The first fully-fledged Nokia phone in a few years is about to land, and the fact that the company has skipped numero 7 to call the new model the Nokia 8 implies the company doesn't want to sound like it's a generation behind its competitors. So just how well does it stack up against the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+?
Size
The Nokia 8 is slightly taller and wider than the Galaxy S8, while the S8+ is a lanky beast, standing a full 10 mm taller than the others while still being the narrowest.
Weight
Likewise, the Nokia 8 is slightly heavier than the Galaxy S8. That said, neither of them hold a candle to the heft of the S8+.
Colors
The Nokia 8 is available in blue, copper and steel colors, while the Galaxy series comes in shades of black, silver, gray, gold or blue.
Materials
Nokia has built the body of the 8 out of sturdy aluminum, while Samsung has gone with its usual mix of aluminum and glass in the S8 and S8+.
Water resistance
The Galaxy S8 series is completely dust- and waterproof, but Nokia owners will want to be a bit more careful with their phones: the Nokia 8 can at best withstand the odd splash of liquid.
Screen size
Screen size is one of the biggest differences between the three models. At 5.8 in, the Galaxy S8's screen is half an inch bigger than that of the Nokia 8, while the Galaxy S8+ measures 6.2 in – almost putting it on par with its bigger sibling, the Galaxy Note 8.
Display resolution
All of these phones have displays of roughly 2K resolution, but with its stretched-out length, the S8+ suffers a reduction in pixel density. The basic S8 hits the sweet spot, with 570 pixels per inch.
Display type
The new Nokia is built with an IPS LCD screen, while the Galaxy S8 and S8+ sport what Samsung calls Super AMOLED. The differences are mostly in how the screens are made and lit up, but visual quality comes down to a range of other factors.
Curved display
A screen that curves over the sides of the phone was the defining, name-giving feature of the Galaxy S7 Edge, but that has now made its way into both models of the S8. Nokia, meanwhile, sticks with the tried-and-true flat screen.
Home button
The Galaxy's bigger screen has crowded the physical Home button from the face of the phone. Instead, it's been replaced with a capacitive on-screen button that functions the same way.
Fingerprint sensor
Both phones can be unlocked via fingerprint scans. On the Nokia 8 the sensor is built into the Home button as per usual, but in the absence of a physical Home button Samsung has shifted its fingerprint sensor to the rear of the Galaxy.
Face recognition
Samsung's flagship phones are the only ones so far to be unlockable by scanning and recognizing the user's face.
Processor
Both the Nokia 8 and Galaxy S8 series run on Snapdragon 835 processors, with Samsung's phones boasting faster clock speeds of 2.35 GHz.
RAM
Both phones pack 4 GB of RAM.
Storage
A fairly generous 64 GB of storage space comes standard on both phones.
MicroSD
That internal storage can be expanded in both phones, too, thanks to MicroSD card slots.
Battery
While the battery in the Nokia 8 boasts slightly more capacity than the Galaxy S8, the difference there is so small that you probably wouldn't notice. Where you will likely see a difference is in the S8+, which is powered by a boosted 3,500-mAh battery.
Fast charging
Both phones have the option of fast charging, for when you need a quick boost to your battery life.
Wireless charging
With the right accessories, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ can also be charged wirelessly out of the box.
Cameras
While there's more to a great photo than just the megapixel count, Nokia leads the pack on that front, boasting 13-MP cameras front and back.
Rear camera aperture
The camera on the Galaxy S8 has a wider aperture than the Nokia, which should improve the quality of low-light snaps.
Image stabilization
Both phones pack Optical Image Stabilization, to reduce blur in photos and smooth the jitters out of video.
Operating system
Both phones are running Android 7.1.1 Nougat, with Samsung's offerings also featuring a proprietary user interface called Samsung Touchwiz.
Release date
Samsung released its new flagships back in April, while the Nokia 8 will roll out in September.
Price
While no official US price has been announced for the Nokia 8, it's going for €599 in Europe, which translates to about US$700 – that's a tad cheaper than the Galaxy S8 and well under the $840 price tag of the S8+.
