start with the materials and work backward.
Samsung’s S10+ continues to refine the Galaxy look. The top and bottom bezels are barely-there slivers, bringing the screen-to-body ratio close to 90 percent, but it feels like more because the edges of the screen drape over the sides. The back of the S10+ is just as pleasing, with a horizontal camera array set against a glass available in fantastic colours. Yes, it’s a fingerprint magnet, but so is the iPhone’s back. And unfortunately the lack of bezels brings visual and functional problems that Samsung isn’t yet prepared to address.
The oddball is the selfie camera. Lacking enough bezel to hide sensors, Samsung opted for a ‘holepunch’ camera literally embedded in the display, peering through a black circle in the upper right corner. Its off-centre placement and funky design make it an eyesore.
The OnePlus 7T may lack the pop-up selfie cam and edge-to-edge screen of the OnePlus 7 Pro, but
its tiny ‘teardrop’ notch, slim bezels, and thin body steal the show. Like the iPhone, the metal sides match your chosen colour (blue or silver), setting off the all-black front nicely. The bezels aren’t much thicker than those on the S10+, and I prefer the flat look over the S10+’s infinity screen.
If the new trend is to spotlight the camera bump rather than try to hide it, the advantage again goes to OnePlus. The 7T’s giant circular camera array is unique, plus it’s the only phone here that can lie on a table without wobbling. I hope it remains a design element on future OnePlus phones.
Winner: OnePlus 7T
Display
With such skinny bezels on all except the Pixel 4 XL, the display commands all of your attention. All of the OLEDs here are supplied by Samsung, while the iPhone 11 uses an LG LCD. They all feature HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and are impressively calibrated out of the box.
But they’re not created equal, especially in refresh rate. The standard is 60Hz, which is the default for all four phones, but the OnePlus 7T and Pixel 4 XL both feature 90Hz options. The extra 30 frames per second means scrolling and swiping feel faster, especially on the 7T. Google hamstrings the Pixel 4 XL somewhat by limiting this feature to screen brightnesses above
75 percent, though an upcoming software update will allegedly fix it.
Screen speed isn’t the only area where the 7T excels. The quad HD Galaxy S10+ may win for crispness and vividness, but the 7T is still bold, bright, and easy on the eyes. Like the iPhone 11’s, the OnePlus 7T’s display is something of a testament to how much you really need in a phone. It’s ‘only’ full HD, doesn’t have curved edges, and lacks ambient and always-on options, but it still makes a strong showing.
As the only LCD of the bunch – and a 720p one at that – the iPhone 11 loses when it comes to depth. The blacks of an LCD can’t match those of an OLED, which is particularly evident when switching on the new iOS dark mode.
Apple has done a fantastic job with the calibration on the iPhone 11’s display. Colours are rich and vibrant, though I would like an always-on or ambient option, especially at night when the whole display needs to light up to check the time.
When it comes to brightness, the iPhone 11 shines, though the 7T was just a little better. However, in my testing with a simple white background, the 7T was also the most inconsistent.
Max brightness (nits)
Google Pixel 4 XL: 650 Samsung Galaxy S10+: 715 Apple iPhone 11: 765 OnePlus 7T: 825
I’m confident in saying Google has delivered its best display in the Pixel 4 XL, but that’s mainly because the ones that came before were so disappointing. It still has Google’s trademark dullness, and an overall lack of punch when left in Natural mode. But even when switched to Boosted, the Pixel 4 XL just has a flatter feel when compared to the other phones here.
The Pixel 4 is particularly lacklustre when placed next to the Galaxy S10+. But to be fair, most phone displays are. The Galaxy S10+ pretty much set or broke every display record there is. There aren’t enough adjectives or superlatives to describe just how gorgeous the S10+’s screen is. My only want is a higher refresh rate – and I have to assume that’s coming with the S11.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10+
Battery
Each phone has a respectable battery, but the S10+ is the clear standout on paper:
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 4,100mAh OnePlus 7T: 3,800mAh
Google Pixel 4 XL: 3,700mAh Apple iPhone 11: 3,142mAh
The real-world results don’t quite match up, however. In my testing and real-world use, the S10+ bested its competitors, but not by much, while the iPhone 11 vastly outperformed its capacity. The only one that consistently struggled to make it through a full day of use was the Pixel 4 XL. The iPhone 11 and
7T benefit from their lack of an always-on display, but some (including me) will miss that feature.
The Pixel 4 XL was the most disappointing. The same OS ownership that gives Apple a ridiculous edge should propel the Pixel 4 XL to heights unseen by other Android phones, but the reality doesn’t deliver. The lack of optimization is extremely frustrating.
For example, I played a two-hour movie at maximum brightness with all ambient and adaptive brightness toggles turned off, and this is how much battery each phone used:
OnePlus 7T: 17 percent
Apple iPhone 11: 19 percent Samsung Galaxy S10+: 19 percent Google Pixel 4 XL: 21 percent
The results are pretty close, but those percentage points add up over the course of a day, especially because most people won’t be using their phones to watch videos for 10 hours straight. And look what happened when I ran the same video a second time with auto- and adaptive brightness turned on for all three phones, tracking the battery drain:
Apple iPhone 11: 13 percent OnePlus 7T: 18 percent
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 19 percent Google Pixel 4 XL: 20 percent
Apple’s advantage comes into play when iOS starts working its magic. Even with a significantly smaller
battery, the iPhone 11 is able to last longer than any of the phones here. All four handsets have lots and lots of pixels to power here, so lower brightness is definitely your friend. At the end of the day, the iPhone 11 consistently had the most juice left – and the Pixel 4 XL was always closest to the red – but every phone should get you through a normal day of use.
It’s hard to crown a champion here, so I’ll say this: the iPhone 11 and the Galaxy S10+ will last the longest, the OnePlus 7T is just a tick below, and the Pixel 4 XL will constantly worry you. But if battery life is your deciding factor for any phone, go with the iPhone 11.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11/ Samsung Galaxy S10+
Charging
We no longer need to wait hours to charge our phones – assuming you have the right charger. With a dead phone and the charger that’s included in the box, here’s how much juice you’ll have after an hour of charging:
OnePlus 7T: 100 percent
Google Pixel 4 XL: 77 percent Samsung Galaxy S10+: 74 percent Apple iPhone 11: 33 percent
Two things here: the OnePlus 7T’s incredible Warp Charging, and the iPhone’s not-incredible 5-watt charger. While Apple’s ‘Pro’ phones enjoy a swift 18-watt USB-C charger, the iPhone 11 is still saddled with a Lightning-based 5-watt plug. So if you buy one, you’ll want to pick up a way bigger third-party charger.
Speaking of big, the OnePlus 7T’s Warp Charge 30T is easily the biggest of the bunch, taking up the better of two outlets when plugged in – and you’ll be using it every day, because the OnePlus 7T is the only phone here that lacks wireless charging. The other three phones all offer it, though the top speeds vary slightly:
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 12 watts Google Pixel 4 XL: 11 watts Apple iPhone 11: 7.5 watts
Ironically, the iPhone 11 wirelessly charges faster than it does with its bundled charger. Some people might scoff at wireless charging as a reason to buy a phone, but I’d have a hard time without it. So the OnePlus 7T loses major convenience points, even with the stellar Warp Charge.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10+.
Performance
All of the phones include very fast and very efficient processors. Obviously the iPhone uses Apple’s silicon, while the Android phones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset.
Both the Galaxy S10+ and the Pixel 4 XL use the Snapdragon 855 processor, while the OnePlus 7T sports the newer Snapdragon 855+. It would take a serious user with equally serious benchmarks to discern any difference, but OnePlus buyers can boast that they have the technically faster Android phone.
Something’s not quite right with the Pixel 4. It should be the fastest of the bunch, with the purest
Android skin and Google’s hardware-software integration, but in test after test it performed slower than the others. It’s gotten worse since I wrote my review. Apps hang (including Google’s own utilities), system features lag, and even scrolling feels sluggish at times with Smooth Display turned on. It’s the only phone where I need regular restarts to keep things humming. I can only hope the performance issues will be fixed with an update. Just check out these BrowserBench Speedometer scores, which measure the responsiveness of web apps:
Apple iPhone 11: 153 OnePlus 7T: 69.1
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 53.8 Google Pixel 4 XL: 34
I ran this test several times on the Pixel 4 using Google’s own Chrome browser, and it never topped 35. Meanwhile, the A13 Bionic chip in the iPhone 11 is on another level – faster than its predecessor and the fastest of the bunch here, including in real-world results. Even the fastest Android UI here feels sticky when compared to the iPhone 11, and that’s without a 120Hz ProMotion display.
The harmony Apple creates between the silicon and software is second to none, as evidenced by these Geekbench benchmark score (where once again the Pixel 4 seriously lags):
CPU (Single-Core/Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 11: 1,330/3,531 OnePlus 7T: 791/2,789
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 710/2,639 Google Pixel 4 XL: 635/2,529
Compute
Apple iPhone 11: 6,402 OnePlus 7T: 2,693
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 2,397 Google Pixel 4 XL: 2,105
One area where Apple can improve, however, is startup time from a full shutdown. The Pixel 4 XL obliterated the other phones, and the iPhone consistently came in last place, even if only by a second or two:
Google Pixel 4 XL: 11 seconds Samsung Galaxy S10+: 19 seconds OnePlus 7T: 20 seconds
Apple iPhone 11: 21 seconds
Granted, we rarely restart our phones – and the iPhone needs it even less often than the Android phones here – but I’d still like to see Apple get closer to the Pixel with the iPhone 12.
The results here underscore my frustrations with the Pixel 4 XL: if Google can optimize start-up time, why can’t it do the same with the rest of Android? The Galaxy S10+ and OnePlus 7T basically run circles around the Pixel 4, but neither can touch the iPhone’s crazy speeds, even if you won’t notice them much.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11
Sound
After Apple famously dumped the headphone jack with the iPhone 7, the rest of the industry has slowly followed suit. First Google took it away from the Pixel 2, then OnePlus removed it with last year’s 6T. And once it’s gone, it’s not coming back.
The Galaxy S10+ is the sole phone in the bunch that retains a 3.5mm headphone jack. You even get a very decent pair of AKG-tuned earbuds in the box. But Samsung axed the headphone jack from the Note 10 and Galaxy Fold, so you can see the writing on the wall. You’ll get a pair of Lightning EarPods with the iPhone 11, but neither the OnePlus 7T nor the Google Pixel
4 XL includes a pair of buds, nor a USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle. The phones’ own speakers also deliver solid
volume (the Pixel 4 loses its front-firing speakers, which gave it a serious sound boost last year).
Max decibels
Samsung Galaxy S10+: 100 Google Pixel 4 XL: 98 OnePlus 7T: 97
Apple iPhone 11: 94
Along with their loudness, every handset but the Pixel 4 boasts Dolby Atmos spatial sound. While it’s debatable that you actually need Dolby Atmos support on a phone, it’s nice to have. Supported music and movies definitely feel slightly fuller (though you’re not going to forget you’re listening on a pair of smartphone speakers).
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10+
Biometrics
We’re at something of a transitional period when it comes to biometrics. OnePlus and Samsung replaced the physical fingerprint sensor with an in-display scanner, while the iPhone 11 and Pixel 4 XL both use 3D facial recognition. The Galaxy S10+ has a better scanner than the OnePlus 7T, and the iPhone tops the Pixel 4 XL with facial recognition, but there’s more to the story than that.
The Galaxy phones used to have an iris scanner in addition to a fingerprint reader, so the in-display sensor feels like a step backward, especially because it’s neither as fast nor as reliable as the physical scanner. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 7T’s scanner is faster than
Samsung’s when it works – especially when paired with the 2D face unlock. But on the whole I struggled with it more than I did with the S10+. Both phones have continuously improved their sensors through software updates.
Apple’s had two years to refine Face ID. It’s speedy, secure, and simple, with smart features that help keep your data locked down.
That’s not the case with Google’s face unlock. It’s very fast and will even work if you’re holding your phone upside down, but it’s missing a key feature: attention, both in the literal and figurative sense. Google has opted against including eye tracking in the initial version, so if your eyes are closed, someone could still hold your phone up to your face to unlock it.
Winner: Apple iPhone 11
Storage
We’ve kind of reached the point where no one should ever run out of space on their phones, but just for the fun of it, let’s break down the pound-to-gigabyte ratio:
OnePlus 7T (128GB): £4.28 Samsung Galaxy S10+ (128GB): £7.02 Apple iPhone 11 (64GB): £11.39 Google Pixel 4 XL (64GB): £12.95
That’s a pretty big disparity, and you don’t need to be a math whiz to figure out that more gigabytes for less money equals better value. The same goes for the step-up models:
Apple iPhone 11 (64GB upgrade, £50): 78p Samsung Galaxy S10+: N/A
Google Pixel 4 XL (64GB upgrade, £100): £1.56 OnePlus 7T: N/A
It’s disappointing that OnePlus isn’t offering a storage upgrade option for the 7T in the UK, but even so, it delivers the best internal storage value. It’s also disappointing that Google continues to sell 64GB of extra storage for £100, and no other Android phone here other than the S10+ offers an expandable memory card slot. But pounds-to-gigabytes, the OnePlus 7T takes this category.
Winner: OnePlus 7T
Operating system
I could spend the whole of this section debating the differences between iOS and Android and trying to convince you why the iPhone 11 has stronger app support and better gesture navigation, or why Google Assistant is superior to Siri and notifications are actually quite good on Android.
But the fact of the matter is, for every point I make about one, an equally salient point could be made about the other. The scale of iOS has lead to widespread bugs and issues that Apple struggles to squash, while Android’s fragmentation and generally slow update schedule is continuously frustrating. The two operating systems are extremely close now – heck, they both even have dark mode.
So let’s talk about Android vs Android instead. We often refer to Android as a universal OS, but each