iPhone 8 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8: Apple and Samsung Face Off

With iPhone Ten hogging the spotlight, iPhone 8 might feel a bit similar Apple tree'south unloved stepchild, just it shouldn't. With a comfortable 4.vii-inch course gene and more than affordable toll, the iPhone 8 will be a palatable choice for consumers who still desire the latest and greatest hardware without breaking the banking company. On the other hand, the Samsung Milky way S8 costs nearly the same as iPhone viii and packs plenty of premium features into its sleek body. Allow's run into how the ii compare.

Name	Apple iPhone 8	Samsung Galaxy S8

Everyman Price	$699.00 MSRP	$750.00 MSRP
Editors' Rating
CPU	Apple A11	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Dimensions	5.45 by 2.65 by 0.29 inches	five.87 past 2.68 past 0.31 inches
Weight	5.22 oz	5.47 oz
Screen Size	iv.7 inches	5.viii inches
Screen Type	Retina	Super AMOLED Hard disk
Screen Resolution	1,334 by 750 pixels	2,960 past ane,440 pixels
Camera Resolution	12MP Rear, 7MP Front end-facing	12MP Rear/8MP Forepart-Facing
Wireless Specification	802.eleven a/b/grand/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth Version	five.0	5.0
microSD Slot	No	Yes
	Read the Review	Read the Review

Design and Concrete Features

The iPhone viii stays with a blueprint that hasn't fundamentally changed since the iPhone half dozen. You still get the traditional dwelling button with Bear on ID, a sizable bezel on the top and bottom, and polished aluminum sides. Like the iPhone 7, the headphone jack is as well absent. The just change is matching panes of glass on the front end and dorsum.

In comparison, the Galaxy S8 stands out. Its display curves along the sides but keeps a tiny bezel on the acme and lesser to spare yous the awkward "notch" cutout on the iPhone X. The S8 also sports glass front and back panels and metal sides, just there are ii notable features you don't observe on iPhone viii: a headphone jack on the bottom and a microSD carte du jour slot up acme for more storage.

In terms of dimensions, the iv.seven-inch iPhone eight measures five.45 by 2.65 past 0.29 and weighs five.22 ounces, while the 5.eight-inch S8 is only slightly bigger at 5.87 by 2.68 by 0.31 inches. Fifty-fifty more impressive, it weighs just v.47 ounces. When it comes to maximizing screen-to-torso ratio, the S8 can't exist beat. That said, both phones are small enough to fit comfortably in your hand and their tall-and-narrow form factors make information technology easy to achieve across for one-handed use.

Other shared features include wireless charging; iPhone 8 and S8 are both compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard. Samsung besides supports PMA and a proprietary standard that lets yous wirelessly charge faster with compatible charging pucks.

The iPhone eight is IP67 water- and dust-resistant, letting information technology survive in 5 anxiety of h2o for half an hour, while the S8 tin can go a piffling deeper (6 feet) with its IP68 rating. Both also support Bluetooth 5.0, which improves range and lets you stream to two pairs of headphones simultaneously.

Display

Display quality is where yous'll observe the biggest stardom. The iPhone 8 sticks to a 4.7-inch ane,334-past-750 Retina Hard disk display that hasn't increased in resolution or pixel density (326ppi) in several years. The only upgrade is a wider colour gamut and True Tone, which give you lot better contrast and warmer colors. And of course, 3D Impact, a characteristic that dates back to iPhone 6s, lives on.

By contrast, the five.eight-inch Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S8 has a much higher ii,960-past-1,440 resolution that packs in 570ppi. That higher pixel density will make images and text on the S8 appear sharper. You likewise get the advantages of an OLED brandish, like rich saturated colors, and dense, inky blacks. Features like Active Brandish help save battery life by giving you time, engagement, notifications, and media controls as necessary and simply lighting the required pixels.

That being said, the iPhone 8 does take a practiced IPS panel in terms of color accurateness and viewing angles. Screen brightness is also great for both devices, and you shouldn't accept a problem using either outdoors.

Processor and Battery

This is where the iPhone 8 actually shines. Information technology's powered by the same A11 Bionic chipset found in iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. Without putting too fine a signal on it, the A11 Bionic is the nigh powerful phone processor we've ever seen. Co-ordinate to leaked benchmarks on Geekbench, it boasts a single-core score of 4,061 and a multi-cadre score of nine,959, beating every Android device and all previous iPhones and iPads. The Snapdragon 835-powered S8 (1836/5960) looks like a midrange device next to it.

Of form, we'll reserve judgment until we can run our own benchmark tests, but if you're looking for the world's smallest, most powerful telephone, it's very probable the iPhone 8 will earn that title.

Bombardment life will exist fairly similar for both devices. According to Apple tree, iPhone viii battery life is nearly the aforementioned as the iPhone seven's, which clocked 5 hours, 45 minutes in our battery rundown test (in which nosotros stream full-screen video over LTE at maximum screen brightness). Oddly plenty, the Galaxy S8 had an identical runtime of 5 hours, 45 minutes, likely due to its larger, hungrier display. If yous alter screen resolution from Quad HD to 1080p, runtime increases to vii hours, 39 minutes.

Photographic camera

Every bit ever, photographic camera quality requires a shootout in PC Labs, but we have a pretty good idea of the hardware in each telephone. The iPhone 8 has a single, 12-megapixel rear camera with optical paradigm stabilization and quad LED True Tone flash. Unlike its larger sibling, at that place's no secondary sensor, and then y'all don't get features like telephoto zoom, portrait style, portrait lighting, or the bokeh effect.

Overall, we wait to meet performance that'southward like to the iPhone vii, which we plant to be a not bad photographic camera during our testing, though non necessarily the best compared with other phones on the market. Nevertheless, with Apple tree's ARKit, the iPhone eight should work with AR apps without requiring any additional hardware. Currently, that's not something you're able to get on the Galaxy S8 until ARCore comes out.

The S8 on the other manus, is among the all-time camera phones we've tested, boasting a single, 12-megapixel rear photographic camera that excels in capturing detail and shooting in depression calorie-free.The S8 likewise has OIS and both phones have 4K video recording and slow-mo video. The S8 has the added reward of manual controls, which let yous tweak focus, shutter speed, white residue, and other elements to take better shots.

Software and Features

The iPhone 8 comes running iOS eleven, Apple'due south latest operating organisation. It also rolls out to other iPhone owners starting Sept. 19, bringing new features similar ARKit's augmented reality support, a file managing director, and serious multitasking capabilities. When it comes to consistent updates, you won't do improve than Apple tree.

The S8 by contrast, runs Android 7.1 Nougat with the TouchWiz skin. Though it should get an update to Android 8.0 Oreo, when you'll really see it depends on your carrier. The S8 will support AR apps once Google's ARCore arrives.

Samsung has its own advantages, though. For example, Samsung Pay works with nearly all credit menu readers and terminals, not but those that are compatible with Android Pay or Apple Pay.

A small ecosystem of S8 accessories also provides useful functionality. Samsung Dex lets you hook the S8 upwards to a monitor and keyboard, to mirror Android onto a bigger screen for productivity and games. The Samsung Gear VR headset and a touch controller lets you use the phone for fun gaming experiences.

Price and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is available for sale unlocked and from carriers at a price that ranges between $750 to $800 depending on where you buy it.

The iPhone 8 is available for pre-club now (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Apple Store), and will brainstorm shipping Sept. 22. Prices starts at $699 for the 64GB model and $849 for 256GB. That'south less than the $1,000+ iPhone X, just it's about the aforementioned as what you'll spend for the S8.

Generally, if you're tied to Apple'due south ecosystem, similar a more meaty phone, and desire to take advantage of the powerful new A11 Bionic processor, the iPhone 8 looks to exist a great choice. On the other hand, if you want a futuristic-looking phone with a gorgeous brandish, premium features, and splendid camera operation, you won't do better than the Galaxy S8. We'll compare both phones once more when we get our easily on the iPhone viii in the coming months, so stay tuned for more.