Last night Apple announced the slew of smartphones it will be releasing this year.
Of course there was news of a new Watch and a new Apple TV but it’s the phones that get tongues wagging.
The trouble is that Apple loves filling its presentations with jargon making it harder to know if the iPhone really is better than its competitors.
So after pondering the dilemma we decided to create a chart (revolutionary right?) which compares each iPhone to its biggest competitor – Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S8 vs iPhone 8
Samsung S8 | iPhone 8 | |
CPU | Exynos 8895 | A11 Bionic Chip |
Memory | 4GB | 2GB |
Storage | 64GB | 64GB/256GB |
SIM | Nano SIM (Hybrid Dual SIM also available) | Nano SIM |
Display size | 5.8inches | 4.7inches |
Display resolution | 1440 x 2960 | 750 x 1334 |
Battery size | 3 000mAh | N/A |
Connectivity | LTE, up to 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 | LTE, up to 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Interface | USB Type C, fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, heart rate monitor | Lightning connector, TouchID, |
Rear camera | 12MP, f/1.7, phase detection, optical image stabilisation, LED Flash | 12MP f/1.8, phase detection, optical image stabilisation, quad-LED flash |
Front camera | 8MP, f/1.7, autofocus | 7MP f/2.2 |
Truthfully the S8 looks like the better option on paper. And while 64GB of storage seems minimal, remember that you can slot a microSD card into the S8.
If I was made to make a choice between the two handsets it would come down to price. The S8 currently retails for R13 045 but we don’t have local pricing for the iPhone 8 just yet. That being said a bit of napkin maths puts the iPhone 8 at around the R11 000 mark but we’d recommend waiting for a firm price from the iStore.
Samsung Galaxy S8+ vs iPhone 8 Plus
Samsung S8+ | iPhone 8 Plus | |
CPU | Exynos 8895 | A11 Bionic Chip |
Memory | 4GB/6GB | 3GB |
Storage | 64GB/128GB | 64GB/256GB |
SIM | Nano SIM (Hybrid dual SIM) | Nano SIM |
Display size | 6.2inches | 5.5inches |
Display resolution | 1440 x 2960 | 1080 x 1920 |
Battery size | 3 500mAh | N/A |
Connectivity | LTE, up to 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 | LTE, up to 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Interface | USB Type C, fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, heart rate monitor | Lightning connector, TouchID, |
Rear camera | 12MP, f1.7, phase detection, optical image stabilisation, LED flash | Dual 12MP (f/1.8, f/2.8), phase detection, 2x optical zoom, quad-LED flash |
Front camera | 8MP, f/1.7 | 7MP, f/2.2 |
So while the S8 trumped the base iPhone 8 the 8 Plus is a bit more competitive. This is largely due to the dual camera set up at the back of the handset. The S8+ does have a larger display and more of it’s body (84% to be exact) contains display than the iPhone.
Once again it comes down to price. The iPhone 8 Plus will retail for around $799 in the states so we can expect it to cost around R16 000 once you account for taxes, import duties and the like. Once again we urge you to wait for official pricing from the iStore before making your mind up.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs iPhone X
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | iPhone X | |
CPU | Exynos 8895 | A11 Bionic chip |
Memory | 6GB | 3GB |
Storage | 64GB/128GB/256GB | 64GB/256GB |
SIM | Nano SIM (Hybrid Dual SIM also available) | Nano SIM |
Display size | 6.3inches | 5.8inches |
Display resolution | 1440 x 2960 | 1125 x 2436 |
Battery size | 3 300mAh | N/A |
Connectivity | LTE, up to 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 | LTE, up to 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Interface | USB Type C, fingerprint scanner, iris scanner, heart rate monitor | Lightning connector, Face ID |
Rear camera | Dual 12MP (f/1.7 and f/2.4) optical image stabilisation, 2x optical zoom, dual-LED flash | Dual 12MP (f/1.8 and f/2.4) phase detection, optical image stabilisation, 2x optical zoom, quad-LED flash |
Front camera | 8MP, f/1.7 | 7MP, f/2.2 |
Let’s be frank, the iPhone X is drool-worthy and has the specs to justify being tempted by the handset. The problem however comes down to price.
Starting at $999 for the 64GB version in the states we’re expecting the iPhone X to retail for around the same price as the Galaxy Note 8. That is to say, at around the R17 000 mark.
Of course that price doesn’t account for Apple’s local mark-up so once again, we’ll wait for official local pricing.
Some folks have said that the phone could cost more than R20 000 but that seems excessive, even for Apple.
On paper then the Galaxy S8 looks like a better phone than the iPhone 8 but as history has shown us specifications don’t really encapsulate what Apple is capable of.
Apple fans will surely need no persuasion but if you’re on the fence the choice is going to be tough.
***Disclaimer: The pricing of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X are all a matter of speculation and should in no way be seen as the final, or exact price.***