Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) vs Apple iPhone 17 (256GB)
Side by side comparison between Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G vs Apple iPhone 17 phones, differences, pros, cons and full specifications. What's the better?
,
6.9"
AMOLED
AMOLED
1440x3200
108
MP
MP
40mp
12GB
RAM
RAM
Octa-core
5000
mAh
mAh
(Non removable)
vs
6.3"
OLED
OLED
1206x2622
48
MP
MP
18mp
8GB
RAM
RAM
Hexa-core
3692
mAh
mAh
(Non removable)
What's the better phone? Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U)
The phonemore's choice is much more technical than personal. Therefore, you shouldn't only consider this. Our goal is to help you, but what's important to us may not be important to you. You decide which one is the best! Comment!
19 Advantages 
15 Advantages | 29 Common items in both devices |
| Aluminum frame, glass front/back |
| Dynamic AMOLED / LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED |
| 120Hz |
| PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras |
| BSI sensor |
| HDR photo/video on both cameras |
| (front) 4K UHD (3840x2160) |
| +22 specs and more in the table below |
Check the comparison table below for more items that are not evaluated in comparison score above.
Highlight differences Clear highlight📱 Model features | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Model | Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) |
| Other model names | Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon, 12GB RAM) - US Carriers | iPhone 17 (A3258, A3519, A3520, A3521) |
| Country or region available |  USA |  (Global, International) |
| Brand | Samsung | Apple |
| Release date | 3/6/2020, Announced: 2/11/2020 | 9/19/2025, Announced: 9/9/2025 |
| Depth | 8.8 millimeters (0.35 inches) | 7.95 millimeters (0.31 inches) |
| Size (width x height) | 76 x 166.9 millimeters (2.99 x 6.57 in) | 71.5 x 149.6 millimeters (2.81 x 5.89 in) |
| Weight | 222 grams (7.77 ounces) | 177 grams (6.2 ounces) |
| Build, materials | Aluminum frame, glass front/back | Aluminum frame, glass front/back |
| Protection against water and others | IP68 certified: water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30min and dust-resistant | IP68 certified: water-resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30min and dust-resistant |
📲 Display | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Display type | Dynamic AMOLED | LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Screen size | 6.9" inches | 6.3" inches |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~90.6% (screen-to-body ratio) | ~90.9% (screen-to-body ratio) |
| Display resolution | 1440x3200 pixels (20:9) | 1206x2622 pixels (19.5:9) |
| Touchscreen | Capacitive Multitouch 10-points | Capacitive Multitouch |
| Pixel density (dot pitch) | 509 PPI | 458 PPI |
| Colors | 16 million | 1 billion |
| Scratch-resistant glass | Gorilla Glass 6 | Ceramic Shield 2 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Display features | HDR10+ Always-On Display 120Hz@FHD 60Hz@QHD | 1000nits[typ], 3000nits[peak] HDR10 Always-On Display Oleophobic coating screen True-tone Wide color gamut |
🤖 Operating System | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| System version | Android 10 | iOS 26 |
| Firmware update | Android 13 | feature not registered |
| User Interface | One UI 2.5 / 3.1 / 4.1 / 5.0 | feature not registered |
⚙️ Processor | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Chipset | 64bit: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (SM8250) (7nm) | 64bit: Apple A19 (3nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core, 3 processors: 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 585 (Single-core) 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 585 (Triple-core) 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 585 (Quad-core) | Hexa-core, 2 processors: 2x 4.26GHz P-Core (Dual-core) 4x 2.1GHz E-Core (Quad-core) |
| GPU graphical controller | Qualcomm Adreno 650 (250-587MHz) | A19 Pro GPU (5-core) |
| Performance (benchmark) | AnTuTu: 415976 (v7), 514485 (v8) Geekbench: 12191 (v4.4), 2697 (v5.1) GFXBench: 21fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 1829854 (v10) Geekbench: 8910 (v6.5) |
💽 Memory and storage | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| RAM memory | 12GB LPDDR5 | 8GB LPDDR5X |
| Internal storage | 128GB (104GB available) UFS 3.0 | 256GB (230GB available) NVMe (SSD) |
| External storage | Until 1TB microSD, microSDXC (dedicated slot) | Not supported |
📶 Mobile networks | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM Standby - Call active on one sim card (dedicated slot) | Dual-SIM Standby - Call active on one sim card |
| SIM card | 1 slot (Single-SIM) nano-SIM (4FF) + e-SIM | 1 slot (Single-SIM) nano-SIM (4FF) + e-SIM |
| Maximum Download / Upload | 5000/1024 Mbps | 5000/1024 Mbps |
| Network technology | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Frequency, bands | Expand band details Collapse details | |
| GSM MHz band | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 | Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 2G network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | CDMA 800/1900, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Primary 3G network | UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 | CDMA2000 1xEV-DO UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 |
| Primary 4G network | LTE Cat20 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71) TD-LTE (38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48) VoLTE | LTE Cat20 VoLTE A3520 (International): LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 53, 66) TD-LTE (34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48) A3258 e-SIM only (USA): LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 53, 66, 71) TD-LTE (34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48) A3519 (Canada, Mexico, EMEA): LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 53, 66, 71) TD-LTE (34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48) A3521 No e-SIM (China): LTE (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 66) TD-LTE (34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48) |
| Primary 5G network | SA/NSA/Sub6 (2, 5, 41, 66, 71) mmWave (260, 261) | A3520 (International): SA/NSA/Sub6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79) A3258 e-SIM only (USA): SA/NSA/Sub6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79) mmWave (258, 260, 261) A3519 (Canada, Mexico, EMEA): SA/NSA/Sub6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79) A3521 No e-SIM (China): SA/NSA/Sub6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 75, 77, 78, 79) |
| Primary data network | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A, SA/NSA, Sub6 | GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A, SA/NSA, Sub6, mmWave |
| Secondary 2G network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 | Not supported |
| Secondary 3G network | UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 | Not supported |
| Secondary 4G network | LTE Cat20 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 66, 71) TD-LTE (38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48) VoLTE | Not supported |
| Secondary data network | GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, TD-LTE, LTE, LTE-A | Not supported |
📷 Camera | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Back camera (main camera) | (quad camera) 108 megapixels 48MP periscope telephoto f/3.5103mm1/2.0"0.8µmPDAFOIS4x-optical-zoom10x-hybrid-zoom 12MP ultrawide f/2.213mm1.4µmSuper-Steady-video 0.3MP TOF 3D f/1.0 | (dual camera) 48 megapixels 48MP ultrawide f/2.213mm120°1/2.55"0.7µmPDAF |
| Main camera resolution | 12000x9000 pixels | 8000x6000 pixels |
| Video recording (primary) | 8K UHD (7680x4320) 24 fps | 4K UHD (3840x2160) 60 fps |
| Flash | LED flash | Dual-LED flash |
| Focal aperture | f/1.8 (aperture) | f/1.6 (aperture) |
| Focal length | 26mm (lens) | 26mm (lens) |
| Sensor size | 1/1.33" inches | 1/1.56" inches |
| Pixel size | 0.8µm pixel | 1µm pixel |
| Autofocus | PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras | PDAF: phase detection autofocus on both cameras |
| Touch focus | Supported | Supported |
| Image stabilization | OIS: Optical stabilization | OIS: Optical stabilization on both cameras |
| Zoom | Digital and optical zoom | Only digital zoom |
| Face/smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection | Face detection, Smile detection |
| BSI sensor | Supported | Supported |
| HDR | HDR photo/video on both cameras | HDR photo/video on both cameras |
| Camera extras | 4K@60fps 1080p@240fps 720p@960fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps Dolby Vision (60fps) |
📸 Front camera | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Front camera (secondary) | 40 megapixels | (dual front camera) 18 megapixels 0.3MP SL 3D |
| Front camera resolution | 7296x5472 pixels | 5184x3456 pixels |
| Video recording (secondary) | 4K UHD (3840x2160) | 4K UHD (3840x2160) |
| Front flash | Not supported | Not supported |
| Focal aperture | f/2.2 (aperture) | f/1.9 (aperture) |
| Focal length | 26mm (lens) | feature not registered |
| Sensor size | feature not registered | feature not registered |
| Pixel size | 0.7µm pixel | feature not registered |
🔉 Sound and multimedia | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Loudspeaker | Stereo sound 32-bit/384kHz Dolby Atmos Tuned by AKG | Stereo sound Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio 3D |
| Active noise cancellation | 2 microphones | 3 microphones |
| Radio | FM | Not supported |
| TV | Not supported | Not supported |
| Video formats | MP4, H.265, H.264, H.263, XviD, MKV | MP4, H.265, H.264, H.263, XviD, MKV |
| Audio formats | MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+, FLAC | MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+, FLAC |
🔌 Connectivity | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| USB | USB 3.2 Type-C, USB OTG On-The-Go | USB 2.0 Type-C reversible connector |
| Audio output | Type-C reversible connector | Type-C reversible connector |
| TV output | USB Type-C (reversible) | USB Type-C (reversible) |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 + A2DP/LE | 6.0 + A2DP/LE |
| WiFi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax [wifi6] (2.4GHz, 5GHz) + MIMO WiFi Direct, hotspot | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be [wifi7/6] (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz) + MIMO WiFi hotspot |
| DLNA | Supported | Not supported |
| GPS | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou | A-GPS, GeoTagging, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC |
| NFC | Supported | Supported |
| Infrared port | Not supported | Not supported |
🧭 Sensors | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor ANT+ Barometer Compass Face unlock 2D Fingerprint sensor (under display) Gesture Gyroscope Hall effect Proximity sensor | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor Barometer Compass Face unlock 3D Gyroscope Proximity sensor UWB (Ultra Wideband) |
| Vibrating alert | Supported | Supported |
🔋 Battery | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Battery type | LiPo: li-ion polymer (Non removable) | Li-Ion: lithium-ion (Non removable) |
| Battery capacity | 5000 mAh | 3692 mAh |
| Charger, watts | 45W Wired fast charging USB Power Delivery 3.0 | 30W Wired fast charging 4.5W Reverse charging by cable USB Power Delivery 2.0 |
| Inductive / wireless charging | 15W Qi wireless charging (Qi/PMA) 9W Reverse wireless charging | 25W Qi2 wireless charging |
| Talk time autonomy | feature not registered | feature not registered |
| Standby | feature not registered | feature not registered |
➕ Other features | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| Call control | Voice dialing, Voice recorder, Voice commands | Voice dialing, Voice recorder, Voice commands |
| Messaging | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail | SMS (T9), MMS, E-mail, Push mail |
| Hands-free calling | Supported | Supported |
| Video calling | Supported | Supported |
| Ringtones | Polyphonic and customized | Polyphonic and customized |
| Web browser | HTML, XHTML, HTML5 | HTML, XHTML, HTML5 |
| Antenna | Internal antenna | Internal antenna |
| Qwerty physical keyboard | Not supported | Not supported |
| Miscellaneous | • Colors: Cosmic Black, Cosmic Grey, Cloud White • Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor • Bixby • Samsung DeX • Samsung Pay (MST, NFC) | • Colors: Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender • Apple Intelligence • Apple Pay • Face ID • MagSafe |
☢️ Radiation rate | ||
| Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (SM-G988U) | iPhone 17 (256GB) | |
| SAR 1.6W/kg (USA, Mexico, etc.) | 0.94W/kg (head), 0.95W/kg (body) | feature not registered |
| SAR 2W/kg (Europe, UK, etc.) | feature not registered | feature not registered |