With the arrival of Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, the debate about the best smartphone has become a bit too intense. While some claim S8 is way better than iPhone 7/7 Plus, some still adjudge the latest Apple’s flagship smartphone as the real winner. So, where does this clash of titans stand?
Lashed with gorgeous design, robust hardware, and spectacular display, S8 has received a warm welcome—with pre-orders breaking all the previous records. It’s the superior profile of the S8 series that’s proving to be an instant hit among the folks who love Android devices. As an iPhone user, I’m also impressed with what Samsung’s latest premium smartphone has to offer. But, do I want to switch over to S8?
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs iPhone 7: Comparison
Galaxy S8 Decimates iPhone 7 in Specs Battle
Galaxy S8 is undoubtedly the best Android smartphone and deserves to have all the accolades it’s been getting. Its sleek profile, curved design, and edge-to-edge display do look smoking hot. In contrast, iPhone 7 does look a bit old and pale. To be honest, if anyone says that the dashing look of S8 doesn’t charm him, he must be telling lies. And, I’m no exception to it…
If there would be a war of specs, S8 would not just crush its biggest rival—iPhone 7– but also send it out of the park. That’s for sure! Take a look at what these two smartphones have got!
Dimensions
- Galaxy S8 – 148.9×68.1×8.0 mm (5.86×2.68×0.31-inch), 155g (5.36 oz)
- iPhone 7 – 138.3×67.1×7.1 mm (5.44×2.64×0.28 in) and 138 g (4.87 oz)
Display
- Galaxy S8 – 5.8-inch Super AMOLED, 1440 x 2960 pixels (570 ppi pixel density), 83.6% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- iPhone 7 – 4.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi), 65.6% screen-to-body ratio
Hardware
- Galaxy S8 (US) – Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core chipset (4x 2.35GHz and 4x 1.9GHz Kryo CPUs), Adreno 540 GPU; 4GB of RAM
- Galaxy S8 (Europe and Asia) – Exynos 8895 (4x 2.3 GHz & 4x 1.7 GHz CPUs), ARM Mali-G71 MP20 GPU; 4GB of RAM
- iPhone 7 – Apple A10 Fusion chipset: Quad Core CPU, Six Core GPU, 2GB of RAM
Price and Storage:
- Galaxy S8 – 64GB – $750 / €799 / £689
- iPhone 7 – 32GB ($649), 128GB ($749) and 256GB ($849)
So sorry, iPhone 7 just doesn’t stand a chance against S8 as far as powerful specs are concerned. And it’s ample clear…
Camera Shootout
I still love the sharp photos that iPhone 7 or 7 Plus is able to capture. However, S8 is marginally better than the iPhone when it comes to capturing high qualities photos—overall. Though Google Pixel/Pixel is still rated as the best when it comes to snapping top qualities photos is concerned. Even LG G6 has got a fabulous camera which delivers stunning shots.
“The S8 doesn’t have any clear photographic advantage over the Pixel. I was also pleasantly surprised by the LG G6. I think LG applies more aggressive post-processing to its images than the competition.
What surprised me the most is how the iPhone now feels a generation behind. It was harder to see last year when we pit the iPhone 7 against the Pixel and the less capable S7. But the S8, along with the Pixel and the G6, illuminates the extent to which Apple has fallen behind.” – The Verge
Even though S8 wins the camera shootout battle, I’m not going side with it as it doesn’t have a clear advantage despite being a generation ahead of iPhone 7.
The Speed Test
To me, what makes a smartphone so special is apps. Whether it’s rich apps, unmatched intuitive UI or amazing games, it’s iPhone where I have always got the best deal. Without any surprise, S8+ still has a lot to do to match the smooth sailing experience that Apple’s smartphone delivers—head on. Without any surprise, it badly lost out to iPhone 7 Plus in a speed test and couldn’t handle power-packed games as smoothly as iPhone.
Battery Life
S8 comes with more powerful battery, fast charging as well as wireless charging facilities. I really appreciate that as they do improve user-experience. In comparison, iPhone 7 may not come with the powerful battery as S8’s but it is good enough to get the job done with complete satisfaction.
As a user, I want my iPhone to have the more powerful battery but it’s not the be-all-and-end-all. As far as wireless charging is concerned, I still don’t find it convenient enough to charm me. In practicality, it’s much worse than wired charging system.
With the availability of a number of highly affordable and robust power banks as well as battery cases for iPhone 7/7 Plus, I never have anything to complain about.
When the Glossy Look Dies Down, It’s Performance that Keeps Your Interest Alive
There is an old idiom, “Handsome is as handsome does.” Never go by the looks as it can be incredibly deceptive! We all have heard and seen how much Samsung devices lose both their speed and performance once the dust finally settles on their surface.
Mere hardware can’t keep your interest intact for long. Just like any other man-made thing, it loses its glamor when gets old. But the quality performance not just makes you addictive but also stands up to the mark—in real life usage.
“Yes, I still found the Galaxy S8 retains the customary stutters and drops frames of animation navigation the UI and, no matter how close benchmarks claim the Snapdragon 835 (US) and Exynos 8895 (International) versions are, it simply doesn’t come close to matching the smooth responsiveness of iOS on the iPhone 7.” – Forbes
“Software is important, and iOS is still better and smoother than Android. Even with Samsung’s new and improved Samsung Experience, the iPhone still has a clear advantage. Samsung Connect is also a nice start, but Apple’s Continuity features are miles ahead of Samsung in terms of carrying the user experience across devices and platforms. Some might argue that software is the most important thing on a smartphone, and Apple has a huge edge here.” – BGR
Indeed, all that glitters are not gold, are they? iPhone 7 is awesome not just because it has an impressive profile but because it has got the most secure and advance OS and not to speak of the unmatched combo of software and hardware.
So, on the scale of performance and user-experience, iPhone 7/7 Plus is still way better than the smartphone that is almost a year ahead of it. While S8 would lose its glory merely after a couple of months or a year, iPhone 7 will continue to be in top gear for at least 4-5 years. That’s what called excellent efficiency and longevity!
Like this article? Shoot your views in the comments below. (You might want to have look at iPhone 8 features and stunning design concepts.)
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