Last year was an eventful year for Samsung, and that’s putting it mildly. August saw the release of the much-anticipated Galaxy Note 7, which blew the competition out of the water — quite literally, as the phone was soon blacklisted from entire countries and banned from major airlines after it revealed a nasty habit of catching fire in owners’ pockets.
Not to worry, though; Samsung is a ginormous company, and it has a second chance to regain consumer trust with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. So how does Samsung’s latest flagship stack up against Apple’s latest, plus-sized headset? We lauded the latter device in our iPhone 7 Plus review, but here, we examine how its flagship features compare with those of the
Specs
Galaxy S8 Plus | iPhone 7 Plus | |
Size | 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm (6.28 x 2.89 x 0.32 in) | 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm (6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) |
Weight | 6.1 ounces (173 grams) | 6.63 ounces (188 grams) |
Screen | 6.2-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED touchscreen | 5.5-inch Retina HD LED-backlit touchscreen |
Resolution | 1,440 x 2,960 pixels (529 ppi) | 1,080 x 1,920 pixels (401 ppi) |
OS | Android 7.0 Nougat | iOS 10 |
Storage | 64GB | 32, 128, 256GB |
MicroSD card slot | Yes | No |
NFC support | Yes | Yes |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Samsung Exynos 9 Series 8895 (International) |
A10 Fusion with 64-bit architecture, M10 motion coprocessor |
4GB | 3GB | |
Connectivity | 4G LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi | 4G LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi |
Camera | 12MP rear with OIS, 8MP front | Dual 12MP rear, 7MP front |
Video | ||
Bluetooth | Yes, version 5 | Yes, version 4.2 |
Fingerprint sensor | Yes | Touch ID |
Other sensors | Barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity sensor | Barometer, 3-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor |
Water resistant | Yes, IP68 rated | Yes, IP67 rated |
Battery | 3,500 mAh | 2,900 mAh |
Charger | USB Type-C | Lightning |
Marketplace | Google Play Store | Apple App Store |
Color offerings | Black, silver, orchid gray, coral blue (international), gold (international) | Gold, rose gold, silver, black, jet black |
Availability | AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile | AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Unlocked |
Price | Starting at $840 | Starting at $770 |
DT review | First Take | 4/5 Stars |
Based on early benchmarks, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 in Samsung’s
The S8 Plus does have 4GB of
The
We’ll have to test real-world performance of the S8 Plus to see how it compares to the
Winner: Tie
Design, display, and durability
If you’re buying a phone with the “Plus” suffix, the screen is probably pretty important to you. Luckily, both these phones are designed beautifully, with stunning displays to match.
Interestingly, the 5.5-inch iPhone is a bit bigger than the 6.2-inch S8 Plus, and nearly half an ounce heavier — that’s a lot of unnecessary weight and bezel. The screen itself is bright and colorful, but with a resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels, it won’t outperform the
The
But the
The
Winner: Samsung
Software
Samsung has been hard at work, making improvements and additions to its software suite to help overcome Apple’s iOS powerhouse. The
More: What’s in a Name? Meet Bixby – the smart sidekick who’ll help you use your digital gear
Anything you can perform by touch, you can ask
The S8 Plus runs
We’ll have to compare the user experience on the S8 Plus before we can claim a winner.
Winner: Tie
Camera
Both of these phones sport best-in-class cameras. We lauded the
Overall, the iPhone is an amazing daytime camera, with a powerful flash and lots of neat features. In the dark, though, the
Thanks to a number of more useful features, like Portrait Mode and the optical zoom lens, the iPhone comes out on top, but it’s possible Samsung has some tricks up their sleeve that haven’t yet seen the light of day.
Winner:
Pricing
The
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
AT&T | $850 or $28.34 per month for 30 months | $770 or $25.67 per month for 30 months |
Sprint | $850 or $35.42 per month for 24 months | $770 or $32.09 per month for 24 months |
T-Mobile | $850 or $30 per month for 24 months with a $130 down payment | $770 or $30 per month for 24 months |
Verizon | $840 or $35 per month for 24 months | $770 or $32.08 per month for 24 months |
The
Winner:
Overall Winner: iPhone 7 Plus
There’s still a lot to be decided on which phone lasts longer, performs better, and captures better photos. If you don’t have an operating system allegiance, the