Design, Build & Ergonomics
I know everyone is having a go at Apple at the design of the 11 Pro Max, with this being the third straight year that the exterior design of the phone has seen almost no changes. The 11 Pro Max looked like the XS Max which in turn was just a super-sized iPhone X. That said, there is the polarising stove-top rear cameras to add some controversy to the otherwise dull and uninspiring design. I do like the frosted matte finish of the back glass which does look kinda classy - and OnePlus was quick to remind everyone that they introduced that first on their phones! If you’ve had a Plus size iPhone which was introduced with the 6, then you’ll be comfortable with the ergonomics, except for one other consideration - the iPhone 11 Pro Max is seriously heavy. But given the size of the battery Apple put into it, I think that can be forgiven.

While everyone is busy giving Apple some flak for their laziness when it comes to their design (and they deserved it, to be honest) The Note 10+ actually doesn’t feel like it’s a big step forward from the S10+ which I also owned briefly. The punch hole camera is now moved from the side to the centre and the rear camera is now arranged vertically instead of horizontally. So in all fairness, maybe we should cut Apple some slack, haha. The Note 10+ feels a little more comfortable in the hands compared to the 11 Pro Max due to the weight, but the aluminium frame feels no where near as premium as the stainless steel of the iPhone. You may need to get a little used to the power button position on the left instead of the right if you are hopelessly right-handed like yours truly, but you do get used to it eventually after a couple of weeks or so. Lo and behold, what’s this? Samsung finally did away with the 3.5mm jack after bashing Apple about it during their Note 7 launch. So no points for them on that!

Winner: While the Note 10+ feels more comfortable in the hands due to the weight, the 11 Pro Max does feel more premium with the frosted back glass and the stainless steel frame. Of course, once you put both phones in a case, which most of us do, you can’t really appreciate the premium build of one phone over the other. I’ll give this to the Note 10+ (shocking, huh?) because I think Samsung deserves credit for squeezing such a big battery into such a light phone.

Display and Screen
Both phone screens are top of the class except if you’ve used the One Plus 7 Pro before (and I have briefly too), you do miss the higher refresh rate display. The True Tone technology of the iPhone means the colours rendered are more true to life while that of the Note 10+ are more vivid and bright. At this point, it could be down to individual preference. The iPhone’s screen has a higher maximum brightness which helps if you’re under the sun a bit more but the Note 10+ has the option of going 1440p if you need it, although I’ve never chosen that option. As for the punch hole vs the notch, both do not bother me as much as I know it does some other people so I’m not going to give one the advantage over the other on that front.

Winner: Draw - colour rendition is really subjective and boils down to personal preference. I prefer that of the iPhone, but that’s not saying it’s better than the Samsung.

Software & Performance
I’m not going to get into the iOS vs Android discussion here, because we all know how that will end up. I will say that both phones are fluid with no lags and can handle everything I’ve thrown at them. A disclaimer over here though: I’m not a gamer so I can’t appreciate the A13 Bionic being the “fastest chipset in the world” as proven by most benchmarks. If you do run too many apps in the background of the iPhone though there will be some apps that will restart as it only has 4GB RAM as opposed to the 12GB RAM on the Note 10+ (it’s amazing because I’ve worked with servers that has less RAM than that). The S-Pen adds a little bit of versatility to the Note although admittedly, I hardly used it during my three weeks stint with the phone. Probably used it only twice, once to scribble some notes on the screen during a discussion (which is cool) and once to doodle on a screenshot.

I’m still not a big fan of Samsung’s Galaxy Store and Apps which do feel a little redundant at times seeing that Google have the same apps - but I think a big part of why I am more bothered on Samsung’s UI now compared to previously is because I’ve had a taste of the fluidity and pure Android-like UI in OxygenOS - and as some of the OxygenOS advocates and purists here (you know who you are) will tell you once you’ve had a taste of that, it’s hard to go back to any other Android UI. My biggest pain with the S10+ was the ultrasonic FP reader, and I’m happy to see it’s much improved with the Note 10+. They released a firmware update to improve the one on the S10+ too but i didn’t stick around long enough. I still prefer FaceID though which works 99% of the time for me.

Winner: Performance - draw, Software - iPhone, simply because I like how it integrates seamlessly with my iPad and MacBook. Also, I too have had a taste of the forbidden fruit - OxygenOS.

Battery Life
Standby battery drain remains the Achilles Heel for Samsung and unfortunately it is no different on the Note 10+. Battery life isn’t just about Screen On Time for me because I rarely go above four hours SOT in a normal day with my phone especially on weekdays when I have another work phone to use. But it’s comforting to know that if my iPhone has 60% of battery life remaining at night, I can probably still scrape through the next day without having to charge the phone. The same can’t be said about the Note 10+. I won’t go into whether it is a problem with the chipset or the UI - will leave that for the experts. As a normal and occasionally heavy user, I can squeeze a bit more out of my iPhone than I can from my Note 10+.

Winner: iPhone 11 Pro Max for me.

Camera
Both phones take very good photos but I’m no photography buff, so I probably can’t appreciate what one phone does better than the other. Again, colour reproduction is a matter of personal preference and although Samsung’s colours are still a touch more vivid that the real life subject, I noticed it greens and reds aren’t as deep as they used to be and that’s a good thing. I like how Apple has improved their lowlight photos with the iPhone 11 series and also I do find the camera UI a bit friendlier over Samsung’s, but that again is a matter of preference. My face still looks a bit too fair and bright when taking selfies with the Samsung - which is great for photo ID pictures!

Winner: Draw

Ok, that really is the essence of what is important for me when it comes to my phone. There are a bunch of other stuffs which I won’t dwell too long on but I pick my preference of one over the other here: -

Loud Speakers: iPhone 11 Pro Max

Sound from Lightning (Apple urBeats 3 with Lightning Connector)/USB C (OnePlus Bullets Wired) earphones: iPhone 11 Pro Max *could be the earphones

Charging Speed: Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

Value for Money: Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ - you really can get a good deal for it just a couple of months after launch, though on the negative side, try selling it after just a few weeks and watch in amazement on how low are the offers you receive.