Mobile Technology

iPhone X vs. Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

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New Atlas compares the specs of Samsung's current flagships, the Galaxy S8 and S8+, with the newly-announced Apple iPhone X
Colors
Build
Water resistance
Display type
Display width
Processor
RAM
Storage
Camera
Rear camera aperture
Operating system
Release
Fingerprint sensor
Face recognition
Home button
Fast charging
Wireless charging
Image stabilization
MicroSD
Display size
Display resolution
Dimensions
Display resolution/ppi
Weight
Pricing in US$
New Atlas compares the specs of Samsung's current flagships, the Galaxy S8 and S8+, with the newly-announced Apple iPhone X
Battery capacity
View gallery - 27 images

To celebrate 10 years of the iPhone, this week Apple announced the special anniversary edition, the iPhone X. Considering it comes with an eye-wateringly high price tag, let's see how it stacks up, specs-wise, with its main competitor, Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8+.

Size

Dimensions

The new iPhone is a fair bit shorter and thinner than both Galaxies, but a little wider.

Weight

Weight

Tipping the scales at 174 g, the iPhone X is a little on the heavy side as far as phones go, but you won't exactly strain a muscle lifting it to your ear.

Colors

Colors

While Apple sticks to classy, understated shades of gray and silver, Samsung offers a little more color, with gold and blue options.

Build

Build

For the first time in a few generations, the iPhone X is backed with glass, but this time it isn't purely a stylistic choice: it's there to allow the device to be wirelessly charged. The Galaxy phones also use glass front and back, framed with aluminum.

Water resistance

Water resistance

A rating of IP67 means that the iPhone X is completely dust-tight, and can withstand immersion in water to a depth of 1 m for 30 minutes. The Galaxy S8's IP68 means it can, theoretically, survive that long down to 1.5 m. In practice, while you still shouldn't take them swimming, both phones should survive any quick, accidental dunks in a pool or bathtub.

Display size

Display size

The iPhone X has the same decent-sized screen as the Galaxy S8.

Display resolution

Display resolution

Samsung makes better use of that space though, with the Galaxy S8 cramming in 570 pixels per inch, compared to the iPhone X's 458 ppi. That gives the Galaxy a higher resolution of 2960 x 1440.

Display type

Display type

Apple has finally ditched the IPS LCD screen in favor of OLED, which should provide deeper blacks and brighter colors. Samsung has been calling its displays "Super AMOLED" since 2010, and it mostly means the switching on and off of pixels happens faster.

Display edge

Display width

Bezels aren't cool anymore, with both phones stretching the screen all the way to the edges – and in the Galaxy's case, curving it around the sides a little as well.

Home button

Home button

With the screen taking up so much more room on the front, both phones have dropped the physical Home button we're used to. Each company has handled that key functionality differently: Samsung has opted for a capacitive on-screen version of the button, while the iPhone X lets you return to the home screen by swiping up.

Fingerprint sensor

Fingerprint sensor

The fingerprint sensor has also been muscled off the front of both phones by the screen. Samsung has moved that sensor to the back of the Galaxy, while Apple has done away with the function altogether, in favor of unlocking the device via facial recognition.

Face recognition

Face recognition

Apple is positioning "Face ID" as the key selling point of the iPhone X, but the Galaxy S8 and S8+ can already be unlocked with a quick face scan too. Apple's tech seems to be more advanced, taking a full 3D scan into account, while Samsung's system can apparently be fooled by a photo.

Processor

Processor

The Galaxy phones are powered by Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon processors, while the iPhone X (along with the 8 and 8 Plus) is running Apple's newest chip, which it calls the A11 Bionic. For the first time, the A11 has an integrated GPU, which is designed to boost the device's graphical grunt for games and enable machine learning.

RAM

RAM

Apple has remained tight-lipped on how much RAM the new iPhone packs, but the rumor mill reckons it's 3 GB.

Built-in storage

Storage

Both phones come with a generous 64 GB of onboard storage space as standard, but for an extra US$150 iPhone users can up that to 256 GB.

MicroSD

MicroSD

Samsung allows that 64 GB of storage to be bolstered with MicroSD cards if need be, while the traditionally-uncustomizable Apple would prefer you stick with what you're given.

Battery

Battery capacity

Apple doesn't usually give mAh figures for the batteries in its devices, but leaks have revealed the iPhone X's capacity to be 2,716 mAh. That's low in the straight numbers game, but in terms of battery life Apple's devices go toe-to-toe with the competition, thanks to an operating system that's been optimized for efficiency.

Fast charging

Fast charging

Apple has caught up with its competitors and offers the option for fast charging. But there's a catch: it can only do so with a separate USB-C adapter, not wirelessly or through the Lightning port.

Wireless charging

Wireless charging

Both phones have the option for wireless charging, but only with separately-purchased accessories.

Cameras

Camera

In sheer megapixel count, the cameras on the Galaxy phones have the iPhone beat, but Apple's front-facing camera, dubbed TrueDepth, can sense faces in 3D dimensions, and has a few other nifty tricks up its sleeve.

Rear camera aperture

Rear camera aperture

The main camera on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has a slightly wider aperture, which should help with low-light photography.

Image stabilization

Image stabilization

Both phones have Optical Image Stabilization.

Operating system

Operating system

The iPhone X is running Apple's newest operating system, iOS 11, while the Galaxy series comes loaded with Android 7 Nougat – recently usurped by Android Oreo – enhanced with a proprietary user interface called Samsung Touchwiz.

Release date

Release

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have been out for about 5 months now, while the iPhone X is due for release on November 3.

Price

Pricing in US$

Apple is pushing the iPhone X as a premium product, meaning it's a bit pricier than Samsung's offerings, to the tune of US$1,149 for the 256 GB model.

View gallery - 27 images
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7 comments
usugo
It makes the S8 look like a bargain! And even with better specs!
LesBorean
Just to be safe you should buy one of each.
ePhoto1
Sorry can't get past the "devil horns" on the model X. How could they make such an obvious design mistake? The screen needs to be rectangular. Period. As a huge fan of visual art I'm very cognizant of where I look when I view a work. If my eyes are drawn somewhere on an image that be with purpose. There are no hard and fast rules in art, but for a clumsy shape to overshadow EVERYTHING that I and others have carefully shot and cropped seems inexcusable. Bet there are lots and lots of cinematographers, photographers, and serious movie fans that feel the same. This rookie mistake "devil horns" screen shape would have never got past Steve Jobs into a real product. Just sad.
duane
Bur how about those bezels on Iphone X's "bezel-less" display.. Why do people still buy Apple products?!
JustinTWoods
1. Yes, the iPhone X's "bezel-less" screen has a small bezel up top- Samsung's have two larger bezels, top and bottom. It's a design decision that people will either hate or accept.
2. Geekbench has leaked results for the X's processor speed, showing single core score of more than 4000, and multi-core of nearly 10,000- compared to the S8's 1965 single core and less than 6500 multi-core, despite having 1 more GB of RAM- it's as we've always known about Apple computing speed: even with lower specs, on their face, they outperform competitors. Even the iPhone 7 had better benchmark speeds than the S8, at least at single core speeds, despite being 6 months older.
BleedingEdge
The iPhone X proves that Apple is firmly in reaction mode to Samsung and others rather than leading as they used to. While it's a decent product most won't change ecosystems to get it. Further, for a product in a record-high price range it has too many visual oddities - the worst being the odd top bezel followed by the rather thick 'bezel that's not a bezel' around the rest of the display on a device they're calling bezel-less. While there's no doubt that Apple's new core is a beast it doesn't really matter unless you're one of the folks who think opening every app on your phone, while converting a video is really a test of everyday usage. Overall the 'X appears to be a great device - especially for iPhone users envious of friends using other devices.
Augure
Not a great comparison, lots of crucial datas are missing: the iPhone X has dual-cameras but does not have dual-pixel sensors, does NOT have fast-charging (otherwise you can add any number of add-ons of the S8 in your specs), is not VR compatible although both are AR-ready, and finally the iPhone 8/X are way more powerful and optimised than the S8/+.