How do next year's flagships compare? We take a look at the rumours surrounding Apple's iPhone 8 and the Galaxy S8
It's that time of year again, Samsung just launched its new flagship, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. Meanwhile, Apple won't launch a new iPhone until September, but this year is a special year; it's the iPhone’s 10th birthday and Apple is believed to be introducing a TON of new features, specs and a brand new design language.
Samsung is once again the biggest phone maker on the planet, beating Apple and Huawei. TrendForce released a report this week that shows all the movers and shakers in the mobile space for Q1 2017.
Samsung is the biggest player, followed by Apple and then Huawei, Oppo and BBK/vivo. LG managed to sneak into the top six, but only just. BlackBerry, HTC, Sony, OnePlus and the rest are once again left to pick up the crumbs.
Local news outlets in South Korea are reporting that Samsung Galaxy S8+ sales are now expected to be higher than the regular Galaxy S8 edition. Yuanta Securities, an analysis firm, issued details and predictions of a combined total sales figure of 50.4 million units per year. Of this overall figure, the forecasts suggest the Galaxy S8+ will account for 27.1 million units; a 53.9% split of all S8 series handsets sold.
Although there's a ways off for the iPhone launch, the handsets (three are rumoured) have been talked about pretty extensively already, so there's a lot of info out there. Plenty of it is from reliable and reputable sources as well, and a lot of it corroborates, overlaps, or lines up in such a way that we feel reasonably confident in being able to predict roughly how these devices will compare. So that's where this article comes in, a somewhat tentative and speculative look at all the rumoured info.
According to a report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo, supply of the iPhone 8's OLED panels may struggle to meet initial demand, the result of which could see the beginning of production pushed back by several months.
In a note to investors, Kuo described "severe" OLED shortages having an impact on Apple's production plans. This means Apple may not have sufficient units ready in time for the usual August or September launch, and the firm may have to delay launching the hotly-anticipated 10th Anniversary model flagship back until October or November. Indeed, in a worst case scenario we may not see the iPhone 8 available widely until Q1 2018.
Right. Let’s delve into what’s currently known about these two, very special handsets.
iPhone 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8: Major Specs
Rumored iPhone 8
- Display: 4.7, 5.5 and 5.8in 1920 x 1310 Curved OLED
- Storage: 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB
- CPU and RAM: A11 processor, 3-4GB RAM
- Front Camera: 8MP
- Rear Camera: 12MP dual-lens, dual-OIS, 4K video recording
- Extras: Iris scanner, wireless charging
Samsung Galaxy S8
- Display: 5.8 and 6.2in 2960x1440 Super AMOLED Display
- Storage: 64GB internal, 256GB expandable
- CPU and RAM: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Samsung Exynos 8895 Processor, 4GB RAM
- Front Camera: 8MP with autofocus
- Rear Camera: 12MP, 4K video recording, optical image stabilization.
- Extras: Iris scanner
As far as specs go you can expect the iPhone 8 to see a new A11 processor and M11 motion-coprocessor. But until those actually ship, there’s no way to tell for sure how they compare against the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or Samsung Exynos 8895 processor found in the Galaxy S8.
That said, a new leak, which we'd suggest you approach cautiously, shows benchmarking results for the iPhone 8's A11 chip and they are, quite simply, mind-blowing. A little too good to be true, in fact. The iPhone 8 was allegedy put through Geekbench, according to a screenshot emerging out of China. Thing is, that screenshot is all we have as evidence, and it's not outside the realms of possiblity that it could have been faked.
Anyway, the Geekbech 4.0 results show phenomenal scores from the iPhone 8.
In single-core testing it scored 4,537, while multi-core racked up 8,975. These are, quite frankly, rather astounding results, making them all the more fishy. Compared, for example, with the Galaxy S8+'s scores of 1,986 and 6,447 respectively - and that phone currently tops the scoreboard against pretty much everything else. The iPhone 8 is apparently twice as fast on the single-core score alone.
Giving them the benefit of the doubt for a moment, these results show a 30% uplift in single-core performance from the iPhone 7 and a 58% improvement on the multi-core. It's also 41% faster on multi-core than the Galaxy S8.
Other fishy details included in the benchmark results are an odd display resolution of 2,800x1,242 pixels, which means a display aspect ratio of 20.2:9 or 2.25:1, bigger than the Galaxy S8 and LG G6. The A11 processor specs are also shown as a 2.74 GHz quad-core CPU, and 128KB of L1 cache, which means a 17% increase in CPU clockspeed on the iPhone 7.
Apple’s silicon is always impressive. The past two generations of Apple’s A-Series chipsets have been remarkable pieces of technology, improving performance, power consumption and graphical prowess dramatically each and every year.
With the advent of higher resolution displays, more display real-estate and the very real possibility of a Pro model iPhone, this year’s A11 CPU could well be the most potent we’ve seen released in a good long while.
TSMC is reportedly making Apple’s 10-nanometer chipset with production reportedly starting as early as Q2 2017.
The transition to 10 nanometers should enable Apple to pack a lot more features and functionality into a given area than it could with the 16-nanometer technology that the A10 Fusion chip is built on,” notes fool.com.
“TSMC previously said that its 10-nanometer technology will see a ’20% speed gain and 40% power reduction’ relative to its 16-nanometer technology.”
Basically, if you're coming to the iPhone 8 from the iPhone 6, which a lot of people will be, you will definitely notice the difference.
The Galaxy S8, meanwhile, currently tops the rankings in benchmarking against every other phone. We've tested the Galaxy S8+ in our full review, which is the international variant with the firm's own 10nm Exynos 8895 processor, which it manufactures itself on the FinFET process. Samsung also produces the Snapdragon 835 for the US model using the same architecture - the performance is said to be comparable.
Our time with the S8 showed it to be extremely capable, with amazingly smooth performance in the interface operation, excellent multitasking clout, and a dab hand at high-end gaming too. However, if the above leak regarding the iPhone 8 is to be believed then Samsung is in serious trouble when the A11 arrives.
As for RAM, its likely a tie. Entry level iPhone 8’s might have 3GB of RAM with the Plus maxing out at 4GB. But the S8 also includes 4GB of RAM!
As for storage options, the iPhone 8 will likely max out at 256GB. It’s the breadth of internal storage that really beats the S8 here. Although, the S8 could actually end up with more storage. While it only offers 64GB internal, it maxes out to over 300GB with its support 256GB SD cards.
iPhone 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8: Display
At present it's thought there will be three size variants of the iPhone 8 at 4.7in, 5.5in, and 5.8in. However, Apple is rumoured to be adopting curved OLED displays to incorporate a wrap-around, bezeless display in a unique new, slightly iPhone 4S-insipired curved glass bodyshell, but it is strongly claimed that this will only apply to one model which will be priced at a premium, as Apple is unable to source enough of the curved OLED panels for every variant. Also, there are rumours doing the rounds saying Apple has now abandoned the curved OLED in favour of a flat OLED setup.
The model with the OLED display is also believed to be the one which will have other high-spec bells and whistles, such as a dual-OIS dual-lens camera. The resolution for the iPhone 8's display will allegedly be 1920 x 1310 pixels and it is said that the Home key and fingerprint scanner will be embedded under the display glass. However, yet more contradictory leaks, some from reliable tipsters, show a fingerprint scanner cut-out on the rear panel. It's not clear whether 3D Touch will make a return, but our guess is that it likely will.
According to the newly emerged patent filing, reports the Daily Star, "Apple is woking on a flexing display that is moveable between a folded position and an unfolded position.”
It added: "Giving the flexible phone reactive skills, the application has detailed how the future phone will play host to a sensor that detects whether the flexible display is in the folded position or the unfolded position. Using this, it adds it will benefit from processing circuitry that automatically turns on the flexible display when the flexible display moves from the folded position to the unfolded position.”
This technology could well be for later models, however.
What’s interesting about all this is that it what we’re seeing now is Apple copying Samsung, a thing Apple has long accused Samsung of in the past. However, in 2017, Apple will borrow more features from Samsung’s existing Galaxy phones than ever before.
Not that this is a new trend; the Apple Pencil, for instance, simply took what Samsung was doing with its Note range and brought it to iPad. The addition of curved displays for iPhones, however, is a little closer to the bone, as this design attribute is something Samsung has very much made its own.
As for the Galaxy S8 phones, Samsung is doing away with flat displays and both Galaxy S8 variants have curved Super AMOLED screens with a resultion of 2960x1440. The handsets do not feature a physical Home button, a first for Samsung, in order to make room for more display in a similar-sized chassis; instead, there's a capacitive key under the glass and the fingerprint scanner has moved to the rear panel, alongside the camera sensor. The overall look and feel of the Galaxy S8 is stunning, picking up where last year’s model left off, while refining things even further; it's much curvier and more elegant, with a very seamless look and feel.
The image quality is superb too, with a stunningly sharp resolution, one of the widest colour gamuts available, and excellent brightness and contrast ratings. DisplayMate gave it an A+ rating, it's highest ever, declaring it the "best" display on the market.
However, some customers in South Korea who got their handsets relatively early reported Galaxy S8 units with a red-tinted display. According to The Korea Herald, Samsung has now acknowledged the problem and is working on a fix, the firm issued a statement as follows:
"Because there are some complaints about the red-tinted screens, we decided to upgrade the software next week for all Galaxy S8 clients."
Samsung also issued instructions to its Service Centres regarding the issue, saying, "There will be an additional update to make color revisions more minutely at the end of April"
Samsung has now issued another statement regarding the red tint issue during a conference call reported by Korean source The Investor. Samsung revealed it has carried out inspections of Galaxy S8 units and said it is confident about the handset quality and its quality control.
"Due to the nature of Super AMOLED displays, there can be natural differences in color. Users can optimize the color depending on their preferences." Samsung also added that the software update it has promised to fix the issue will allow better colour optimisation and calibration.
The update designed to fix the red-tint issue is now rolling out to Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ units. It started in South Korea, but has now progressed to Europe. Galaxy S8 owners will see the update prompt for version G950NKSU1AQDG, while Galaxy S8+ units will have version G955NKSU1AQDG. Handsets in the UK and Germany have now started receiving the software update, which is sized at 426MB.
The update adds new features to the Adaptive Display mode menu which give the user finer control of colour calibration and tuning. The Screen mode menu also has a new EDGE colour balance setting as well.
iPhone 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8: Camera
The front S8 camera is only 8MP, but it does feature autofocus making it very easy to use. Quality wise the images snapped on the selfie cam are much better than you might typically expect, owing to the use of a wide f/1.7 aperture alongside the benefits of autofocus. The front iPhone 8 camera will also likely be 8MP. Of the back lenses the S8 maxes out at a single-lens 12MP with OIS, dual-pixel phase detect autofocus and an f/1.7 aperture, while the iPhone 8 will have a 12MP dual-lens, according to reports.
Some very recent reports have said that the model with a dual-lens and curved OLED display will also feature new dual-OIS, an upgrade from the iPhone 7 Plus which had a dual-sensor but only OIS in one of the two lenses. It’s likely Apple could also have improved software that makes it pictures more colorful and richer. However the S8 is likely to take better night shots. Indeed, in our time with the Galaxy S8+ the photography is a standout feature of the phone; it takes breathtaking photos in all lighting conditions and has some of the best low-light and night-time performance we've seen. It's also incredibly easy to use and features a Pro mode for those who want more fine control.
Both Samsung and Apple will push innovation in the imaging department. Apple will refine the dual-lens experience, adding in better sensors, improved image processing and, generally speaking, tighten everything up.
The iPhone 7 Plus’ camera – like the iPhone 6s Plus’ before it – was pretty exceptional anyway, so we don’t see Apple doing too much the overall setup; this just isn’t the company’s style – it likes to increment slowly, refining things over longer periods of time.
iPhone 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8: AIs
Samsung’s having another stab at doing a digital assistant, and this one is called Bixby and it debuted inside the Samsung Galaxy S8. Bixby was developed by the original creators of Siri, who are now working under Samsung.
Samsung will bring Bixby to ALL of its products as well; so it won’t just feature inside the Galaxy S8. Expect to see Bixby inside HDTVs, watches, tablets and more. Bixby is basically Samsung’s answer to Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
“The acquisition of Viv Labs would also allow Samsung to reduce its dependence on Google services,” reports The Express. “Samsung has already launched its own contactless payment options – Samsung Pay – which directly competes with Google's Android Pay solution.”
Viv Labs CEO Dag Kittlaus said: "Samsung is setting its sights on becoming a major player in software and services, and specifically AI.
“Samsung Pay has already proven to be one of the most successful mobile payment platforms in the market and SmartThings is another software acquisition signaling their conviction. And they have installed a new cadre of senior SW-savvy management stretching all the way to the top with a mission.”
iPhone 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S8: Verdict
Well… 2017 just got A LOT more interesting. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are two of the most impressive handsets we have ever seen. That makes Apple’s job with the iPhone 8 all the more difficult.
The bar has been raised across the board by Samsung. The company hit the ball out of the park with the Galaxy S8, leaving no stone unturned. Apple’s iPhone 8 will likely be just as impressive. But where things could get interesting is if Samsung can convert any floating iPhone 7 users in the interim.
Given the quality of these phones, the design and the overall level of finish I can see A LOT of current iPhone users switching. I know I’m tempted!
What makes things even more interesting, though, is that Samsung still has the Galaxy Note 8 up its sleeve for later on in the year. This means Apple has two potentially massive-selling Android phones to contend with. Expect A LOT of excitement later on this year.
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