Apple’s most anticipated release of its 10th-anniversary phone, the iPhone X is stealing the spotlight with its 5.8 inches, 2436 by 1125 pixels, all screen display with just a tiny bit of bezel for the front camera sensor dubbed as the “Smartphone of the future”.
But wait all screen display? That’s not new at all. Samsung unveiled its all screen display or famously known as Infinity Display first with its brimming Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ last March 29, 2017, 5 months before Apple has launched the iPhone X.
We are not going to deny it. When it comes to feature, Android has out-innovated Apple so many times but why does it seem that Apple still manages to entice people with its redesigned features? Here is an overview of differences between Samsung Galaxy S8 and the iPhone X:
Although there’s a lot in common, their upscale has its own unique variation. Let us narrow it down one by one:
Physical Design
With the previous iPhones including the latest iPhone 8 and 8 plus, there are a lot of features that are missing (or shall I say, redefined?) from the iPhone X. The traditional home button that we once loved has worn-out and prefer to become discreet. With the start of iPhone 7, the headphone jack is still missing which we think is a little bit more annoying than people are willing to admit. I don’t know about Apple but they seem to like not giving options at all.
In comparison with the Galaxy S8, its curve display remains the top notch for its device. WITH A HEADPHONE JACK. And of course, a memory card slot to fill up the essential space a phone needs.
Both of the phones sport a glass front and back panels, with iPhone X having aluminum sides and Samsung Galaxy S8 using metal sides. In retrospect, iPhone X has only two available colors so far; Silver and Space Gray while Samsung Galaxy S8 bagged 5 colors — Midnight Black, Orchid Grey, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue and Maple Gold.
Other shared features include wireless charging which was, yet again, first introduced by Samsung between the two but both are compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard.
Both premium phones are as durable as it looks with water and dust resistant feature. The difference is that iPhone X’s IP67 can hold pressure to a microscopic level up to 5 feet while Galaxy S8 can go further within 6 feet with its IP68 rating.
Operating System and Battery Life
Apple has launched a brand-new A11 Bionic chipset (Cool name huh? Fun Fact: No one talked about the chip when it’s just A7, but when they put ‘fusion’ on A10 suddenly there was a buzz. Hence the A11 Bionic) The Samsung Galaxy S8 meanwhile has Exynos 8895 and octa-core chipset which is now overthrown by Apple with its 64-bit, six-core A11 Bionic. According to Geekbench results, (geekbench.com) Apple’s A11 Bionic system on chip (SoC) makes the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X by far the highest-performing smartphones available today.
With two different operating systems, Apple just recently launched the newest iOS 11, with all new interface designs and additional features while the Samsung Galaxy S8 runs Android Nougat and currently baking the Android Oreo.
Display and Features
3D touch remains in iPhone X dated back in the release of iPhone 6 with Retina HD display. Although their new feature, a wider color gamut and True Tone that gives you real contrast colors and can adjust whatever the lighting is in your environment are a new addition to the system. “Improved” Siri has been added to the OS, but some don’t agree to it yet.
Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is sharper and higher in resolution and pixel density with its Super AMOLED display giving you rich saturated colors. One big feature that the iPhone X lacks is the ability to tap into a superfast wireless network technology. “Apple’s not at the forefront of adopting network technology,” said Ben Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies. “They’re rarely the first ones to do it.”
“ While Apple has carved out a long lead in performance with its chips, Samsung has focused on display technologies, such as the OLED screens in the Galaxy S8 and Note 8.” (zdnet.com)
Camera
iPhone X introduces the new Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting with Quad-LED True Tone flash that can definitely boost your Instgram game leaving us the perfect “no-filter” selfie. The 12MP dual-lens camera can create a bokeh effect, blurred backgrounds, studio shots and different kinds of lighting that can give you DSLR-like shots. The camera includes a 3D face detection that can be a substitute for fingerprint scanner. (But how can John Cena unlock his phone then?) iPhone X has its new built-in augmented reality (AR) features or the ARkit which is something the Samsung Galaxy S8 doesn’t have yet.
On contrary, Galaxy S8’s camera is among the best of cameras tested with its 12MP and large f/1.7 aperture that can give you great results even on low lighting. Even though it only has single lens, Samsung Galaxy S8 has proven its record for producing best night photos. Samsung fans are keeping their hands tied until ARcore comes out.
Although Samsung have had head start with all the features Apple has now, Apple always has a way to make it seem like they broke new grounds. One day they release something, the next day it is everywhere in every corner of the world. Suddenly there’s a buzz even though it has been released by other brands in the past. In conclusion, it is clear that both phones have a lot in common but there are some areas in each phone that makes it exclusive and different from one another.
