Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Apple iPhone XR
46
out of 100
VS
48
out of 100
Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus (with Exynos 9 Octa 9810) that was released on February 25, 2018, against the Apple iPhone XR, which is powered by Apple A12 Bionic and came out 6 months after. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
- 63% higher pixel density (531 vs 326 PPI)
- The rear camera has a 2x optical zoom
- Modern USB Type-C port
- Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 400GB
- Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
- Slow-motion recording at 960FPS
- Fingerprint scanner
- Has 33% more RAM: 4GB versus 3GB
- Has 2 SIM card slots
- Super AMOLED display (versus competitor's IPS LCD)
- The front-facing camera can record video at 1440p
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone XR
- Shows 24% longer battery life (20:45 vs 16:44 hours)
- 41% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (762K versus 540K)
- More energy-efficient CPU β Apple A12 Bionic
- 51% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1167 and 772 points
- The phone is 6 months newer
- Ready for eSIM technology
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Super AMOLED | IPS LCD |
| Size | 6.2 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2960 pixels | 828 x 1792 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 18.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 531 ppi | 326 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 631 nits | 625 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10 | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 83.6% | 79.9% |
| Display features | - Always-On Display | - |
| RGB color space | - | 100% |
| PWM | 215 Hz | Not detected |
| Response time | 7 ms | 32.8 ms |
| Contrast | β Infinity | 1920:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 158.1 mm (6.22 inches) | 150.9 mm (5.94 inches) |
| Width | 73.8 mm (2.91 inches) | 75.7 mm (2.98 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.5 mm (0.33 inches) | 8.3 mm (0.33 inches) |
| Weight | 189 g (6.67 oz) | 194 g (6.84 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP67 |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | Black, Gold, Gray, Red, Purple | White, Black, Blue, Red, Orange, Yellow |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | No |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 9 Octa 9810 | Apple A12 Bionic |
| Max clock | 2900 MHz | 2490 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (4 + 4) | 6 (2 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 1.9 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 4 cores at 2.9 GHz: Exynos M3 |
- 4 cores at 1.6 GHz: Tempest - 2 cores at 2.49 GHz: Vortex |
| Manufacturing | Samsung | TSMC |
| Lithography process | 10 nanometers | 7 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Yes | Neural Engine |
| Graphics | Mali-G72MP18 | Apple A12 Bionic GPU |
| GPU shading units | 216 | 256 |
| GPU clock | 572 MHz | 1125 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~247.1 GFLOPS | ~576 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | 4338 | - |
| Single-core score | 772 | 1167 |
| Multi-core score | 2229 | 3020 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 231778 | 274052 |
| GPU | 92936 | - |
| Memory | 117962 | 119287 |
| UX | 97635 | 369464 |
| Total score | 540311 | 762903 |
| Samples | [16 tests] | Less than 3 |
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
| Stability | - | 68% |
| Graphics test | - | 7 FPS |
| Graphics score | - | 1294 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 5779 | - |
| Video editing | 5456 | - |
| Photo editing | 9308 | - |
| Data manipulation | 5607 | - |
| Writing score | 6203 | - |
Recent User Tests
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-08-10 -> skaele | AnTuTu | 635840 |
| π 2026-06-23 (AGZL) | AnTuTu | 669835 |
| π 2026-05-28 -> W1lkyy | AnTuTu | 614260 |
| π 2026-05-14 -> TranHongPhuc | GeekBench GPU | 4338 |
| π 2026-05-14 -> TranHongPhuc | GeekBench CPU | 686 / 1855 |
Apple iPhone XR
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-05-02 (sp_ayz1) | AnTuTu | 762903 |
Memory
| RAM size | 4 GB | 3 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 1794 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.1 | NVMe |
| Memory card | MicroSD | No |
| Memory card max size | Up to 400 GB | - |
Software
| Operating system | Android 8.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 10) | iOS 12 (Can be upgraded to iOS 18.7) |
| ROM | One UI 2.5 | - |
| OS size | 13.9 GB | 11.1 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 3500 mAh | 2942 mAh |
| Max charge power | 15 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes, Qi/PMA (10 W) | Yes, Qi (10 W) |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Bypass charging | - | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (40% in 30 min) | Yes (50% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:40 hr | 1:43 hr |
| Web browsing | 06:05 hr | 08:01 hr |
| Watching video | 10:25 hr | 11:59 hr |
| Gaming | 04:17 hr | 04:34 hr |
| Standby | 84 hr | 106 hr |
General battery life
Main camera
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Zoom | Optical, 2x | Digital |
| Flash | Dual LED | Quad LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 240FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 960 FPS (720p) | 240 FPS (1080p) |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 12 MP 2) Telephoto: 12 MP |
1) Standard: 12 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - RAW support |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.5 - 2.4 | f/1.8 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm |
| Sensor | Samsung SAK2L3 | Apple iSight X |
| Sensor size | 1/2.55" (β 0.39 inch) | 1/2.55" (β 0.39 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.4 micron | 1.4 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | - |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | - |
| Focal length | 52 mm | - |
| Sensor size | 1/3.6" (β 0.28 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 1 micron | - |
| Stabilization | Optical | - |
DxOMark main camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
| Samples | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus from DxOMark | - |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 8 megapixels | 7 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 3088 x 2316 |
| Aperture | f/1.7 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 25 mm | 32 mm |
| Sensor | Samsung S5K3H1 | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/3.6" (β 0.28 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 1.22 micron | - |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 1440p at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 60 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
DxOMark front camera
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | SPP, PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, LE, HSP, HID, HFP, HDP, GAP, GAVDP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | No |
| USB version | 3.1 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 1 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | - |
| eSIM support* | No | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | Yes | No |
| LTE Cat* | 18 | 12 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | February 2018 | September 2018 |
| Release date | March 2018 | October 2018 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $840 | $750 |
| Successor | - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra | - Apple iPhone 11 |
| SAR (head) | 0.294 W/kg | 0.99 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.35 W/kg | 0.99 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the performance, gaming, battery life, and software are more important to you, then choose the Apple iPhone XR. But if the display and connectivity are more of a priority β go for the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 191