Galaxy S9 vs iPhone 8: The ultimate Apple vs Samsung battle revealed

Galaxy S9 vs iPhone 8: Can Samsung’s flagship rival Apple’s former flagship?

Now that the Galaxy S9 is official, those interested in Apple’s iPhone 8 will inevitably be looking to Samsung to see if it can provide a little more bang for their buck. And if you’re one of those customers, you’ve come to the right place as we’re about to run through all of the similarities and differences between the all-new Galaxy S9 and the five-month-old iPhone 8.

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Galaxy S9 vs iPhone 8 Design: What’s the difference?

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to hear that the Galaxy S9 takes the biscuit in the design department. That’s because it’s armed with a stunning edge-to-edge screen. The iPhone 8, on the other hand, touts a standard 16:9 panel that’s sandwiched in between some sizeable bezel; dead space occupies the top and bottom, and either side, of the 4.7-inch high-resolution LCD screen.

Related: MWC 2018

Both the Galaxy S9 and iPhone 8 are constructed from a mixture of aluminium and durable glass – with the latter taking pride of place on the front and back of each handset. There’s a single-camera setup – comprised of a single sensor and an LED flash – on the rear of the devices, too, though the configuration mounted in the centre on the Galaxy S9 and towards the left on the iPhone 9.

• Galaxy S9 – 147.6 x 68.7 x 8.4 mm (163g)
• iPhone 8 – 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (148g)

The most notable difference, aside from the fact the Galaxy S9 has a more modern 5.8-inch edge-to-edge screen, between both units is that the iPhone 8 is equipped with a haptic Home button that houses the Touch ID – aka fingerprint – sensor. Samsung, however, went for a software approach, virtualising the Home button and moving the fingerprint reader to the rear of the handset.

It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy S9 has a USB-C port, while the iPhone 8 uses Apple’s in-house Lightning connection. Oh, and Samsung’s offering is also equipped with a tangible Bixby button – a feature that debuted on the Galaxy S8 back in 2017, letting owners access the firm’s digital assistant with the click of a button – though we suspect that won’t go down a treat with all customers.

Galaxy S9 vs iPhone 8 Specs: Which is more powerful?

The Galaxy S9 is armed with Samsung’s much-anticipated state-of-the-art Exynos 9810 CPU in Europe and Qualcomm’s brand new Snapdragon 845 CPU in North Amerca. The iPhone 8, meanwhile, has Apple’s five-month-old A11 Bionic CPU. That comes with 4GB of RAM on the former and 2GB on the latter. The Galaxy S9 also has a dedicated Mali-G72 MP18 GPU, overpowering Apple’s all-in-one solution.

Now let’s talk about the camera. The Galaxy S9 has a 12MP rear camera that’s complete with a mechanical variable aperture, letting users switch between f/1.5 and f/2.5 whenever they see fit, so they can adjust the preset to capture fantastic shots no matter what environment they’re in. The iPhone 8, for comparison, has a 12MP sensor with a fixed f/1.8 aperture. Both have autofocus and HDR.

It’s difficult to compare the Galaxy S9 and iPhone 8 in the software department. Samsung’s handset ships running the latest build of Android 8.0 Oreo, while Apple’s comes with iOS 11 out of the box. Both are fantastic mobile operating systems that excel in their own areas, though you’ll need to know what’s best suited to you before heading out to pick up either a Galaxy S9 or iPhone 8.

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Here’s a full breakdown of the internal differences between the Galaxy S7 and iPhone 8:

	Galaxy S9	iPhone 8
Battery	3000mAh	1821mAh
Camera (Front)	8MP (f/1.7)	7MP (f/2.2)
Camera (Rear)	12MP (f/1.5) or (f/2.4)	12MP (f/1.8)
Display	5.8-inch OLED Infinity Display (1440 x 2960)	4.7-inch LCD (750 x 1334)
Processor	Exynos 9810 Octa/Snapdragon 845	A11 Bionic
Storage	64GB/256GB (expandable via microSD)	64/256 GB
RAM	4GB	2GB

Galaxy S9 vs iPhone 8 Price

Pricing for the Galaxy S9 is set at £739 for the standard 5.8-inch variant and £869 for the 6.2-inch Plus model. The iPhone 8, on the other hand, starts at £699. That’s £40 less than Samsung’s, but for the extra cash, you get an awful lot more bang for your buck.

Related: Best Samsung Galaxy S9 deals

Galaxy S9 vs iPhone 8 Summary: What’s the difference?

Design: The Galaxy S9 is the winner here with its futuristic edge-to-edge Infinity Display. The iPhone 8, for comparison, has a traditional 16:9 screen with considerable bezels either side. Both are constructed from a combination of aluminium and heavy-duty glass.

Specs: Samsung’s latest smartphone is armed with its state-of-the-art Exynos 9810 CPU in Europe and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 CPU in North America, trumping Apple’s A11 Bionic CPU. It also has a better camera and expandable storage (via microSD).

Price: The Galaxy S9 starts at £739 for the standard 5.8-inch variant and £869 for the 6.2-inch Plus model. The Galaxy S7, however, can be had for £699.

Are you planning on picking up the Galaxy S9? Let us know over on Facebook or Twitter @TrustedReviews.