iPhone or Samsung: Which smartphone should you choose in 2022?

The two companies offer the most complete and integrated ecosystems, but far from simply looking at a company or product line and deeming one superior to the other, the goal here is to present the alternatives from each side and help those who may still be undecided to make an informed choice between a Samsung smartphone and an Apple iPhone in 2021.

Summary:

iPhone or Samsung: Catalog range and prices

Samsung’s advantages over Apple:

• Huge catalog of devices.
• More affordable handsets.

Apple’s advantages over Samsung:

• Clearly-defined product range.
• Older models are still competitive in terms of features and performance.

In recent years, the number of products from Apple’s smartphone line has increased a little, with the arrival of the mini variant while maintaining a long software update policy for older iPhones. This makes the iPhone product range the smallest among the top five smartphone manufacturers today.

iPhone catalog and prices

At the beginning of 2022, Apple’s catalog includes eight models: four that were released in 2021, three in 2020, and one from 2019. The company normally retains selected models from its previous generation in its catalog with a lower price point. The exception would be the iPhone SE (2020), which doubles up as an entry-level handset while offering specifications that are on par with the then-flagship iPhone 11 at an almost mid-range price point. 

	Pro (large) model	Pro (medium) model	Editor’s pick	Mini iPhone	2020 model	2020 mini model	Old 2019 model	Mid-range iPhone
Device
List price	$1,099	$999	$799	$699	$699	$599	$499	$399
Image
Technical specifications	6.7-inch, OLED, 120 Hz 2778 x 1284 pixels (458 ppi) Apple A15, 5G 128 / 256 / 512 GB / 1 TB ROM Triple camera Wide-angle 12-megapixel 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle Telephoto 12-megapixel September 2021	6.1-inch, OLED, 120 Hz 2532 x 1170 pixels (460 ppi) Apple A15, 5G 128 / 256 / 512 GB / 1 TB ROM Triple camera Wide-angle 12-megapixel 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle Telephoto 12-megapixel September 2021	6.1-inch, OLED, 60 Hz 2532 x 1170 pixels (460 ppi) Apple A15, 5G 128 / 256 / 512 GB ROM Dual camera Wide-angle 12-megapixel 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle September 2021	5.4-inch, OLED, 60 Hz 2340 x 1080 pixels (476 ppi) Apple A15, 5G 128 / 256 / 512 GB ROM Dual camera Wide-angle 12-megapixel 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle September 2021	6.1-inch, OLED, 60 Hz 2532 x 1170 pixels (460 ppi) Apple A14, 5G 64 / 128 / 256 GB ROM Dual camera 12-megapixel wide-angle 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle October 2020	5.4-inch, OLED, 60 Hz 2340 x 1080 pixels (476 ppi) Apple A14, 5G 64 / 128 / 256 GB ROM Dual camera Wide-angle 12-megapixel 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle October 2020	6.1-inch, LCD, 60 Hz 1792 x 828 pixels (326 ppi) Apple A13 Bionic, 4G 64 / 128 / 256 GB ROM Dual camera 12-megapixel wide-angle Ultra-angle 12-megapixel September 2019	4.7-inch, LCD, 60 Hz 1334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi) Apple A13 Bionic, 4G 64 / 128 / 256 GB ROM Single camera 12-megapixel wide-angle April 2020
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With the launch of the iPhone 13 family, six of the brand’s eight models include 5G support and OLED display, while the iPhone 11 and SE models still rely on LCD screens and carry a 4G modem.

Samsung’s smartphone catalog and prices

While the iPhone 2021 family can be counted using the fingers on one hand, Samsung’s catalog is much broader, covering everything from smartphones that only offer the bare essentials to highly sophisticated models with support for features such as the S-Pen stylus, all the way to foldable screens, a category in which the South Korean manufacturer has few rivals two years after the launch of Galaxy Fold.

Samsung’s line of smartphones is made up of the Galaxy family, which also includes wearables, headsets, tablets, notebooks, and other gadgets. The family is divided into categories such as Galaxy Z (foldable phones), Galaxy S (premium handsets), Galaxy Note (phablets that seem to have come to the end of the line in 2020), Galaxy A and M (entry-level and mid-range models), and Galaxy XCover (rugged handsets that target the corporate segment).

	Foldable with a big display	Compact foldable	Traditional flagship	S21 with a bigger display	2021 flagship	Affordable flagship	First 2022 model	Flagship with stylus support	The last Note?
Device
List Price	$1,799.99	$999.99	$1,199.99	$999	$ 599.99	$699.99	$699.99	$674.99	$570
Image
Technical specifications	7.6-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 2208 x 1768 pixels 6.2-inch, Super AMOLED 2268 x 832 pixels Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 256/512 GB ROM 12 GB RAM Triple camera Main: 12 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Telephoto lens: 12 MP 4,400 mAh August 2021	6.67-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2640 x 1080 pixels 1.9-inch, AMOLED 260 x 512 pixels Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 128/256 GB ROM 8 GB RAM Dual Camera Main: 12 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP 3,300 mAh August 2021	6.8-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 3200 x 1440 pixels Exynos 2100 128 / 256 / 512 GB ROM 12 / 16 GB RAM Quadruple camera Main camera: 108 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Telephoto lens 1: 10 MP Telephoto lens 2: 10 MP 5,000 mAh January 2021	6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2400 x 1080 pixels Exynos 2100 128 / 256 GB ROM 8 GB RAM Triple Camera Main: 12 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Teleobjective: 64 MP 4,800 mAh January 2021	6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2400 x 1080 pixels Exynos 2100 128 / 256 GB ROM 8 GB RAM Triple Camera Main: 12 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Telephoto: 64 MP 4,000 mAh January 2021	6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2400 x 1080 pixels Exynos 990 (SM-G780F) Snapdragon 865 (SM-G780G) 128 / 256 GB ROM 6 / 8 GB RAM Triple camera Main camera: 12 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Telephoto: 64 MP 4,500 mAh September 2020	6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2400 x 1080 pixels Exynos 2100 (SM-G990B) Snapdragon 888 (SM-G990U) 128 / 256 GB ROM 6 / 8 GB RAM Triple camera Main camera: 12 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Telephoto: 8 MP 4,500 mAh January 2021	6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 3088 x 1440 pixels Exynos 990 128/256/512 GB ROM 8/12 GB of RAM Triple camera Main: 108 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Telephoto lens: 12 MP 4,500 mAh August 2020	6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 3088 x 1440 pixels Exynos 990 128/256/512 GB ROM 8/12 GB of RAM Triple camera Main: 108 MP Ultra wide-angle: 12 MP Telephoto: 12 MP 4,500 mAh August 2020
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Since the Galaxy A, M, and XCover lines don’t compete directly with Apple models, we’ve listed only the models that occupy the same price range as the iPhone line above. All these devices, from the Z, S, and Note lines – bring top-of-the-line processors and OLED screens, as well as multiple cameras in their respective configurations. Support for 5G is included in all updated models of the 2021 line, while for devices launched in 2020, you can find them in either 4G or 5G versions.

Prices charged by the two companies show an important difference between them: while the value on Apple models normally remains stable until the arrival of a new generation, the prices of Samsung models fall rather quickly after launch. In fact, certain devices like the Galaxy S20 FE can be found for half the recommended retail price just a year after its launch. Talk about major depreciation!

This has an impact on the depreciation and resale price of its devices, which in the case of iPhones, they normally receive new operating system versions and security updates for a longer period of time, a gap something which Samsung has been trying to narrow in recent months. 

iPhone or Samsung: Hardware

Even OLED screens that are standard in the Galaxy S line since the first generation hit the market in 2010, was only widely adopted by Apple with the iPhone 12 line (in 2020), while the high refresh rate of the display that became fashionable because of Samsung and other Android flagships in 2020, only arrived on the iPhone range in 2021. Even then, it was reserved exclusively for the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models.

Apple iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21

Specifications
Device
Image
Processor	Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) Hexa-core: 2x Avalanche @ 3.23 GHz 4x Blizzard	Exynos 2100 (5 nm) Octa-core: 1x Cortex-X1 2.9 GHz 3x Cortex-A78 @ 2.8 GHz 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.2 GHz
Storage	128 GB 256 GB 512 GB	128 GB 256 GB
Expandable storage	None
Screen	6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR 1170 x 2532 pixels, 460 DPI 60 Hz refresh rate 1200 nits maximum brightness	6.2-inch OLED Dynamic AMOLED 1080 x 2400 pixels, 421 DPI 120 Hz refresh rate Max. brightness 1300 nits
Camera	Main 12 MP: f/1.6 / Dual Pixel PDAF / sensor-shift OIS Ultrawide 12 MP: f/2.4 / 120° FOV Selfie 12 MP: f/2.2 / 1/3.6″ / 120° FOV	Main 12 MP: f/1.8 / 1/1.76″ / Dual Pixel PDAF / OIS Ultrawide 12 MP: f/2.2 / 1/2.55″ / FOV 120° / Super Steady Video Telephoto 64 MP: f/2.0 / 1/1.72″ / PDAF / OIS / 3x hybrid zoom Selfie 10 MP: f/2.2 / 1/3.24″ / Dual Pixel PDAF
Video	4K at 24/25/30/60 FPS / 1080p at 25/30/60 FPS / 720p at 30 FPS HDR / Dolby Vision HDR / Stereo sound / Sensor shift OIS	8K at 24 FPS / 4K at 30/60 FPS / 1080p at 30/60/240 FPS / 720p at 960 FPS HDR10+ / stereo sound / gyro-EIS
Battery	3227 mAh Wired charging 20 W USB PD 2.0 Wireless charging 15 W Qi/MagSafe Charger not included	4000 mAh 25 W USB PD 3.0 Corded recharge Wireless recharge 15 W Qi 4.5 W wireless reverse charge Charger not included
Audio	Stereo No headphone jack
Price	$799	$550

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Specifications
Device
Image
Processor	Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) Hexa-core: 2x Avalanche @ 3.23 GHz 4x Blizzard	Exynos 2100 (5 nm) Octa-core: 1x Cortex-X1 2.9 GHz 3x Cortex-A78 @ 2.8 GHz 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.2 GHz
Storage	128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB	128 GB 256 GB 512 GB
Expandable storage	None
Screen	6.7-inch OLED “Super Retina XDR 2778 x 1284 pixels, 458 DPI 120Hz refresh rate 1200 nits maximum brightness	6.8″ OLED “Dynamic AMOLED 1440 x 3200 pixels, 515 DPI 120Hz refresh rate Max. brightness 1300 nits
Camera	Main 12 MP: f/1.5 / Dual Pixel PDAF / sensor-shift OIS Ultrawide 12 MP: f/1.8 / 120° FOV / PDAF Telephoto 12 MP: f/2.8 / PDAF / OIS / 3x zoom LiDAR sensor Selfie 12 MP: f/2.2 / 1/3.6″ / 120° FOV	Main 108 MP: f/1.8 / 1/1.33″ / PDAF / OIS Ultrawide 12 MP: f/2.2 / 1/2.55″ / FOV 120° / Super Steady Video Telephoto 1 10 MP: f/4.9 / 1/3.24″ / PDAF / OIS / 10x zoom Telephoto 2 10 MP: f/2.4 / 1/3.24″ / PDAF / OIS / 3x zoom Selfie 40 MP: f/2.2 / 1/2.8″ / Dual Pixel PDAF
Video	4K at 24/25/30/60 FPS / 1080p at 25/30/60 FPS / 720p at 30 FPS ProRes / HDR / Dolby Vision HDR / Stereo sound / Sensor shift OIS	8K at 24 FPS / 4K at 30/60 FPS / 1080p at 30/60/240 FPS / 720p at 960 FPS HDR10+ / stereo sound / gyro-EIS
Battery	4352 mAh Wired charging 20 W USB PD 2.0 Wireless charging 15 W Qi/MagSafe Charger not included	5000 mAh 25 W USB PD 3.0 Corded recharge Wireless recharge 15 W Qi 4.5 W wireless reverse charge Charger not included
Audio	Stereo No headphone output
Price	$1,099	$1,199

With Apple finally adopting 120 Hertz refresh rates for its displays in 2021 only for the iPhone 13 Pro line, it’s managed to catch up with Android flagships in this aspect. On the other hand, the Galaxy line continues to offer more versatile camera confiurations, including additional lenses. At this point, it’s worth noting that the iPhone 12 Pro Max beat the S21 Ultra in our 2021 camera blind test, and the camera component was one of the areas in which Apple seemed to have heavily invested in for most of the iPhone 13 line.

While Samsung stands out with superlative numbers in its hardware specifications, Apple’s highlight would be the integration of its components, most notably the processors. The company often compares its SoCs with the competition, announcing that the new 2021 A15 as 50% faster than its direct rival on Android (presumably the Snapdragon 888 SoC).

Even without offering additional details about the benchmarks used or even the name of the chipset it was going up against, the fact remains that even Apple’s A14 processor already left its rivals, the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100, in the dust when it came to both generic and graphics processing tasks.

iPhone or Samsung: Software

The fact is, the convergence of features will not stop with both mobile operating systems adopting features released by one another. Even one of the main advantages of iOS – long-term support – is starting to be copied by Samsung with an announcement of its new update policy. Even if it is still not up to par with what Apple offers for its devices such as the iPhone 6S, which will receive iOS 15 security updates at least until September 2022, seven years after its launch.

Also read: iOS 15: All features and everything you need to know

The user experience is already a highly subjective matter, and in this case, it is not possible to say which option is better for this or that person. Broadly speaking, those who like to customize the system would normally find additional options in the Android/OneUI field, while iOS stands out as the more sensible one when it boils down to standard options, including privacy and data protection. Speaking of which…

iPhone or Samsung: Data protection

With OneUI 3, Samsung has integrated the new privacy features of Android 11. The first of these is the unique permissions system that you can grant or deny to apps on your smartphone. So, you can allow an app to access your location, microphone, or camera just once, until you close the app in question.

The fact that you don’t have to allow geolocation running in the background at all times is also a plus point. From now on, you have to do it from the dedicated page of the app in question from the system settings. These additional steps should discourage or at least make you think twice before letting an app track you, even when you’re not using it.

Isolated storage (debuted in Android 10) allows you to compartmentalize the data that different apps have access to, with one app being unable to access another’s “space” and vice versa. In practical terms, this limits the app’s access to only a few folders on your smartphone’s internal storage, so apps cannot see your other files.

When it comes to file management, One UI 3.0 has a new “Access to all files” permission, which allows it to function as it did in previous versions. However, the application must meet certain conditions to get this permission. All other apps are limited to “Media access only”.

Apple’s privacy features

After the release of the ATT or App Tracking Transparency feature in iOS 14.5, which gave users more control over personal tracking performed by apps on the system, iOS 15 has expanded the transparency of apps’ access to your data by delivering the App Privacy Report which shows how they make use of the granted permissions, as well as data exchanges with behavior trackers.

In addition, Apple has moved the processing of various personal data from the cloud to the device itself, including Siri speech recognition. Another new feature in iOS 15 is additional protection measures in the Mail app for IP address hiding, and in the case of the iCloud+ plan subscribers, it will create unique emails alongside the Private Relay feature, which redirects your requests using different addresses (and in an encrypted manner) to make it difficult to record browsing patterns.

iPhone or Samsung: Resale value

According to a study commissioned and published last January by Bankmycell, Android smartphones shed an average of more than 33% of their value in 2020, compared to about 16% for iPhones. This decline accounts for over 50% of its price for a mid-range/entry-level smartphone.

There are many reasons for the faster depreciation of Android handsets than Apple’s. Take Samsung for example. The manufacturer launches more than 10 smartphones each year. In 2020, Apple released only 5 smartphones. Samsung’s most affordable models are meant to be renewed more frequently, ideally every year if the manufacturer wants to maximize its sales.

If people resell their smartphones sooner, it’s normal for them to lose their value faster. If you want to renew your iPhone, you’ll have to wait for a longer period of time since Apple only launches a new range once a year on average. As iPhones are more expensive than their Android counterparts, it is normal that Apple users keep their iPhone longer and resell it at the most convenient time.

This article was written in collaboration with Antoine Engels, having been updated after the announcement of the Galaxy S21 FE, so comments below may reference models removed in the latest version.