Samsung's New Galaxy S10+ vs. Apple's iPhone XS Max

[torana355]

It's ultimately still an android device, with all the pros and cons that come with using one.

At this point, I think the iPhone and Android user base are more or less self-selecting. Yes, you have a small number of users switching sides ever so often, but by and large, we have more or less settled on which device is suitable for us, and it's likely going to stay that way for some time.

Samsung phones are never going to get the tight-knit integration the Apple ecosystem enjoys for the simple reason that Samsung doesn't own or control the underlying software, and it continues to face stiff competition from cheaper alternatives which also run the same underlying OS (which means access to the same App Store and core functionality).

I think that at this point, Samsung should be looking over their shoulder and be more worried about upcoming competition from newcomers like Huawei, rather than constantly trying to bash Apple in the media.

Just as Apple is unlikely to ever open up iOS the way you can modify and tweak Android to your heart's content, or offer features like expandable storage or a headphone jack. Apple is ultimately one company offering you one man's (extremely opinionated) vision of how people ought to interact with their devices. Love it, hate it, it's ultimately your choice as to how you want to vote with your wallet, and the world moves on.



Apple is a design company which emphasises minimalism and purity in hardware design. Their products have never been abut having the most features or being the most useful, but about distilling the purest mix of form and function, which is in turn achieved by cutting out everything deemed not necessary in the design.

Once you understand this underlying philosophy (whether you agree with it or not is immaterial), then Apple's recent design decisions make more sense. Look at the 2016 MBP. It's thinner and lighter, because to Apple, a thinner and lighter device is a more portable, and therefore a more useable product. You gain USB-C at the expense of losing every other port because USB-C is supposed to this ultra-versatile port that can take on any feature you want (with the right adaptor), and it helps make the device thinner. You have the very controversial butterfly keyboard, as well as the touchbar (which is supposed to be a more versatile row of functional keys, but whatever).

Apple was clearly trying to reimagine the laptop by taking design and functional cues from the iPad, and well, they weren't very successful. But they still went ahead with it because just like the scorpion in the proverbial story of the frog and the scorpion, it is Apple's nature.

This is also why I believe we will never see a cheese grater Mac Pro being re-released. Apple never looks back, only forward.

So Apple isn't exactly lying, but you have to read between the lines and realise that your definition of what makes a "great" Mac is likely not going to be what Apple deems "great".
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In a nutshell, no.

Apple is essentially signalling that wires have no place in a wearables world. This is more Apple trying to get ahead of the status quo and trying to influence consumer behaviour, and less about them trying to save a few cents here and there in component costs.

I really don't worry about that stuff, the logo on a device is irrelevant to me, I just buy tech that is the best for me at the time, and at this point the s10 is the best Android device available locally in Australia. IOS devices are a non starter for me for various reasons. Little things like being able to organise icons on my home screen are important to me and no amount of better security or support will ever change that fact due to never having had an actual issue with security or support since switching to Android after the iPhone 4.

 

[ROGmaster]

Once you understand this underlying philosophy (whether you agree with it or not is immaterial), then Apple's recent design decisions make more sense.

LoL so people have to understand something imaginary.
Yeah then Apple will eventually fail.

Anyway it's weird. You don't seem to work for Apple but your posts about their so called philosophy are extremely cringy.
Are you sure you are not some undercover PR guy from Apple?

In a nutshell, no.
Apple is essentially signalling that wires have no place in a wearables world. This is more Apple trying to get ahead of the status quo and trying to influence consumer behaviour, and less about them trying to save a few cents here and there in component costs.

In a nutshell what you wrote makes no sense.
The removal of the headphone jack only benefits apple. It simplifies and reduces the design/manufacturing/assembly costs.
For general consumers there's absolutely 0 benefits and the S10 is a clear proof of it. People have to be blind to not see it.

 

[9081094]

I really don't worry about that stuff, I just buy tech that is the best for me at the time, and at this point the s10 is the best Android device available locally in Australia. IOS devices are a non starter for me for various reasons. Little things like being able to organise icons on my home screen are important to me and no amount of better security or support will ever change that fact.

The amount of security is questionable also. Because every time there are more security risks found on iOS than there are found for Android. In the end it comes what the user is using and since most iPhone users have google, Facebook and other social media services that rely on user data installed, it doesn’t matter.

 

[Klyster]

Jerry knows how to use the fingerprint scanner efficiently

 

[Khedron]

In a nutshell, no.

Apple is essentially signalling that wires have no place in a wearables world. This is more Apple trying to get ahead of the status quo and trying to influence consumer behaviour, and less about them trying to save a few cents here and there in component costs.

Apple is essentially signalling that they make massive profits on dongles.

 

[justperry]

Software and hardware integration is a trap for me. I prefer open standards being able to communicate with other hardware. Security is debatable. Apple Pay still doesn’t work over here, Maps is half baked, siri is a joke, cloud services meh, and the list goes on.
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Lol, I always see this when out of arguments

Apple Maps is better with navigation than Google, use it before you make such comments, just the other day someone laughed at me when I said Google couldn't find an address and Apple did, he had to eat his words.

Open standards and then end up with an insecure Android OS.

I myself don't care about ApplePay, tap&pay works like a charm, I have my card out before checkout, it's faster than ApplePay, ApplePay was "invented" for the retarded American payment system.
iOS is more secure, TouchID is more secure, FaceID is more secure.
Siri understands me perfectly, I don't need a Google like assistant and end up with my privacy in the hands of the monstrosity called Google.

And the list goes on.....

 

[Ramchi]

I disagree. We live in the present and Samsung's software has been increasingly getting better in these last years.
One UI is the most praised Samsung Android version I can remember. Even The Verge made a video where they praised One UI. So Samsung is on the right track software wise.

It just feels like you mentioned this without a real reason or substance behind it.
Samsung is not as restricted as you think. At the end Samsung just takes the good/positive things Google does(which is fair) and modifies or improves some of the stock android things people don't like. For example Samsung's One UI is not restricted to Google's stock Pie navigation gestures, or to system wide white theme.

I disagree, Samsung is and always was way above stock Android in terms of features and not it seems that it's also at parity or above stock Android in terms of performance/stability/smoothness/consistency.
And as of right now Samsung does have one of the best custom Android versions on the market. So what other companies do is of little importance.

Samsung has been undercut by other Android manufactures in the mid-range market. But they are making efforts there as well. When it comes to flagships Samsung's Galaxy S flagships are Nr. 1 by far when it comes to sales.

Samsung has made the right decision with the S10 and S10+. The large batteries, large base storage, Ram, impressive displays, cameras and overall superior hardware-software combo will allow them the remain the Nr. 1 flagship Android vendor in 2019 no problem. Bonus because of the competition their S10 phones will eventually drop in prices. So September iphones will have a tough time competing with the S10.

Absolutely, people comment without knowing Samsung by using its devices. You are spot on everything, the price as you have mentioned will certainly get rationalised after two-three months and those who want the latest and greatest would have to pay premium....

I used to root and update all and sundry custom ROMs, Kernals etc in 2011-13, right now they have sort of nailed the software and UI (was using S9+ now using Note 9 with Pie)...I have completely stopped the monkey business for the past 5 plus years..

They have Knox, they have their OS(Tizen) for smart watches, DEX desktop mode in Galaxy mobiles really rocking.

 

[Heineken]

TheVerge also had this to say.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/1/1...lus-android-phone-review-price-specs-features

"The other new thing that’s embedded in the screen is the fingerprint scanner, which has been moved from the back of the phone. The S10’s scanner is ultrasonic, which is supposed to be more reliable and harder to spoof than the optical in-screen fingerprint scanners we’ve seen on the OnePlus 6T and other phones. It even works if your finger is wet.

But it’s not as fast or reliable as the traditional, capacitive fingerprint scanner on the back of the S9. The target area for the reader is rather small (though the lockscreen will show you a diagram of where to place your finger) and I had to be very deliberate with my finger placement to get it to work.

Even then, I often had to try more than once before the S10 would unlock. I’d just rather have a Face ID system that requires less work to use, or at the very least, an old-school fingerprint scanner on the back of the phone. The S10 does have a face unlock feature, but it’s just using the camera to look for your face and compare it to a previous image — there’s no 3D mapping or anything. I was actually able to unlock the S10 with a video of my face played on another phone.

Samsung says it developed the ultrasonic scanner because feedback from customers said they wanted the fingerprint reader on the front of the phone, and this design allowed for more screen real estate than placing a capacitive sensor in a bezel below the screen. The S10 also lacks the iris scanning login option of older Galaxy models, which would have required more sensors than the new hole-punch screen design has room for. The company told me that it will continually adjust and optimize the face scanner’s performance leading up to the S10’s availability.

But here’s my feedback to Samsung: go copy Apple’s Face ID system. It’s far easier and more reliable to use than the S10’s nifty-looking but ultimately disappointing in-screen fingerprint scanner."

I think once the device is in the hands of more users and they have had time to put it through its paces, reality will set in, and then you realise the S10 isn't all that this forum is evidently hyping it up to be.

Face ID is better.

 

[9081094]

Jerry knows how to use the fingerprint scanner efficiently

Looks like a very durable phone to me. It doesn’t bent and of course things stop working when breaking the glass.

 

[torana355]

Jerry knows how to use the fingerprint scanner efficiently

The fps seems to work perfectly in that video too.

 

[one more]

Can somebody remind me why we need edge to edge screens again? Both notch and hole-based designs look lame, imo. As an iPhone 7 user, I personally would be totally fine with top and bottom screen bezels the size of new 11” iPad Pro and we would still get nice rectangular screens without any “bumps” in them.

 

[mib1800]

Face ID is better.

Face ID is slower and more cumbersome and scarring (ugly notch)

 

[arch1t3cton]

Most android users own Huawei or Xiaomis nowadays. Price-sensible and honest.

Why is it that Samsung users are so prevalent in tech forums?

Anyway, I really like the design of the mi mix 3... what a refreshingly new design approach! Innovative in all the ways Samsung isn’t...

https://m.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_mix_3-9378.php

 

[9081094]

Absolutely, people comment without knowing Samsung by using its devices. You are spot on everything, the price as you have mentioned will certainly get rationalised after two-three months and those who want the latest and greatest would have to pay premium....

I used to root and update all and sundry custom ROMs, Kernals etc in 2011-13, right now they have sort of nailed the software and UI (was using S9+ now using Note 9 with Pie)...I have completely stopped the monkey business for the past 5 plus years..

They have Knox, they have their OS(Tizen) for smart watches, DEX desktop mode in Galaxy mobiles really rocking.

I surely agree with you that Samsung has outinnovated Apple not only on tech but software too. Compared with reasonable prices I find it a hard sell to buy the iPhone XS above the galaxy S10.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Samsung’s Achilles heal is software. They can not control their own destiny long term. Apple can. Taking Android source code from Google and trying to make it their variation becomes stale as everyone is doing it. The S10 is Samsung’s hit since the S7. Since they released the S10 can they sustain this drive for 3-5 years? My gut instinct says no because they will always be undercutted by other Android vendors. This goes back to my first statement of being “just another” Android manufacturer. Their is nothing unique to their software that creates brand loyalty like Apple.

The software can’t be that bad considering Samsung are the biggest selling smartphone manufacturer in the world. They are obviously doing something right....

 

[Heineken]

Face ID is slower and more cumbersome and scarring (ugly notch)

A fraction of a second slower. Wow. Are you in a hurry to cure cancer?

Cumbersome and ugly? Ok, goodbye...

 

[Delgibbons]

Jerry knows how to use the fingerprint scanner efficiently

No bending. *cough* Apple

 

[DNichter]

Really? That could change?

Not any time soon Lol. Most likely, never.

Apple is sooo far ahead when it comes to support, ecosystem, privacy etc. They’re in a league of their own really.

While I agree and don’t see it happening, I have to keep an open mind that it could potentially happen one day. With a company we know today or a brand new one. Who knows. Again, unlikely though.
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I have an s9 you can have. It’s sitting unused while I use my XS Max

The juice is not worth the squeeze when it comes to switching. iCloud Keychain for 200 password. iCloud Drive. iMessage, continuity with Mac, polished apps, my data feels more secure with apple (even if it’s not. I trust apple with my data and privacy and security when using apps.

Android feels like leaving the front door unlocked for anyone to come in and rifle through my things

I tried to go back to android. But ‍♂️

Yea after looking into it a bit and seeing all that I would lose, it just didn’t make sense. I’ll gladly take your S9 though, message me, haha.
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That's about the size of it. Then you have people like me who have an iPad and Mac and PC and Galaxy and muddle through! I use a bluetooth mouse and splitscreen mode on the phone all the time for Excel and calendar so that is my main use case.

In the UK most of my friends use WhatsApp so the "not having iMessage thing" isn't an issue.

It's good having Apple Music on Android though. Now that it finally works snoothly.

Yup there are definitely people like yourself out there too. The platform agnostic ones. A rare breed, haha. There are advantages there also, but definitely some downsides as well.

 

[smoking monkey]

The removal of the headphone jack only benefits apple. It simplifies and reduces the design/manufacturing/assembly costs.
For general consumers there's absolutely 0 benefits and the S10 is a clear proof of it. People have to be blind to not see it.

The benefit is it forces us to move to a far more convenient system -- wireless headphones. For the average user the amazing convenience of wireless headphones far outweighs the loss in sound quality.

 

[Abazigal]

Are you sure you are not some undercover PR guy from Apple?

I can only say "I wish", given the time I spend here on these forums. But as a civil servant, I am not supposed to moonlight, though I stand by everything I have said. I get that they might seem unorthodox compared to the rest of the criticism you see here, but I do feel that they are very superficial and really only scratch the surface of the matter.

If you think that Apple is being greedy, then everything they do will seem like a blatant money grab, regardless of the real reason. It doesn't help that the media is helping propagate this by linking everything Apple does to trying to boost their services bottom line, which is a popular but ultimately myopic narrative.

Needless to say, I believe the real reason is something much deeper. Apple is a design company, not a tech company, so it's hardly surprisingly that anyone attempting to gauge Apple through the lens of a conventional tech company is going to get it wrong every time.

The removal of the headphone jack only benefits apple. It simplifies and reduces the design/manufacturing/assembly costs.

Think of how by removing flash, Apple helped push HTML5 and promote native apps optimised for touch and direct input.

Apple has a vision of a wireless future (made possible by the iphone and wearables like Apple Watch and AirPods connecting to one another via bluetooth, in addition to whatever other wearables Apple does release, like maybe smart clothing?). Wired headphones have no place in this new world order that they envision, and so the headphone jack had to go.

One day, it will all make sense and we will look back on this day and be amazed that we were ever arguing about whether removing the headphone jack was ever warranted in the first place.

 

[Liquid Galaxy]

I always dabble in Android every couple of years, usually by trialling a phone and then returning it to the store within the 14 day period (but don’t tell anyone). Had the S4, then the Pixel, the Note 7, OnePlus etc. and I always leave disappointed...usually there are one or two device specific things I don’t like, but the main reason is app support.

For example, just to throw out a couple of apps I use, DayOne Journal, PlaneFinderHD, a few sports apps etc. are just lacking in functionality compared to those on iOS, almost to a point where I wonder if the devs are even supporting the Android versions anymore...

I’m planning on trialling the S10 too when it releases here next week, as I want to try the new One UI, but I’m already convinced that I’ll be returning this also...

 

[Shanghaichica]

I have an s9 you can have. It’s sitting unused while I use my XS Max

The juice is not worth the squeeze when it comes to switching. iCloud Keychain for 200 password. iCloud Drive. iMessage, continuity with Mac, polished apps, my data feels more secure with apple (even if it’s not. I trust apple with my data and privacy and security when using apps.

Android feels like leaving the front door unlocked for anyone to come in and rifle through my things

I tried to go back to android. But ‍♂️

I really like the S10 plus and thought I could switch but I couldn’t do it. I had my sim in a borrowed S7 but only lasted a few hours before I put my sim back in my Xs max.

I’ve tried using an android phone as a secondary phone brut they end up in a drawer after a few weeks.

That hardware on the S10 is really nice though and I don’t have any issues with android as an OS. I just prefer to stay in the ecosystem.

 

[Khedron]

Apple has a vision of a wireless future (made possible by the iphone and wearables like Apple Watch and AirPods connecting to one another via bluetooth, in addition to whatever other wearables Apple does release, like maybe smart clothing?). Wired headphones have no place in this new world order that they envision, and so the headphone jack had to go.

One day, it will all make sense and we will look back on this day and be amazed that we were ever arguing about whether removing the headphone jack was ever warranted in the first place.

So why does Apple block Bluetooth on the HomePod? Apple's vision is a future using Apple AirPlay, Apple Music, or an Apple dongle.

The headphone jack is used for many accessories other than just headphones BTW. But those accessories don't need to pay Apple a fee.

 

[44267547]

I surely agree with you that Samsung has outinnovated Apple not only on tech but software too. Compared with reasonable prices I find it a hard sell to buy the iPhone XS above the galaxy S10.

I have to ask, but do you own an iPhone or have ever used one? Now I understand that android has its appeal, and it’s more customizable, but in terms of fluidity, it’s undeniable how much more fluid iOS is over android. I’m not saying that Android is a stuttering mess, but it’s fairly notable how much more smooth and transitioned iOS is over android in terms of just it’s navigation. But I digress, I’m not saying iOS is the best operating system because that’s all I use, I’m saying iOS is the best, because Apples intention has always meant to keep it simplistic, linear and very fluid that it’s substantially noticeable when using that compared to android.

 

[torana355]

I have to ask, but do you own an iPhone or have ever used one? Now I understand that android has its appeal, and it’s more customizable, but in terms of fluidity, it’s undeniable how much more fluid iOS is over android. I’m not saying that Android is a stuttering mess, but it’s fairly notable how much more smooth and transitioned iOS is over android in terms of just it’s navigation. But I digress, I’m not saying iOS is the best operating system because that’s all I use, I’m saying iOS is the best, because Apples intention has always meant to keep it simplistic, linear and very fluid that it’s substantially noticeable when using that compared to android.

You are right ios is more fluid due to the animations Apple uses, the problem is those very animations slow down general navigation, it looks pretty but is more form over function. Android is more clinical and dare I say snappy. It's half the reason the s10 with the less powerful CPU is able to beat the XS in speed tests. It's all personal preference as the super slick animations make the iPhone feel really nice to use but I prefer the speed of Android.